2011 London Taxis INT TX4 2.5L Diesel · LL61 UFD

The defining mechanical story of this London Taxis TX4 is a front suspension and emissions/electrical package that has repeatedly fallen foul of the MOT standard, with three failed tests in the space of roughly fourteen months between mid-2021 and late 2022. The most recent recorded assessment on 26 April 2023 returned a pass, but it carried advisories on both upper suspension arm ball joints showing slight play, indicating that the wear which triggered a previous failure has not been fully resolved. The earlier failure on 27 October 2022 was particularly serious, citing an inoperative engine management warning lamp, an ABS warning lamp indicating a fault, and excessively worn ball joints on both front upper arms and both front wishbone bushes, alongside the position lamp issue. The May 2022 failure combined an emissions exceedance, an excessively moved parking brake lever, an engine MIL fault, a failed nearside front position lamp, and a deteriorated track rod end dust cover. Even the June 2021 failure recorded both front position lamp and headlamp dipped beam defects as PRs. The trend shows that once these issues began surfacing in 2021 they accumulated rather than abated, and the 2023 pass rests on borderline components that could easily cross back into failure territory. Mileage on this vehicle stands at 384,016 recorded miles across approximately fifteen years of life, which equates to an annual accumulation of around 25,600 miles, a heavy commercial-class usage pattern entirely consistent with its London taxi vocation. There are some gaps in the testing history that should be noted, namely no recorded tests between June 2021 and March 2022, and another stretch between October 2022 and April 2023, though these gaps are modest in the context of an MOT cycle and could simply reflect administrative timing or SORN periods rather than extended standing. The sheer mileage carried, however, means that consumables and drivetrain components have been subjected to considerable wear, and the failure pattern observed sits squarely on the parts most stressed by sustained urban driving: front suspension geometry, braking components, and emissions aftertreatment systems. A vehicle of this mileage and body style should be approached with the assumption that clutches, flywheels, engine mountings, and automatic transmission torque converters have already absorbed a working life and may be approaching the limits of their serviceability. For a prospective buyer, the priority inspection area is the front suspension and steering assembly, given the cluster of advisories and failures around upper arm ball joints, wishbone pins and bushes, and the track rod end dust cover. On a test drive, listen for clonks or knocks from the front end over uneven surfaces, particularly over speed humps and potholes, which would indicate that the upper arm ball joints or wishbone bushes have worn beyond the slight play threshold already recorded. Steering should be checked for any vagueness, self-centring issues, or knocking on full lock, as the deteriorated track rod end dust cover is a clear precursor to accelerated joint wear and subsequent MOT failure. Visually inspect the upper arms, wishbones, and their respective bushes for cracking, perishing, or splitting of the rubber, paying close attention to any fresh underseal or paint that might be concealing recent repairs or, conversely, evidence of corrosion around the suspension mounting points that is common on TX4s of this age. The braking and emissions side of the record deserves equal scrutiny. The 2021 advisory noted pitted and scored front brake discs, and given the mileage, those discs will almost certainly require replacement now, so check for brake judder under firm pedal application and excessive pedal travel. The parking brake lever having exhibited excessive movement on the May 2022 failure suggests the rear drum or disc brake self-adjust mechanism may not be functioning correctly, so verify that the vehicle holds firmly on an incline without the lever requiring excessive travel. The recurring engine management warning lamp and ABS fault issues, along with the failed emissions test, indicate that the diagnostic trouble codes need to be read and cleared with a proper scanner before purchase, and that the catalyst, lambda sensors, or EGR system may be contributing to the emissions exceedance. A final check on all exterior lamps, particularly the nearside front position lamp and headlamp dipped beam which failed twice in the record, should be carried out in daylight and at dusk to confirm full function.