London Taxis INT TX4
Registered from 2006 to 2017.
About this model
The TX4 is a purpose-built taxicab manufactured and produced by The London Taxi Company from 2007 to 2017. In 2013, The London Taxi Company became a subsidiary of Geely Automobile of China. The design has evolved via several mutations from the Austin FX3 of the 1950s.
From the Wikipedia article TX4, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2014 2.5 diesel. 498 of 2,758 tests failed, 18%.
Better than 45% of 2014 cars. The typical one fails 17%, across 870 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 71% | 353 |
| Lights and electrics | 40% | 201 |
| Brakes | 40% | 199 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 21% | 105 |
| Visibility | 14% | 72 |
| Steering | 14% | 68 |
The defects inspectors cite
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
- A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
- The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
Where it stands out against its peers
- Suspension: failed more often than 99% of 2014 cars — 71% of its 498 failed tests, where an ordinary 2014 car has 30%.
Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.
NHTSA's investigations are American; no European regulator publishes an equivalent record, so this section has nothing to draw on for a European car. There is no European equivalent of the service-bulletin register either.
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Suspension — 71% of its failures
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
- A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
- Brakes — 40% of its failures
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Exhaust and emissions — 21% of its failures
- Steering — 14% of its failures
- Lights and electrics — 40% of its failures
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- Visibility — 14% of its failures
When it starts failing
At 200k+ miles this one fails 19% of its inspections, against the 24% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80–100k miles | 15% | 21% | 40 | |
| 100–120k miles | 14% | 23% | 111 | |
| 120–140k miles | 16% | 23% | 221 | |
| 140–160k miles | 20% | 23% | 324 | |
| 160–180k miles | 16% | 23% | 401 | |
| 180–200k miles | 17% | 23% | 455 | |
| 200k+ miles | 19% | 24% | 1,141 |
2,693 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 180k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.