Freelander

[chippy17]

Having done a quick search regarding the petrol version of this car, I see that it does have it's problems, am going to see a 99 Freeleander 1.8 tonight that had a new engine (main dealer supplied and fitted) 9k miles ago.

Judging by what I have read this is probably a good thing but what do I need to look for to know that the upgrades/recalls apply to the engine that was fitted?

The cost of this work was approximately £3k, does this sound right?

Also what auxilliaries should they also have replaced?

Thanks

[FunkyGibbon]

We've got a 99 1.8 Freelander for 4 years - and the only issue we've had is the usual K series head gasket failure. Which it sounds like the one your seeing has already had and been fixed.

Other than that we've had no issues at all - other than wishing we'd got the 2.5l V6

[Graham]

we've got a 00/01 X plate 1.8 freelander, that also had a new motor fitted at 60+ k miles.

3k sounds a little low for main dealer refit. make sure they changed the rad at the same time, as they get crudded up when the head goes.


check the rear headlining and rear seatbelts for dampness. they can let water in round the fixings for the black plastic rear door trim.. only pence to fix but a pita if they leak.


Im not the freelanders greatest fan, although its the wifies car and she loves it, and they do actually handle very well..

Ours is up for sale now as Jo wants to become a driving instructor and needs a smaller hatchback. If it wasnt for that we'd probably keep it until it fell apart... The engines only done about 6k since it was put in..

[chippy17]

thanks for the input, I saw the car and for the year it seemed in good nick, and the engine was certainly new, it even had a sticker on it saying something like 'genuine replacement' and I saw the printout from the dealer showing engine change approx 2 years ago but it has only done 9k miles, good or bad thing?

The radiator looked relatively new but there was no evidence to back this up...it was making a funny whistling noise as you revved it from idle, is this normal? They reply from stealer was of course 'they all do that'!

Something stopping me from going for it, I guess because it is for my wife and she is not the most sympathetic when it comes to things mechanical and the chances of her not going over 3k rpm until it is warmed up is remote.

[Gazzab]

they are rubbish cars! Avoid !

[chippy17]

Gazzab said:

they are rubbish cars! Avoid !

having done a bit of research I have to agree with sentiment, rethink

[GreenLandy]

"Freelanders SCRAP when they left the factory! is all our local 4wd garage says. The props and part of the gearbox are prone to failure and can't be repaired

[chibbard]

Hi Alex, I'm thinking of selling my wifes one if your're interested (as I now receive a car allowance with my job and just thinking of getting a newer one. We have had it from new (51 reg) and haven't had any problems with it at all, apart from the head gasket (4 years ago). We have been very impressed with it. Feel free to e-mail me if interested. Col.

[Kentish]

Gazzab said:

they are rubbish cars! Avoid !

What utter bollox!

Granted they are no Defender but then they weren't designed to be a very basic and agricultural car that is very simple mechanically and can be fixed by the roadside.

The feelander is a very capable car for daily use and is also rather useful in the ruff stuff too but it isn't meant to be an out and out mudplugger. I've driven one around a quarry and it was very very capable indeed but I wouldn't abuse my own one like that often.

Our 2003 1.8 has had no faults at all other than the HG being replaced and that didn't actually "go". We've owned it since it was 6 months old and was the LR dealer demo car. I know there are many many thousands of other owners who have never had any problems.

Jesus, people buy a car these days and expect to abuse it, never service it and for it to remain 100% reliable for at least it's first 10 years.

[Gazzab]

I stand by my words. I have an interest in a land rover garage and specialise in Defenders, Range Rovers etc etc.... We see plenty of these cars to confirm that they are rubbish - both as normal car and as an off roader. The quality of the engine, drivetrain, interior etc etc is very very poor. I cant think of a redeeming feature ! But each to their own. If you are pleased then great BUT you cannot describe what I say as b****x as it is based on facts. You may have a different opinion based on your experiences and expectations. Hopefully you wont have a gearbox, diff or engine prob.

[GKP]

All the Land Rovers I've ever owned (and there have been many!) have suffered from an engine, gearbox or diff problem. Some a combination of all three.

The two Freelanders we've owned (my Missus is on her second, this time an '04 TD4, which has been faultless) have been the most reliable and cheapest to maintain. By far.

Workshops that get the cars in for fixing problems only ever see them because there's a problem. There's also thousands more Freelanders around than other examples of the marque so the chances are you'll get more Freelanders through the 'shop!

A well maintained Freelander isn't something to be scared of. They're not expensive to fix when things do go wrong, it's just expensive to get someone else to fix them.

[Kentish]

Gazzab said:

I stand by my words. I have an interest in a land rover garage and specialise in Defenders, Range Rovers etc etc.... We see plenty of these cars to confirm that they are rubbish - both as normal car and as an off roader. The quality of the engine, drivetrain, interior etc etc is very very poor. I cant think of a redeeming feature ! But each to their own. If you are pleased then great BUT you cannot describe what I say as b****x as it is based on facts. You may have a different opinion based on your experiences and expectations. Hopefully you wont have a gearbox, diff or engine prob.

Well, that's more useful than "they are rubbish cars! Avoid !"

Too often people post that kind of statement without any proper knowledge.

As mentioned you will always see them when something goes wrong, that's the nature of your profession.

I think if we actually compared them with other cars closely a good many other cars have faults that are as bad or worse.

Maybe we are the one and only lucky owners who have never had any problems in 4+ years worth of ownership?

I know the HG problem is a real problem but I think it has given the car a bad rep - there have been the odd electrical issues on early pre 1999 cars but again what late 90's car hasn't had any faults during its life. I've heard this comment about gearbox problems but I have never actually known or met anyone who has or does know someone who has experienced the faults.

Getrag box isn't it - aren't they usually the model of reliability and considered pretty bullet proof?


We've owned modern Citroens, Peugeots, Alfas and Nissan and a lot more went wrong with those other low mileage well maintained cars than has ever gone wrong with the LR.

[GKP]

It's not really the gearbox itself that causes problems, it's the IRD (Intermediate Reduction Drive - it's a box bolted directly to the side of the gearbox and gives 4 wheel drive to the car, think of it as a transfer box /old skool/ )

This bit normally fails due to the viscous coupling in the propshaft siezing and then this puts an undue amount of load on the IRD. If you replace the VC early enough (about 1 - 2 hours to fit) then you might get away with not having to remove and replace the IRD (about 5 - 6 hours)

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