Freelanders.....good or bad?

[Series 3 Brad]

Hi there =)

im looking for a freelander, dont mind new or old, just wanted to know if they are reliable and usually good runners.
Just wanted to know if they are a lot of problems like i have heard they are?

[dxmedia]

For the money, and if your after a 4x4, IMO, ANY other 4x4 than a freelander. They have a comedy reputation in the trade with a lot of mechanics refusing to work on them. The 1.8 is the funniest of the bunch ;)

[Jas278]

Im in the trade , yes they go wrong as do all Landis , but are still a popular motor , Not difficult or expensive to fix (apart fromTd4 Engine) Old diesel or 1.8 ok for what they are .

[dxmedia]

To put it into perspective...

Just been reading through south yorkshire freeads (current pink one) there's a freelander for sale, long MOT, low millage, needs clutch -

[V8MoneyPit]

I've not seen a Freelander that cheap..... ever, until now  :shock: Although reasonable condition early ones are now getting down near the

[dxmedia]

Have a look through your local free add paper thing - the

[V8MoneyPit]

But the point is that you are seeing all the dodgy ones simply because they are the ones people are getting shot of. There are a far greater number not up for sale and in everyday use.

Of course, we know there are far too many 1.8's that have the problem. It's a far greater percentage than it should be. But there are plenty of perfectly good ones and the fix works so once it's done, all should be well.

[Disco Matt]

I wouldn't mind a black 3dr V6 with Auto gearbox, TC and HDC. However, considering the money I'd then need to spend on it to get it anywhere near as capable as my Disco I don't think it'd be the best investment!

That said, with a 1" lift, bashplates everywhere and a good set of A/Ts I suspect it'd be a pretty handy vehicle.

[carbore]

They dont have a good reputation for reliabillity, but a lot of that was early ones.....

The 1.8K series in un-modified form is a liability in any car it was installed in, especially the freelander. This got better in the later oens as they moved the thermostat position which to me is the root case (regardless of what anyone says about better gaskets and dowels). Given the right mods that engine can be fine, I have a 160BHP K series in my elise and spank the hell out of it.

TD4 can be fine, but they can blow hoses, mine was fine for over 80k. As said V6 is reliable but thirsty.

IRD and VCU can be problems (mainly on the early ones I believe), but also affected by fitting mismatched tyres and incorrect pressures.

If you say maybe new that you are in F2 territory which is largely unknown in terms of reliability as most are still at the main dealer. Iv not heard anything bad about the F2. A low miles fully serviced F1 is OK, but if you get an older on then you need to get one thats been correctly serviced and has a nice matching tyres all round.

[burgerman]

 Wifey runs a Xreg TD4 manual.

 Been pretty much ok, Had 1 injector replaced and something broke in the sunroof, Apart from that just service items really, Battery , tyres ect, Found it quite comfy and tows ok,  Thats our report of "life with a freelander"  :D

[LiftedDisco]

If you can go to F2 money, they are a completely different beast and very capable...

We are just about to change Niki's for another... this one has done 57k in less than 3 years - with diesel in one end and washer fluid in the other!

Worryingly (?), it hasn't used oil, it doesn't leak or drip and she was the silly beggar doing the taxi trip round over the last couple of winters so that people could get to the stables to do the horses!

Oh... and our kids got to school every day, even when the school was shut!  :twisted:

Also tows horse trailer and two full up horses out of wet fields when out eventing... much to the bemusement of the local farming type who was clearly of the opinion 'that ain't a proper Land Rover...'

Cracking bit of kit..

[Disco Matt]

I also can't help but think that the usual attrition has removed the dud ones from circulation.

I remember back in 2000 there was a lot of comment in the LR press about 300TDI cambelt problems. LR eventually issued a kit to fix it and the only failures you seem to hear about now are on under-serviced engines which should have had a new belt ages ago. Any that were likely to fail have either been rectified, or have failed and been stripped for parts!

[Landy1uk]

Hi
I have a 1998 2lt Diesel Turbo (Rover Engine) mine has done 140thousand miles apart from a few issues just recently It still feels as quick and astrong as when I first Got it 5 Years ago avaging between 35 and 40 miles a gal Best i've had was 44.6 that was down to Dorset. I off road it check out the Link at bottom, Only broke down once Due to starter motor going.

there are now a few thing going  but thery are all wear and tear The latest is i think the Diff bushes need changing as there are nock from the rear when on left and right lock.  One thing i will say if you go for a Diesel weather Rover Diesel or TD4 check the pipes to the Turbo and EGR vavle, The carbon had built up so much in the pipes the diamater of pipe was the same as a Biro Pen.. apart from that  has been a very reliable car. Like anything else keep it serviced regular and will last.

The only mods i've done is put Falken Land/air Mud snow Tyres on it, Put Mesh between the Grill and rads to stop any stones hitting the rads,and the tray under the engine we now only unbolt the black placstic tray rather than taking the whole frame of when changing oil filter.. there will be some more mods soon just working on them