chevpol Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 ok peeps, what is the collective wisdom on the Freelander? I think we may be having one (not really decided yet!)thinking of a 5 door. So I need info, best engine, insurance costs etc Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m109a3uk Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Carefull on the 1.8 petrols TD4 engines are ok Look for odd tyre wear and history on these is a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 The 4x4 Volvo or Subaru are far superior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Johns Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 (edited) Assume your looking at the older Freelander not latest shape which is totally different, never touch the V6 petrol,they may seem to be cheap and a bargain but are bad news, Freelanders suffer with viscous coupling in the rear prop siezeing in locked position, tyres will scrub badly when driving in a circle on full lock which then leads to the IRD 4wd unit failing, £1000 for new unit ! ! rear window motor fails, can be expensive too, the diesel TD4 BMW lump is fairly relable, as said the petrol engine is the troublsome K series that has head gasket problems, they lose water, once its overheated the liners let water into the sump Edited March 1, 2011 by Nick Johns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 As has been previously said the 1.8 petrol can be troublesome, mainly head gasket problems and thermostat problems on the early ones. Land Rover overcame these problems with a change to the thermostat set up and eventually came up with a new head gasket which solved these issues. I wouldn't even consider the V6, far too heavy on fuel or the old diesel, too sluggish. The TD4 diesel is the one to go for, not much in the way of inherent problems but a lot seem to require a new fuel pump at approx 80 to 90 thousand miles. The Getrag gearbox can get a bit noisy but parts are not available so no repair possible, however they seem to just keep going with no ill effects so not too much to worry about. The IRD which controls the drive between front and rear axles needs checking, go on a fairly empty car park or similar and drive in a circle on full lock. There will be a small amount of drag but if the vehicle tries to stall or feels to be pulling hard against the steering walk away from it. Like most Land Rovers the Freelander can suffer from water leaks, look for wet carpet in the load area or water / condensation in the tool recess. There are other places but all the problems and cures are well covered on the web. Check operation of all windows, the window regs have always been a problem although Land Rover have modified them on a no of occasions. Check operation of the hill descent system. An important thing to check is that the two small breather filters for the engine and turbo have been changed, if it has a main dealer service history it should be ok but few other garages are aware of these and they MUST be changed every 12k. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoggyDriver Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 A guy at work bought one a month ago. A week after he had it the rear diff went. Apparently they blow diffs quite regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Johns Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 A guy at work bought one a month ago. A week after he had it the rear diff went. Apparently they blow diffs quite regularly. All related to the viscous coupling locking up, as in my post above Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff66 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 try a lwb isuzu trooper 3.1td Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz76 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 try a lwb isuzu trooper 3.1td Agree with all the above info about testing the IRD etc.. I'm a Land Rover man through and through but had a SWB 3.1 Trooper for the last couple of years and it was brilliant. Nothing fancy to go wrong. More truck like than the Freelander. The 3.1 is the one to go for rather than the later 3.0 due to diesel getting into the sump and blowing engine (Isuzu recalled most). HOWEVER I think the LWB Trooper will be quite a bit bigger than the Freelander. You pays your money....:-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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