Land Rover Freelander (don't laugh..)

[Spacemonkey]

I'm looking for a cheap medium size 4x4 that's cheap ish to run, drives a bit like a car (less roll than a Swiss on a mountain) and has aircon amongst other attributes. My initial idea was an LPG 93-6 Jeep Cherry as i love the styling. But today I have noticed that Freeloaders are getting quite cheap (£5k or less).

So are they actually any good off road? I'm not talking doing the Rubicon trail, or crossing the sahara, or bog crossing, I mean mild green laning, loose mountain tracks, that kind of thing, with AT tyres fitted, instead of pure roadies.

Do they have permanent 4wd, or a selectable 4H that can be used on tarmac without torque windup?

Drove a Vitara at the weekend and got sea sick in the bends, so want something that yaws a bit less and steers a bit more, as I'm used to nippy little sports cars and don't want too much of a culture shock, but most driving will be on road in inclement weather or when luggin stuff. MX5 the rest of the time, so I need good road comfort with some off road ability where a normal car couldn't cope with and reliability. I understand that this isn't a buzzword on some Freeloaders, but which ones? Are the K Series 1.8 models ok?

[innocent bystander]

When landrover tested them against the competion the freebies were towing the opposition out of the mud.

Check the owners club here (http://www.freelanderclub.co.uk/index.html) , and download the newsletters to see what they get up to.

And some guards to stop the exhaust falling off can be useful on ruts :rolleyes:

And yes, i am the happy owner of one... :D

[havingagiraffe]

reliability. I understand that this isn't a buzzword on some Freeloaders, but which ones? Are the K Series 1.8 models ok?

Make sure you get an extended warranty on anything with a green oval badge. Enough said. :rolleyes:

[innocent bystander]

Like i said - i am the happy owner of one :D

Never broken down at all, starts perfectly everytime.
And it's a k series 1.8 !!! 1.8ES to be precise... (leather interior, 6 cd, aircon, etc, hdc yada yada yada..)

There were a couple of duff engines that let go of their insides, but the ones that were going to blow, have for the most part already blown. As long as you stick to the regular servicing, you should have few problems.

As has been mentioned in other places, a freebie can go places where a defender would have troubles. Sand, wet grassy slopes etc

[JonnyP]

Spacemonkey..........Get a proper offroader not a softroader. The 90's and 110's all have air con, just open the flaps. Just plug any mp3 into the stereo and you have music far better than a cd changer, which usually jumps after a while. I have a mitsubishi shogun with all the leather and air and all that, but its always broken down, while my 86 landy 110 still keeps plodding on with no power steering and a 0-60 time of forget it. Its good fun to drive and all the other defender drivers wave to you and you do not need to worry about speed cameras cos you will never set one off. I have had it for 3 years now and I can honestly say it has never let me down and I have not had to buy any major parts.
Long live the Landy..................Jon
Freelander...........I laugh.........Ha ha ha. Power steering is for woosies

[Jjv110]

If it's a Freelander style 4x4 you're after, then I can recommend them in their category. I have driven one at on the Eastnor Castle estate in Hereford, which is the testing ground for Land Rover, and location for the old Camel Trophy selections.

The tyres were road tyres and I was driving on very wet, slippery, muddy tracks. It performed very well, eventhough there was a bit of slide beacuse of the tyres.

There is no hi/lo box, but instead, a very low first gear and then second is normal ratio. Permanent 4 WD is standard.They have Hill Decent Control, which can only be used in first, which works by using the ABS system. It's very effective.

Freelanders were used in the Camel Trophy, so are easily good enough for mild greenlaning and snow etc. Obviously, they're not up to Defender abbilities, but that's not what they were designed for. I think you'd be suprised how capable they are off road. They have all the usual electrics, air con etc.

On the whole, the vehicle is excellent and they are capable towing vehicles too.
I drove the Td4. I don't know much about the 1.8s, but, I do remember there was a problem with some of the earlier modles.

I think it's a good idea to have alook at the Freelander owner's club website.

Julian.

[innocent bystander]

Spacemonkey..........Get a proper offroader not a softroader. The 90's and 110's all have air con, just open the flaps. Just plug any mp3 into the stereo and you have music far better than a cd changer, which usually jumps after a while. I have a mitsubishi shogun with all the leather and air and all that, but its always broken down, while my 86 landy 110 still keeps plodding on with no power steering and a 0-60 time of forget it. Its good fun to drive and all the other defender drivers wave to you and you do not need to worry about speed cameras cos you will never set one off. I have had it for 3 years now and I can honestly say it has never let me down and I have not had to buy any major parts.
Long live the Landy..................Jon
Freelander...........I laugh.........Ha ha ha. Power steering is for woosies
My first landrover was a s3 lightweight with steve parker conversion. In the 1 st year of ownership, the rear axle disintegrated, core plug burst, heater melted, petrol tank split, one door fell apart and an exhaust EXPLODED !!.

18 months of freelander and the following has happened :

I have topped up the screen wash,and aired a tyre.

It has used no oil, or coolant. Everything works. :nana: :lmao:

[Buckshot]

When they were released FL's came in for a lot of stick cause they 'weren't a proper off roader'. Well that's correct, but it's horses for courses really. Most of the places I go with my 110 you could go in a much less capable off roader, even many road cars!!!
Remember you haven't got as much ground clearance and ,as has been said, the lowest thing on a FL is the exhuast so it's probably worth getting a guard on that and some AT tyres and I bet you'd get places most Landy drivers would fear to tred.
I think sometimes there's too much talk about the vehicle and not enough emphasis put on the skill of the driver. A good driver will get places even in a 'bad' off roader that other drivers could only dream of - or walk to !

Cheers

Mark

[BlueTrain]

My first and so far only Land-Rover was a 1965 SWB station wagon. Then I had two Rover sedans, one of which I managed to get 110,000 miles out of. (I also drove a Renault R5 for the same and my present Ford Escort has 180,000 miles). After around 1971 they were no longer imported but they had never been common.

Then they came back, in force. First Range Rovers were sold and are not too uncommon. Much more common than Rolls Royces. They the new Land Rover Discovery appeared. Wonderful looking. Want one. Defenders are still scarce but surprisingly, the Freelander is not that common yet over here. In all honesty, living in Northern Virignia, I think such things like Land Rovers, Burberrys and Barbour is more available than it is in other parts of the country.

When I owned my L-R, it received frequent off-road and backroad usage and always proved to be as capable as anything with four wheels. It died in a traffic accident. These days I don't know of any place to actually use four wheel drive yet SUV's, evidently a distinctly American variety of car (?), are very common. Humvees are actually more common than Range Rovers.

I still want another Land Rover. It is expected of me.

[JonnyP]

My first landrover was a s3 lightweight with steve parker conversion. In the 1 st year of ownership, the rear axle disintegrated, core plug burst, heater melted, petrol tank split, one door fell apart and an exhaust EXPLODED !!.

18 months of freelander and the following has happened :

I have topped up the screen wash,and aired a tyre.

It has used no oil, or coolant. Everything works. :nana: :lmao:

My 110 does not use any oil (honestly), though it does leak a lot over my drive, so I have put down a drip tray. The main reason that I love my landy so, is I can throw all my builders gear into it, cover it in pug, not worry about putting a dent into it, tow my 2.7 ton trailer ( which really slows it down) and just thoroughly use and abuse it, and it still loves me and does all I ask (in its own landrover way).........Jon

[Spacemonkey]

Spacemonkey..........Get a proper offroader not a softroader.

No, I want it for mainly ROAD use, with occasional light off road ability...


The 90's and 110's all have air con, just open the flaps.

Yes, and my MX5 has no roof, but still gets too F'in hot around town in summer, hence the aircon gives a COOL breeze in summer, and demists in an instant in the winter AND I spend a lot of time driving MY car s in Spain, where it gets rather hot... so I want, no-NEED Aircon.


Just plug any mp3 into the stereo and you have music far better than a cd changer, which usually jumps after a while.

Agreed, and i do! http://72.36.134.230/community/images/smilies/wink.gif


I have a mitsubishi shogun with all the leather and air and all that, but its always broken down,

I own a Ducati which I have done 38k miles on, so I feel your pain, brother..


while my 86 landy 110 still keeps plodding on with no power steering and a 0-60 time of forget it.

AARGH!! I'm a speed freek, hence sports cars, bikes etc etc...


Its good fun to drive and all the other defender drivers wave to you and you do not need to worry about speed cameras cos you will never set one off. I have had it for 3 years now and I can honestly say it has never let me down and I have not had to buy any major parts.
Long live the Landy..................Jon
Freelander...........I laugh.........Ha ha ha. Power steering is for woosies

Maybe, but I make up for my steering inadequecies by having a tattoo that starts on my chest, goes over my shoulder, all over my back, across my **** (ouch...) and down my leg across my knee. What a wuss... http://72.36.134.230/community/images/smilies/wink.gif

Na, I don't want a 'proper' Landie at all... Nothing against them, but not what I want at this stage of my humble existance. Me and my Freeloader (if i get one) will take over the world!! Wuhahahahaha!!!!

[JonnyP]

Spacemonkey...........What works for me will maybe not work for you, there has been a lot of good things said for the freelander (softroader) so it sounds like that would work best for you, though I have heard the nissan one is the best of that type of vehicle. I wish you the best of luck with your new vehicle what ever it may be...............Jon

[Spacemonkey]

Yeah, i heard the X Trail is great too, but to pricey for me at the mo'.

Maybe I should go the whole hog and get a 101 forward control? Now that's a proper vehicle, that is!!

Just out of genuine curiosity, does the Landie fold rip the pee out of the Freeloader because of it's creature comforts or is it the lack of off road ability, or is it just one of those friendly rivalry things like we Ducati riders rip the Honda brigade ;) ? I know the prime client base is the school run mum, but i thought that it did have some off road ability, especially compared to the Swindon Townie-the Honda CRV... I know that the trad Lanide is ace in the dirt, but I assume the Freeloader isn't too far behind as long as it's not too sticky? Oh, and I'm not having a pop at you at all :) :)

Oh, and Mr Innocent Bystander, is yours a 1.8 petrol or the 2.0 diesel or the TD4 diesel? What kind of mpg are you getting? Does it yaw though the bends or is it quite, well, car like? ps, We'll be neighbours soon---I've got a temp flat for a few months on the MAgic Roundabout in Swindon til can find something more permanent...

[innocent bystander]

Hey future neighboury dude, mines the 1.8 ES, and it get's just shy of 40 mpg. Handling is excellent - none of the infamous wobbles on the bends, or anything like that.
In all, it's very car like, but secure in the knowledge that if you want to go on trails it can. The electronic gizmos compensate for the missing hi/lo and diff locks. I love it as a car..

There was only a certain number of duff engines, and with the age that they have been around, the ones that were going to blow, have for the most part blown....

Get one. You know you want one.... :D

[havingagiraffe]

I know that the trad Lanide is ace in the dirt, but I assume the Freeloader isn't too far behind as long as it's not too sticky?



The Defender ( or any old skool 4x4 like a Suzuki SJ, Lada Niva, Mercedes G-Wagen, Landcruiser et al ) will be in a different league to the Freelander in any off road situation. Theoretically, modern Freelander type cars should have an advantage over the big dinosaurs on smooth slippery surfaces ( the dreaded wet grass :rolleyes: ) due to their advanced viscous transmissions, electronic traction control and anti lock systems, but in practice the technology's no match for old fashioned diff locks and chunky tyres.

On the other hand, any of the new generation of soft roaders ( ie Freelander, Rav 4, X-Trail et al ) will be in a different league on the road in terms of handling, economy, refinement and performance. :drive:


Perhaps you should just stick a set of enduro tyres on your Ducati. Now that would be an off road vehicle.... :D

[Razorstrop]

I have a LR Freelander 1.8s 2002

As far as dodgy engines are concerned I am led to believe that anything after 2002 is fine and the headgasket problem they used to have is all but obsolete.

I am more than happy with my Freelander, the 1.8 engine is fine but not swift and the ride is good. Only words of advice I would give you is go for a 5 door instead of a 3. Oh and get your windows tinted :)

Landrover Lad
Mr Strop

[Gill]

spacemonkey what about a mitsubishi delica spacegear,i got one a couple of months ago and it,s great.these cars are fully loaded aircon ,electric blinds,curtains reclining captains chairs the lot .and they can go 4x4 and really do the job off road ,the insurance is ok as well, the only thing is they are 2800 cc turbo diesel and that might be a bit sore on the fuel for you at about 25 mpg but they are worth every penny for the comfort and drive and to think you can get all this for about £3500 to £5000 with very low mileage coming in from japan check out evilbay mate there are a few on there,you would not be dissapointed

[Spacemonkey]

Get one. You know you want one.... http://72.36.134.230/community/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

You know what, I think I do now!!




Perhaps you should just stick a set of enduro tyres on your Ducati. Now that would be an off road vehicle.... http://72.36.134.230/community/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

Actually, I have thought of that, but 185 knobblies???



Only words of advice I would give you is go for a 5 door instead of a 3. Oh and get your windows tinted http://72.36.134.230/community/images/smilies/smile.gif

Landrover Lad
Mr Strop


I would only entertain the 5 door, and I do think they look best in black with tinted windows and light guards...



spacemonkey what about a mitsubishi delica spacegear?

I have thought of these as well, but prefer the styling of a regular 4x4. I imagine the van tyoe 4x4's are very versatile. Can the seats come out the back, and do you think I'd get my motorbike in there ??

[monkey_pork]

Actually, I have thought of that, but 185 knobblies???


Right oh, going OT completely for a minute ... I knew of a bloke who rode a GPz550 (or whatever the last of the twin shock Z / GP transition versions were ... anyway) - this 550 always had a MX tyre on the back, not an enduro tyre, but an MX tyre - and always the biggest one he could shove on, with the majority of the side knobblies cut off to make sure it didn't foul the swing arm. It was horrible, and ate tyres as fast as you'd expect.

No idea what size they were tho' ... sorry, have the thread back now.

[Gill]

all the seats come out mate and you would get a bike in there no probs.

[havingagiraffe]

Actually, I have thought of that, but 185 knobblies???

[/QUOTE

[QUOTE=Spacemonkey]Ha! I have just got mine going again after a month and a half lay off! Oil hose split on my Ducati and had to order a replacement and it took that long. Bloody Italian trash...

So you've already experimented with an off road Ducati..... :D :D :D

I'll get my coat.... :)

[Spacemonkey]

Har de Har....

Oh, and yes I have ridden it on gravel, dirt and dry grass.. It'd be good with better tyres!! It probably spends more time off road than on..

[twelveboar]

What about a Subaru? They seem pretty popular with a lot of rural sorts round here, and I would imagine an Impreza might give the MX5 a run for it's money. I don't know how much they go for but the forester looks like a decent motor for light off-roading.

[qweeg500]

I was thinking about a Freelander but opted for the X-trail having been scared off by the unreliability stories - I'm no mechanic.
I'm not disappointed. It's the best car I've ever owned, however the nearest it's been to off road is down a few muddy tracks when I go fishing.
I test drove the Freelander (on the road) and it rolled a little too much for me and any passengers in the back would have their heads touching the ceiling. I think the Freelanders look good but the resale value is questionable - that of course can work in your favour in the 2nd hand market.
I liked the X-trails' massive sun roof, the selectable 2WD, Auto & 4WD buttons, and the absence of the Freelanders roll on quick corners.
I noted in the 5th Gear (Ch5 TV) test the X-trail came top out of the Freelander, Honda CRV, X-Trail & others - and this included top in the off road test.

Like I said I'm no off road driver so I couldn't compare their off road abilities but the X-trail is the best car for me for road driving and the occasional muddy track.

They are pricey though.

Matt

[innocent bystander]

I'd ignore 5th gear.
They made the claims about 4wd's turning over on sudden turns, and proved their point by getting a stunt driver to drive a stripped down range rover on non standard tyres, down a runway and deliberately cranking it over. Waste of a good car.

[Jjv110]

I'd ignore 5th gear.
They made the claims about 4wd's turning over on sudden turns, and proved their point by getting a stunt driver to drive a stripped down range rover on non standard tyres, down a runway and deliberately cranking it over. Waste of a good car.

I'm not saying that 4x4s wouldn't roll over more easily than a normal car, but on that test on 5th gear, the Range Rover they used had a full roll cage,(heavy) and I doubt they uprated the suspension to cope with the extra weight. This would add to the ease of the roll over. He set out to do nothing but turn the car over.

[innocent bystander]

I'm not saying that 4x4s wouldn't roll over more easily than a normal car, but on that test on 5th gear, the Range Rover they used had a full roll cage,(heavy) and I doubt they uprated the suspension to cope with the extra weight. This would add to the ease of the roll over. He set out to do nothing but turn the car over.

I was quite disgusted by the way they did their test. It's like shooting yourself in the head, to prove that guns are dangerous.

The only thing that program is interested in, is sports cars, and if landrover had any sense, they wouldn't lett Tedious Niff, or whatever his name is, anywhere near their cars.

[elma]

Forget the freelander get a Disco, best 4x4 by far :D :D

[Spacemonkey]

Don't like Discos as they look like a cathedral on wheels-bit too big for my tastes. New ones are great though, but like the Scooby Doos and X Trails (which I also like) are way, way out of my current budget. I can only run to £5k at absolute tops, hopefully a heck of a lot less, as I'm saving for a DeLorean too, and that is a bit dearer. Crud off road, but where we're going in the DeLorean, we don't need roads...

[innocent bystander]

Subliminal message :
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/WWW/cars_search.asp?nU=0&make=LAND%20ROVER&model=FREELANDER&min_pr=75&max_pr=&postcode=OX12%209JP&miles=40&max_records=50&modelexact=1&photo=1

[Spacemonkey]

Yeah, I know!! Hence my interest! ;)

[Jjv110]

Have you managed to source a Flux Capacitor? :drive:

[Jjv110]

I'd also just like to point out that my last post number was a very appropriate 88!!

[Graham_S]

bowler wildcat.
fast and off road-y
only £50k

[elma]

bowler wildcat.
fast and off road-y
only £50k
Number 1 car in my book :D :D :D :D

[Graham_S]

i'd buy any car that looks like a landy but can smoke a scooby at the lights.
as top gear said "buy it on a monday, enter it in the paris-dakar on the tuesday"

[R-J]

bowler wildcat.
fast and off road-y
only £50k

now your talking! and all for a bargin 50K, what more do you want... lol

[Buckshot]

There's a Bowler Tomcat for sale in LRO mag - £6500

[R-J]

There's a Bowler Tomcat for sale in LRO mag - £6500

hmmm... dont tempt me! i might have to have a look

[innocent bystander]

Bowler for 50k ?

No, you want :
http://img415.imageshack.us/img415/8476/dsc22572lt.th.jpg (http://img415.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc22572lt.jpg)

[havingagiraffe]

Bowler for 50k ?

No, you want :
http://img415.imageshack.us/img415/8476/dsc22572lt.th.jpg (http://img415.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc22572lt.jpg)

As long as we're discussing progressively sillier 4x4s, check out the Unimogs and Haflingers towards the end of this thread :drive: :
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=1976

[Labrador]

Have a look at a Cherokee diesel, 35 mpg (or therabouts) on long runs at sensible speeds & all the bells & whistles if you find a Limited.

Only problems I found may be possible overheating problems with the engine (check the coolant colour & discard anything with rad-weld in it, I didn't & it cost me dear).
The mark 1 is cheaper on parts (mark 2's have horribly priced front wheel bearing/hub assemblies).
Don't buy an ex-offroader if you can help it.

I find mine fantastic to drive, it tracks well on the road (better than anything from Solihull that I've driven), has proper 4WD with a high/low transfer box & will go almost anywhere!

[pumbaa]

You could allways take a look at these (http://www.pinzgauer.uk.com/) the british army are !!!
I have had an SJ413 , shogun ,delica and now have a disco , they all do what it says on the tin !

Incidently i still have the delica up for sale , its an h reg manual (not many manuals about) . looking for about £1200 . Its even got a tow bar (they will cost you an arm ,leg and kiddney !!)
Pumbaa

[Spacemonkey]

Labrador, I did consider the early Cherries for ages, but after a mate at work got a petrol one, I have gone slightly off them. The big factor was economy. I know the diesels are better, but i understand the 4wd is only part time and cannot be used full time on the road which is essential for what I want. Then I had a moment of enlightenment when I discovered that Freelanders can be picked up from £3000 and they're good nick! These have full time 4wd, all the goodies including air con, and all models are fairly economical as far as I'm concerned. A little bit of me was adding up the options list on a new one too.... but that would stop my DeLorean Fund which is a long term dream that I can't ignore any longer!

Pumbaa, I 'might' be interested in the Delicatessan as a short term stop gap. Have you any more details, pictures etc? I trust it is the 4wd job. Is it a full time (on the road) 4wd? What engine, economy etc?

[ship]

toyota hi-lux surf, wouldn,t have anything else, mines 15yr old 70k, with all the goodies, air con, lecccy windows and mirrors, front and rear heaters, hard/soft suspension, selectable 4x4, hi-lo ratios etc, but the big bonus is the drop down tailgate,(makes a great bench/table) and get the back seats down and me and my son, 8yrs, can sleep in the back.

check out www.hiluxsurf.co.uk for more info and some for sale if you want to check out prices.

luxury 2wd estate car or rugged off roader, it,s both ;)

ship :beerchug:

ps: parts are readily available and fairly cheap IMO
1st/2nd gen are 2/4wd, 3rd gen permanent 4x4

[dtalbot]

i'd buy any car that looks like a landy but can smoke a scooby at the lights.
as top gear said "buy it on a monday, enter it in the paris-dakar on the tuesday"
Yep,
Made by the family firm of one of my daughters class mates, top kit and number one on my post lottery win shopping list!

[Edi_M]

Have read through this thread with some interest. My wife has a 3 door 50th Anniversary model (98) with the 1.8 litre petrol engine. Cost us £22k with no ABS or HDC. Beautiful looking machine though.

A couple of things to consider.

The three-door is actually slightly lighter than the 5 door, and corners pretty well.
The ground clearance on the freelander is significantly lower than any other landy (and most other offroaders). Not fussed about centre of gravity here, it just makes it a sight easier to dig out of sand/snow. Chatting to the guys from trailmasters a few years ago, they reconed the freelander was brilliant in sand but that the clutch wasn't up to the job

On the issue of the engine, if you pick one up for under £5k you are guaranteed to have a problem - it's not a question of IF but WHEN. It may have already gone, but if not then don't believe the hype, Landrover will NOT bail you out. When ours went, they paid for the part - about £10. We had to pay for the fitting & no amount of screaming made any difference. The support of the dealer helps, but Morissons of Stirling were unsympathetic.

Saying that, if you can pick one up for around £3k, take it to JE Engineering, they can fit a strengthened cylinder head with a different gasket design for similar money to the actual cost of head gasket repair but add the assurance that it will not happen again. Add to that a stainless steel exhaust & ITG induction filter & you get 0-60 in around 8-9 secs. & you will still have spent under your target 5k

Aircon - on the earlier models, the cooled air is drawn through a pipe that sits right next to the engine & gets heated - a bit counterprocuctive to say the least!

Ours returns about 22mpg. 4WD is NOT permanent, but is determined by the viscose coupling - the fluid has been known to leak but you only find this out when you get stuck. Stay away from the bodykit fitted models or inspect any you might look at closely. Ours was peeling away because the kit is straight but the body is curved. This was fixed by painting & laquering the kit on the door after fitting rather than before.
We've had ours from new, and are disappointed at the current residual considering a year ago it was worth nearly 11K (I believe it books at about £4k without taking into account the extras), but the announcement of a completely new model has dropped the bottom out of the market. Wife wants a new car, & I'm torn at the thought of letting this thing go after all the money, effort & time we have ploughed into it. I don't like driving it but it looks great on the drive & is fine on snow, ice & greenlanes.

For reference, I drive a TD5 Discovery Commercial. I would recommend taking a look at the 300Tdi Disco, but make sure it's an R or S plate as the earlier ones had timing problems. So long as you're happy with the finish on the vehicle & don't try towing over it's capacity it will probably never let you down (just leak on you) Alternatively, I'm assured the earlier 200Tdi is an excellent engine, though I appreciate it looks it's age. I seriously hope my current TD5 never gives out on me, because I love it to bits. 32k miles so far & the only problem is the fuel gauge is reading different to the fuel warning light, but the dealer keeps refusing to fix this on the grounds that it is 'erring on the side of caution'. In other words, 'lots of them are like that & it's a pain to fix so we'd rather not'

[Spacemonkey]

Food for thought there, then...

[havingagiraffe]

I would recommend taking a look at the 300Tdi Disco, but make sure it's an R or S plate as the earlier ones had timing problems.
There was a factory recall to fit modified timing gear to early 300 Series Tdis (including Defenders). Early vehicles with the modified timing gear should have a dab of yellow paint on the top of the timing belt cover to confirm that the recall work has been carried out. The yellow paint had been pressure washed off the outside of my 300 Tdi hi cap's timing case, but there was an extra dab of yellow paint on the inside of the timing case and on each of the cam belt pulleys which I assume means the same thing. :confused:

[havingagiraffe]

A dab of yellow paint near the level plug on the swivel housings means that the joints are filled with grease rather than EP90 gear oil. :offtopic:

[havingagiraffe]

A dab of yellow paint on the wing mirror means you've just scraped along the side of an AA van. :rolleyes: :offtopic:

[Edi_M]

:offtopic:


There was a factory recall to fit modified timing gear to early 300 Series Tdis (including Defenders). Early vehicles with the modified timing gear should have a dab of yellow paint on the top of the timing belt cover to confirm that the recall work has been carried out. The yellow paint had been pressure washed off the outside of my 300 Tdi hi cap's timing case, but there was an extra dab of yellow paint on the inside of the timing case and on each of the cam belt pulleys which I assume means the same thing. :confused:

....but the dab of yellow paint doesn't indicate if any damage was done, nor how much. I know pure landy nutters wouldn't worry about it because they can (or have a mate who can) sort any ongoing issues. I suspect the different dabs of paint could well mean different things. My 300 had various dots of paint all over the place, though they seemed to miss some of the body when they built the thing......grrrr

First time I took my TD5 in for a service, I came to pick it up & they said "your recall has been done as well". "What recall?" "errr, don't worry about it, sir". If you buy a landrover, these are things you just accept as part of the package - or go grey & get ulcers trying to get dealers to care. Good thing they are so good offroad, coz otherwise they just would not be worth the grief.

[Freelander]

Why not try one out and book yourself on a Landrover experience day or half a day. You can see what the Freelander is capable of. It must be worth the money before parting with a lot of cash. You may find its just want you are looking for, or not the vehicle for you.

Diesel is better than the petrol for MPG

[havingagiraffe]

:offtopic:

My 300 had various dots of paint all over the place, though they seemed to miss some of the body when they built the thing......grrrr

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

The recall was to replace poorly manufactured cambelt pulleys which could cause the timing belt to wear prematurely and eventually snap. If the cambelt did let go prior to the recall modifications being performed the damage should have been repaired under warranty. :deal: Funnily enough, I was discussing this with an agricultural and plant fitter last Friday. He reckons 200 and 300 Tdis cope really well with cam belt failure - he's never had to replace a head or pistons, just valves. He's not heard of Tdis becoming tempramental after a post cambelt failiure top end rebuild. :drive:

Even the newest UK market Tdis are coming up to seven years old now, so even a late one will be a bit of a gamble. :rolleyes:

This thread goes into the nightmare of getting Land Rover dealers to perform recall work:

http://www.landyonline.co.za/issues/tdi_problems.htm

[Geoffrey_Bubbles]

I totally agree with Innocent_Bystander, I too own a Freelander 1.8 bought about a year ago on a V plate for £5k and its the 50th anniversary edition.

My dad owns a W reg Disco whcih although very nice (cos his one is top of the range) on the road where I do 95% of my driving it isn't as nice to drive as the freelander (it rolls a LOT more around the corners!), but if I wanted something that I was going to be driving on and off road fairly equally I might of gone for a disco, but then my dad has never taken his off road and probably never will!

I'd say for value for money you can't go too far wrong as long as its been fully serviced and well maintained (like with any car!), but avoid taking it to land rover dealerships as they tend to take the pi$$ a bit with what they charge you for labour and parts!

All in all, very happy with the Freelander as an everyday car which the wife is happy to drive too, (though the 1.8 K series is a little unrefined for motorway journeys). Its pokey enough, roomy enough, comfortable enough, etc!

Fortunately I have an old Celica GT-FOUR to keep me entertained as well :drive:

Geoff

[Spacemonkey]

Yup, I bought the Haynes (of the Haynes Book of Lies fame) 'You and Yours' book on the Freeloader and am totally hooked. I think I will get a 1.8 in top spec with all the extras in black of around the 2001 vintage. I do really like the look of the front end on the 2004 makeover, and have found a company that can convert an older one using genuine parts, so it can't be too hard to do myself.

I think it is the ideal car for what I want, though I'll keep the MX5 for most driving, and maybe the Sportrak as a dedicated green laner.

[Geoffrey_Bubbles]

Yeah, I looked at that updated front conversion, but its like £800+vat last time I looked and due to the new light shape I think there is more work than they let on...

If you don't already own a freelander I'd say save the moeny and put it towards one of the revised ones. Unfortunately my budget didn't quite stretch in to the later TD4 and the old XEDi unit is a bit of a sloath I've heard, so it was the 1.8 for me.

I've heard the top spec Honda CRVs are pretty good too and have a very good rep for reliability, might be worth a look...

Geoff

[spoony]

wasit just the petrol engines that the head gaskets went or diesels as well

[Bushmaster]

Well just to have my tuppenceworth. I had to compromise as I dearly wanted a 90, but having a family and Grandson etc and commuting 30 miles a day to work, I went for a "car" that can go off road!! Rather than an off roader that 75% of the time would be...on the road.My 5 door 1.8 Freelander has never,ever let me down,starts first time etc etc etc and It does about 300 miles on a full tank,thats gong to work and around the doors.Ohh thats £34 quids worth of petrol-ish.

You know they make sense.:)
Geoff

[Spacemonkey]

Twas the early petrol engines, but they should all have gone by now. If not, it's not the end of the world...

[innocent bystander]

It's not the end of the road yet SM ;)

BTW my ford escort went to nearly as many off road miles as my lightweight did without problems :rolleyes: . Freelander should manage a bit better...