Freelander Servicing

[John_374237598]

Living in Redditch / Bromsgrove area. Does anyone know of a good landrover or 4 X 4 garage. Are there any to avoid?

Just bought the Freelander 2.0 Diesel TD4. Any comments please on reliability, as a tow car and in general.

We are also open to suggestions on suitable towbar to be fitted.

many thanks to you all

John

 

[trucker]

John, cant help with the servicing however as a reliable car. Had mine from new 21 months ago not been back to the garage bar the 2 services done over 25000 miles, bothe solo and towing. we to an Abbey vogue 495 at @90% match and it has no problems at all.

Best tow car ive had, followed closly by the mondeo tdci

Kevin H

 

[anthonysharon]

hi there john you might want to try one of the landrover forums they are very good and you can always find someone on there that knows the answer to your questions try www.lro.com or landrover uk forums ,we had a td4 smashing car never had any problems with it and towed our 1600 kg van like a dream.also if you look on e-bay there is a chap on there that does mobile servicing not sure how far he will travel but he is very good last year he serviced our discovery he used to work for landrover but now has set up his own business hope some of this helps you

all the best sharon

 

[emmerson2]

Welcome to the green oval, John.

 

[cliff_5040076]

It's a bit late to think about reliability now you have bought the car.

A small amount of research would have indicated that Land Rover vehicles are amongst the least reliable vehicles on the road.

Only this week Warranty Direct's survey put Jeep and Land Rover bottom of the list for reliability. This is a warranty company that has to pay out when vehicles need repair, they have no axe to grind,they are just reporting facts.

Most other car comparison sites comment on Land Rovers woeful reliability record.

Best of luck

 

[CliveV]

I think the ratio of negative to positive posts gives you a better idea of the vehicle that you have bought John.

(Personal comment removed by moderator)

However - good advice from all the other more realistic posts.

Contact the Freelander Owners club or GLASS and they will be able to put you in touch with local people/members able to advise you on good and bad local independent servicing. Main dealer servicing is excellent but expensive. A good independent LR specialist is a better bet once the vehicle is over 3 years old.

Like others on here - I bought my Freelander new in 2001 and still have it. Apart from a rattle in the dash that was fixed at the first service it has performed faultlessly.

Good choice - have fun

 

[cliff_5040076]

"For Off-road ability, styling

Against Reliability problems

Verdict Easily the most able all-rounder in the class "

Summary What Car used Freelander 03 -

"Unfortunately, the Freelander has a reputation for poor build quality and reliability problems. Even a full service history offers no cast-iron guarantees".

Top gear Freelander used.

Just 2 websites verdict on reliability.

As I said earlier if reliability is important to you your purchase may not have been the wisest decision you will ever make.

Still look on the bright side, you will have that green oval to look at as you wait for the RAC to rescue you. LoL

 

[CliveV]

What Car on the Renault Laguna (and I picked this car at random):-

"Quality & reliability - Owners report frequent problems"

Yet Steve in leo thinks very highly of them!

(Personal comment removed by moderator)

 

[cliff_5040076]

You know what they say Clive

" Theres none so blind as those that don't want to see".

And Steve in Leo is very lucky if he has a French car thats any good. The French should stick to wine and cheese and leave car making alone.

We have a Citroen C8 and thats the most unreliable piece of sh*te I have ever owned. It would certainly give Land Rover a run for its money in the unreliability stakes. So I know how a Freelander owner feels when he's stuck by the side of the road waiting for the RAC.

Another bit of wisdom for you,

" A car that won't run is no longer a car, it is an ornament"

 

[CliveV]

Cliff - I hear what you are saying and it is interesting - but frankly I am at a loss as to why you pop up every time a Land Rover is mentioned with your little poisoned packets of bile about reliability etc.

I am sure John really wanted to hear all your undoubted prejudice about Land Rover after he had bought one. Oooo! I bet he was pleased to read what you said! - Did you say it for his benefit or your own?

As I say the reality tends to be different. And if they were really as bad as you make out why are the 2006 sales fig's looking like this:-

4% up world wide

3.5% up in the USA (80% growth in the RR Sport)

54% up in Middle East

43% up in North Africa

In the UK:-

RR Sport up 52%

RR up 12.5%

The Freelander 2 only went on sale in mid Dec but managed nearly 900 sales.

And that was after a superb sales achievement on the old Freelander that proved so popular that all the "old models" were sold by the end of November.

Now I do not know about you Cliff, but as someone who has an 11 year old Discovery and a bought from new 5 year old Freelander, both of which have been totally reliable, and previous to that a RR of 1984 vintage that I had from 1996 and covered well over 100,000 and which only ever required normal consumables and routine servicing, I find you popping up like a little jack in the box every time someone wants advice on a Land Rover product a bit odd.

It is obvious that you do not have one. In contrast I do, and prior to this I had Audi's (3 altogether - cannot fault them as cars but useless towing on wet grass), Citroen (same as the Audi for towing on grass but fell apart after 70,000 miles - the dash was amazing it just turned to dust!), Vauxhall (not a bad car but truly awful dealership that put me off that marque for life). My wife had a Fiat that was OK until it rained and the water got to the ECU and that cost many

 

[Robert_374236752]

I must agree with Cliff on this one, I used to run a disco and had nothing but trouble with it so I sold it and bought a 1 year old Freelander and what a pile of trash it was, I had it for about a year and it was constantly being repaired by the garage it was the most unreliable car I have ever owned, I would never buy another Land Rover

 

[emmerson2]

This subject is a bit boring. I used to work for the parcel delivery co with the big red vans. We were constantly knocked for poor delivery, but the facts used to show that our record was as good as most, better than some. Only the late deliveries were ever talked about.After all, good news doesn't sell papers. Equally, isn't it strange that we mainly get to hear about bad Land Rovers, rarely the thousands and thousands of good, steady reliable ones, all over the world?

 

[jaybee]

Sorry but I have to defend Cliff. I own a garage, MOT station and also sell cars and I can tell you from experience that Land Rover products are absolutely dire and the Renault Laguna DCi comes very close aswell. Every one we take back in p/ex goes straight to the auction ,we just can't take the risk retailing them.

They remind me of my new British van I purchased last year !

 

[chelsea1]

We have had our freelander 2.0 TD4 since a few months old and in 4 years it has been a very reliable car and tow car.

I commute to work 30 miles every day and its never broken down *touch wood*.

We bought our bailey last April and the freelander tows superbly and effortlessly, if we go steady we can get a good 30mpg when towing.

Servicing is expensive if done at the dealers, parts arent cheap, at our local dealer's the freelander is dearer to service than the new disco 3 ! However, hubby is more satisfied when the main dealer services our car as he feels they check it over properly/more efficient.

We test drove the new Freelander 2 just before christmas and the disco 3 a week ago - as we were un-decided on what to purchase next (it will DEFINETLY be a Landrover), although the disco 3 will give us more room and obviously more towing power, we prefer the "drive" of the Freelander much better, so will be considering another Freelander for our next car.

 

[John_374224558]

I have just ventured into the world of owning a Landrover, in the guise of a Freelander 2, and I have to say that I very very impressed with the build quality......so far. Towed with it today for the first time and to say that I was pleased with the way it performed is an understatement.

Back in the 90's I was a regular driver in a series 1 disco at work, that had done 154000 miles when I left, and had never broken down, still had most of the original components including clutch and suspension, and I know for a fact that it went on to do well over 200000 miles before it was eventually sold.

That vehicle had replaced what is now a defender, this was a county 90, that did about 130000 miles with 1 gearbox/clutch replacement but it did what it was built to do.

Like others have said, some have been good, others bad, but all too often we only hear of the troublesome ones.

 

[trucker]

Cliff i must have a good one then. So have 3 of my friends,

no problem with 4 out of 4 Freelander td4s all between 2/3 years old.

reliable problems my hat

Kevin H

 

[cliff_5040076]

You need to chill out a bit Clive and realise its just a car we're talking about and not life itself. I can feel the frustration and anger in your post because you think I haven't given the green oval the true reverance that you think it deserves.

By all means be an enthusiast but don't let that blind you to the truth. You may have a vehicle thats been reliable but a number of folks haven't been so lucky.

Be honest when someone asks about reliability, by any yardstick Land Rover is way off the best in that regard.

When a company like Warranty Direct put Land Rover down at the bottom of their list along with Jeep for reliability you have to ask why? Are they liars, did they imagine that they paid out huge sums of money for LR repairs. I doubt it.

So as you ask

"So why don't you let those that have real experience of these vehicles tell it like it is"

I'll leave Warrant Direct to do just that!

Or are they wrong as well?

 

[CarolineSimon]

Hi,

My Husband is a Roadside Mechanic contracted out to some of the big breakdown clubs(Not allowed to name then) and he has seen so many Freeloaders oh sorry I think they are called Freelanders by their owners that he has forbidden me to have one.

Our Neighbours have a 51 plate 1.8 engine which they have had for 8 mths and it has been back to the dealer NINE times, sometimes for up to two weeks at a time to get fixed and each time for something different. They are fortunate though that their Head gasket hasn't gone yet as generally they eat them for breakfast it seems.

The new TD4 models seem to have less problems but he still won't buy us one.

The older ones have in my Husbands' experience of breakdowns suffered from central locking failure, door seal failure, back door windows stop working, or solinoid on lock freezes - especially not funny when a Great Dane is stuck in the boot. Also the clutch hydraulics seem to be a favouriteto go regularly,etc.On average he is called out to at least one broken down Freelander a week, usually for head gasket failure.

They look very nice but it's what's underneath that counts.

You pays your money and you takes your choice, but our money would definately not go on a car made by Land Rover.

We drive two Japanese auto 4x4 ( one 4x4 and one four wheel drive car)and would recommend both for reliabilty which is what counts when buying a tow vehicle.

Didn't mean to tread on any toes or upset anyone but had to join in the debate as from experience LR reliability it pants.

PS We have just ordered a new German van as British build quality also seems a bit suspect at the moment.

Regards

Simon & Caroline

 

[CliveV]

Cliff - you try to indicate a bias in me - and at least I admit to being a LR owner and enthusiast. And one that has had no real problems in over a decade of ownership.

My point was that as soon as anyone asks a question on hear about LR's - up you pop with a negative comment!

And yet you say you have personal experience of a Citroen that has problems!!

So why don't you "pop up" every time that marque is mentioned?

As for Carolines comments - well the only problems my local independent LR service guy has with Freelanders is headgaskets on pre 2000 1,8's - which he fixes and replaces the thermostat with a remote one - problem solved!

And the rear window on older models tends to stay down - again easily fixed.

The viscous coupling can get "sticky" and ultimately seize - but easily fixed and cost c.

 

[cliff_5040076]

Morning Clive

Could I refer you to---

22 Sep 2006 11:11 AM

Hi Monkey,

I have a Citroen C8 2.2hdi manual bought new in 2004 and as far as my own experience is concerned I would have to say avoid unless you wish to spend a lot of time waiting in service reception for it to be repaired.

My vehicle is the most unreliable car I have ever owned and I would never buy another Citroen. Perhaps I have just been unlucky.

Maybe the Fiat variant is more reliable (unlikely imo ).

On the positive side - very comfortable cruiser, spacious, very safe (5* in ncap test ) lots of kit for the money.

The 2.2 is the one to go for if you tow a van as the 2.0 has a lot of car to move especially with an auto box which will sap the power making for slow progress (2.0 jtd auto 0 to 60 mph 16.1 seconds ). I don't think they produce a 2.2diesel auto so you may be stuck with a 2.0.

Towing a 1300kg van I get approx 24 mpg according to the trip computer so i would knock 2mpg for an auto box.

In short, what should be a good car let down by poor reliability.

Best of luck

or----

13 Sep 2006 07:21 PM

Hi Alison

I have a 2004 2.2 hdi C8 and have towed my 1300kg van over most of Europe. The car is very stable whilst towing and not affected very much by sidewinds or truck turbulence. Fuel consumption is 23 to 25 mpg with the van on the back. The new C8's have a choice of power outputs for the 2.0 hdi engine 110bhp ,120bhp , 136bhp. If you have a choice, pick the 136 bhp model as it is a large car and I feel the 110bhp engine is not really powerful enough with a caravan on the back. If you don't have a choice you will need to change gear much more often. Incidentley my C8 has been the most unreliable car I have owned in many a year so in all honesty I would not recommend anyone to purchase one. Wish you luck

Cliff

If you had done a search you would have seen that I do "pop up" when Citroen C8 is mentioned with an honest opinion of the car.

Not a "rose tinted spectacles" view but the truth as I see it.

 

[xtrailman]

Why is some one who posts a factual report,( in response to the original post), attacked with such venom?

In particular by one individual?

Should such people lose their site membership?

I refer of cause to the original post from cliff.

He stated facts, sourced from unbiased surveys.

Cliff didn't say you freelander was going to breakdown, he simply pointed out that many do, hence its present place near the bottom of every reliability survey I have ever read.

Some people see this as a personal attack on their car choice, that's rubbish.

Jaybee, a garage owner, prefers to sell them on.

Caroline's, husband will not risk ownership.

To any thinking person, a freelander is a high-risk purchase.

 

[Guest]

To introduce a slight digression

It is more or less accepted that Japanese cars are the tops for reliability. Why?

It is also a fact that Nissan cars made in Sunderland are exported to Japan because they are of better quality than the opnes made there. Why?

Nobody bought a British car because of questions of reliability. Why?

Somewhere along the line we cannot build cars ourselves that are any good, but we sure as Hell can build good cars for others.

If someone can explain it then please go be the Minister for Industry because we need you.

 

[CarolineSimon]

Clive,

For one who isn't impressed with what the Wife of a "Garage Mechanic" says, it's funny that you actually agreed with all the faults we mentioned and actually quoted costs and how easy they are to fix!

All we actually said was that these faults occur fairly regularly on pre TD4 models and that some prople maight find that unacceptable on a vehicle of this cost and calibre, especially when the Land Rover reputation is not built on words like "flimsy,needs upgrading etc"

If only they built them like they used to. They may have been slower & noisier but they were reliable then.

I'm so glad that you don't believe anyone except your "Specialist" who has experence in the motor trade as they obviously aren't qualified to know what they are talking about, but maybe next time you need their assistance they will rip you off as much as they can, as after all you know best don't you ?

Best Regards,

SIMON "The unqalified,unexperienced idiot" that comes to your assistance at the side of the road when you call for help.

PS I'm not sure that's what I am as I clearly have no experience to tell.

 

[CliveV]

Caroline - I speak from my own experience of garages and many mechanics - not all but a lot in my experience.

For example I new I had a u/j out and went to my local garage near my office. They tried to convince me that I needed a new gearbox. Saying "Land Rovers are always going wrong"

I took it back to my "man who does" and had no further problems.

Sorry but the car trade is full of rogues and people need to be careful.

As for the silliness posted on here about my somehow being abusive - for goodness sake!

All that is happening is that one person quotes one set of stats and then I post another!

Oh! and I disagree with what is said FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE!

Or is that not valid on here anymore?

As for surveys - what about this one?

It's been quoted on here for reliability figs so nobody should be able to object to my quoting it for its "Customer retention rates"

The JD Power survey found that surprise surprise! Toyota was the top brand for purchasers and lessess who replace a previously purchased vehicle with another of the same brand with a score of 63.9 per cent.

Land Rover scored well at 41.2 per cent.

Isuzu came bottom with just 4.7 per cent.

Now 41.2 % is obviously not the top score, but neither is it ANYWHERE near the bottom.

So for all the problems that all LR's detractors post on here (Waily! Waily! Waily!) - a significant proportion of new car owners go back for more Land Rover "punishment"

Wow! - I bet Isuzu would like to have such a horribly unreliable vehicle if they could get that level of customer loyalty.

It seems strange to me that when I stand up and support a British made product I am accused of abusing others that want to knock it.

Scotch Lad makes a good point.

And if you want to see the problems other makes have just read the Which? report on a regular basis.

I am just tired of certain individuals every time Land Rover is mentioned - you can be assured that - up the pop with the "old man sucking of teath" to say - "Oooo! yo don't wanna do that".

 

[CliveV]

It is only the mounting bracket that proved to be "flimsey" in that it would flex allowing the slave cylinder to move.

My point was that a stonger bracket fitted at a few