Softlander

[Hot-herps]

Must say that I had to smile when I read the letter in Octobers LRO (page 26) from a freelander fan… stating “we Freelander owners want to be accepted and taken seriously as Land Rover owners”….. Does not the fact that someone has asked this question tell you something? You would NEVER hear a series or defender owner ask such a question! We KNOW that ours are the real thing!

:yay: :yay: :yay: :yay:

[s.stirley]

Depends what you want doesn't it ... some people get annoyed that some other people think the Freebie isn't a 'real land rover' and some people probably get annoyed that they are. Who cares ? you pays your money and takes you choice.

Personally I like it 'cos it's fairly comfortable on the road and has enough off-road performance to be interesting. When I want to get more serious going off-road I'll buy something else. For now the freebie suits me. But then mine's not exactly a shiney like a lot of people treat them .. and this new 'sport' model I wouldn't give you tuppence for.

At the end of the day it's not a 'traditional' LR, no. It's not supposed to be, anyone who attempts to make it out as such is only fooling themselves. What it IS is a very functional vehicle which is practical in more than one environment.

What I don't like is people who will slag them off having never owned / driven / been in one for any length of time. I drove a 110 V8 for a while which was fun, and definately not as bad on the road (even at 80+!) as people would make out - BUT the Freelander is quieter and smoother for sure. I never drove that off-road so can't comment, but apart from the poor ground clearance the Freebie keeps surprising me.

An honest opinion from an owner ! as the avatar says, it's only a baby :)

[Tim in Scotland]

Simon, you put it well.
What really fascinates me is that most of those (I was going to call them something rude, but they are just ignorant of the Freebie's capabilities) that do down the Freelander have generally never driven one either on or off road so are not qualified to comment. I owned a TD4 Automatic for 2 years up to May this year and never had any complaints about it's offroad performance, I took it to many Scottish Offroad venues with the SWAT club and had a ball - so we didn't go rock climbing or through deep water and ruts but then it wasn't designed to handle those conditions. One thing though - it started me into offroading and I bought a 2nd hand Defender as a result.
Those that do down the Freelander should also bare in mind that had it not been for the sales success of the car, there probably would no longer be any Land Rover.............

[Spacemutt]

Some people still don't accept Disco's and Range Rovers as real Land Rovers. Perhaps members of the S.L.O think this? I know older leafers are 'proper' off roaders, but they are uncomfortable. No-one can deny that. I used one every day, I know they are. But I got used to it. Lets face it, how many of us use thier Land Rover for more off roading than on roading? The Freelander is perfectly acceptable for relatively gentle off roading (maybe not Malayan rain forest challenge stuff!), and great for on-road use.

Has Land Rover ever produced a model (other than the Series I) that 'purists' haven't slagged off? Maybe they're scared of change. :p

[Hot-herps]

Some good replies here.

I started the thread to see what people thought of the comment from the (LRO) mag.

So here are a few more things to ponder:

Yes, I have been in a freelander (never driven one though), they are very nice cars and a good alternative to a family car. I’m sure that they are one of land rovers best selling products. They are also a gentle introduction to (limited) offroading, but then what percentage of freelanders ever go off road ? I’d be surprised if 20% have seen any mud…. whereas probably more than 80% of series/defenders have been used off-road, especially if you consider their use by the M.O.D., police, rescue services etc.

How many freelander owners are members of a land rover club? How many series owners are not a member of a land rover club? How may posts are there on this freelander section of the site? compared to the number of owners there are. If you post something on the series site you’ll get plenty of web traffic.

Yes I know that they used freelanders for the G4, but the routes were carefully selected to suit the abilities of the various models in land rovers’ range. Why are land rover not making a G4 version of their forthcoming special editions if they are so keen to have the freelander recognised as a proper land rover?.

We had a club photo of our members vehicles on our web site and at the end of the line up of series, defenders and rangies was this little car that looked as though it didn’t belong…but it was the freelander.

I’m sure that there is something of an image problem with the freelander…..your neighbours may think you own a impressive 4x4, but would they know what it is? In fact if you assembled a large group of modern 4x4’s and covered up their badges, how many of them would the general public be able to recognize? I bet most would point to the Defender and say land rover. There is nothing wrong with the rest, it is just that when people think of land rover, they think of the traditional style of a defender (or older series vehicle).

Porsche have made a range of great sports cars, but ask a school kid to tell you about one and they will point out the 911, but what about the other front engine cars 924,944, etc.? Come to think of it, what about skoda, they now make good cars based upon vw/audi running gear…..would I want one? NO, even though I have owned 5 vw’s.

I have owned some nice cars and when I bought my first landrover I was running a BMW 5 series auto, very nice, powerful and comfortable….but I much prefer my series IIA. When I get to work I feel as though I have accomplished something ….unlike other drivers who have it so easy (boring).

A friend of mine had a new defender 110 county which I was passenger in quite often (great vehicle), he now has a Camel Trophy Disco, which I think is a bit too soft and has lost much of the charm of the traditional styled land rover. I have driven a number of different 4x4’s and spent quite some time in Africa, but for me freelander is just a compromise used to bolster land rover sales

If I had 18-20 grand to spend on a Land rover, then it would be a Defender, or I might buy a nearly new Defender and spend the rest on a 101.


Please note that I’m not slaggin of freelanders, it is just my own observations.

I'll get my coat!


:yay: :yay: :behead:

[Spacemutt]

I'd imagine most series owners are a member of a club because they are enthusiasts. You'd need to be an enthusiast to own a series......either that or they're not right in the head. :D

[Hot-herps]

Nice one stephen! Yes I am a club member, and there are plenty of other cars that are far more sensible...but where is the fun???

[Spacemutt]

I agree. :D That's why I'm still holding onto my well oxidized SIII even though I've got a 110. :p

[s.stirley]

All true !

I'm in the club, and mine's been (and will continue to go !) off-road. It's dirty, scratched, broken, leaks oil and the heater's rubbish - if that don't make it a Land Rover I'm not sure what does :buck:

But for sure I'm in the minority .. I'd say more like 99% of Freelanders will never go off-road, probably never be allowed to get dirty even ! Such a shame as they're pretty good off-road too.

A Defender 90 or a nice middle-aged Range Rover is definately on the shopping list one day though.

[Tim in Scotland]

Freelander Club has getting on for 400 members these days. They are doing their best to get owners to take theirs offroading by arranging offroad days and weekends in conjunction with Land Rover Experience Centres, greenlaning days for the more confident/adventurous and they attend all the big shows with a stand and shop selling club bits and pieces............... just like all the other LR clubs.
Although I never had any cause for complaint with my Freelander, it never missed a beat in the 2 years and 17000 miles I ran it I feel sorry for those who seem to have bought unreliable cars......... just like any other Land Rover there are build and quality problems on the Freelander.
Freelanders have their built in foibles and faults. I see that LR/Ford/PAG have removed one of the foibles by removing the electric window controls (even Defenders have them these days!) from the centre tunnel cubby up to the drivers door for the 2004 MY cars. I also continue to read about IRD and Viscous Coupling problems on newish cars, even after 6 years of production and several fixes down the line.
I have been watching a smart Black T reg 3 door Tdi Freelander sitting forelornly on our village garage forecourt, the price has dropped steadily from £8000 to £7000 in the last month and it still hasn't shifted. Nobody is really keen to buy a 2nd hand one from a non franchise dealer because of it's reputation. The garage doesn't exactly have a good reputation either...........

You may like to know that even the new Rangie is not exempt from LR Gremlins - I have a problem with the shift programming of the auto 'box. It tends not to like shifting up from 2nd to 3rd after I've been in stop start motoring in town. Not a huge problem as I can still force it to upshift by using the steptronic, but not what you expect with a £45000 car that is only 5 months old. Job will take 10 minutes on the diagnostic computer - they wipe the gearbox brain and reprogramme it........... but I will have to loose the car for the whole day to do the job which really is annoying for a 10 minute job. Just as well I have the Defender to fall back on. Apparrently it is a well known fault.

[Hot-herps]

One of the worrying things about these modern land rovers is the reliance on all those electronic brains etc. I have driven 4x4’s around some very remote parts of Africa, safe in the knowledge that in most cases any problems can be fixed or bodged either by ourselves or by a bush mechanic. I’ve seen people with gearboxes or engines in bits beside the road and they have nearly always been able to get home…… Imagine trying to do that with your range rover gearbox?

Or for that matter being stopped by armed police in the pouring rain who are soaked to the skin, have muddy boots and they want a lift into town…. With a tatty 4x4, it’s no problem, but with a nice new £45,000 Range Rover with those leather seats and carpets?, I think I’d be a bit upset.

I even hate wind-up windows, let alone electric ones….the BMW 5 series that I owned had electric windows and sunroof and they were always developing faults. The less gimmicks on a vehicle, the less to go wrong…. that’s my thinking at least.

Sure, land rover used the Discos and Rangies on the Camel Trophy and G4 but they had standard wind-up windows on the front (in case of total submersion in water) of the Camel versions and they had support vehicles with land rover mechanics en tow.

In some of the places that I have been, it can be many hours before you see another vehicle, so being able to fix it yourself is a great help.

[stevec]

I wanted a vehicle that would be comfortable for the >90% of my driving that is done on paved roads but would also allow me to get home when the snow comes on, and would allow me to get across fields and along rough tracks.

I don't plan to drive it across deserts - in fact, I'll never take it out of the UK as I prefer to get a local vehicle when abroad.

I don't need a tank and I don't carry passengers (other than my wife, or a colleague when working). I also wanted a vehicle that would be tax efficient with my business.

I could have got a Rav4, a Nissan X-Trail, a Honda CR-V or another Grand Vitara (which is my wife's car of choice). However, I think my choice of a Freelander Commercial (TD4 Auto) 18 months ago was spot on. It's been reliable and hasn't needed any work other than its two 12000 mile services in the 26000 miles I've driven so far.

I think a comment like "When I get to work I feel as though I have accomplished something ….unlike other drivers who have it so easy (boring)" says it all for some diehard LR owners - I have a vehicle to use as my workhorse, not a pet!

Just my $0.02 worth!

[russ]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Hot-herps
Some good replies here.

I started the thread to see what people thought of the comment from the (LRO) mag.

So here are a few more things to ponder:

Yes, I have been in a freelander (never driven one though), they <snip>., police, rescue services etc.

The Freelander has pretty much saved LR from becoming extinct lets be honest. The F/L is surprisingly good off-road but not as good as say the Series/Defender models, it's not designed to be. The F/L was ahead of it's time in 1997, how many other manufacturers built similar sized 4x4 vehicles at that time, in some ways it started a trend, the Japs made trendy versions with lithe engines and the ground clearance of a lada...and now BMW are bringing out the X3 designed to compete directly in the freelander's market. It is the old joke of the Freelander being the car for taking the kids to school etc... but they have sold freelanders by the crate load. No one wants to dig 30,000 deep for a decent Disco, or more for an RR and the Defender isn't honestly practical for day to day motoring, although HORROR OF HORRORS the utilitarian look of the defender is becoming the new chic, that'll have the Series owners giving birth!!!! :eek::D The F/L is designed to be the best of both worlds (off-road ability without sacrificing on road handling...remind me why the Disco has ACE and the RR air suspension?), it IS the best of both worlds.

How many freelander owners are members of a land rover club? How many series owners are not a member of a land rover club? How may posts are there on this freelander section of the site? compared to the number of owners there are. If you post something on the series site you’ll get plenty of web traffic.

I must put my hand up and say i'm not a member of an LR club, for one thing the anal attitude of Series owners that my F/L is not a real land rover makes me think w***ers so why should i bother? It has a green oval badge in it, so thats enough for me. I will join the F/L owners club at some point though

Yes I know that they used freelanders for the G4, but the routes were carefully selected to suit the abilities of the various models in land rovers’ range. Why are land rover not making a G4 version of their forthcoming special editions if they are so keen to have the freelander recognised as a proper land rover?.

Bit of a botch up on the marketing front i understand, they won't release a G4 freelander becuase the 04MY is coming out, and they don't want to clash. I understand LR still have quite a few old shape F/Ls knocking about (hence the recent special editions) and they could do no harm by shifting the stock and making a limited run of G4 models

We had a club photo of our members vehicles on our web site and at the end of the line up of series, defenders and rangies was this little car that looked as though it didn’t belong…but it was the freelander.

Probably becuase the Series/Defender owners have made a hobby of demeaning the freelander and making owners feel unwelcome in the big happy land rover family...i refer the Rt Hon Gentlemen to my previous comments about anal attitudes.

I’m sure that there is something of an image problem with the freelander…..your neighbours may think you own a impressive 4x4, but would they know what it is? In fact if you assembled a large group of modern 4x4’s and covered up their badges, how many of them would the general public be able to recognize? I bet most would point to the Defender and say land rover. There is nothing wrong with the rest, it is just that when people think of land rover, they think of the traditional style of a defender (or older series vehicle).

Porsche have made a range of great sports cars, but ask a school kid to tell you about one and they will point out the 911, but what about the other front engine cars 924,944, etc.? Come to think of it, what about skoda, they now make good cars based upon vw/audi running gear…..would I want one? NO, even though I have owned 5 vw’s.

I have owned some nice cars and when I bought my first landrover I was running a BMW 5 series auto, very nice, powerful and comfortable….but I much prefer my series IIA. When I get to work I feel as though I have accomplished something ….unlike other drivers who have it so easy (boring).

I think you may find that the freelander is as instantly recognisible as the defender if not more so...any image problem is imagineered by Series/Defender owners

A friend of mine had a new defender 110 county which I was passenger in quite often (great vehicle), he now has a Camel Trophy Disco, which I think is a bit too soft and has lost much of the charm of the traditional styled land rover. I have driven a number of different 4x4’s and spent quite some time in Africa, but for me freelander is just a compromise used to bolster land rover sales

If I had 18-20 grand to spend on a Land rover, then it would be a Defender, or I might buy a nearly new Defender and spend the rest on a 101.


Please note that I’m not slaggin of freelanders, it is just my own observations.

I'll get my coat!


:yay: :yay: :behead:

the F/L is not a compromise, it is designed to be a multi role vehicle. I have had the chance to drive a defender off-road, it's excellent, the low ratio etc... is great, but the interior is naff beyond reproach, it is no good for any real distance work on motorways, the disco is just a bit too dear for most people £30K for a decent disco is silly money the Td5 is SLLLLOOOOOOOWWWWW and the V8 thirsty and not impressively quick. The F/L was the original small 4x4, wrongly classed as a soft roader (it will leave the jap 4x4's sinking in mud off-road) it is a reasonably good off-roader with good on-road handling (chuck it around on the roads and it's pretty good)...the TD4 is a soleful willing engine and reasonably economical, you don't need to drain oil fields in order to fill the tank.

The Series crowd don't like change, well sadly it's called evolution and those who stuck their ground generally died out (seen any dinosaurs recently - no, not on the telly and not at your local green lane meeting driving the series II ;):p)

I have owned two excellent TD4 freelanders, i have driven the RR (awesome but very expensive) and the Defender (see previous comments), the disco doesn't appeal it looks **** ugly and is slugish, i would like to reach 60mph this side of christmas! i am now buying my 3rd F/L an 04 HSE in blue, which will have AT tyres and be used off-road (like my other ones) my missus whinges like hell about the mud, but as i say...thats what a 4x4 is for :)

Long live the freelander...raaaa! ;):)

[Hot-herps]

Hi, You should thank me for creating some traffic on a otherwise slow part of this forum.

I don’t dislike Freelanders, I hear that they are very good. They are just not for me.

“the Defender isn't honestly practical for day to day motoring”

Says who? Ok they are not the best on fuel, and you do need to watch the height of some car parks ect., but I think they are a very practical vehicle (especially in some of the countries that I have done field work). Mine is a ragtop (SWB) so can accommodate all sorts of different loads and what will not fit in the landy, will fit in my sankey trailer.

“although HORROR OF HORRORS the utilitarian look of the defender is becoming the new chic”

Great I say, a refreshing change from all those boring Fords, Vauxhalls, Renaults etc, that all look the same! And as for the new Jeep Cherokee, its totally lost the plot and has gone all soft.

Personally, I think that modern cars have far too much unnecessary junk on board, too much plastic and as a result of all this refinement, actually take away from the pleasure of driving. I look at other drivers on my way in to work and I can see how bored some of them look. I wonder how many can change a wheel, let alone say “see this land rover I’m driving, well I totally rebuilt it myself”.

A series land rover is a recyclable car; bits can easily be sourced to keep them on the roads for many years (far better than scrapping a car after 10 years).

Yes, some of us series owners might be a bit wild eyed, but then we know we are alive when we are driving our trucks.

[russ]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Hot-herps
Hi, You should thank me for creating some traffic on a otherwise slow part of this forum.

you've been at the 'herbs' again, haven't you...

I don’t dislike Freelanders, I hear that they are very good. They are just not for me.

But the whole context of this thread has been of a demaining nature (even the title), you can't back out now :p:p
Go and rrive one or would you be scorned by your Series driving chums? How can you judge something without trying it? You're using preconcived impressions not real facts/experience

“the Defender isn't honestly practical for day to day motoring”

Says who? Ok they are not the best on fuel, and you do need to watch the height of some car parks ect., but I think they are a very practical vehicle (especially in some of the countries that I have done field work). Mine is a ragtop (SWB) so can accommodate all sorts of different loads and what will not fit in the landy, will fit in my sankey trailer.

We're really talking about the UK to be honest, but we won't count the streams of Series/Defenders chugging along the french motorways that i have bombed past in my freelander (TD4 auto which cruised at 96mph and returned 33mpg consistently), how do you make progress in a vehicle that has a drinking problem when pushed to 70mph? It may be great off-road but frankly it's pants on road (for what i would envisage is being practical)

“although HORROR OF HORRORS the utilitarian look of the defender is becoming the new chic”

Great I say, a refreshing change from all those boring Fords, Vauxhalls, Renaults etc, that all look the same! And as for the new Jeep Cherokee, its totally lost the plot and has gone all soft.

It does look quite good, but progress is progress things do change, we'd all still have wooden wheels and crank starters if we didn't make progress, i will say the Series look is iconic though (albeit iconic of a century gone by :p).

Personally, I think that modern cars have far too much unnecessary junk on board, too much plastic and as a result of all this refinement, actually take away from the pleasure of driving. I look at other drivers on my way in to work and I can see how bored some of them look. I wonder how many can change a wheel, let alone say “see this land rover I’m driving, well I totally rebuilt it myself”.

A series land rover is a recyclable car; bits can easily be sourced to keep them on the roads for many years (far better than scrapping a car after 10 years)

Yes, some of us series owners might be a bit wild eyed, but then we know we are alive when we are driving our trucks.

In some respects i agree, too much junk, but then you would be bored witless sitting in yet another traffic jam....thus i have a bike, my daily dose of hacking around london is the medicine for me :)
I love fettling with motors but i don't think i would have the time to rebuild a Series, it would be awesome fun though.

The Freelander still has a green oval badge and i'm still not convinced :)

[Hot-herps]

You’ve been at the 'herbs' again, haven't you...


Do you really think I need “herbs” when I’m working with these creatures every day? Yes, that is a King Cobra in the picture. Just one of the 350 venomous snakes that I care for…..I get plenty of adrenaline from my job.

Regards, Paul

Hot-Herps = Hot (venomous) –Herps (Reptile)

[Stevel]

>A series land rover is a recyclable car; bits can easily be sourced to keep them on the roads for many years (far better than scrapping a car after 10 years).

Sound like a case of I've had this axe for 20 years, its had 5 new heads and 8 new handles!

Some good discussion on this thread, people buy cars for different reasons. For me the freelander represents a very practical car that won't get stuck at the first sign of a drop of snow (unlike my Elise but thats another story), I probably won't ever use my f/l off road and if in the eyes of the die hard landy owners that makes me soft then quite frankly I couldn't give a rats ****.

Steve

[Chris Giltnane]

Mine must be the one in a hundred freebie that goes off road. After the Abingdon 4X4 festival offroad course it had to be washed off with a fire hose before you could even see where the numberplate was, let alone read it. I was pressure washing the engine bay for 20 minutes before all the mud had gone. The freebie did the route twice including most of the "difficult" sections. By the way the Defender without TC got cross-axled in front of me and had to be towed off. The freebie went straight through. From my experience a Standard Freebie will do pretty much anything a standard defender will do EXCEPT deep ruts, but then 90% of the time you can straddle those anyway. I would argue that the number of series and defenders that actually go off-road is no where near the figures stated earlier. A lot get used as tow trucks in fields but that doesnt count in my book.
my 10 cents worth

[Tim in Scotland]

Sorry Series/Defender owners but 90's are really quite useless as load carriers too. Last year I bought a load of bookcases froma well known Swedish store. Having arrived in my 90 expecting to be able to get my purchases home in one run I ended up leaving a mountain of woodwork at the store and return 50 miles to home to get my Freelander TD4.......... Practical the Defender is not as the front seat back cannot be folded flat whereas in my Freebie I was able to load all the shelves into the boot with the rear seats folded once and the front seat back folded right back and loading the uprights on top.
One of my pass times is windsurfing and The Defender is useless for that too - not enough length in the reat to stow either boards or sails and too high to deal with boards on the roof in anything other than a gentle breeze - but I don't go sailing when the wind is that light! Sorry but the only thing my Defender is any use for is playing in the mud and going places I don't want to take my new Range Rover (even more practical than my Freelander, even if the lecky front seats don't fold far enough forward or back at least I can lower it enoygh to be able to reach the roof bars without worrying about my boards blowing away.......
Have attached some pics of loaded Freelanders seen out on Tiree this week.

[Tim in Scotland]

This little Freelander is a 1.8S. It towed a 4 berth motor boat from Scotland to Greece this summer without missing a beat, with a family of 4 on board and all this gear as well...........in total comfort

[Tim in Scotland]

And I had to cheat to get my 3 passengers and all their sailing gear and kit including food to Tiree............... only 2 of us would have got into the 90 and we would have needed to take another wagon and the trailer to get all the gear out there. The TD6 managed it in the lap of airsprung, climate controlled leather clad luxury, without batting an eyelid at the load and at 26mpg too. It even went offroading........ but then P13 MUD is getting a name for going where other new Range Rover owners fear to tread - it even has a fan club.......... I was approached by a lad at the ferry terminal who asked if I knew there was a pic of it in one of the Land Rover mags....... I even had the very same mag inside! He has a blown up copy of the same pic on his bedroom wall. Oh and this 15 year old already has a light weight, a 90, a 110SW and a Freelander to play with when he is old enough to drive

[Tim in Scotland]

And here is the 'die hard's' way of carrying their kit - crude and uncomfortable (a not a little dangerous when loaded like this)

[s.stirley]

Tim - trying to make out the bike carrier on the silver 1.8 - does it rest on the rear window ? mine does and I'm worried about putting to much on it ... currently I carry the large bikes on the roof and kids bikes on the rack (which also means they are high enough up that I don't need a trailer board - although that silver one does !)

Cheers, Si

[Tim in Scotland]

Si, I'm afraid that I cannot answer your question and I cannot rmember if it was a Halfords 'spare wheel' rack or if the supports went over the rear bar of the roof rack.
When I bought the Range Rover I made the mistake of having the removable tow bar fitted, but had it slightly redesigned to take a Freelander bike rack that I had been given by a neighbour who's company 3 door went back and he didn't need the rack. The Freelander rack on the removable hook is 100% successful - it keeps the bikes well off the body work and doesn't 'bounce' over bumps. The drawbacks with the removable hook are 1) Unless my trailer has more weight over the front (making it heavy to lift onto the hook) I get banging and crashing as the hook fitting can move slightly in the receiver and 2) The removable towbar has a special bag and fits into a cubby in the boot, if you don't have the mounting block for the bike rack fitted between the hook and the adjustable plate and draw - my removable hook gets left in my garage when not in use.
Another problem with the removable hook is that I have yet to find a way of locking it into the receiver - no point in putting fancy security wires onto bikes and trailer if some lowlife can come along and take out the retaining pin and walk off with the hook, trailer and all it's contents just by sliding out the spring retaining pin!

[Spacemutt]

Bloody hell! That 110 looks like the Cobby family going on a day's diving trip. :p I hope to god that they only loaded it like that to get it accross the ferry where they had other cars waiting for them. :D

[Tim in Scotland]

Stephen, that 110 is nothing compared to a Mercedes E320 Estate that was even more loaded down and a long wheelbase HiTop Transit that should not really have been on the roads it's roof was so loaded - lord knows how they got under the bridge at Dalmally without loosing/breaking anything.
By the way that 110 was also packed to the gunnals inside and it belonged to a Venture Training Trust - some like the Rose Trust or hebridean Trust for young people. I think they would find it easier to buy a trailer - the fuel savings alone would pay for it!

[Hot-herps]

Did anyone see the report on “Watchdog” last night regarding the dreadful reliability problems of the ‘K’ series engine blowing head gaskets due to a bad design. 100s of customers have had problems with their Freelanders (and other rover products), leaving them with very costly bills.

I can’t remember that last time that I heard of a head gasket blowing on a series land rover and even if it does, there is minimal damage and you can replace the head gasket yourself in a few hours with a new one (cost about £10)….. and if your on a overland trip you could do the job beside the road.

And they say that the freelander is progress, Oh, really?

[Tim in Scotland]

I suppose that is the price we have to pay for the advance of 'technology'. My 'old tech' Defender has just cost me the best part of £800 to get the front offside CV joint replaced - crazy thing was the labour was the cheapest item on the bill - 2.5 hours worked out at £120 at a rural main dealer................... the parts were £433 and the rest was the Gordon Brown factor. I also had a new exterior passenger door handle fitted at the same time - total cost £21.
It isn't just new tech machines that have expensive problems......
and I am technically challenged (??) so have to rely on a decent mechanic to do these sort of jobs. Would rather use an LR dealer and pay a bit more than the local village garage who's labour rate is actually higher and they are not experienced with Land Rovers.

[russ]

Originally posted by Hot-herps
Did anyone see the report on “Watchdog” last night regarding the dreadful reliability problems of the ‘K’ series engine blowing head gaskets due to a bad design. 100s of customers have had problems with their Freelanders (and other rover products), leaving them with very costly bills.


Yet several hundred thousand have had no problems or had their problems resolved with little fuss.
This is a weak argument, and second hand sourced, there are a world of whinging people out there who will find cause to complain at anything remotely trivial at any given opportunity.
Yes head gaskets WAS an issue and an old one at that, anyone doing research would do good to consider this when purchasing any vehicle.

The K series was used in many vehicles not just the freelander...

a week, and this is the best you can come up with? ;)

3/10 Must try harder :p

[Hot-herps]

Having owned a few MG's, you know the proper ones MGB and Midget ect, I do know about the problems with head gaskets on other rover cars.


a week, and this is the best you can come up with?


I have far too many other things to think about than wondering what to post on this forum. The reason for the last post was the fact was that freelanders were featured on the watchdog programme. As the programme pointed out, the fault has been know for some time.

OK, I'd never buy a Freelander, but that does not meen that I hate them.




:yay: :yay: :yay: