2003-4 TD4 purchase

[georgemason]

Hi folks,

My family are soon going to buy another LR (they like mine so much), this time a Freelander TD4 (with AC) for my mum. Was wondering what I need to look out for, other than the usual stuff.

Any hints and tips you can think of? It's going to be 3 yrs old or less due to illegal Greek vehicle import taxes!:D

Cheers.

[topcat36]

Hi George,
I have a 3 yr old TD4 on 04 plate and my crankshaft has just gone !!!!
lANDROVER NOT INTERESTED AS JUST OUT OF THE 3 YR WARRANTTY!!!!!
So worth seeing what sort of warranty you get, check service record and tell them to enjoy, have been pleased with ours apart from that :)

[georgemason]

I have a 3 yr old TD4 on 04 plate and my crankshaft has just gone !!!!
Crankshaft gone?? Yikes!! :eek::eek: Very sorry to hear that TC... Is it a common problem, and if so, is there anything I can look out for that might indicate it's about to go?

[topcat36]

Hi George,
Apparently not, Landrover seems just as astounded as I was, but still have done nor offered any help !!! I suppose ensure services are done on time, altho I am sure this wud not prevent it from happening. I am still trying to get them to at least offer a good deal towards a new engine as £4,500 is a lot to pay for one new !!!!! I know I cud get a cheap one second hand, but I feel they were at fault so I am digging my heels in

Tony

[georgemason]

Well I hope it goes your way, that sounds like a raw deal to me. I've had loads of much much older cars that have never had anything that serious go wrong with them - my Disco included! Good luck...

[fergie2035]

I have a 2003 TD4. Its been trouble free for the past 8 months since I bought it.

It did have a clutch problem at first which is quite common. The master cylinder wasn't returning properly and had to be replaced. I got that done under the garage warranty as it was doing it even on the test drive. Check the pedal retuns properly and that it goes into gear easily.

I also saw one that I didn't buy with 44k that was breathing quite heavily but Templ4r said it was probably the crankcase breather filter which needed changed. Its worth taking the oil filler cap off to see what sort of back pressure you get. I changed the filter on the one I did buy at 36k for £22 or so. Its recentlly been added to the service schedule for changing every 24k.

I find they have quite a lot of road noise, to the extent that I wondered if the diff was knackered at one stage. Apart from that I've had no hassle with it after I got the clutch fixed and I like it a lot so that's about all I can say about them. I hope it continues to behave.

[Rob69]

Hi all,
Very new to this site having just registered 5 minutes ago.I have owned 2 Freelanders.The first being a 1.8XE Petrol 2000 and now I own a Premium Sport SW TD4 2003.I currently have a problem with a clicking noise when I brake at low speeds.The car went in for new pads 6 months ago and when it came back this very annoying noise started.The mechanic has tried to find the fault but found nothing.The brakes work fine but it should noy make a clicking sound.Don't fancy taking it to LR due to high costs.
Any ideas.
Thanks Rob

[georgemason]

Hi all,
Very new to this site having just registered 5 minutes ago.I have owned 2 Freelanders.The first being a 1.8XE Petrol 2000 and now I own a Premium Sport SW TD4 2003.I currently have a problem with a clicking noise when I brake at low speeds.The car went in for new pads 6 months ago and when it came back this very annoying noise started.The mechanic has tried to find the fault but found nothing.The brakes work fine but it should noy make a clicking sound.Don't fancy taking it to LR due to high costs.
Any ideas.
Thanks RobHi rob, welcome to the forum. I reckon you ought to post this as a new topic, more people are likely to read it then. Good luck!

George

[georgemason]

I also saw one that I didn't buy with 44k that was breathing quite heavily but Templ4r said it was probably the crankcase breather filter which needed changed. Its worth taking the oil filler cap off to see what sort of back pressure you get. I changed the filter on the one I did buy at 36k for £22 or so. Its recentlly been added to the service schedule for changing every 24k.Interesting - when you say "breathing", what do you mean exactly? Lots of noise from the air filter? Or something else entirely?

[fergie2035]

When you take the oil filler cap off with the engine running, fumes come out of it. There will always be some but judgement and experience tells you what is excessive. It nearly blew my bunnet off and was blowing out spits of oil too so and I just felt it was too much although the garage selling it insisted it was fine. All they had to do was change a £20 filter, or even spend 10 minutes removing it just to demonstrate that the problem went away but they had an attitude that they were the experts and what would I know about it. I explained about the filter and about its service schedule but they didn't know or want to know anything about it so I just walked away from it. They even got the workshop foreman out to tell me it was normal but he tried it with the engine stone cold which only served to show me how keen he was not to find anything wrong as these things show up more clearly when the engine is hot.

It was blowing a LOT more than the one I eventually did buy so I know it wasn't as it should have been.

[georgemason]

Ah I see, well that's worth knowing, something to look out for anyway...