Dezzie

D'ya know what, I think yer right ! ....... I'm thinking more and more about having a go meself ! Stuff 'em ! They obviously don't need the work, or the money ! Cheers ...................... Matt

Why can't I find a Garage that's willing to supply and fit a Rear Diff to my V Plate Freelander 2.0l ? Why am I having problems ? Normally, you have something go wrong with your motor, you book it in to be done, they do it, you pay them, job done ! Not this time ..... Me ;- "Can you supply and fit a rear diff please ? " 1st Mechanic (normally used) .... "Not something 'I' do mate !" 2nd Mechanic (axle specialist) ..... "It won't be your Diff pal, it's probably road tyre noise, don't worry about it " 3rd Mechanic .... (Land Rover specialist) "It's probably not your Diff, more likely something else,....but I do all that kind of stuff - no problem ! Ring me tomorrow when I'm less busy, and we'll arrange for you to come over and we'll have a listen."..... I rang, left a message and my phone number ..... hasn't phoned me back ! ! ! ! Why am I having these problems ? Doesn't anyone want the work ? Is it a particularly bad job ? Can anyone reccomend a good Land Rover specialist in the West Midlands ? If you can throw any light on my exasperating quest, please do ! Many thanks ..................... Matt.

Hi everyone. I had a customer in my shop today, who had a Freelander, and we got chatting. I was explaining that in a few years we would sell the Series 1, and get a Freelander 2, when finances allow. He told me that the Freelander 2 cost £400 a year to tax ! Is this right ? ? ? ? Or was he talking rubbish ? Cheers ..................... Matt

Thanks for all the replies. I think I'm going to have to take it down to him and get him to have a listen whilst I drive. We're off to Wales in October, so want it fully fit for then ! Cheers. ......... Matt.

Thanks for all the replies boys, things are a bit clearer in my head now. I'm not confident enough to attempt the job by myself. I use the vehicle everyday for work too, so if I knacker it up, I've got no transport. There is a specialist over in Birmingham called Central Axle Services. I phoned him and he said that 'I'd' be able to get one from Land Rover directly, at a cost of £295.00 ? ? ? To be honest, I wasn't convinced, sounded like he didn't want the job. Unless that was plus V.A.T ? Even so, sounds too cheap. He also said, that it might not be the Diff, and may be tyre / road noise. He did say to take the Freelander over to him, and he'd have a listen. To be honest, the noise isn't apparent until about 35mph, then goes away again about 50mph. Not sure what that indicates. The story continues ...... will keep you posted ! Cheers for the help. .................. Matt.

Try www.parkers.co.uk/cars/prices I've used this a lot, and find it very useful. Cheers. Matt.

Hi Yakko. My mate works for Land Rover. He actually works in the Design & Development dept. He was very instrumental in the design and release of 'FREELANDER' back in the mid/ late nineties. Before I bought mine, I casually asked him if they (Freelanders) were 'any good'. He told me to avoid the 1.8 petrol, unless it had the new style head gasket replacement. Other than that, they were "OK". He also said that the Rover 'L - Series' Diesel engine was the one to go for. The BMW unit, was / is more refined, smoother, quieter and more modern. However, they've noticed that after 100,000 miles, the injectors can go, causing big bills for the owner. They're also more difficult to work on, more complicated and more costly to put right. The 'L - Series' engine on the other hand, was rougher, more clunky, noisier and not as smooth, but to use his words ..... "Bomb proof" and would go on for hundreds of thousands of miles without problem if serviced properly. Just because it's a BMW engine, that's no guarantee that it's better ! This info' is what you might call ..... "From the Horses mouth" My point is this .... if you see an earlier Freelander with the L - Series Diesel engine that you quite fancy,.... don't be put off ! You'll have a very reliable, if old style diesel. My Freelander will hover at 70 - 80 mph no problem, all day long. Had mine 14 months now, and had no problems whatsoever. A fairly good buyers guide is www.whatcar.com However, it's not a particularly very favourable review for the Freelander. Hope this info' helps mate. ....................... Matt.

Hi everyone. Had my 2 ltr Diesel (L series) Freelander (year 2000) serviced recently. It's a good pal of mine who does it for me, and I know he's OK. He told me that the rear diff was noisy. To be honest, I could hear 'something', and I thought it was a wheel bearing. He told me the wheel bearings were checked and are fine. Where do I go from here ? My mechanic mate says that it's not something he does, and I'd need a specialist. Do I need the rear diff replaced totally ? Or do they remove and repair the old one ? I thought it was just a series of bearings ? Can they not just replace those ? To be honest, I don't know much about diffs etc. Is it a big job ? Any idea how much I'm looking at paying ? I'm keeping the motor, so am not looking to bodge and sell. Any help or info' on this would be very gratefully received. Thanks for any help .................. Matt.

Hi everyone. I'm new to this Forum, so please be gentle with me. I'm Matt, and I live in Solihull, about a mile from the Land Rover factory. I bought my first ever Land Rover just over 12 months ago. Love it to bits, and wish I'd have bought one years ago. It's a Freelander 2.0. Di. Year 2000 (V - Reg) 4 door in dark metallic blue. Got lots of questions for you guys over the next few months, so I'm hoping you'll be able to help. Cheers for now ................. Matt :- Dezzie (nickname)