Badger_1

Was on the verge of buying a tom tom one v3 when I found hidden away in a web page on tom toms website the following info: The tom tom one is not guaranteed a free map update. In other words from the time it was packed and has stood in the shop there has been at least one new map update but you do not automatically qualify for it. So you buy a new sat nav and immediately have to fork out £40 if you want the latest up to date map on it. Some of the more expensive tom toms qualify but only if you are given a guarantee voucher when you purchase. May as well go for a RAC 200. its £40 cheaper and you get free camera updates for life. The others charge

Thanks guys.

Notice the RAC's website does a check on vehicles for £5 can anyone reccomend it or recommend anywhere else cheaper? Would like to get a check done a.s.a.p.

anyone tell me the paint colour of the 1998 dark green metallic freelanders? Thanks

Not really freelander related though it will be going in one. Anyone got a sat nav? Thinking of purchasing my first sat nav and I know absolutely nothing about them. I just want it for mainland Britain. Do they all warn about speed cameras and do they update themselves automatically when new roads are constructed or do you have to throw them out and purchase a new one. Been told Tom Toms are good. What do I need? Any advice greatfully appreciated. Thanks

Back in the early eighties I was a motor mechanic and worked for a number of back street garages and a main citroen agent. It was how I earned my living fixing minis, 1100s escorts, vivas, moggy 1000s etc. Todays modern cars with their computerised systems and modern engines bear little resemblence at all to the cars I worked on. I therefore no longer regard myself as a mechanic. I am a newbie who can hold a spanner but knows sod all about todays cars. Will I be foolish to attempt my own repairs? I have no choice as I cant afford garage prices. I buy a haynes manual and take it from there learning again as I go. Thank god for forums such as these where with what knowledge I do have, I can be helped by the experience of many of the members who do know what theyre doing on todays motors.

Thanks guys. good tips. I have got as far as buying the haynes manual and have looked at a few. There are either probs with electrics, probs with head gaskets, high mileage, knocking sounds, or just too many owners. When I finally find the one I'll let you know. There is one on my local doorstep with a knocking noise when reversing but having spoken to him he now wants £1500. Thought I could get it for £1000. seems a lot for a T reg with a short mot and problems.

No at the moment I'm viewing about 2 per week and will know it when I see it I think. Just trying to find out as much as I can to minimise making any mistakes. Seen a few advertised where the owners have been honest and revealed this problem but there will no-doubt be others who will remain silent. I can obviously listnen for knocks and bangs on a test drive but need to know a little bit more. i.e. does it only show up when cornering? reversing on lock? etc. Having a VCU gone at a cost of £250 wouldnt put me off buying one if I was sure that was the problem but I would hate to find out after fitting one that the problem remained. If there was a problem with the IRD wud it show as a knocking or rumbling going forward and backwards in a straight line for instance, and if it was quiet going back and forth and the noise only happened when circling in a full lock would this mean the problem was else where or cud it still be a problem with the IRD? They say fore warned is fore armed so I'm doing as much homework as I can.

I beleive this is a well known problem on freelanders. What is the usual cause of the problem when the car has a knocking noise when reversing? Is it to do with the props, vcu or can it be a problem with the IRD or gearbox and how would you go about testing to decide which is the causing the problem.

Chassis problems!!!!!!! What chassis problems

As the title says are they? been looking for one for a while now but the more I read about them with their mountain of reported problems it makes me wonder just what expense I could be letting myself in for. They look great and after resigning myself to the fact the IRD could go (£1000) the VCU (£200) Propshafts £? Rear diff £? Clutch (Big job apparently) Headgasket now I have just learned that the window mechanisms are a regular fault and cost around £100 each. So the question has to be:- who in their right mind would buy a freelander? (got a feeling its still going be this silly bugger just because they look smart) How could Landrover get it so wrong?

Well got this sorted now. MP3 player from argos for £49.99 with a USB port and a 4gb memory stick off ebay for 13.49. All the cds can now go in the bin and the glovebox can go back to serving its original purpose - containing jelly babies. Thanks for the info and advice guys.

I'm a bit of a dinasour when it comes to technology. Are these ipods a modern day tape recorder that you store songs on then presumably by means of a lead get them to play through the cd player? If yes doesn't the wire get in the way and doesnt it keep sliding of the dash board (or do you just leave it on the floor)

Thanks for the advice guys, Due to the reported costs and the time spent reading a dvd disc loaded with albums (as advised here) perhaps this isnt the way to go then. I have seen cd mp3 players that state usb port much cheaper and as I already have a usb memory stick that I dont use perhaps this is the cheapest way for me to go. Great advice guys thanks to you all.

My son recently told me that you can get quite a lot of albums on a DVD in MP3 format. Great I thought I only need one disc in my car then. Now after looking around I notice most MP3 players only play cd's which wont hold that many albums. I have seen one that states it reads DVDs so I'm guessing this will do the job. Can anyone confirm I'm thinking correctly? Next query is that if I put a DVD in the head unit with about 30 albums on it, will it display the albums on the small display panel and let me choose which album to play or will I need some sort of display screen to plug into it as an attachment. (I dont want to watch DVD movies on it in the car just listen to music)

Thanks for the advice guys. Didnt go through with the sale because one or two bits I wasnt happy with for the price and couldnt knock em down. Chasing 2 more now at the moment. One is a 2000 (W) the other is a 1998 (R with low mileage. Got a maximum of £2750 to spend. What can I realistically expect for that money i.e. year wise, model type? Want a station wagon. I'm looking for a full mot as it should reassure me the props, bearings and vcu etc are ok underneath.

Going to view a 1998 freelander tomorrow. any suggestions for what I should check guys? Also where do I find the plate with the chasis number on so I can check it against the mot ticket? Dont want to get stitched up with a dodgy motor.

Is the problem usually the regulator 9 times out of 10 and how much are they when you say they are dear?

Great walk through Les thanks. Is it always best to change the tensioner with the cambelt and how many miles between cambelt changes?

When I changed my cambelt on my Rover 200 I had great difficulty undoing the Crankshaft pulley nut in order to get the cambelt cover off. despite having a large leaverage bar I pulled the tendons in my elbow it was that tight. Does the crackshaft pulley need to come off on the freelander petrol engines to change the cambelt and are they just as tight? Got a feeling mine was put on with an air power tool.

I'm in the same position as you. I WILL buy a freelander because they do look dead smart. I was also worried about the head gasket problem and was considering the diesel option but I'm now not so worried and am looking for a petrol model. I have a rover 200 which I have owned for almost 4 years and am the second owner of. Its done 38,000 mles and despite all rover engines suffering from the dreaded head gasket probs I have to say I have never lost a scrap of water or had any overheating probs. Guess it boils down to how and where you drive them. If you are going to thrash em up and down the motorway everyday they will eventually overheat and cause probs. If you drive em 10 mile a day local they will last for ever and give you no probs at all. Being scouring ebay since before christmas but havnt quite claimed my goal yet but it will come. Oh and I'm looking for the 5 door station wagon so glad we wont be bidding on the same models

Thats great thanks. What about vertical alignment? are any washers/spacers used between the bearing brackets and the body

A friend of mine is after a bit of info on replacing the vcu unit which apparently comes complete with the bearings and carriers at each end. We noticed the fixing holes for the carriers are slotted which made us think maybe the bearing carriers need to be centralised in some way to avoid propshaft vibration due to it being mis-aligned. Is there a knack to making sure everything is lined up?

Thanx newbe thats not as bad as I thought.

New there was something else I wanted to ask. Regarding the side steps for freelanders. Are the fixing holes already in place under the car should I choose to buy some steps to fix on.