viorelluta

I have to tell you about my crazy experience yesterday. I went to the countryside, driving on some hills and got really muddy, so I decided to cross the river I grew up nearby, so I would clean the underside and wheels. I knew (from my memories...) that the water should not be deeper than 50cm, but I have ignored the heavy rains the night before... so you can imagine that I was really thrilled when I've entered the water and THE WATER WAS ABOVE THE BONNET!!! And the current was strong as hell! Fortunately, I continued to drive in the 1st gear and I managed to get out (the river is only 20-30m wide, but it seems to me an eternity :-) ). The only damage was the licence plate, hanging on one screw only... I drove another 250km yesterday (after carefully checking the engine, etc. and washing the car) with no signs of any damage! Nor any water inside the car! Even I wouldn't repeat the experience soon, I have to say that the FL2 really IS a great car! Viorel

Manuals here (owner manuals only): http://www.ownerinfo.landrover.com/extfree2viewlrprod/servlet/peachviewfile?t=1276844296186/index.htm attached - the lighing part. I have xenons, I don't think I would try to fix them by myself. good luck Viorel romania Lighting FL2.pdf

My FL2 S (also 17") came with Goodyear Wrangler HP: http://eu.goodyear.com/uk_en/tires/repository/WranglerHP/index.jsp Very good on road; off road I only drove on wet grass (they're OK), I don't think they can handle deep mud. They're OK on snow, we had this winter a lot of it; never got stuck, even with 40cm snow and minus 20 Celsius, although winter tires would have been better. As the maufacturer says, overall performance is great, but again, if you need specialized tires, you should go for A/T, mud, etc. On the FL1 I had (16") Michelin Synchrone and replaced them with Pirelli Scorpion STR (or ATR, don't remember exactly); Scorpions were better. Viorel

I never had a SatNav on a Freelander; as far as I know some other cars have the satnav "player" located somewhere else in the car (eg in the trunk), are you sure that the navigation disk it should be played by the audio unit? If the answer is positive, I would try to make a copy of the dik (assuming it is not protected) so I could test this way if the scratches are not the problem. viorel

I think you should not worry, unless it prevent you to fill up the tank. My 2yo Ford Focus TDCI is worse - at some gas stations it just "spill out" one or two liters of diesel - I just see the diesel under the car (or on my shoes) when is too late. It seems it has a sort of "overflow prevention" or something...

You have now very good transmission, you should not feel sorry about it. I have paid more than double to solve the head gasket issue and, 25k km later, the coolant level was dropping again. So you should go out and have fun indeed - at least in between such repairs :-)

I am sure that most of you will appreciate this: offroad.pdf As a basic rule, NEVER let the car in neutral when offroad; also, refrain to press the clutch pedal...

Hi, I am attaching a file describing the Terrain Response (TR) functions for all LR models, for your info. You will see that, indeed, in Discovery it controls more (e.g. vehicle's height), but even in Freelander 2 (where it's less complex) it is still doing more than any driver could do: it controls the coupling. In FL1 you could not do it, it's the VCU there. I did not have enough time to test the TR thoroughly, but I have to tell you that last week I have entered in deep snow (about 60cm) and - as it was formed by several layers - I had difficulties to come out of the snow. Then I moved the TR on "Sand" and... it was like a little miracle: the car easily came out of the snow! It was like a completely different car! 3.pdf As a former owner of LR1 and some experience in "light offroad" (I often go fishing; when it rains it is quite challenging) I would say that, if you never go off road, you will not need the TR. But, if you expect to drive in heavy snow or want to go in mud areas, you will see the difference... Viorel

From the legal point of view, both FL1 and FL2 are "permanent integral (4x4) traction" vehicles. I think this is because, unlike with other vehicles, the driver cannot select 2WD. For this reason here in Romania can't have the compulsory periodic technical check (I think you call it MOT in UK) in any authorized service unit, but only in those able to check permanent 4WD cars. Speaking about 4WD, we had (again) a heavy snow - more than 60cm in just 2-3 days - and I tested (again) the FL2 on snow. It managed the snow great, although next winter I'll buy winter tyres (the car came with factory-fitted Goodyear M&S tyres, which tend to slip laterally, while the front/rear traction is rather OK). The Haldex stuff was used several times, you can feel the "clutch smell" when driving in reverse. Overall, it's a nice sensation to "float" between cars which are stuck in snow, and to be able to help other people :-)

you should investigate the coolant issue, is there is no external leak it probably means that the coolant goes in the cylinders and then is vaporized.

so?

Hi, I wanted to do the same about 2-3 years ago. After an extensive search I found that is almost impossible to buy Visteon after-market, or to find compatible products. I ended up by replacing the factory fitted player with a Sony with an auxiliary input (for any MP3 players) and a card-size remote control. It was better :-) However, I remember in the UK and the Netherlands there are some distributors of Visteon products, they can help you, just google for Visteon, find the official website and follow the links to UK partners.

Yes I did this, not only to my old FL1, but to some other cars too, and yes, they do a better job (and look better too). I have only changed the blades, of course, the adapters they come with is absolutely fine so you dont't need to work on the arms at all. The only thing is to avoid the cheap ones, of course. Bosch, Valeo are very good, Champion is not bad, no names are generally poor (or have a very short life).

have you got a diagnostic (or hopefully a solution) yet?

Well, here in Romania radar detectors ARE LEGAL but I know that in most other are not. Navigation systems warnings are also illegal in some countries. When I travel abroad I check the local road regulations, published on our Foreign Affairs website.

it seems not many people opted for a navi in FL, your question may receive noanswer. I've also preferred a portable one, it cost me about 150 Euros and I can update the software, which I doubt it can be done for a built-in navi system. And I can use it in different cars... I don't totally understand why the factory-fitted navi (and audio) systems are that expensive, although I have to admit that the navi are usually faster, probably due to better GPS receiving (roof mounted antennas).

I think that the problems described are too different to have a common cause, except the ECU which seems to do many things wrong, in the same time. It is either a bad connection/earthing problem, or the car's computer needs a reset. You're under warranty, otherwise I would also suggest to disconnect the battery for a few minutes. Keep us informed!

Thanks to your reply I found something new about my FL2! This is what I found in the owner manual (which, of course, i did NOT read carefully...): Remote battery The remote control batteries are recharged when the remote is docked and the engine is running. For this reason it is recommended that each remote is used for a minimum of four hours every six months. This will ensure that the batteries are kept charged and ready for use. ... so I should read the manual, indeed :-) Viorel

I am curious, if the price is, let's say, 19,500 GBP, is this the TOTAL price paid by the customer? e.g. does it include VAT and other taxes? Here in Romania we have to pay, for example, a tax related to emmissions - about 2,000 Eour for a FL2. (If the car is Euro5 - such as, I think, the new "green" start/stop equipped TD4 - this tax is 0... but only in 2010) thanks, Viorel

This is also what I think, I get this warning a lot these days. Since we had a lot of snow and low temperatures, I also got some messages (but clearly displayed...) such as "HDC not available" etc., probably because of some sensors sunk deep down in snow. After the car is in movement and wheels cleared out of snow everything comes back to normal. BTW, I have tested a the Terrain Response, it really works :-)

My older (2003) FL1 did not have it, the LR2 has it as a standard.

Hi, there are (I think) the following possible issues: a)if the airflow is low (you say only some "puffs" come out when the knob is set to 4) then probabily the fan is broken, or some mechanical obstacles stop the air; this, I'm afraid, can only be solved by a specialist. The fan must be measured first; unfortunately I don't know how, never did it. It can be a simple problem such as a wire disconnected. Is there any change in the air flow when switching from 1 to 2, 3, 4? If not, then the vent is broken (or not powered). b) once the airflow problem is solved, if the temperature is also low, then for some reason the coolant flowing inside the pipes is cold; a possible reason could be the thermostat, which stays closed (but this depends on the engine/model you have). good luck viorel

The 2007 model would be already a FL 2, wouldn't it?

I am pretty sure that max. payload is 450kg, so you are too close to the limit.

The main noise source would be the electrical fan itself, which may continue running for a while.