viorelluta

I would guess that it is either the contact block itself (so it needs to be replaced) or some further contacts, such as rotary contacts block, etc. In some old cars, turning the steering wheel a few degrees may also help, did you try it? However, you need to go to the service provider. The good news is that there is no danger to stop during driving - after the ignition is on and engine starts, the contact goes back to a neutral position (at least from the engine point of view).

There are (at least) two points to be taken into account: a) tires - if you don't have proper ones but on-road, loosing traction is normal, regardless the settings you choose B) lateral sliding - if the road is inclined laterally, 4x4 does not help at all. I remember my very first off-road experience, I went to a hill with a very thin layer of mud, I was shocked when the car started to glid laterally... so I have learned quickly that you ALWAYS have to go straight forward against the hill, if you want to prevent sliding.

if you were in Romania, probabily around 5,000 Euros (provided they could sove the issue before replacing AT LEAST: fan, heater matrix, air conditioning completely, most likely also the ECU... )

Mine is a 5-door, but anyway I think I want to mention that I did have a problem with moisture in the "toolbox" as long as I had a rubber mat seated on the trunk floor (sorry for my English, I hope you understand). So I have removed the rubbermat - and the problem disappeared. My point is: sometimes, condensation is also present, so humidity must be let out somehow...

You are absolutely right, unfortunately I'm talking about the (only) official importer of LR&Jaguar in our country, so who else to trust?? A professional service provider should tell you the test results, e.g. "your left shock abs. is working 67% and the right one 71%" or so. About the brakes: while the pads are easily observed by anybody when worn out, the discs status is more difficult to estimate, as normal people don't know the minimum thickness allowed. In fact, some dealers here are all the time asking the owners to replace the brake discs, even for cars regularly serviced. I had a dispute with some Renault dealers (we have many Renault company cars) - I told him I don't understand why, if you replace the pads every 15,000km (in due time), are the discs also worn out and need change every 30,000km??? I think they rely on people's fear not to have problems, as they suggest you "you don't want to loose your brakes when driving", so they make some extra money...

Thank you. You are right about the price - not to mention the labor cost, which is 50 Eur/hour in a country where the average salary is around 500 Eur per month, netto... but here Land Rover is considered a premium brand. Unfortunately the reliability is (at least) questionable. So I have decided that I can wait one more year for new shock absorbers :-)

Hi All, Please let me know which should be a "normal" mileage to replace the shock absorbers (front ones). I went to the official LR importer here in Romania for oil and filters replacement, and they told me that I should do this, as the shock absorbers are - quote - "slightly leaking oil". The car is manufactured end 2003, has 72k km (45,000 miles) and is 95% used onroad (well, we have many bad roads, so that would be the equivalent of 20% offroad use in UK). Of course, they told me that I would probabily need new flanges as well, which means 2x220 Eur (shock abs) + 2x215 Eur (flanges) = 870 Eur - more or less 800 GBP, plus labour cost... Thanks Viorel

OK, I saw below - it's the 1,8, same as mine. There can be many reasons (e.g. fuel pump, filters, as you said - a spark, EGR valve etc) - you should check the engine, any reason (except EGR valve) can cause sudden engine stop).

What engine does your car have?

Only after the pads are removed you can clearly see if the discs are affected; if the pads are really worn out and not changed in time, the discs may suffer. The thickness of the discs may also be measured by the service unit, but normally the don't need change until about 100k km.

Another possible cause is the sensor which measures the engine temperature. If it does not work properly, it tells the computer that the engine is still cold and it sends too much petrol. The engine may even stop. Check the indicator of engine temp.

I'm not really a specialist in engines, but if the owner have replaced the catalysator, aren't the sensors a possible cause? Maybe you can check how the engine works without the exhaust in place (remove it). Keep us informed!

As Blippie said (and you can see also in some similar recent posts), a bad tyre/rim may cause incredibly strong vibrations at certain speed. If the wheel causing problems is on the front axle, it is worse. I was once driving a Renault Kangoo, one of the front wheels had the rim (of steel) slightly bent (barely visible); the result: over 60km/h it was very difficult to keep the steering wheel straight, it was vibrating like hell. Wheels must be perfectly balanced.

here in Romania it was a typical problem for old Dacia cars - I am sorry but I am not technical enough to explain, however is a problem related to the timing (distribution) but mostly to the distance between the valves and the parts which are in contact with the valves. Normally in modern engines this distance is set automatically (i think hydraulic), however if the distance is not adjusted you get thiis metallic rattling sound.

check this out: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html You will find what happens when you use other tires than the original ones. For Freelanders - if you compare 2 of the sizes recommended by LR (215/65R16 vs 195/80R15) you will find a 1% difference only. It may be obvious, but take care - when replacing the tires you MUST equilibrate the wheels. Anyway, you can't do this at home.

... or you DO have problems with the ABS indeed - and then you should have the car checked by a specialist. i hope you don't

I think westender is right (symptoms are very similar), although when HDC is on you should see the warning sign (the inclined vehicle). I had once difficulties to disengage HDC myself. If this happens, try several times.

CAR: Land Rover Freelander Td4 range INSURANCE GROUP: 10-11 CO2 EMISSIONS: 205g/km PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 102mph / 0-60mph 13.2s FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 37.2mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags / ABS WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4382/2074/1828 it is normal to reach about 160km/h, as the 1,8 petrol provides similar power. My 1,8 goes with 160 with no problem - take also into account that the real speed is usually 5-10% lower that the one indicated on board. you can use a portable GPS/navigation equipment to show you the real speed, it is pretty accurate. viorel

May I also suggest you to visit the sites of British Parts UK, Mastora, Paddock, Simmonites - you can find various parts and accessories you can choose from.

That latch started working again soon after I was asking you for help, I have a smart car :-)

Quite (but not entirely...) related to the topic, I just replaced my Michelin Synchrone tyres (215/65 R16) which were doing their job for over 60,000 km. I have chosen to use (again) onroad tires - the Pirelli Scorpion STR M+S 98VRB, same size. Pirelli is less expensive. I have noticed a significant improvement in handling and a much lower noise level at high speed. I shall check what happens offroad (I don't expect too much anyway).

Did you get an answer yet?

You can use a long nose plier, like the one in attach, but take care not to put too much force on it, as the caps will bend.

The head gasket failure happens only to the 1.8 petrol engines, so this should not concern you. That TD4 probably has some other "weak points" where some oil comes out. It should be checked anyway.

thank you! I've found at MASTORA this: Latch Assembly - Rear Door - LH £47.85 (€ 67.93) Quickfind code: 7099 Mfr #: ALR9787 would this be the right part? I also have a problem with LH/RH meaning. The broken latch is on the passenger's (rear) door behing the driver's seat, which here (unlike in UK) is on the left side of the car (if you are inside the car...). so, should I ask for LH latch or RH latch??