viorelluta

Hi, after a real off-road week-end (2 days in the Danube Delta, highly recommended for fishing) the passenger rear door does not open/close from the remote control anymore. The manual operation works (ie you can open the door from inside by pulling the handle, and you can lock the door by pushing down the rod). Before opening the door panel (I have to wait, it's raining like hell) I would like to ask you if some of you have replaced/repaired the electrical door latch. Is it complicated? What is the English word for the electrical motor which locks the door by pulling the rods - is it "actuator"? I need the right term to search on the net. If you're interested in fishing, hunting or bird watching have a look here: www.cormoran.ro. Danube Delta is amazing indeed, unique in Europe. Thanks Viorel

I hope it was 70 Euros, not 704 !!!

i think that if the thermostat gets stuck the engine temp will rise. or maybe it is not completely closed. yes, could be a cause

I can only guess you need to eliminate the air it might be in the cooling circuit...

electric mirrors at FL I = you can adjust mirrors' position using electric controls, plus they're heated (by the way, it's the only car I know with the mirrors heated all the time... strange)

Pressure in the cooling system is normal; coolant level fluctuation is also normal, as long as it stays between Min and Max levels. Keep an eye on: coolant level, the general aspect of both coolant and oil and engine temp.

I am also using the same type and size (Michelin Synchrone), probably older profile, they're quiet on road, but don't try them offroad, especially on mud... I've tried!

My 1.8 Freelander was manufactured end of 2003, had about 50,000km (or 30,000 miles) when acquired in Jan. 2007 and have had the HGF in Dec 2007 at 60,000km (or 37,500 miles). It was NOT fitted with the multilayer HG in the factory, it has one now. I already told my story, in my case the engine temperature was normal (it was a very cold day indeed) until it died (caughed, then stopped) and all the coolant went into the engine, the oil on the gauge was like mayo... and that was it. Now the engine seems OK, I drove about 3,000km since January. If I were you, I would replace the head gasket now, if you wait for the failure you will also pay for the thermostat, the water pump, coolant, oil incl. filter etc. - and much more works. Here in Romania the cost was almost 2,000 Euro, fortunately I had bought the car from the official dealer so I had half covered by their warranty. Good luck Viorel

I have recently bought online the Haynes manual from Paddocks (http://www.paddockspares.com/scp/BOOKS/Freelander.html ), you will find there step-by-step instructions for any repairs/replacements. including airbags :-)

Visit simmonites.com, the Freelander Sport section, they offer the facelift (conversion from older models eo end 2003 specs) Viorel

I'm NOT from UK, obviously

I'm from UK, however I bought recently a LRO Intl magazine (http://www.lro.com ) and I found a lot of manufacturers of various "belly shields" advertising there... you should buy a magazine, I guess, then you'll have plenty of choices

Speaking about airbag, I have the SRS light on and I wanted to check some wires and the fuse status. When I've looked into the manual (searching for the fuse place) I saw the warning - "do NOT pull off the SRS fuse". Why is that? what possibly can happen? I was afraid that the airbag can explode in my face and I postponed solving this... Viorel

It's difficult to suggest anything, as it is probably only a vibration of some lose part(s), it can be anything under the dashboard or under the bonnet - any wire, pipe, etc... so you need to check any part which seems not fixed properly.

OK, then I will mount them on the bumper. I guess I'll have to remove the bumper first. Do you have any idea which is the best (easiest) path to follow in order to get the wire into the dashboard? What about a place to install the switch? Thanks, Viorel

Hi All, I just bought a set (2pcs) of additional fog lights from Hella, with all necessary wiring, relay, switch etc. They are oval-shaped. Now I am not sure where to install them - either on the horizontal roof rack bars or on the front bumper. My car does not have an A-bar, nor factory-fitted fog lights. If I install them on the roof I don't know how to pull the power cable inside the car. If I put them on the bumper, they are exposed to direct hits. Have you done something like this? How? Thanks Viorel

The type of the aerials will not significantly influence the quality of the reception, but there is a mechanical issue. Standard aerials may not fit to the hole in the roof. It is, however, easy to check and/or replace the aerial, all you need to do is open the courtesy light (above the front passenger seats), remove it and you will see the only screw which fix the aerial to the roof. The aerial has a rubber "foot" which, if not fits perfectly to the roof, will let water in. If this happens, use some "red gasket" filling to have it sealed. Aftermarket aerials will have probabily a different "foot". So, if you have only the top part of the aerial missing (which screws to the fixed lowe part), note the size of this "screw" and look for an aerial which fits, so you can use the upper half only. Viorel

Hi FridgeFreezer, sorry to hear that you have problems. My English is quite poor (in technical terms at least) so I can't help with ideas. Please let us know when you have a diagnosis of the engine. Before "my first HGF" (it seems to me that HGF is a sort of love affair, or like loosing the virginity :-) ), I have had a problem with some oil leakage - the upper part of the engine was greasy. But the oil level was OK. However, they have replaced the sealing rings of the camshaft. Good luck, Viorel

I would like to know how you guys in the UK (and other countries) find the LRF 2. I just had (last Saturday) a drive test with one - the 2.2 diesel. Unfortunately it had the automatic gearbox, so I could not feel the "real" power or acceleration of the car. However, compared with my actual 1.8, it is another story... Here in Romania the price for the 2.2 TD4, manual transmission, "S" level is about 34,500 Eur, all taxes included. Pretty expensive, however I liked the car, but this time I would like to pay more attention to its reliability. I was told that this engine was developed in cooperation with PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) and it can be found on all Ford models, is this correct? thanks Viorel PS: the interior did not impress me too much. It is slightly more spacious. I liked more the spare wheel mounted on the rear door, as the removable trunk floor feels fragile. Yet, the 10 years between the two versions is visible.

Thank you all! I will keep the car until next serious problem. I have programmed a drive test with Freelander 2, though. Here the cheapest LRF 2 is 31k Euros (diesel, no Terrain Response, all taxes included). For the next level you have to pay about 35k. How much is in UK?

You probabily know this, but please note: the audio controls on the steering wheel (if you have ones...) will NOT work with the new units, either CD or DVD. I have a Visteon CD player, I wanted to replace it with a MP3 but I found nothing compatible. Eventually I found in the Netherlands an interface which provides an auxiliary input, so I can connect any player (eg an iPod) to the existing unit. I'll install it soon and let you know.

I have asked them if they've replaced/modified anything else "inside" the engine, but except for the gasket (which they confirmed is the multilayer type) they have not, nor they heard about the "new bolts", or the steel dowels, or the lower rail. I can just hope that "pretty much" = "until I'll sell the car" How it happened to me: I was driving home from work and I noticed that the heating did not work (outside temp was minus 7-8 degrees Celsius). I thought the heating is broken somehow. THE ENGINE TEMP INDICATOR WAS AT "NORMAL" (mid range) ALL THE TIME. After 2-3 miles the engine started "coughing" and it stopped 5 minutes later (fortunately I was home). Then I saw no cooling liquid at all in the expansion bowl, and the oil was like mayo... So it happened with no previous signs... Thank you Viorel

Hi All, Yes we do have Feeelanders here in Romania, and yes - the 1,8 K engine has the same HGF problem. I have read most of the messages posted on related topics, and I would like to ask you: After the introduction of the "latest" head gasket (the multi-layered one), was the failure rate decresing or not?? My story, shortly: I have bought (early 2007) an used Freelander 1,8i, from the BMW official importer in Romania (they sell both used and new LRs). The car was manufactured in 2003, having only 53,000 km (about 36k miles). Unlike in UK, the used Freelanders are expensive here, and most people are not aware about the problems they have. Anyway, in December 07, at 62k km, the head gasket blown. Fortunately it happened near to my home and not in the middle of nowhere (I use to go fishing with this car...) so it was not that expensive to carry the car to service. The service replaced the gasket with the multilayered one, and of course some other parts (water pump, thermostat etc). I spent a lot of money (of course all parts cost triple here). Anyway, I don't know what to do: to keep the car for some 1-2 years (the service guys told me that the HGF will not appear again before another 60-80k km), or to sell it as soon as possible? This depends on your feedback, please let me know if there are any relevant data (or if you have experienced it before...) about the efficiency of the latest HG model. Thank you Viorel