smallfry Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 I am considering buying a Freelander 1 TD4. Once I got over the shock of how much they cost to tax, I am still thinking about it. Just because I like the look of it. Interestingly, when I look up the MOT history for prospective purchases, I see that most of them seem to have an MOT fail almost every year, plus a load of advisories. When one looks at random other vehicles at similar age and usually higher mileage, they usually have very few in comparison. My old Astra estate for example, at 260,000 has never failed an MOT and not had much spent on it at all. I really don't need another vehicle that needs fixing every weekend ( I have a V8 90 for that )and constant expenditure. I know its a Land Rover and all, but is it likely to turnout one my life's great regrets ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatM Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 it could be expensive! I had a Freelander 2 for 10 years - it had 10k when Ibrought it and 43k miles when I sold it/traded it for a RRS. In all that time I paid for servicing with LR for the first 5 years and did the servicing myself until sold- oil, filters every year- brakes, discs, etc. it broke down twice in that time but always got me home. Ones was a wheel speed sensor and the other was coil packs/plugs- yes, it was the thirsty V6! I complain and running my RRS is a lot more expensive as the warantee is 1.3k a year as well as everything else. by you either love the brand or hate it. In bad weather, poroviding you havent brought a basket-case and everything is working- you will feel safe for you and your familiy. ok, Im a fan and dont mind doing the work myself. Some things you cant do due to lack of tools, height, 4wd and weight- but an indy can. They are cheap- FR-1'S go for as little as #1500 but id steer clear of those!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 Fairly sure mine passed most of its MOT's, 165k of use and abuse documented for your reading pleasure: It did cost me a lot to run but it was being driven 30k a year AND off-roaded AND towing stuff, and it was bought for scrap in the 1st place! I reckon the TD4 FL1 is one of the most practical things LR have made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted April 18, 2018 Author Share Posted April 18, 2018 On 17/04/2018 at 6:15 AM, PatM said: ok, Im a fan and dont mind doing the work myself. Some things you cant do due to lack of tools, height, 4wd and weight- but an indy can. They are cheap- FR-1'S go for as little as #1500 but id steer clear of those!! I don't mind doing the work either, just not every weekend. I am on my 22nd Land Rover and up to now not found anything that I can't do. Its the electronics that worry me ! And £1500 is way more than I want to spend Enjoyed the thread Fridge, very entertaining and informative. Somewhat worrying but I think I will go ahead anyway ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted April 28, 2018 Author Share Posted April 28, 2018 Well, picked it up and its seems fine.............................Except Never having driven one before, I am not sure there is enough assistance in the power steering. There IS assistance, but it still seems heavier than a Defender. More of a concern though, is the engine breathing. When I remove the oil filler cap with the engine running, it seems to puff quite a lot. Not very much smoke/vapour with it, but seem a lot to me. There are lots threads on the internet about the engine breather filter being blocked etc, so I checked it, and it is already fitted with the "vortex" type, so its this normal for these engines I wonder ? Oil is weeping from various joints, which suggest crankcase pressure is high. It starts OK, but runs a bit "lumpy" for about five seconds, then runs fine, so could this be a piston rings/compression problem ? There is also a tappet type noise from the top end when engine has warmed up. Quiet when cold. Would be good to have something to compare it to, as I don't want to start pulling it apart already. Viscous unit working fine, and the rest seems to be just maintenance, so quite pleased with it really. Apart from the cost of the road tax ! Not bad for £1200 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.