2004 Freelander

KwackerJack

I've been offered a 2004 freelander 2.0td4 bmw diesel. 123000 miles.

I've heard horror stories about the older non bwm models.

Are these still a pile of scrap

ba_barabus

KwackerJack wrote: »

Are these still a pile of scrap

Yes.

I love them but I wouldn't buy them for reliability.

Agricola

2004 models are Freelander 2 I believe, not the older model which was both Rover and BMW engined.
Many of the infamous FL problems were to do with Rover petrol models, head gasket etc,which wouldnt apply to you here.

Far as I know a lot of issues were resolved with the FL2, but you'd still want to be going into it with your eyes wide open. If you were going to get a FL at all, a bmw engined FL2 would be the one to look at though.

I picked up a FL1 a while back. Things to check into would be the state of the clutch which is a monumental job to do, IRD/transfer box and VCU unit on the prop shaft which go every 70k miles apparently, a car which looks to have had routine maintenance as crankcase breather filter not being done can ruin the engine. Probably all similar issues on the FL2.....


landyzone.co.uk is your first port of call.

tom petty

FL 2 started production 2006 .
2004 was the intro year for the FL1 facelift so it could facelift or pre facelift .
We had a pre facelift FL1 for 10 years and although petrol the chassis was the same as diesel version.
As said above , VCU , transfer box and clutch , electrics relating to CL/rear door , electric window drive cables, the 3 amigos ( Hill descent/ABS/traction control warning lamps ) ,ARB drop links every 3 K miles , Diff bushes too regular .
Crawl under it and check that the prop is fitted as they drive very well without it in FWD format ......
My wifes car and she loved it and I still miss it ( a little ) but it always seemed a bit fragile and I was always waiting on something else failing .
I was senior poster on Landyzone and the help and assistance I got was second to none so I would also suggest you browse through the topics mentioned on that site .
Good luck .........

Agricola

tom petty wrote: »

FL 2 started production 2006 .
2004 was the intro year for the FL1 facelift so it could facelift or pre facelift

Cheers Tom, didnt cop that.

Sounds like you ran that car in FWD then. I was advised to remove the prop for fear of doing damage. I've bought a blanking plate for the IRD. How did you find the NCT on that issue? Some have said they were failed for not having a complete car. Others have passed. Is it a lottery?

tom petty

The car was always tested with the prop fitted .
I bought a new replacement VCU from a UK supplier and when I fitted it I discovered that it had no , zero , drive to the rear diff and that the "new" VCU was open ,and after they refused to give me a refund ,as they did with many more on the forum too , I just removed it and ran it in FWD format . As I said the car actually drove very well like that the only disadvantage I recall was that it was slightly easier to spin the front wheels on take off but you soon managed that . I only fitted the prop again when the NCT was due . I did this as , like you , I had been warned that those gorillas would fail it .
I never fitted a blanking plate as I decoupled the prop from the output flange of the transfer box . Takes minutes .
The VCU is a real weird component as in normal use it causes an imbalance in the drive between the front and rear axles , ie it's not 1/1 . This imbalance is an engineered tolerance but if you have newer tyres on the front and less new , ie more worn , on the rear the difference in rolling radius increases that tolerance beyond the acceptable level and wears out the transfer box.........
When you fit new tyres on a Freelander one you should always fit four . If only two are fitted they should go on the rear . Weird .
A very slight but steady water leak from the inlet manifold into No 1 cylinder caused the plug to seize in the head and that sealed it's fate . I replaced that inlet manifold water gasket three times but I later discovered that the plastic inlet manifold was prone to warping and I should have fitted a new one . It was very little money too , so I guess I was responsible for it's demise ,albeit unintentionally .

KwackerJack

So basically it's so unreliable to the point where it becomes a big 2 wheel drive car that needs more tlc than a woman who missed the last episode of corrie?

Appreciate your time and advice but I think I'd be safer buying a Range Rover or even better a Landcruiser!!

Or can you recommend a good jeep with low range?? Prefer auto but manual is fine

€6000 budget

Agricola

I took a punt on a well minded low miler and got it for a reasonable price. I'd a fair idea of the pitfalls and after having her inspected by a mate with a lift, it looks like I was lucky enough to avoid the worst of the problems. But unless you can tick all those boxes, are handy mechanically, or at least can get work done on it for lower than garage prices like me, then they might be best off avoided alright.
Toyota Rav 4 maybe?

_Brian

My mechanic's dad has one
And he has a few that come in regularly. When I was looking for a jeep he said no way, constant trouble with all of them particularly those doing milage or pulling trailer regularly.

He said the Kia sorento is a good reliable jeep but it is a 2.5 so no good for me.

I bought an xtrail and the only fault after five years of ownership is the lack if a low box for off road work. Oh, mine is a 2.2DCi and the timing chain on the engine is very noisy.

KwackerJack

I heard the early Rav 4 were terrible to! Seems the Rav4 and Freelander were rushed into production to fill that particular market!

I've had 2 GSE Sorentos. Manual and auto. I found for comfort and towing the auto is great but for performance go for the manual. Auto is fine but don't expect to overtake in a hurry!!

The transfer box gives trouble and is a well know issue. Approx 800 for a refurbished box or 500 for a second hand. If your handy or know a good mechanic you can buy the parts and rebuild it yourself. So if buying one go off road and really get out the 4x4 in standard and low range. If the ones refusesjust walk away.

Tbh I was thinking of getting another manual one as there a really comfortable jeep and I've used both off road and the low range is pretty good.

Most come atandard with sunroof, Cruise control, Electric seats, heated leather seats, rear self levelling suspension.

Some have a 2 wheel drive, hi and low range option while the higher spec had auto all wheel drive called 'torque on demand' and low range. The TOD actually work very well is and pretty responsive.

In regards to tax some are under crew cab tax and some not so I'm not sure if they fully qualify!!