I own two - one is about to go. Head gasket blew earlier this year after 30 months owenership, had it replaced with the multi layered steel variety by a mechanic friend, so not too expensive, but the head needs replacing, and it won't pass its next MOT, so its going. This is a 1.8 Xi.
The second one, to replace the first is a 1.8 XEi. I'll own up now that I knew all along about the head gasket issue, so it came as no surprise. The XEi has had this job done by the previous owner, in fact the following have all been replaced/repaired by the previous owner in the last 18 months (10,000 miles):
Head gasket (multi layered steel) Head test IRD - replaced Viscous coupling - replaced Gearbox - repaired Catalytic converter - replaced Timing belt - replaced Clutch - replaced Passenger electric window regulator - replaced Rear door and window - replaced
Additionally the following also appear to have been replaced (though there is no documentary evidence):
ECU Fuel injection system Remote thermostat housing
So, yes, I bought the second Freelander knowing all the issues associated with these cars, and basically found one where most of these issues have been addressed. In fact the previous owner spent over £3K carrying out these repairs. As its quite an old Freelander, needless to say, that's more than I paid for it, so if it lasts two years I'll have had my money's worth.
Issues not rectified by the previous owner:
Poor radio reception - on inspection this was found to be a broken centre pin on the aerial coax plug, and was easily rectified. Oddly this appears to have been a problem from new as the radio is pristine with none of the usual buttons loose or missing.
Clock/radio display - usual digit segments missing problem, will try to rectify or replace - probably with a cheap Rover variety from ebay as new LR ones cost over 80 quid!
Dodgy fuel sender - fuel gauge all over the place, except when stationary for about 5 minutes with the ignition on - will replace sender.
Anyway, here's what I have to say to all those slagging off the K-series engine, its a fine engine, and has been used in a variety of cars over the years, including the Lotus Elise, which strangely enough also suffered from head gasket failure (see link below). Why? Primarily the location of the thermostat and the use of nylon locating dowels for the head. The first caused thermal shock to the engine, the second caused head shimmying, both resulting in head gasket failure. Land Rover's remedy - multi layered steel head gasket, steel dowels to reduce shimmy, and remote thermostat housing placing the thermostat in such a position that thermal shock was no longer an issue. Lotus Elise owners also use these Land Rover mods on their cars, strangely Elise owners don't seem to whinge quite as much about the problem!
The design of the engine has been widely copied, and varieties can now be found in many cars. Honda in particular have developed their own "K series".
You can soon see if there is a remote thermostat housing installed by looking at the radiator hoses behind the radiator. There should be a bulbous white nylon thermostat housing with the hoses connected to it, if there isn't, this modification has not been carried out. AVOID!
If you do intend to buy an earlier K-series engined Freelander, check to see if much of the above has been carried out, in particular the IRD, head gasket and thermostat housing. If they haven't, and you still decide to buy, then BEWARE you WILL probably encounter problems. That aside, many cars have their problems, such things are not confined to just one make and model.
Good driving position, comfortable, roomy.
K-series engine issues, usual Freelander issues
Reviewing a 2000 model.
The Xi as mentioned above.
Owned for 3 years.
bought a 51 reg TD4 3 door last year knowing it had a duff clutch new clutch back brakes IRD oil seals and rear diff mount done for £500 ,Its just about spot on for me drives well handles well still a bit thirsty but a new breather filter and disconnecting the EGR valve should sort thatand use decent tyres not the £30 budget things. but what sort of fuel consumption do people expect from 2 tonne of car shaped like a house brick.at the moment the only thing I'll get rid of it for is a diesel range rover. Any one who buys a car with a k series engine deserves all they get ,as a previous rover 400 owner and 3 head gaskets to prove it, just to say buy a TD4
driving position,handling comfort,size
fuel consumption
Reviewing a 2002 model.
3 door gs
Owned for 6 months.
Bought a 1.8 new and had lots of initial recalls by the garage due to minor faults. Then like 100's of others have suffered Head Gasket problems, not for the faint hearted. Had a Toyota Rav previously wish I still had it.
I had my reservations about buying a freelander after reading these, and a few other reviews but it has become apparent that all reviews for used 4x4's are bad!!
I did however decide against the 3door targa petrol that i started looking at and finished up with a diesel stationwagon and so far (its only been a couple of weeks lol) Im really pleased.. its Lovely to drive, has TONNES of room inside and gives that lovely comfortable, safe feeling that you only get from a quality vehicle.
the only familiar landy problem that i seem to have inherited is the boot window seal issue which when you look at the design of the thing is no suprise at all!
cofortable, great looks, lovely feel to driving
a touch of damp through a leaky seal
Reviewing a 2000 model.
2000 diesel station wagon
Owned for 1 month.
Our 2002 Td4 has just 15,500 miles on the clock. The automatic gearbox has just failed and replacing it cost £5214, asked LR to pay but no help yet. Other replacements have been a front brakes and a car window motor. All these should have been paid for by LR.
Comfortable. Performance.
Reliability. Help from LR.
Reviewing a 2002 model.
Td4 2.0 Auto
Owned for more than 5 years.
I came on this site to sell my Clio and look for a Freelander for my next car, I`m so glad I read the horror stories on here as I would have definitely gone and bought one.
Now I know why there are so many up for sale for reasonable prices, thank god for sites like this!!
I wish I had seen this website before I went out and bought a 2004 Landrover Freelander 1.8s petrol. Whilst I have only had it for less than a week and nothing yet has gone wrong, after seeing the reviews and doing some more digging around (even Landrover advised me to sell whilst I still can) I have opted to accept loss of a £2,000 deposit (rather than the costly repairs when it does go bang) and part ex it before I start commuting in it with possibility of HGF and other inherent defects ! Opting for the more reliable VW !
Nice and high up and v comfortable
Waiting for them to manifest !
Reviewing a 2004 model.
50,000 miles
Owned for 1 month.
I have owned my Freelander 1.8 (2002) for a year now and its the best car Ive owned. I do 60 miles a day to my work and have not had a real problem yet. The windscreen wiper mechanics needed replaced, but staying in Scotland and on the coast, the windscreen wipers get used a lot, and I have had the idle control valve replaced. I bought the car from Arnold Clarks and made sure that when I bought the two year warranty the the head gasket and all major Freelander issues were covered, costing me nothing. I also bought the MOT and service plan, saving me over £500 for three years. You have to shop around for your car, the head gasket has been changed on mine, before I bought it!
Comfortable for long drives, spacy, all terrain, excellent to drive
Not that great on fuel consumption when you are stuck in slow moving traffic!
Reviewing a 2002 model.
1.8, GS, Hardback
Owned for 1 year.
Have recently bought a 1999 diesel Freelander and am very happy with it as a cheap 4x4 (cost 3275 pounds). It looks great, drives well on the motorway, gives good fuel economy and handles the dirt roads where I live (Greece) with ease.
I was wondering whether to spend the extra and go for a newer TD4 model but didn't and afterwards a guy at a Land Rover garage in Rochdale I spoke to, said he liked the older diesel as compared to the TD4 as it is easier to work with, as less electrical wizardry, and runs for ever.
Downsides are the boot isn't very big and the central locking system is showing signs of dementia - unlocking doors as and when it pleases after furious tapping of the key fob. But minor stuff and overall I am very pleased with it.
Looks, diesel engine, offroad ability
Nothing so far
Reviewing a 1999 model.
Freelander XEDI
Owned for 3 months.
just put deposit on r reg freelander diesel s/w looks like most bad engines are 1.8 petrol . ive looked at all 4x4s but really like the look of this one but people have told me to stay clear so now worried what to do has anyone had any real problems with this model manythanks
I have the diesel Freelander and love it. I have done an additional 80,000 miles over 2 years and it is now on 135,000 miles. I follow the service interval and it has been faultless. The driving position is brilliant on the motorway. I stray onto the green stuff sometimes and the HDC is brilliant, it makes up for the lack of a transfer box that I have had on larger off roaders. For those who question how you get up without a transfer box, I would recommend a heavy right foot on the late car. I think I will keep it for quite a while as it is running so well. However I have no doubt that I will replace it with another one.
Another head gasket , got parts paid by landrover after much hastle , dealer marshall of peterborough were'nt interested no courtesy car and treated like a bad smell.DO NOT BUY THEASE CARS !
Wish i'd found this site a couple of weeks ago!! Just bought 1 of the dreaded 1.8 petrol X plate petrol Xei's. Sailed through the MOT (ok, couple of minor things, but all in all I thought i'd got a real bargain).
Started overheating, so put it into local LR dealer in Edinburgh, who told me needed new water pump, radiator and timimg belt. All in was £1250. Within 3 miles and 10 mins of leasving the dealer, steam everywhere and 1 of the radiator hoses had blown off!
Dealer organised recovery (at their expense) and was told that the cylinder heads gone (surprise surprise!). This is where I really have to praise the dealer - Stratstone Landrover, who offered to cover the cost of labour for fixing the head if I paid for the parts (at the moment around £200).
They didn't have to do this, as the car was from a private sale, and had never been near them before, so at last some good news for me in a sea of freelander-related sh**e...! They've even orgainsed a courtesy car in the meantime.
Can't praise these guys enough, and its nice to see at least some LR dealers care about their customers!
nice ride, looks good, ok fuel consumption
everything else!
Reviewing a 2000 model.
1.8 petrol xei
Owned for 1 month.
It's sad to here of all the problems that people have had with the Rover K-series 1.8 engine. Unfortunately this was a problem in all the cars it was put in, the Rover 200/400, MG F and Lotus Elise.
The good news is that the diesel engines are fantastic and don't have the same problems. We have two - one of the earlier Rover L-series diesels and the 2000-on BMW made TD4.
The L-series engine has a repoutation for being bombproof. It is very reliable but not altogether exciting - it is also used in the Rover cars (and also Sherpa vans, I think), and was even used in the Monetgo and Maestro! The new TD4 is fantastic, with 110bhp from the same 2.0 ltr capacity. The early transmission problems were by-and-large solved by the time the TD4 was around.
My advice is to stick to the diesel engines, the TD4 if within budget, and only look for a petrol engine if you are a knowledgeable mechanic/enthusiast who can keep up to date with the developments that can solve/mitigate the HGF problem.
Cheers
Blippie
Handling, comfort, price, suprising off road capability, reliability of diesel engines
Expensive dealer servicing and parts, early petrols are a worry
Reviewing a 2002 model.
1998 Camel Trophy Freelander and 2002 Freelander TD4 GS
Owned for more than 5 years.
WELL, WELL, WELL AM I GLAD I SAW THESE REVIEWS BEFORE SOME GARAGE STITCHED ME UP WITH ONE OF THESE!, I WAS LOOKING TO P/X OR SWAP MY 53 PLATE RELIABLE AND EASY RUNNING FORD FOCUS FOR ONE OF THESE, BUT NOW I'LL GO BACK TO PLAN A, BUY A MONDEO FORD THE EXTRA ROOM I NEED!! I THINK I'LL GIVE MY LOCAL LANDROVER DEALER A RING THO TO "ENQUIRE" ABOUT BUYING ONE OF THESE AND SEE IF THEY "FORGET" TO MENTION THESE OBVIOUSLY COMMON AND KNOWN FAULTS
I bought a Xei 1800 Petrol W reg a year ago was not very happy with it. Cooling system losing water, clutch started to jitter, heater steaming up the interior, rear window dropping, rear door leaking etc. The worst was to take it to the horrible Chipperfield Load Rover dealer, the main problem with them is not that the reception are very friendly but the mechanics could not bother to do much work on the car, cut corners, don't know what they are doing...wat a rip off. The funny thing is I am going to but another Freelander but, I WILL NEVER TAKE ANY CAR TO WATFORD CHIPPERFIELD LAND ROVER EVER AGAIN!
Good car
Bad after sales service
Reviewing a 2000 model.
Petrol 1800 XEi
Owned for 2 years.
I know this sounds mad especially after reading alot of the reviews on here but I am thinking about buying a freelander but the Diesel 2.0 model. Does this make any difference as most of the reviews on here are about the 1.8 petrol? I want it to tow a horse trailer has anyone any thoughts?
We have a Freelander 2.0d Commercial as our second car, and it has never let us down and has done 130k and has been driven to Scotland many times, towing a trailer full of wood and just on it's own. We've also towed my 72' bug on a car trailer and the landy drives just as well towing as without.
The landy has been taken off road and drives just as well on as it does off.
Its not the most spritely of vehicles off a set of lights, but you can still have fun in it and i (a female driver) manage to keep up with and get past many people on the motorway.
We are now looking to purchase a new freelander (2.0d td4 sport), due to a new arrival in the new year, the two seats in the landy we have wont be suitable, and we'll be sorry to see it go. We just both hope that the new one will be just as reliable and fun.
Great fun / practical / great for towing / off road
Only two seats - but it is a commercial!!
Reviewing a 2000 model.
2.0D Commercial - With removable hardtop
Owned for 2 years.
Well,Well,looks like ive joined a new gang.Driving up from Edinburgh this morning our 1.8S Freelander (2001 and 69000mls)started vibrating like a "Rampant Rabbit".Then this weird noise started coming from below us.the IRD Unit was hot as hell an obviously damaged and probably all the other gubbins connected to it.Wish i'd known 'bout this club earlier! LR should be made to compensate all their customers who have been conned into buying a reliable vehicle and ending up with a joke on wheels.I bought it from an LR dealer less than 2yrs ago.No more LRs for me.P****D OFF!!!
good to drive and comfortable,Rust free
Drive train is a JOKE!!!
Reviewing a 2001 model.
1.8s Petrol
Owned for 2 years.
I think everyone on here has just saved us a fortune. Yesterday we placed a £500 deposit on a really goodlooking Freelander 1.8 XEI 5 door Station Wagon. It had FSH and had only done 35K and a £4500 we thought we had got a bargin. But ever the nervous buyers that we are thought we would look up some reviews on the car before we paid the balance today. My husband is, as we speak, on the phone to the dealer cancelling the transaction. We have decided that loosing £500 we can live with but we are certainly not in a postion to loose the sort of money that everyone has been discribing. We just wanted to say thank you to everyone.
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