Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
SUVs Land Rover Freelander Maintenance and Repair
279 messages, Last post on Sep 30, 2009 at 11:09 AM
You are in the Land Rover Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
|
|
|---|---|
|
Friends, Someone who knows how to make it happen needs to get a lawsuit going. I'd be willing to join but know nothing about how to do that. There are so many of us out there with so many EXPENSIVE problems, obstinate or capricious dealers and few alternatives cause the Rovers are odd and the tools necessary to repair are unusual and expensive. My daughter's Freelander needs a rountine timing belt change. On my Volvos it costs about $3-400 and I do them myself. On the Freelander, the local dealer told me to expect $1500-$1800. The 3 belts needed are $190 + water pump $200 + tensioner $80 + aux belt + thermostat + gaskets + 6.8 hours of labor at $90/ hour. Poorly engineered, outrageously expensive parts means that even without the nightmare other problems, these little 4 wheeled lemons are too expensive to own for the average entry level Rover buyer. What we they thinking? |
|
|
|
|
Hi all, I'm new to the forums and have found the info everyone has posted to be very useful. I took a chance and purchased an 05' SE3 w/26k the other day...and so far I love it! I am however very concerned about the future with my new freind after reading the numerous posts here and elsewhere on the web. My main question is if anyone knows if there were any mechanical updates to the 05's due to all the core problems (coolant leaks, tranny & electrical probs, etc.) or is my 05's engine & trans exactly like an 02 or 03's? Also, has anyone had any experience working with the Chicago LR Service Dept. at Howard Orloff's on Armitage? If so, I'd like to hear about your experiences and who you recommend speaking with there. Finally, any mechanically minded Hippo owners on the forum that could advise me on any preventative maintenance things I should do now BEFORE my warranty runs out in May of 09? Thanks for all you help! Cheers, ~ Jeff 2005 SE3 25k
|
|
|
Hello all, I have been watching these postings since June 2006. I purchased my 2002 Landrover in January 2006 and had nothing but problems with it from day 3 of ownership. It was actually towed back to the dealership three days after the date my husband and I picked up the vehicle! If I had known that was the beginning of many more problems to come, I would have cut my losses at that point. Since then, I had 4 transmissions, two engines, and various other problems (all related to transmission issues). The vehicle has been in the dealership for over 8 months out of the total less than two years that we have owned the vehicle. In December 2006, the owner of the dealership tried to pay us a little compensation money, due to the fact that I was complaining to anyone that would listen, beginning with the Better Business Bureau, all the way to Land Rover North America. As all of you who have tried to complain would know, I could get no resolution anywhere. In February of 2007, the Attorney General of my State and I had a conversation regarding my issues and he stated that I should contact a lawyer. I actually have lawyers in my family, so I asked them what they thought of my circumstance. After long deliberation, they informed me that a law suit would be extremely costly (a revokation of acceptance) and nobody actually wins in class action suits except for the lawyers. In August of 2007, I finally contacted the Attorney General again to make one final plight before selling the vehicle and taking a huge loss. The AG agreed to take the case. As it is such a slow process, I could not wait any longer and finally sold my vehicle two weeks ago. I had to pay off 5,000.00 that I still owed on it that I could not get on trade in. That really angered me, but to rid myself of the pain and anguish of driving that piece of garbage, it was worth it. The warranty would have been up soon, and I would have been out of pocket on any issues that would have arose. I bought myself a beautiful brand new car and vow never to buy English made crap again. The reason why I am writing this is because as I am reading all of your posts, I feel your pain. It angers me that Land Rover accepts no responsibility for the mistakes they have made and will not compensate the public for their pain and out of pocket expenses due to Land Rover's errors. I have tried to write to the papers and any news agencies, but it seems that no one wants to pick-up this story. I would urge everyone to try to contact their Attorney General and see if they can rectify the situation, as the one in my State was going to. Good luck and I hope you all find a way to fix your situations, Elizabeth |
|
|
|
|
Replying to: jeffs05se3 (Jan 13, 2008 4:09 pm) Just to let you know, there have not been improvements made. I have a 2005 with all the same coolant and engine problems you've had. I have 41,000 miles and my dealer just put in a new engine. I was still under warranty. Actually they put in 2. The first one turned out to be no good, so they put in another they had ordered for someone else. I'm just glad I didn't have to pay the $7500+. Good luck, Sue |
|
|
|
|
Hi, Again my 2003 Freelander is in the shop. I have been told that the coolant could be leaking into the engine. This comes after years of fixing hoses, heater cores and the list goes on. I also found out that the company that made the engines for the Freelanders are no longer in business! I'm assuming because of all of the problems. Not sure if anyone was aware of this. I was told that if they go into the engine and they do not find the leak, I will be responsible for the labor ($1100.00). If they find the leak it will be covered by my warranty. I don't think I should have to pay just because they are searching for the problem and they are unable to find it. Keeping my fingers crossed, -S |
|
|
Replying to: thewolfes (Jul 21, 2006 1:57 pm)  our 05 Freelander was just like may of your's nothing but problems, ours was eating coil packs like candy, every few months it was back in for another one, along with changing brake pads every 10,000 miles, window problems, smells from the hepa filter, the list goes on and on, we traded for a 08 Honda Pilot, they were offering them $1000 below invoice and also got within a $1000 of my payoff for the freelander, I was considering a LR2 but LR would only offer $9600 for trade in and I still owed $14,500 Honda gave me $13,400 on top of discounting their Pilot for over $5000.00 I feel we got a good deal, Hopefully we will have better luck with the Honda, I can't have my wife and 3 yr. old son out not knowing if they would make it back home or have to go pick them up somewhere. Good luck to all of you that still have Freelanders, better get rid of them before the warranty runs out. LR North America is a Joke also, ya they alway's get me in and give me a loaner but come on I was in their loaner more than our freelander. Once again good luck everyone. Flash
|
|
| My 04 Freelander, losing coolant, dealer installed new motor, as approved by LR Canada. Vehicle under warranty. No hassle. Glad I bought the 3 years extended, just about of original warranty, love the vehicle for it's drive/use, but reliability is quite bad. Will be selling it with 1 year of warranty remaining. | |
| I had a 2004 Freelander. It experienced so many of the same problems that are mentioned in these posts! Coolant was leaking into some unknown region of the engine, 2 windows had stopped working and there were constant electrical problems. I chose to trade it in and purchase something more reliable. The problem is that the dealers know these cars are junk and its hard to get an acceptable trade in value. Still, I am glad to get rid of it now, rather than be stuck with years of problems! It was an expensive lesson, but now I know never to purchase a LR product !!! | |
|
I still have a 2003 Freelander with the same Head Gasket & Heater Core Failure, I have had the coolant leak for the past 2+ years (93,000 miles on the Freelander now, but it is just about on its last leg). I never traveled long distances with the vehicle, which is probably why the thing didnt die a year ago. I had tried putting the Barrz Pellets to try and plug up the leak gasket, but that only worked for about 3-4 months, and the problem has progressed now to a point where all the coolant seeps into the engine within 15 minutes of use. I am considering using a product by Universal Products called Blue Devil, that supposedly will temporarily seal the leak, and then look to get rid of the car finally. I didnt get the extended warranty, and basically now have to go through a routine of adding coolant each time I drive, getting oil changes about every 2 weeks to drain all the emulsified fluids, have been getting the cylinder misfires periodically, where if I ride it on 3 cynliders for a little it warms up the engine oil and then will fire all 6. I just thought I'd share my story, since so many others have done so. I was told by a friend that I apparently have been lucky to get it to ride 93,000 miles, and that this regiment of things I have to do really has been only in the past 9 months that the engine misfires and leak has gotten to this awful point (it was alot more tolerable a year ago, when was requring oil change, adding coolant about every 30 days). If a class-action lawsuit was to be filed, please add my name on the list. Here's to hoping that I can get another month or even week out of this Freelander. There's alot of forums discussing this, so this is apparently a complete design flaw, and an issue especially warranting class action status. I appreciate everyone else's stories, they at least make me feel like I'm not alone with this problem, for whatever its worth. |
|
You are here:
Forums
SUVs Land Rover Freelander Maintenance and Repair
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2005 Land Rover Freelander
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
