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SUVs Land Rover Freelander Maintenance and Repair
281 messages, Last post on Nov 21, 2009 at 10:22 AM
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Replying to: abeck1112 (Feb 28, 2008 5:51 pm) forums.preloved.co.uk www.landyzone.co.uk home.austarnet.com.au/edwardsonline/freelanderheadgasket This was the worst vehicle I have ever owned, including the old used car I got when I was 18yrs old. I hope and believe there will be a Freelander Class Action Lawsuit eventually, but will probably be years from now, at least that was what the attorney said. He also said you can try to sue Land Rover for the repair costs incurred, but its an uphill battle. He suggested getting rid of the vehicle quickly, as did the dealership mechanic that I spoke with in December. Everyone apparently knows this vehicle is junk, but us, or we do now. |
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Let me join the rest of you poor suckers who thought (like myself) that you were buying a "quality" vehicle when you purchased the 2002 Freelander. After reading many messages of the nightmares of the maintenance and repair costs, I might as well add my own lovely story as well. I bought my 2002 Freelander in 2004. It had previously been a leased vehicle with less than 17,000 miles on it-looked absolutely brand new. I loved my car. I loved the fact that I was driving a Land Rover and people would stare at it because there were'nt many of these on the road yet. I guess I could actually consider myself luckier than a lot of you since I've had less problems with mine even at 51,400 miles. The first thing to go was the sun roof. It took me two trips to the Land Rover dealership but they fixed it and it still works fine. I've only had to change the front brake pads once. Fast forward to 2008 and I get hit with the first blow. The car literally quits running on the road and I'm able to at least get it to the side of the road. I take it to my own mechanic and he proceeds to tell me that it's the transmission. So it gets taken to the transmission shop next door. I'm not about to take it to Land Rover since my warranty has run out and I'm not about to put out $7000+ to fix the transmission. Just the same, I get stuck with a $5000 repair. One month later, the coolant is leaking and it keeps overheating. Say goodbye to another $2600. Can't wait to see what's in store for me next because I know that it's just a matter of time. I still love my car, but I better sell it while it's still in running mode. I just e-mailed a letter to Land Rover North America. Have'nt heard back yet, but will let you know if there's any light at the end of this tunnel.
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Replying to: wildrover (Dec 15, 2006 8:59 am)  comcast.net
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Has anyone else had problems with their brakes wearing out too quick. I had mine replaced in January '07 & they said it was a manufacturers defect. Still made grinding noises and took it back in April 07. Said still had 90% life and was just "dust" making the noises. Continued grinding noises & I finally had someone else look at them. Rotors have big grooves & pads are about shot with only 19K miles on them. Dealership said they may very well be worn out as they are high-performance pad and made out of soft composite material. If they are made out of soft composite material, how can they cause such hard deep grooves in the rotors? In the shop now. Hopefully they will replace them free of charge. Seems brakes haven't been right since I bought used 1 & 1/2 ago with only 16K on it. Also, does anyone else constantly smell coolant? One of the Land Rover dealerships confessed they use cheap plastic parts and that's why you smell it so bad. And why does it cost $100 for just an oil change? I'm trading this car in as soon as my brakes are fixed before something else breaks. Sunroof motor was bad when I bought it, they replaced it but now I'm afraid to use it. This car has got to go. Thought this would be a quality car. I'll never buy another Land Rover or recommend to anyone.
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Replying to: aligator71 (Apr 16, 2008 5:53 am) Yes, the brake pads wear out fairly quickly on these Freelanders, I would wear through pads every 15,000 miles and the sales rep who sold me the car said it was normal as the weight of the vehicle was so heavy. I had to replace pads at every 15,000 miles and have the rotors re-cut at every 30,000 miles (rotors replaced at 50,000 miles). That smell of coolant that you mention is the more serious problem alot of people, including myself, have experienced. If you are smelling coolant, you seriously should check your oil cap to see if you notice coolant in the oil and/or you should also notice your coolant overflow level dropping slowly over a 20-30 day period, which is the Head Gasket Failure issue many, many of us have had. Once the Head Gasket Failure starts to happen, you will only get so long before it fails completely and the vehicle is done. I seriously would suggest trading it in now or as soon as possible and get a different vehicle while you can. Once the coolant/Head Gasket Failure happens, you might get another 9 months out of it before it completely over-heats and seizes. You are correct to never buy another Land Rover again. Get rid of it while you can! |
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Replying to: aligator71 (Apr 16, 2008 5:53 am) We are currently in a battle with an extended warranty company that would not cover the variable intake motor power valves that went out on the thing with less than 50,000 miles on it. We had to replace them to the tune of almost $700. We will probably never buy a Land Rover again either. Let us know if anyone knows anything about a lawsuit against Land Rover for their crappy design of this vehicle!
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I have a 02 Freelander. When it was first purchased I was exhilarated, after all I finally became a Land Rover owner. I liked it because it always stood out and there wasn't very many of them seen on the road. Unfortunately, now I know why they are an extremely rare find on the road. I took care of the car always trying to keep it running at its best; however, preventive maintenance is irrelevant, when it comes to this vehicle. I have become accustomed to the "service engine soon light". One week it will stay on and another week it will go away. At around 50,000 miles, I finally took it to a Land Rover dealer which is very far from where I live. I was informed that there was a vacuum leak in the engine, and that it needed a replacement of the intake manifold inserts, etc etc. At first, although costing thousands of dollars, I was happy knowing that at least the problems were solved and my rover was running normal again. The engine light warning was gone and I had a pleasant long drive home. The next day the service engine light soon light came on again. They must of missed something with their 99 point inspection. That obviously was disappointing beyond belief, considering the fact that the whole point of taking the vehicle their was to make sure that anything involved with that warning light was supposed to be corrected. I now have to make another long trip back to the dealer, and I am not too impressed with their service anyway. I thought Land Rover was the best. At the dealership, well at least mine, they expect me to just shell out thousands of dollars with no remorse. The employees were rather rude, and I noticed that none of them drive a Land Rover, Jaguar, or Volvo; although they are the brands that are sold and serviced there. Even my 07 loaner was a lemon as well. At the dealership they try to calm me and pamper me with free food and refreshments. All the free food at the dealership will never compensate for being without my car. After all I did not go there to eat, and all I want is my car fixed right, if that is possible with this thing. Personally, I will never buy another Land Rover. They are like German tiger tanks from WWII. They are big, intimidating, and sophisticated, yet they are impractical, over-engineered, and inefficient. My car may look nice, but what is the use of it, if I am not able to drive it. |
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Replying to: ali6010 (Apr 16, 2008 3:35 pm) The Freelander was discontinued in 2006 and there are no more engines produced, so if you do have a Head Gasket Failure, they would be trying to fix basically a piece of shit engine, at a cost of $4000-$5000. None of this is worth the money. I will tell you, I did get those synthetic oil changes, but it made no difference at all, didnt help prevent the Head Gasket Failure one bit. If you are doing that to meet warranty requirements, ok, but once I had the Head Gasket issue, non-synthetic oil at Jiffy Lube for the last few months I had the vehicle worked just fine. I was told by the Land Rover mechanic at my nearby dealership to simply Trade In the vehicle as soon as possible. I couldnt do so due to a loan that had another year and 1/2 on it at the time. An attorney I spoke with said I could sue for costs incurred, but I found it better to not waste the money trying to replace the engine and incur more than the $3000 I already had spent. I bought a different car subsequently, a small sedan that serves me just fine after this horrible experience. |
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Replying to: cmarsh2 (Apr 11, 2007 11:42 am) If the lawsuit is still going on, you can count us in on being a part of the suit. Thanks Brandon & Ruben |
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Replying to: wildrover (Dec 15, 2006 8:59 am) 
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