My other half recently got a 17-plate Astra, hates it and wants to get rid.

She wants a Freelander 1 instead. Isn't too fussed if it's pre- or post-facelift on looks, doesn't want petrol economy and doesn't want LPG - so looking at diesel.

Am I right in thinking the TD4 is significantly better than the earlier Rover/Honda L-Series diesel and would be the one to go for?

Besides the looks, were there any other notable changes with the facelift? The TD4 seems to be available on pre- and post-facelift cars.

Anything to look out for on Freelanders in general?

A mate's wife has one and that doesn't seem to have given much trouble. The diesels are a lot more common than petrol anyway, they came with either the K series 4 pot which eats head gaskets at a frightening rate or a V6 which are about as common as rocking horse manure. Only thing of note that I've heard is that the wiper motor has a habit of dying and it seems they started with that and built the rest of the car around it making changing it a real pain.

Some people get all excited about the viscous coupling to the rear failing. In fact there are a number of them running with the rear propshaft removed due to failure. But I seem to recall that replacements are about £300 so hardly the end of the world.

Morning, not posted before so hello! Normally drive a P38 but I also have a Freelander as a backup vehicle (not helpful if you're after a diesel, but it's petrol: got a bit sick of headgaskets so drilled a couple of holes in the thermostat - never managed to get quite so attached to it as I have with the Range Rovers and it's cured the cooling issues, think the coolant capacity's a bit inadequate for the engine possibly).

(Engine aside, and won't be the same problems with a diesel). It's actually a surprisingly useful little car. As has been said, the viscous coupling can go, but it really isn't an enormous problem to do it. Something that also fell apart on mine was the IRD (probably due to the VC failure? - was a cheap layby purchase with no history attached), but again, it wasn't overly expensive to sort out.

Overall fairly capable and actually not a bad car to drive around in. Apart from the diff and cooling it's just got a bit of a battery drain problem going on. Nothing too bad (my GEMS P38 was eating a full battery in two days at one point, the Bosch I use for work never seems to lose charge at all, Freelander's between the two. Need to look at it when I have the time, otherwise it seems happy with a maintenance charger on it for now).

Personally I actually quite like them. Used a TD4 semi-regularly on a farm for a while a few years back, and my spare one's not bad for a car that gets little use currently, and thus misses out on the daily maintenance and fixes it'd get from regular driving.
People I know who have, or have had, TD4's have not had strings of problems with them, think the weak engine's probably just the 1.8 petrol, the two Freelanders I've used fairly often have been OK overall.

A Neighbour of mine also had his drive to the rear axle fail, which was a bit embarrassing when he had to be towed around in the snow one year. That's all I know about them apart from when a mate of mine bought one of the earliest ones brand new and had no end of quality issues - but I think those were sorted out later.

My sister has the diesel one, and thats also running around with no rear propshaft due to something failed in the rear axle (no idea what exactly has failed as her husband "fixed" it by removing the propshaft but it wasn't clear what the problem was besides it not wanting to go around corners with the propshaft installed)

If it didn’t like going round corners it’s definitely the viscous that had gone, it’s as though the the brakes are on, then suddenly release, I would imagine driving with it would be scary for sure,
I’ve only experienced it turning a customers car round.

From the experts https://www.ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk/freelander-parts.html

no10chris wrote:

If it didn’t like going round corners it’s definitely the viscous that had gone, it’s as though the the brakes are on, then suddenly release, I would imagine driving with it would be scary for sure,
I’ve only experienced it turning a customers car round.

I think from what was said it had chewed up the diff gears as well (suspect it had the viscous gone and was driven like that for a while as she didn't know any different till it got really bad that something was wrong with it). It did sound like it was sort of like the rear brakes sticking as you describe. I think from what was said it actually broke some of the casing and actually locked up before she realised something was seriously wrong with it hence it hasn't been repaired, just made to work as front wheel drive only. I've not looked under it to see, only going off what was said.

It amazes me that people carry on driving when there getting strange things happening to there cars, yet us as p38 owners chase a squeak, let alone anything more serious, lol

Strongly suspect mine (Freelander) had viscous problems for a fair time before it turned up for sale on its last legs with the failing reduction drive unit. It also likely hadn't had much use immediately before it was sold on and I ended up with it. It's been fine since repair though with the low mileage it does nothing's shown up yet.

It is a funny thing the way the P38's creep up on you. I've not had any other cars I've been quite so attentive to. Can't explain that one. Mine's clearly been a dog kennel (or something) for a while, and spent a fair amount of time being treated rather badly by the looks of it.
One day it's a cheap, useful runaround, the next it's become a sort of object of fascination and ongoing project.

Now I've got the GEMS through its first MOT with me as owner I need to look at the work Bosch and get that in better shape, it's fiendishly clunky in comparison, which it shouldn't be.

Thing is it's actually fun to learn about the systems and bits that make it what it is. P38 for me = never bored, and that's a good thing. Plus depite the reputation they have, I've not found any part of it to be a huge pain to work on compared to other cars.

no10chris wrote:

It amazes me that people carry on driving when there getting strange things happening to there cars, yet us as p38 owners chase a squeak, let alone anything more serious, lol

My mate's boss doesn't believe in changing oil in vehicles. So far over the last few years he has killed at least 5 vans I know of due to the oil having the consistency of tar when its cold, another one died when the timing chain finally snapped after he was told for nearly 6 months it needed attention as it sounded like a bag of spanners in a cement mixer when running, and hes on the way to finishing off another 2 at the minute.

Hes also got a p38 that is now off the road as he kept driving it when it was overheating.

But yes - I've generally found if you fix a fault when it starts being noticed its easier and usually cheaper to fix, and less chance of leaving you stuck somewhere that way.

My son has the TD4 Serengeti - 198000 on the clock and going well, niggly issues with window cables breaking and the odd times the dash imitates a Christmas Tree all lit up, then maybe ten or so minutes later resorts to normal and stays OK until it decides to go loopy again maybe weeks later
I have a TD4 that is a SORNED for when I sell the Bordeaux P38 LPG later on this year due to retiring and needing to economise on fuel.
I've had the Freelander for 3 years and she has never been any trouble, also very good on fuel after the EGR was binned.
Agree with the other posts about fixing / investigating issues before things go £££'s shaped
From what I've gleaned the petrol models are best avoided.

BrianH wrote:

My mate's boss doesn't believe in changing oil in vehicles. So far over the last few years he has killed at least 5 vans I know of due to the oil having the consistency of tar when its cold, another one died when the timing chain finally snapped after he was told for nearly 6 months it needed attention as it sounded like a bag of spanners in a cement mixer when running, and hes on the way to finishing off another 2 at the minute.

Hes also got a p38 that is now off the road as he kept driving it when it was overheating.

He's not Asian is he? That sounds just like a Philippine maintenance programme!

Cheers guys.

Off to look at a nice looking 06-plate tomorrow :)

GeorgeB wrote:

BrianH wrote:

My mate's boss doesn't believe in changing oil in vehicles. So far over the last few years he has killed at least 5 vans I know of due to the oil having the consistency of tar when its cold, another one died when the timing chain finally snapped after he was told for nearly 6 months it needed attention as it sounded like a bag of spanners in a cement mixer when running, and hes on the way to finishing off another 2 at the minute.

Hes also got a p38 that is now off the road as he kept driving it when it was overheating.

He's not Asian is he? That sounds just like a Philippine maintenance programme!

No hes about as English as they come!, hes a qualified plumber so you'd think he would understand basic maintaince of something mechanical (or at least learnt after the first or second time it had happened). Think he'd be more suited to running as an MP than anything that involved any actual work, being hopeless seems to be on the job spec for that.

Yeesh...went to see three today. Wish I'd stayed home!

Over to Lichfield to see one, looked good in the advert and had a good description. Got there and found someone had left their lunch in the foot well, a moody rag on the back seat, mold in the boot cubby (along with some kind of long plastic cap that said "single use only") and a smashed tail light. Clutch was almost dead too along with a fairly filthy interior. The place wanted £2.5k for it!

Second one was up in Leeds. This one looked pretty immaculate, full leather, heated everything and the Harmon Kardon sound system, had a few jiggles but nothing major. Driver's door not unlocking on the remote (but locking ok), some speakers not working and a faded/fogged headlamp. Pretty reasonable for the age in my book. Gearbox was a wreck though! Jumping out of reverse, seemingly potluck if it would go in to the other gears and sometimes grinding loudly when trying. REALLY heavy steering and a nasty crunchy noise at full lock. £3k this time. Nope.

Same place had a 1.8 petrol. Was perfect to drive but base spec with no toys and had the engine warning light on. £2k for this one but low spec and warning light made it a no no.

Diesels really are dreadful to drive! Slow, noisy, cumbersome and so smelly. When I started up one of the diesels my girlfriend nearly refused to keep looking over it. Said it sounded broken. I had to tell her that's just what diesels sound like :(