Well, where do I start. This car has been in and out of the garage since I got it.
The most recent fault is that the head gasket has blown. The head itself is also being sent back to Land Rover to check if it is not porous!
Three months ago I had to have a prop shaft bearing replaced. Admittedly it was not the same bearing that was replaced nine months ago!
The clutch needed replacing after 21,000 miles, and may I add that I haven't had a clutch replaced on any of my other cars in over 30 years of driving.
The servo-steering unit had to be replaced before the car had reached 15,000 miles.
There are many other instances of repairs, but I honestly forget what they all were.
The car has cost over £4,000 within the last year alone, and I will be changing it very shortly. For obvious reasons, I don't want another Land Rover for the rest of my life.
The Free Lander is a very pretty car.
It is responsive, and it handles very well.
The interior is very comfortable, and is a joy.
However, its reliability is shocking. I have heard from other sources that it is not my car alone which has faults, but many other owners face the same problems.
My Freelander has had numerous problems. The most recent the head gasket failing causing coolant leakage. I have to have a new engine. This on a car just over 3 years old. I don't believe it's the "best 4 X 4 by far". I have discovered head gasket failure is a known common problem yet Land Rover have been very unhelpful. I purchased the car believing it to be sturdy and reliable. I feel I have been deceived.
My Freelander needed a new engine after the head gasket went when the car was barely a year old. Since then I have also had the clutch replaced, propshaft bearings. The water coolant system is faulty. I am about to have the third engine fitted. I will never buy another Freelander.
Richard Horne.
I recently contemplated buying a Freelander 1.8 petrol, but was talked out of it by a friends' friend, who happens to work for a Land Rover dealership on the south coast of England. Apparently this particular engine is known to be problematic, mostly due to over-heating and gasket problems - this chap reckons it's because LR fit a scuff plate to the bottom of the engine as standard in the UK, but that this restricts air flow, and consequently causes over-heating. He claims to have changed numerous 1.8 litre engines, and that he would definitely not recommend one. Must be about time that LR came clean on this issue I think.
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