My head gasket blew at Approx 80,020 miles.
Breaks scream, so I guess is the disks or pads.
Boot/Back door hard to shut, it has to smacked very hard.
Clock inside the car not worked (not a big uissue)
I got this car from only two weeks ago (October 2005) at a good price and so far I have loved it, it looks good, feels great, easy to drive and Air Con! I really do love it.
I already knew about the head gasket problem by looking at this site so was prepared for the fault to kick in however it came sooner than I thought on a day which I had a very important meeting! I automatically thought that it was a petrol problem but after many trips to the petrol station and realising that the tank is full I realised that is not that so I a good friend came to the rescue me as he knows about cars, after looking at it he said it was the head gasket and that he would recommend I don’t drive it any further at all.
The Freelander was then towed to a local garage (for reference; this is a week after purchasing the car from a private owner) and they quoted me approximately £800 to carry-out the following work on it:
* Head skinning (which is required apparently after head gasket blows
on aluminium heads/engines)
* Head gasket change
* Cam-Belt change
* Full service (Break pads and etc...)
The garage was unable to guarantee how long it will last but after a good look on the Internet I found out that if the job is done correctly it should last approximately 50,000miles (that’s about three or four Years normal drive distance).
I also did get a quote from Land Rover dealer but they were asking £800 just to start work and no cam-belt, service and etc… but if you are not sure about your garage I recommend you take it to your local Land Rover specialist/dealer as they are know of this fault, and if any garage quotes you something cheap as £300; trust me they don’t know about the fault and you will end up paying much more as all parts required for the job will need to be purchased again. Always remember to pay the garage or the Dealer by Credit Card that has insurance or legal protection so that you have backup if the job is not done correctly.
I hope this information is helpful to you and I hope that when I get my car back it has no additional faults.
Very useful information thanks.
Not only will the Land Rover dealer cost you much more, but they are unlikely to skim the head as they do not have the equipment to do this or the expertise.
Hello.
I originally submitted this review approximately back in October 2005 and since I have had even more problems with the car such as: power steering fluid pipe needs replacing, Oil keeps going low (not dripping, just burning), rattling sounds and much more!! Today I was driving to London from the south of England when the engine started shaking (very similar to what happened last time before it was taken to the garage for head-gasket replacement) and I had to stop at the hard-shoulder on the motorway and call RAC to come and get us!! I’m really unhappy with this car and is no wonder that Rover (another English car making company) went bust, I think they will stop making Land Rover Freelanders soon as they are nothing, but trouble.
If you are reading this in order to purchase on; just trust me and don’t bother, go and get a Japanese 4x4 or spend a bit more on something more reliable, so far in approximately six months that I have had the car it has cost me approximately £3500.00 on car repairs and parts.
I hope above information is of some help to you all and remember “DO NOT BUY ENGLISH CARS”.
Best wishes,
UK Driver (N)
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