2002 Land Rover Freelander SE from North America - Comments

I bought a 2002 SE Freelander brand new. Boy have I suffered pain, extraordinary pain. I agree with LR's new marketing message; Built for the extraordinary.

-Gremlins in the electrical system

- Radio replaced

- Side view mirrors replaced

- Disappearing coolant syndrome still present after 6 years of repairs, heater core bypass, three theromstats replaced, etc.

- Slipping JATCO transmission 3rd,4th and 5th gear

- Sunroof replaced once, repaired twice

- Front brakes and rotors replaced every 9 month's

- Aircon spits water through the vents and sounds like a waterfall (quite zen if you ask me, soothing sound)

- Absolutely ridiculous and questionable service practices, often obscuring the truth until warranty expired, then suddenly problem identified my magic.

- Engine still OK yet expecting the head gasket to fail any minute.

A word of advice = STAY AWAY FROM LAND ROVER... :)

I am a LR Master Tech. I work for a Dealer in NJ. I have put so many engines in Freelanders that I now have tremors every time I hear "free".

Lemmie tell you about the mystery temp gauge. Well first lemmie tell you about the engine. It's a pile of crap made by the defunct Rover car group. It fails because of steel sleeves; NOT PRESSED, but placed on a flat surface on the bottom of the engine. There's nothing wrong with the head gaskets, but when the sleve expands and contracts, it eventually pushes all the sealant out, and then hammers up and down against the head gasket, and engine block in the new found clearance. Then the coolant just pours into the crank case.

This engine is of a poor design; there is nothing you can do to correct it. The temp needle sits in the middle of the gauge from 185* to 240*. This is stupid and was actually engineered this way to keep people from complaining about fluctuating engine temperatures. Of course once your engine gets to 250* and the needle pins, you have already melted the engine down.

DO NOT BUY A FREELANDER. THE ENGINE WILL FAIL!!! It's only a matter of time. I have a Freelander on my lift right this second with a failed engine due to dropped sleeves. Look for a 03-04 disco 2 or RR sport if you want an awesome car.

I have many of the same complaints with my 2002 Freelander. Numerous service calls and no clear resolution on the loss of coolant. It's unfortunate that LR is aware of the issues but does nothing to remedy them. I purchased the '02 because it was a nice entry point and although I now could afford a LR Sport or RR, I would never do so.