Freelander 1 Buying Advice / Tips please!

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KISSMYAURA

KISSMYAURA

Well-Known Member
Posts
2,799
Location
KENT
Ok so the Mrs wants a hippo, I tried and tried but she wont be dissuaded for a defender (she hates driving mine,) Her current car (ford galaxy has 180K on the clock and I can officially do no more for its, going to die anyday now)

So I have finally accepted she want a Hippo it and been looking found this:
2004 04 LAND ROVER FREELANDER 2.0 TD4 SE Auto mot till 03/18 86K. Up for £2.5K part ex to clear.
Some history just stuff in, line with some of the MOT advisories, All keys and owners manuals etc present.
Mileage looks consistent with MOT history. Does not appear to have had VCD changed.
Test drive today, started fine, couple of turns then started small puff off white form exhaust then clear from cold ( may pal was at the back i was under the hood!) The a odd noise and some smoke from under the bumper, to my surprise found a diesel pre heater thingy-bob, after about 40 seconds it shut off Just did not expect to see one!
Had a drive around for a bit, seemed ok did a full lock slow turn, no binding to speak of.
Oil on stick was black but not smelly and seemed ok on the fingers.
Clean and clear underneath, rear drums seem a bit corroded, so going back tomorrow morning to make a final decision and leave a deposit if I decide to take it.

Anything else I should be looking at / testing?
Any know faults that i might be able to check? (Auto Gbox/VCD/Rear diff/ pre heat thing)
Grateful for any advice, that could help me us make the decision.

heres some snaps
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It's got the wrong wheels fitted. The TD4 SE should have 16 Freedom alloys with 215/65/16 tyres. It's nice that it has the cold weather pack (fuel burning heater and heated front screen). Make sure the heated front screen is working.
It looks clean enough for me to have considered it, when I was looking for one a few years back.;)
 
Make sure all tyres are identical, make, size and type. Also it's absolutely vital that the least worn of identical tyres are on the rear. ;)
 
Nodge68 said:
It's got the wrong wheels fitted. The TD4 SE should have 16 Freedom alloys with 215/65/16 tyres. It's nice that it has the cold weather pack (fuel burning heater and heated front screen). Make sure the heated front screen is working.
It looks clean enough for me to have considered it, when I was looking for one a few years back.;)
Click to expand...
cheers mate, can you tell me a bit more about the fuel burning heater?
 
KISSMYAURA said:
cheers mate, can you tell me a bit more about the fuel burning heater?
Click to expand...

What do you know?
It's a useful device to have. It makes the heater hotter when the weather is cold and warms the engine up faster too. I've got a remote for mine so I can get the car warm, before setting off for work.
 
Nodge68 said:
What do you know?
It's a useful device to have. It makes the heater hotter when the weather is cold and warms the engine up faster too. I've got a remote for mine so I can get the car warm, before setting off for work.
Click to expand...

Nothing about this thing!

I am familiar with webasto block heaters and hot air units etc just have no idea what this thing is for, how its supposed to operate, maintenance requirements etc It only ran for a around a minute then turned itself off, few puffs of blue smoke from under the bumper.
 
KISSMYAURA said:
Nothing about this thing!

I am familiar with webasto block heaters and hot air units etc just have no idea what this thing is for, how its supposed to operate, maintenance requirements etc It only ran for a around a minute then turned itself off, few puffs of blue smoke from under the bumper.
Click to expand...

It's a Webasto Fuel Burning Heater. It's wise to stip it occasionally to clean out the combustion chamber, however most aren't. It's supposed to fire up when the ambient air temperature is under approximately 5°C and the engine is below 78°C. It's plumbed into the heater matrix supply circuit, so warming the heater more than the engine alone. Many people pull fuse 5 in the engine bay fuse box to stop it running. This is a mistaken attempt to save fuel, but is counterproductive as the engine takes much longer to heat up.
It was fitted an option so it's well worth having, especially if a remote control or timer is fitted. ;)
 
Nodge68 said:
It's a Webasto Fuel Burning Heater. It's wise to stip it occasionally to clean out the combustion chamber, however most aren't. It's supposed to fire up when the ambient air temperature is under approximately 5°C and the engine is below 78°C. It's plumbed into the heater matrix supply circuit, so warming the heater more than the engine alone. Many people pull fuse 5 in the engine bay fuse box to stop it running. This is a mistaken attempt to save fuel, but is counterproductive as the engine takes much longer to heat up.
It was fitted an option so it's well worth having, especially if a remote control or timer is fitted. ;)
Click to expand...
Cheers mate, exactly what I needed to know, its a block water jacket pre heater, temp today was around 8-9C at the time was only on for a min max on startup. If I go for it will be fitting a remote the mrs will be chuffed to bits, we do live in a valley, off grid in the middle of nowhere we have our own climate just happens to be several degrees below everyone else!
 
Recently brought one similar age and mileage to yours.In addition to the above you could check the following which are problems on mine

Binding hand break
Broken rear window regulator...easy fix
Rear window heater...most bars not working
Rear seat catch not releasing
Fuel tank cradle corrosion...not terminal but good bargaining point
Internal bulb in hazard light switch
Worn links in front wiper mechanism....clunking around but easy fix
Worn drop links

....and my radio on off switch packed up a few days after i brought it.
 
Cheers guys but have decided to give it a swerve, all things considered they seem like a bag-o-****e, all round so told her its sold!
 
All cars can be a PIA, but it seems the freelander more than most, the combination of electrical and mechanical 'known' faults list is simply to long. The more I research the more I find.
If it was for me I have the time and the skills to sort most things, this is not a project purchase. I simply don't have the time to be fart-arsing about with it.
She needs a v reliable daily driver and therefore this would be a poor choice.
 
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