Freelander 1 New owner, how to protect my investment?

Hey guys

I just bought a 1.8 petrol Freelander 1 Serengeti from early 2003 and starting to wonder if I've made a mistake.

I've not actually got the car yet but have test driven it and all seemed ok except the clutch needs to be all the way to the floor before changing gear, is that normal?

Also been readings lot of horror stories about this model too with engines needing replacement and lots of other faults so I'm wondering what I can do to prevent any future pitfalls common to this model. It's done 80k miles so thinking the cam belt could do with changing for starters.

Any help would be very much appreciated!

read up as much as yu can. it a private sale or from a garage?

does it have a vcu & props fitted?

Yeah it's from a garage. No idea what a vcu or props are lol

Joel Whybrow said:

Yeah it's from a garage. No idea what a vcu or props are lol

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yu need to = and before you buy it. get the best warranty you can. yu ill need it.

Do you go to church? If not, start going.

Well that doesn't sound good. Should I be waving my deposit goodbye and doing a runner then?

read as much as you can and make an informed choice. use yo head, not yo heart.the 1.8's are the worst.

The 1.8 does have a poor reputation in the FL1. However I own one and enjoy using it. Many others on here do as well. You will need to be fastidious about keeping a careful eye on some basic maintenance things i.e.: coolant level, that is critical so that you don't 'blow' the head gasket, and tyres. Tyre pressures must be even and having a matching set of tyres [ all the same brand, size and inflation] is critical to so that the transmission system [diff', VCU, IRD & gear box] is not under undue strain with mismatched or unevenly inflated tyres.

Yes, try to get the best warrantee you can, DO lie on the ground and have a look underneath it, you are looking to see if the prop' shaft is there. It goes from the rear of the transfer box [ commonly referred to as the IRD - Intermediate Reduction Drive] to the diff [ back axle]. In the middle of there is a cylindrical device which is supported by a bearing either side. That is the VCU aka Viscous Coupling Unit. It is that VCU which delivers power to the back wheels. If this whole assembly is absent it's most likely been removed due to the VCU stiffening up. That puts great strain on the entire transmission set-up especially the IRD and the diff'. It is no problem to replace the VCU and return it to 4WD capability but you will need to check out the IRD carefully first.

If you are careful it should be enjoyable to own and drive. The FL1 is a capable 4WD, comfortable, quiet and reasonably inexpensive to maintain and run.

Search on here as there is plenty of info' and many will be happy to advise and guide you. I know I have benefitted from being here with lots of good advice and good humour too.

Ok well that made me feel a bit better. I did sort of fall in love with it, other than the clutch, is it normal to have to put my foot all the way to the floor to change gear? It was pretty hard getting gears to go in but I thought I'll get used to it.

Thanks for the advice by the way.

Joel Whybrow said:

Ok well that made me feel a bit better. I did sort of fall in love with it, other than the clutch, is it normal to have to put my foot all the way to the floor to change gear? It was pretty hard getting gears to go in but I thought I'll get used to it.

Thanks for the advice by the way.

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That doesn't sound right, the gears should go in easily.

Clutch may be on the way out

On a 2003 motor with 80K on the clock it may be the clutch going - but I'd suspect the good old clutch release arm/clutch slave bracket first. Bung a few drops of oil on the release arm where it goes through the bell housing. Check the slave bracket for damage/cracks. After oiling the release arm - it may just be worth changing the slave bracket & clutch master/slave 'pack' anyway before the major surgery of clutch replacement.

You should be able to insist with the selling garage that they fix the clutch issue before you take possession
Maybe an idea to go and question them about the VCU, IRD and propshaft before picking up the car too - if you arrive sounding like you know what you are talking about that should help
Check on here for VCU testing (1 wheel up test) and slowly reversing on full lock

There's nothing wrong with buying a 1.8k series so long as you read as much as possible about them and don't mind spending time maintaining it. If I were you as you are new to this, start a new thread asking for someone off here to come with you, there's a few around your area. The promise of a pint of two will help. Unfortunately your a bit far away for me, but I'm sure someone will help. Wishing you the best of luck. Mike

The 1.8 is a great car if you plan to maintain it yourself. Let's not beat about the bush - there is a fighting chance that the head gasket will go. BUT it is straightforward to replace yourself. While it is being replaced there are a number of small upgrades that can be done to reduce the chances of it happening again.
Now, if you had bought a V6, I would have recommended prayer or alcoholism! Fantastic when they are running, but rather like a beautiful, high maintenance, stroppy girlfriend.

It's a 13 year old vehicle at the end of the day, so things are going to be wearing out and needing attention. If you are not practically minded, it will probably be time to start becoming so, or you will be taking it to garages to fix even the most straightforward things, or just living with them, which will ultimately make the car seem much worse than it is. The reason I chose a Freelander 1 was so that I could have something reasonably straightforward to maintain, and run, with parts that are readily available, knowing that due to the age of the car, (mine is 2003 too), things are likely to go wrong. Don't be put off too much by what might seem like horror stories on here. Remember it's a forum, so people only usually make posts on any forum when something is not right. You rarely get people with perfectly working cars, (or any product), feeling a sudden urge to sign up to a forum and make a post about how reliable something is.

The 1.8 petrol does have a bit of reputation for the head gasket failing. Years ago when I owned a 1.8 as my main car, I would sometimes get paranoid about it, but really you just need to keep a close eye on coolant levels, and make sure the engine is well maintained, which is something that should be done on any car, it's just that we have got lazy over time. But as others have said, the car, (and engine), are straightforward to work on. And there is a wealth of experience and commentary on how to solve most things on here.

Just to reiterate, when you go back to look at the car, check the tyres are all the same make/type, and look underneath for what looks like a scaffold pole that runs from the front to the rear of the car, with some thick cylinders near the middle, which is your prop shaft and VCU. And if it's there still, (lots were missing on cars I was looking at, when I bought last year - with some bullsh** about them being removed for increase fuel economy), then reverse on hard lock, as others have suggested. Also, if you get past this stage, go over the car, and test every door, window and wiper blade etc., etc., and accessory function from the cabin. Have a look in the floor cubby box in the boot for signs of water too, buy pressing the carpet at the bottom of the box.

That said, if you can find a good one, and don't mind a bit a tinkering, they are great vehicles to drive!

Good luck with the checks!

Thanks for the tips guys, I've already been onto the garage and they have a mechanic coming already to sort the window reg of the rear passenger window as was not working when I test drove it. The guy will also check the clutch and VCU.

I am a bit concerned about the cubby box in the boot though as I recall it was dripping wet which he put down to the mats being cleaned and put in the boot but this now rings alarm bells as 4bee4bee mentioned it. What could this mean?

Leaking tailgate window. Check the rubber seal along the bottom of the window as these are more expensive than seems reasonable!

Rear door seal is knackered and needs replacing normally.

Thanks been onto him about that too. Really do appreciate the help guys!

I'd have a 1.8 K series if I was after a manual. However I think that an auto box is better when off road, so that limits my engine choice.
Just check everything carefully and try to put £100 away each month to give a safety neat help cover running costs.
If you a happy to learn about the Freelander and how to look after it yourself, you should see some extra money in the bank at the end of the year