Possible Freelander purchase, need a bit of advice.

Hi,

Never owned a landrover before and I've been thinking I'd quite like a freelander td4. I've found one that looks pretty decent with very low mileage however there are few niggles. Its a TD4 GS 5 door. The seller is prepared to adjust the price according to how much it costs to put the things right which is very reasonable. So the problems:

- When test driving I had it in 4th gear and floored the accelerator and the engine started to race away - suggesting the clutch was slipping. To me that means it needs a new clutch - is that right? How much would you expect the average garage charge to put right?

- One rear window wont work - makes a funny noise if tried. How much to fix that would you say?

- Air-con does not work - assume needs re-gassing?

Hopefully this is my first post of many.... Thanks in advance.

Hi mate welcome to the forum,

If well looked after the TD4 is a great motor and at low mileage you'll be able to keep it sweet using the information you can find here. I drive a petrol so I can't comment on the engine fault but others know it very well. Run a search and you'll find some answers. A window regulator costs about £35 and are not difficult to fit yourself. Get a garage to do it and you will be paying considerably more. An air con service can cost between 50 to 100 quid but shop around and you might find a better deal.

If you've done cambelt changes then between the Hayne's and Rave there will be very little that you can't handle yourself. Yes the freelander has problems, and it can be a money pit if you get a lemon - however if you're willing to put the time in and really take care of it nipping problems in the bud then you will be rewarded by an excellent car. Also, do not underesitimate how incredibly useful an asset this forum is - every conceivable problem has been dealt with and there is a huge and very knowlegable owner base here.

So if you're not a monkey, and especially if you're handy with tools - then dive right in and enjoy Landy ownership in all its glory !

See you around,

Will.

Edit: How many miles has it done? If over 70k then ask if the VCU has been replaced or refurbed. Also make sure you get four tyres of the same make and model and close degrees of wear - if not then hammer him down on that as having four nearly identical tyres is essential for the health of a Freelander's transmission.

Yup, defo check the VCU has been replaced if it's over 70k miles if not you want to budget for about £250 ish for someone like Bell Engineering to fit a recon unit. (Old VCU can cause big expensive problems over time if not delt with)

Clutch replacement can be pretty costly, I think I'm right in saying £500 ish. But wait to see what others say, it may well be something else causing it.

Welcome to the forums, let us know how you get on with the purchase

WLJayne said:

Edit: How many miles has it done? If over 70k then ask if the VCU has been replaced or refurbed. Also make sure you get four tyres of the same make and model and close degrees of wear - if not then hammer him down on that as having four nearly identical tyres is essential for the health of a Freelander's transmission.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip on tyres - I had no idea about that. Other then the problems mentioned I'd say the car is mint - been looked after very well indeed.

I wonder if this deal will come off because the guy is probably either selling it privately to me or trading it in - toting up the potential costs involved in getting it straight - it may make more sense for him to trade-in as the dealers will probably not care so much about the problems.

I may be able to get it for £2500...and potentially looking at:

£500 - clutch (assuming fly wheel is ok).
£100 - Air con.
£40 - Window regulator (I'll fit it myself)
£??? - MOT is due soon.
£??? - bit smokey on startup (settles down after a minute or two)

Perhaps fair to say total cost of between £3000 - £3500?

Thanks so far.

I think the clutch estimate is for a garage to do it, the components are not vastly dear - however this very much depends on how confident you are with DIY. But I would say that all sounds very sensible - if only other new freelander owners did what you're doing we'd have fewer newbies with busted up Hippos!

Also, this may not be of consequance to you but you can pick up facelift bumpers cheap on ebay - doddle to fit yourself and really improves the look of the car IMO .

'land rover monthly' magazine .. august 2012 issue ..
has a three page article on td4 clutch replacement

'valeo' clutch and flywheel conversion kit .. £475 + vat
labour .. £450 + vat

Hi,

Thanks for the advice.

I've just looked at the first 2 pages (available free on the website) of the august article on clutch replacement....and I've decided pretty quickly that that aint a job for me. I've only got a small garage and it does look like a proper ramp is needed - I'm not up for a battle. Do any of you think I could be in for any other replacement parts related to the clutch, master/slave cylinders for instance?

Regarding the tyres - the two front tyres were replaced some months ago - so front pair do not match back pair. How much of problem is this going to be?

Any other tips on things I should do?

Again - thanks for your help it's most certainly appreciated

I'd do the slave whilst your at it else when it goes .......and it will you'll be paying to drop the gearbox out again.
The master isn't a problem you'll do that on yer drive in under an hour if it goes

Measure the circumference of the front and rear tyres........largest tyres must! Go on the rear

WLJayne said:

I think the clutch estimate is for a garage to do it, the components are not vastly dear - however this very much depends on how confident you are with DIY. But I would say that all sounds very sensible - if only other new freelander owners did what you're doing we'd have fewer newbies with busted up Hippos!

Also, this may not be of consequance to you but you can pick up facelift bumpers cheap on ebay - doddle to fit yourself and really improves the look of the car IMO .

Click to expand...

Mine too

Hi,

Just thought I'd post an update. Got the clutch done yesterday - and ended up putting a new flywheel in too. The mechanic recommended it after he had had chance to inspect it. So for a new clutch, dual mass flywheel, and slave cyclinder/bearing £725. Was hoping to get away with no new flywheel but I think we are still within the bounds of a reasonal budget. Drives loads better for it too.

Thanks for you help.

Well done mate . I hope you're enjoying your new toy.

Will.

Welcome Matt, why not post a formal introduction in the "Introduce Yourself" section. You came to the right place and it looks like you have really benefitted from some great advice from the guys here.

Enjoy your motor

wicked!

Post a pic of the new toy!