TD4_4x4
Active Member
Hi everyone, as Landyzone did me the decency of offering me the opportunity to join I thought it was only polite to say hello to thank you for letting me on here. 
I hope to soon ask lots of questions (no doubt infuriating you all in the process) but also at least learn a bit about my vehicle.
I've got a weird life and hardly go out of the house (health) but the freelander has been great this winter and helped a lot so I'm grateful I haven't been stuck in a involuntary 'donuting' Peugeot 207 again when needing to get to hospital at 4am in a blizzard.
Suffice to say amidst the brainwashing of the Daily Mail telling us we were all going to die from artic weather I grabbed hold of a freelander TD4 from a friendly stealer. £7,000 for a 2004 54 plate TD4 Sport Auto with 50,000 on the clock and FSH. Great condition. I have no idea if that was a rip off? I hope not. Didn't have much choice in the matter, it seems every one was panic buying 4X4's this winter!
What I can tell you is compared to the huge hire care we got before hand, a Ssangyong Rexton the Freelander is rather more 'compact' and a lot more cool looking. It's also possible to do a 3-point turn without needing the space of a supertanker navigating the atlantic - which is nice.
One day, in my dreams I hope to be able to really get out there and see what a 4X4 can do instead of living on a terrible diet of Jeremy Kyle, BBC News 24 and X factor.
Just ordered a Haynes manual so will be sticking my nose into that asap and finding out where the dip stick is. Until then my new found adventurers.
And to anyone who asks me why I spent so much on a useless freelander? My parents are old and I'm disabled. A 'proper' 4x4 is impossible to park in the middle of a city with next to no car spaces, especially when sick. Also an ultimate 4x4 like a Defender doesn't have the creature comforts (within the same price bracket) or an auto box with a decent stereo. Useful when sitting outside A&E for the umpteenth time.
My mission is to max out the freelander, and maybe go bonkers and make it look all tough and strong - yes I hear the laughing in the back of the classroom. Basically, one has to work with what one has. I've got a tiny weeny little 4x4 and never need to take it off the tarmac, it can also be parked which is essential when needing to get somewhere fast.
Observations in 8 weeks of ownership. (I confessed this in my virtual church to the TDI 90 priest who told me to sell it and get a pink RAV4):
1) HDC amber 'fault' light has turned on once during driving, then turned off after ignition was switched off. HDC button now not working. Gear change surround is suspiciously loose (not gaitor, plastic silver circular surround) so I reckon the dealer had a poke in there before he sold it to my dad!!!! (I was in bed at the time and know nothing about 4x4's anyway).
2) Gear change is very notchy and cheap/plastically feeling. In fact, changing gear manually out of Auto mode (Tiptronic box) has probably caused the HDC wire to break as it's hard to change geart without a bit of lurching by accidently chosing the wrong gear, due to the stiffness.
3) Fuel pump knocking ticking like a clock sound (rear right passenger area) is irritating. Slows down a tad when warmed up. Don't know if fuel pump is worn out or this is a 'feature' of a freelander that it makes this silly noise when parked up with the engine running driving me even more mentally ill than already. It's only done 50K though so.....
4) FBH is loud , it's almost embarassing it's 'honking' like a goose! I see I can pay for a FBH 'silencer', but I didn't want to shoot it?! Had a lot of fun thinking it was going to blow up, and then learning on here it's just blowing off diesel. Neighbours love the burn marks on the floor too. Come the summer and over 4c I know this should stop.
5) White smoke on start up and stinks of diesel. Not seen this on 'modern' diesels before (Audi, BMW) but maybe freelanders do this? Very slugglish when cold (e.g. press the throttle to 'rev' it and big 'lag' (delay) on throttle response before the revs rise in time with my foot on accelerator.
Intermittent loss of power at low revs when setting off driving. (Probably the Bosh MAF is asking for £240 for Christmas money?). It's due it's expensive '6 year service' this autum so perhaps that will fix some things? It's most amusing pulling out onto a junction, booting it and nothing happening, almost feels like it was running out of fuel. Other times it runs like a dream with no loss of power.
I'm too old and grey to 'diss' the car and I really happen to like it. All the 'proper' 4x4's at this age are so expensive and I decided against a JEEP Cherokee because the interior looked as comfortable as a MG Montego. The vehicle has been great apart from these niggling little things, and I'm grateful to be in a position to own it and have parents that tolerate my 'crazy' idea of getting a 4x4 in the first place.
Very pleased I did insist with all the snow. Just got to get my mum to learn to trust it now, my dad is my usual chauffeur and he's had two strokes.
Take care and all the best.
I hope to soon ask lots of questions (no doubt infuriating you all in the process) but also at least learn a bit about my vehicle.
I've got a weird life and hardly go out of the house (health) but the freelander has been great this winter and helped a lot so I'm grateful I haven't been stuck in a involuntary 'donuting' Peugeot 207 again when needing to get to hospital at 4am in a blizzard.
Suffice to say amidst the brainwashing of the Daily Mail telling us we were all going to die from artic weather I grabbed hold of a freelander TD4 from a friendly stealer. £7,000 for a 2004 54 plate TD4 Sport Auto with 50,000 on the clock and FSH. Great condition. I have no idea if that was a rip off? I hope not. Didn't have much choice in the matter, it seems every one was panic buying 4X4's this winter!
What I can tell you is compared to the huge hire care we got before hand, a Ssangyong Rexton the Freelander is rather more 'compact' and a lot more cool looking. It's also possible to do a 3-point turn without needing the space of a supertanker navigating the atlantic - which is nice.
One day, in my dreams I hope to be able to really get out there and see what a 4X4 can do instead of living on a terrible diet of Jeremy Kyle, BBC News 24 and X factor.
Just ordered a Haynes manual so will be sticking my nose into that asap and finding out where the dip stick is. Until then my new found adventurers.
And to anyone who asks me why I spent so much on a useless freelander? My parents are old and I'm disabled. A 'proper' 4x4 is impossible to park in the middle of a city with next to no car spaces, especially when sick. Also an ultimate 4x4 like a Defender doesn't have the creature comforts (within the same price bracket) or an auto box with a decent stereo. Useful when sitting outside A&E for the umpteenth time.
My mission is to max out the freelander, and maybe go bonkers and make it look all tough and strong - yes I hear the laughing in the back of the classroom. Basically, one has to work with what one has. I've got a tiny weeny little 4x4 and never need to take it off the tarmac, it can also be parked which is essential when needing to get somewhere fast.
Observations in 8 weeks of ownership. (I confessed this in my virtual church to the TDI 90 priest who told me to sell it and get a pink RAV4):
1) HDC amber 'fault' light has turned on once during driving, then turned off after ignition was switched off. HDC button now not working.
Gear change surround is suspiciously loose (not gaitor, plastic silver circular surround) so I reckon the dealer had a poke in there before he sold it to my dad!!!! (I was in bed at the time and know nothing about 4x4's anyway).2) Gear change is very notchy and cheap/plastically feeling. In fact, changing gear manually out of Auto mode (Tiptronic box) has probably caused the HDC wire to break as it's hard to change geart without a bit of lurching by accidently chosing the wrong gear, due to the stiffness.
3) Fuel pump knocking ticking like a clock sound (rear right passenger area) is irritating. Slows down a tad when warmed up. Don't know if fuel pump is worn out or this is a 'feature' of a freelander that it makes this silly noise when parked up with the engine running driving me even more mentally ill than already. It's only done 50K though so.....
4) FBH is loud , it's almost embarassing it's 'honking' like a goose! I see I can pay for a FBH 'silencer', but I didn't want to shoot it?! Had a lot of fun thinking it was going to blow up, and then learning on here it's just blowing off diesel. Neighbours love the burn marks on the floor too. Come the summer and over 4c I know this should stop.
5) White smoke on start up and stinks of diesel. Not seen this on 'modern' diesels before (Audi, BMW) but maybe freelanders do this? Very slugglish when cold (e.g. press the throttle to 'rev' it and big 'lag' (delay) on throttle response before the revs rise in time with my foot on accelerator.
Intermittent loss of power at low revs when setting off driving. (Probably the Bosh MAF is asking for £240 for Christmas money?). It's due it's expensive '6 year service' this autum so perhaps that will fix some things? It's most amusing pulling out onto a junction, booting it and nothing happening, almost feels like it was running out of fuel. Other times it runs like a dream with no loss of power.
I'm too old and grey to 'diss' the car and I really happen to like it. All the 'proper' 4x4's at this age are so expensive and I decided against a JEEP Cherokee because the interior looked as comfortable as a MG Montego. The vehicle has been great apart from these niggling little things, and I'm grateful to be in a position to own it and have parents that tolerate my 'crazy' idea of getting a 4x4 in the first place.
Very pleased I did insist with all the snow. Just got to get my mum to learn to trust it now, my dad is my usual chauffeur and he's had two strokes.
Take care and all the best.
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