Martyfreelander
New Member
Hi, I am a couple of months in driving my V Reg freelander XEDI 2.0 5 door and thought I would share my findings for anyone thinking of buying one.
Firstly mine is a project car, I payed £400 with no MOT or tax locally from a man who had owned it for 8 years but it had been layed up as it had a few faults and he was disabled and had given up on her just as she hit 130K.
Luckily the engine was starting and running well, the VCU and other 4x4 parts had been replaced by a main dealer last year. The work was mainly brakes, these are the parts I had to buy to get it on the road.
3 Bulbs, made copper brake pipes for front and the 2 long pipes from front to back, new brake fluid, new brake pads and shoes and adjusted handbrake, new discs on the front, replacement alternator for vacuum pump (not needed in the end and now for sale) Brake servo. 2 front drop links, bought 1 new tyre to match the others as one bald, purchased from ebay on matching alloy wheel as cheaper than buying the tyre on its own, (extra alloy now for sale on ebay too. Removed side steps as brackets had rusted through (sold on ebay for £55.
That was all the work for the MOT, I have given her a full service including coolant, air, oil and fuel and vacuum vent filters, and blanked the EGR.
Now my brakes are working as they should I have been driving with more confidence and can say I love this car. I heard many bad things about freelanders but can say if you are handy with a set of spanners and enjoy doing the work your self they are quite easy cars to work on.
L-series engine..... I find it fine! there is a lot of stuff on the internet about how the TD4 is so superior but I cant really say I regret buying the L-series, My friend has a low mileage TD4 and yes it is quieter on tick over and has a small amount of extra go from stand still but I would say the L-series is more fun and the engine has a better power delivery, It doesnt run out of power so soon and revs much better. Before the service but after the EGR blanking I was hitting 40MPG average and that is on my commute a mix of country roads and A roads so between 40 and 60MPH which I am happy with, going to see if the service and injector cleaner makes any difference.
EGR blanking is a must, it didn't make it any more powerful but has made the engine smoother and more low down grunt. The only thing I would change are the gear ratios which are far to short and I find myself in 5th gear doing 40MPH way to quickly and am always looking for another gear at 60MPH.
Time will tell if my opinion will change about the old bus but so far I have a very clean Freelander on the road for around £600, Drives quietly and smoothly over the bumps and feels like a softly sprung car on most surfaces and goes around corners surprisingly well for it's size. Parts are cheaper for the L series engine, second hand parts where warranted are readily available also.
If you are looking for a diesel freelander and have been looking at high mileage TD4's give the L-series a serious look as you may find a lower mileage DI may be better value and don't believe the L-series haters try one for your self and make up your own minds, You may be suprized
Firstly mine is a project car, I payed £400 with no MOT or tax locally from a man who had owned it for 8 years but it had been layed up as it had a few faults and he was disabled and had given up on her just as she hit 130K.
Luckily the engine was starting and running well, the VCU and other 4x4 parts had been replaced by a main dealer last year. The work was mainly brakes, these are the parts I had to buy to get it on the road.
3 Bulbs, made copper brake pipes for front and the 2 long pipes from front to back, new brake fluid, new brake pads and shoes and adjusted handbrake, new discs on the front, replacement alternator for vacuum pump (not needed in the end and now for sale) Brake servo. 2 front drop links, bought 1 new tyre to match the others as one bald, purchased from ebay on matching alloy wheel as cheaper than buying the tyre on its own, (extra alloy now for sale on ebay too. Removed side steps as brackets had rusted through (sold on ebay for £55.
That was all the work for the MOT, I have given her a full service including coolant, air, oil and fuel and vacuum vent filters, and blanked the EGR.
Now my brakes are working as they should I have been driving with more confidence and can say I love this car. I heard many bad things about freelanders but can say if you are handy with a set of spanners and enjoy doing the work your self they are quite easy cars to work on.
L-series engine..... I find it fine! there is a lot of stuff on the internet about how the TD4 is so superior but I cant really say I regret buying the L-series, My friend has a low mileage TD4 and yes it is quieter on tick over and has a small amount of extra go from stand still but I would say the L-series is more fun and the engine has a better power delivery, It doesnt run out of power so soon and revs much better. Before the service but after the EGR blanking I was hitting 40MPG average and that is on my commute a mix of country roads and A roads so between 40 and 60MPH which I am happy with, going to see if the service and injector cleaner makes any difference.
EGR blanking is a must, it didn't make it any more powerful but has made the engine smoother and more low down grunt. The only thing I would change are the gear ratios which are far to short and I find myself in 5th gear doing 40MPH way to quickly and am always looking for another gear at 60MPH.
Time will tell if my opinion will change about the old bus but so far I have a very clean Freelander on the road for around £600, Drives quietly and smoothly over the bumps and feels like a softly sprung car on most surfaces and goes around corners surprisingly well for it's size. Parts are cheaper for the L series engine, second hand parts where warranted are readily available also.
If you are looking for a diesel freelander and have been looking at high mileage TD4's give the L-series a serious look as you may find a lower mileage DI may be better value and don't believe the L-series haters try one for your self and make up your own minds, You may be suprized
