Nodge68 said:

So instead we have to replace our cars because the body has rotted, long before it's mechanically at the end of the road. To me, this forced premature rusting of perfectly serviceable vehicles isn't very environmentally friendly.

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I don't like it either. And it is rare to get severe winter conditions in most areas of the UK.
And most people who live in out of the way places where there are severe winter conditions will equip themselves with a suitable vehicle and the right tyres.

Nodge68 said:

I don't blame you for not buying an ex UK car. For some reason the authorities insist on spreading tons of salt on the roads here. That stuff is death to a car. I'm all for banning pointless salting of roads and mandating winter tyres instead.

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Yeh its interesting because we get far heavier frosts for longer periods in winter here than we ever did in the UK.

The councils will still grit the roads... and verges and cars still get filthy in winter, but no salt goes down.

I just googled 'it' and it looks like the councils do use a salt substitute Calcium Magnesium Acetate which is described as "CMA is a low corrosion, biodegradable alternative to road salt".

This is what Dunedin (a lovely city) council have to say on the matter...

http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/services/roads-and-footpaths/gritting

but think about the men's jobs just up the road from here in the salt mine in Cheshire who are they going to feed their families if they have no job

Can I assume this CMA is more expensive that rock salt then, which would explain why the UK doesn't use it?

teddywood1 said:

but think about the men's jobs just up the road from here in the salt mine in Cheshire who are they going to feed their families if they have no job

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When banks or supermarkets can lay off 1000s of staff at the drop of the hat. A few job losses from the salt mine to save the country millions on rusted vehicles is small fry.

teddywood1 said:

but think about the men's jobs just up the road from here in the salt mine in Cheshire who are they going to feed their families if they have no job

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They can re-train to become rock bashers in the manufacture of grit !

Part of the problem, as with so much of modern life, is lawyers and insurance companies.

Someone skids off a road from poor driving, and sues the council for not gritting/salting enough. It’s cheaper to heavily overgrit than to pay out to entitled tw@ts who think they have the right to drive at a certain speed regardless of conditions.

Wow...your cars rust out!....so different than here....in California a freelander body would last indefinitely unless living on the coast in California... California is extremely dry really....where I live there is essentially no rain for 6 months of the year which is why wildfires are so common here...how many miles can be had with the kv6?...can they last longer than 120,000 miles?...I read stories online about how bad the kv6 is....but they say people with bad experiences are much more likely to post than those with good outcomes...has anyone gotten more than 120,000 miles from their kv6?

ericwest said:

Wow...your cars rust out!....so different than here....in California a freelander body would last indefinitely unless living on the coast in California... California is extremely dry really....where I live there is essentially no rain for 6 months of the year which is why wildfires are so common here...how many miles can be had with the kv6?...can they last longer than 120,000 miles?...I read stories online about how bad the kv6 is....but they say people with bad experiences are much more likely to post than those with good outcomes...has anyone gotten more than 120,000 miles from their kv6?

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Oh yes, they rust out in 10 to 15 years. A few years ago the garage I worked at had a vehicle from a well known manufacturer, fail it's MOT (vehicle worthiness test in the UK) on structural rust. The car in question was having it's first ever MOT, which is at 3 years old in the UK. The rust was so bad that you could put a fist through the rear chassis member. The manufacturer did pick up the repair bill for that, but it shouldn't have happened to start with.

As to the KV6 and it's longevity. Providing it's always had regular oil changes at the correct time and it's not overheated, then it has a good long life. I personally prefer to change the thermostat at 5 year intervals, at the same time as the timing belts, water pump and tensioners. This helps eliminate potential problems that coolant loss will cause.

The actual bottom end of the KV6 is very durable and I see no reason it shouldn't do 250,000 miles. It's the head gaskets that are the weak point on them. The HGs either fail due to general degeneration. Or they are cooked by loss of coolant, due to leaks. The head gaskets are very thin, as is the liner. So when coolant is lost, the liner heats in seconds, causing HG problems almost instantly.
This is why it's essential to maintain the cooling system in tip top condition and never run it without coolant.

I can see Calafornian Hippos blowing head gaskets and cooking themselves in that extreme heat.....They have trouble holding together in our coldest klimate.

Maybe that's why the frequent engine rebuilds?

jedi said:

I can see Calafornian Hippos blowing head gaskets and cooking themselves in that extreme heat.....They have trouble holding together in our coldest klimate.

Maybe that's why the frequent engine rebuilds?

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California isn't all hot. A few bits are, but not the coastal areas. And it isn't like Death Valley or similar, even in the hotter bits.

Turboman said:

California isn't all hot. A few bits are, but not the coastal areas. And it isn't like Death Valley or similar, even in the hotter bits.

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Death Valley is in California - so I'd have thought the hotter bits would be just like it

GrumpyGel said:

Death Valley is in California - so I'd have thought the hotter bits would be just like it

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Fair enough. Thought it was in Nevada. The point I was trying to make was that the inhabited bits of California were largely moderate in climate.

Living in North America (the Canada bit) I can see the OP's point of view. Freelanders are getting to be quite thin on the ground. The dealers much prefer selling $150,000. Range Rovers
and don't really want to have anything to do with cheap old cars. My local dealer only has one partsman (A young woman actually so I suppose Trudeau would say "Partsperson" ) that even knows what a Freelander is. They stock absolutely nothing. All of the parts are available, but it took 2 weeks for them to get me intake manifold gaskets and the price was horrendous so I just order my bits from Rimmers, Cheaper and quicker and they know what they are dealing with.
Freelanders don't have the best reputation here. They had so many problems with the V6 when new that LR was actually forced to do a buyback.(The V6 was the only engine sold here) A friend of mine went through 5 engines in the first year. At one point the local dealer had a half dozen new Hippos out back that were being cannibalised for parts. They got such a bad rep that one local specialist won't let them in the door. In my opinion he just wants the low hanging, easy money big bucks Range Rover repairs but that's just my opinion.
My local parts shop can get a lot of parts for the V6, like coils, sensors etc. but I get most of my parts from UK dealers. I do deal with a US supplier, Atlantic British but they just carry fast moving parts. They are a good part number reference as they only carry parts for the North American market Hippos so you know you are getting the correct bits for our market. You do have to do some research when buying from the UK to make sure you are getting the proper bits particularly with engine electrics.