J

James Pond

Member
Hello all

I just got myself a freelander 2004 pre facelift . 2,5 v6 auto. GS.

I wanted to introduce myself and ask a few questions.

I bought it on impulse .. so i took to a landy specialist who looked it over and said the following;

All break pipes badly corroded and need replacing
Break fluid test failed and needs replacing
Rear diff mounts split causing knocking
prop shaft missing and final angle drive has been blanked off/ car only 2 wheel drive
n/s/f/drop link worn and needs replacing
rocker cover gaskets leaking causing oil to leak onto exhaust
incorrect exhaust rubbers fitted
number plate light not working
rear wiper blade split

Have i bought a lemon or are these things to be expected on a car of this age. I read that the k series engines are not great but i will only using at the weekends. I love the inside and out .. it put a big smile on my face.

It only came with one remote and two keys. I want to get another remote as back up. Whats the best way to go about that ?

How do i set the interior light so it does not come on when i open the door?

Any other tips and suggestions welcome

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and respond
JP
 
Sounds in pretty good nick if that's all he could find.

Mind you, I wonder if he was holding some stuff back not to scare you and he can "find" that when you get it serviced next year ;)

If you've got to replace the pipe, the fluid will be replaced anyway. If you're confident making the pipes yourself its not to expensive, but those pipes can be frighteningly expensive to buy.

Diff mounts are cheap and easy to replace, especially as it hasn't got props installed.

Get a decent/oem drop link (forget the make, is it Delphi?) or you'll be replacing it again in a coupe of months. Lights/wipers/rubbers pretty standard.

If you only want a 2WD vehicle, it'll be fine - but thirsty, hardly better than a V8 Discovery.

Hope you got it cheap. I'd run it till the engine starts overheating then sell it for scrap. In fact, run it for a bit till you know the engine is OK before you splash any cash fixing it up.
 
It's typical for any car that age when the value is on rock bottom that owners try to avoid every maintenance and repair. For example taking the rear prop off is just a quick and dirty way to avoid replacing drivetrain parts like VCU. It's not a lemon but an old car needing someone to take care of it. As a car these are very capable, nice to drive and reliable machines.

I bought 2004 FL TD4 last year and have had great time working with it. You can find the project here:
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/freelander-1-sport-td4-2004.371973/

This forum has been a jewel for me. I have found instructions and help for almost every job that I have done with the car.
 
James Pond said:
Have i bought a lemon or are these things to be expected on a car of this age.
Click to expand...
You've bought a car that has quite clearly been maintained on a shoestring, or not been maintained at all.

It's a 16 year old vehicle, as some issues will be expected due to age or mileage, but it appears those issues have been simply ignored.
It's interesting how an 04 V6 is a pre-facelift, as the facelift came out in late 2003, so started on 53 plate. So presumably this particular vehicle sat unsold in a dealer, until the 04 registration came out.

The KV6 engine is a good engine (although very thirsty in the heavyFreelander), however it needs to be maintained with absolute dedication, or it'll give coolant leakage issues, which results in head gasket failure, which would render the vehicle beyond economical repair.
 
Thank you for the feedback so far. It really is appreciated

Are there mechanics on this forum who would be willing to work on the car, or recommend a good place to go.

I use walking sticks so i wont be able to do any work myself. I am happy to pay to give the car some tlc and make sure its safe to drive . I am based in London.

It does not have all the gizmos of modern cars but i like that. It really is a lovely car. Dark blue (what is the official name of the paint? Clean inside only 60k on the clock which looks legit when i go over the MOT records. Lovely rumble from the v6 when it fires up and a great driving position.

It makes a creaking sound at low speed when turning right, for example going into a parking bay.. and a squeaky sound from the other side when going over minor or major bumps
 
GrumpyGel said:
Sounds in pretty good nick if that's all he could find.

Mind you, I wonder if he was holding some stuff back not to scare you and he can "find" that when you get it serviced next year ;)

If you've got to replace the pipe, the fluid will be replaced anyway. If you're confident making the pipes yourself its not to expensive, but those pipes can be frighteningly expensive to buy.

Diff mounts are cheap and easy to replace, especially as it hasn't got props installed.

Get a decent/oem drop link (forget the make, is it Delphi?) or you'll be replacing it again in a coupe of months. Lights/wipers/rubbers pretty standard.

If you only want a 2WD vehicle, it'll be fine - but thirsty, hardly better than a V8 Discovery.

Hope you got it cheap. I'd run it till the engine starts overheating then sell it for scrap. In fact, run it for a bit till you know the engine is OK before you splash any cash fixing it up.
Click to expand...
 
Top money for a V6, don't forget to check that the cam belts have been changed at the prescribed interval (think it is 10 yrs or 60k miles.) or the engine will be a write off if the belts break. Unfortunately this is an expensive job in a garage.
Lovely engine, just watch the fuel bills!!!
 
James Pond said:
I got it for 2k 60k on the clock. Good deal or bad?
Click to expand...

To be honest, that's absolutely top money for a pre-facelift V6, so I'd have expected it to be pretty much perfect for that.

For comparison, I paid £2k for my 2009MY Freelander 2, although I did have to repair the engine, and rebuild the rear diff.
 
Nodge68 said:
To be honest, that's absolutely top money for a pre-facelift V6, so I'd have expected it to be pretty much perfect for that.

For comparison, I paid £2k for my 2009MY Freelander 2, although I did have to repair the engine, and rebuild the rear diff.
Click to expand...
 
Nodge68 said:
To be honest, that's absolutely top money for a pre-facelift V6, so I'd have expected it to be pretty much perfect for that.


For comparison, I paid £2k for my 2009MY Freelander 2, although I did have to repair the engine, and rebuild the rear diff.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information. It was an impulse buy so i am not upset. Good to know though, thank you
 
andyfreelandy said:
Top money for a V6, don't forget to check that the cam belts have been changed at the prescribed interval (think it is 10 yrs or 60k miles.) or the engine will be a write off if the belts break. Unfortunately this is an expensive job in a garage.
Lovely engine, just watch the fuel bills!!!
Click to expand...
How much would/should it cost to change the belts?
 
James Pond said:
How much would/should it cost to change the belts?
Click to expand...
Don't be surprised to receive quotes of over £1000 for a timing belt change.
It's a long and pretty difficult job on the V6, due to the amount of components that need removing to access the belts, so the labour time is pretty high. The belts themselves aren't cheap, as there are 3 belts to change in total, along with the idler pulleys and tensioner.
It's a good full day's work to change them, and while it's all apart to do the belts, there are other important jobs best done too, like the thermostat, which is know to leak, so it's best change at the same time.
 
Nodge68 said:
Don't be surprised to receive quotes of over £1000 for a timing belt change.
It's a long and pretty difficult job on the V6, due to the amount of components that need removing to access the belts, so the labour time is pretty high. The belts themselves aren't cheap, as there are 3 belts to change in total, along with the idler pulleys and tensioner.
It's a good full day's work to change them, and while it's all apart to do the belts, there are other important jobs best done too, like the thermostat, which is know to leak, so it's best change at the same time.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information. Apart from the thermostat what else would you do?
 
James Pond said:
Thanks for the information. Apart from the thermostat what else would you do?
Click to expand...

Water pump, tensioner damper if not working correctly, all 3 belts, the idlers, the thermostat and plastic coolant pipes, and the coolant tank too, if it's beginning to split.
 
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