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Steven211

New Member
Hi I am new here so please be nice :lol:. I am seriously considering a FL1 XDi 3 door later this year for a work vehicle. I am an apprentice mechanic and where I work is 12 miles away from home and is in the middle of nowhere, it is a pain when it snows or we get rain as it floods and snow gets deep in some places. I have a Rover 25 1.4 which is fairly good in the snow but is on MG suspension so is a tad low for floods & I don't like it getting dirty inside from my boots & overalls :lol:.

So an FL1 XDi would be great, I can keep my 25 tidy and for fun. I know the L-series engine fairly well too, I know them to be bomb proof. I know some FL faults like the VCU...I remove the prop & VCU for a customer last week. And I think I have read about transfer box issues & gearbox issues? Are there things to look out for when buying one? And what are good prices to pay for a FL1 XDi 3 door? Does the sports suspension from the facelift fit and do the sporty seats? I have MG seats in my 25 so I like support.
 
Hi mate and welcone, Di is definitely the most reliable Freelander and if you get one with good transmission then you wiull love it. Excellent buying guide here:

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/1620217-post9.html

You can get a good Di for under £1k on ebay but budget to get a reconditioned VCU and IRD (£850 combined ish for the parts.) You'll be able to fit them yourself no trouble.

Also save some pennies for good tyres, AT if you're going to go off road or Premium brand (Pirelli etc) if it will be road use only. The Freelander is as sure footed as a mountain goat in snow and I'd actually pick one over a non TC Defender or D1 on ghastly white roads in winter. I base this on having driven with these vehicles in snowy wales this winter - the Hippo will go anywhere more or less but obviously not as good off road as a Tratter.

Will.
 
it is a pain when it snows or we get rain as it floods and snow gets deep in some places.
Click to expand...

re floods .. would not a defender or disco be better suited ?
more off-road bits 'n bobs on the market for them ..

not sure of the availabilty of snorkels for the L-series ..
although .. i guess one could be fabricated :)

Does the sports suspension from the facelift fit
Click to expand...
btw: i think the sports suspension lowers the vehicle a tad ..
i.e. compared to the standard suspension ..
( though .. i guess you know that )

hippo be a good vehicle in the snow ..
not too sure about floods though ..
few folks here have gone wading with them .. i rekon they could answer that :)

http://www.landroverclub.net/Club/HTML/water.htm
 
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HD3 makes a good point, if you are going to wade through more than about 40cm of water then you may need to make some special mods to it, like a home made snorkel and a hand sealed engine. A mate of mine has sealed up his 1.8 very well and it now wade until it floats! It woulds always get water in the pplugs before that and stall.

D1 and Fender will cope far better with floods, but as you know they have drawbacks of their own :). Buy all three, that's my goal :D!
 
I had one of those from new to 170k and I loved it.

Wading wise, it was certainly as good as your going to get on an FL1 I think.
It's always flooded here so I have plenty of experience with that!
Occasionally the PAS would stop working for a few seconds in floods, but that was all.

Plus it's great in snow :)
 
WLJayne said:
HD3 makes a good point, if you are going to wade through more than about 40cm of water then you may need to make some special mods to it, like a home made snorkel and a hand sealed engine. A mate of mine has sealed up his 1.8 very well and it now wade until it floats! It woulds always get water in the pplugs before that and stall.

D1 and Fender will cope far better with floods, but as you know they have drawbacks of their own :). Buy all three, that's my goal :D!
Click to expand...

hd3 said:
re floods .. would not a defender or disco be better suited ?
more off-road bits 'n bobs on the market for them ..

not sure of the availabilty of snorkels for the L-series ..
although .. i guess one could be fabricated :)


btw: i think the sports suspension lowers the vehicle a tad ..
i.e. compared to the standard suspension ..
( though .. i guess you know that )

hippo be a good vehicle in the snow ..
not too sure about floods though ..
few folks here have gone wading with them .. i rekon they could answer that :)

Water: Leisure and Emergengy
Click to expand...
Hi there, when I say a flood it is a flood to my 25 as its low, over the bonnet once but not too deep for a FL I suspect. I don't mean a really deep flood. I don't really want a Disco or Defender yet, bit big for me & running costs I would think are high? I driven our Disco MK1 3 door at work and I like it but too big for me.

Yeah I did know that, I am not after handling like my 25 but just a tad firmer/lower if you get me? I'd love to own all three one day too :lol:.
 
Buy one with knackered old shock and buy a new set of munroes for under 300 quid .

Dont buy a sport,much lower and less of a section of tyres on 17" rims or i could be absolutely wrong , again .


:welcome:
 
I guess Munroes are tyres? Sorry I only know brands like Toyo etc :lol:. Is the sport no good then? I would just like a slightly firmer ride to reduce a bit of roll which I suspect Freelanders have.
 
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To the first post. Thank you for the warm welcome & that link was brilliant thanks. I have heard horror stories with these cars but I did with my car so it doesn't bother me. I don't really plan any off-roading but I want good tyres for all year especially for the winter. I hope to find one with a good VCU & IRD & remove the prop once winter is over to preserve the life of the VCU.

I had to move a TD4 Auto Facelift today at work and I thought everything was brilliant apart from over sharp brakes? Is that a trait I'd get used to or just depends on condition or model?
 
Steven211 said:
I guess Munroes are tyres? Sorry I only know brands like Toyo etc :lol:. Is the sport no good then? I would just like a slightly firmer ride to reduce a bit of roll which I suspect Freelanders have.
Click to expand...
Munroe used to make shocks. The Freelander doesn't roll to bad in the bends compared to all other landys but compared to my ZS180 it feels like a boat!! But on the whole the tyres start to slip before it leans over to far ;)
 
Nodge68 said:
Munroe used to make shocks. The Freelander doesn't roll to bad in the bends compared to all other landys but compared to my ZS180 it feels like a boat!! But on the whole the tyres start to slip before it leans over to far ;)
Click to expand...

Ahh I see haha, that's good to hear then but I suspect like you a FL will feel like a boat :lol:. You on mgrover.org considering you own a ZS?
 
are those uprated dampers then or OEM?
Click to expand...
for the freelander ..
the monroe site seems to only offer 'single coil springs' ..
and a shock absorber named 'Adventure Shock Absorber' for off-road / on-road use

the company goes back a while ..
The history of the Monreo shock absorber! | Monreo Shock Absorber

~~~~~~

btw: i find my 2006 td4 only seems to roll in slow corners .. and not that much ..
sort of comes across as 'progressive' ..
in fact i only really notice it on a couple of local roundabouts .. which are heavily cambered to the nearside anyways ..
overall the hippo seems to soak up road bumps pretty well .. and still retain a stable 'road feel' without feeling 'soggy'
( if that makes sense )
i guess with age and use .. the springs might weaken somewhat .. leading to more 'rolling' ..
 
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Steven211 said:
Ahh I see haha, that's good to hear then but I suspect like you a FL will feel like a boat :lol:. You on mgrover.org considering you own a ZS?
Click to expand...

The Freelander is a smoother more comfortable ride than the Z but does lean more in the bends! I'm on XPF ;)
 
hd3 said:
for the freelander ..
the monroe site seems to only offer 'single coil springs' ..
and a shock absorber named 'Adventure Shock Absorber' for off-road / on-road use

the company goes back a while ..
The history of the Monreo shock absorber! | Monreo Shock Absorber

~~~~~~

btw: i find my 2006 td4 only seems to roll in slow corners .. and not that much ..
sort of comes across as 'progressive' ..
in fact i only really notice it on a couple of local roundabouts .. which are heavily cambered to the nearside anyways ..
overall the hippo seems to soak up road bumps pretty well .. and still retain a stable 'road feel' without feeling 'soggy'
( if that makes sense )
i guess with age and use .. the springs might weaken somewhat .. leading to more 'rolling' ..
Click to expand...

Thank you for explaining the company & the products, interesting history too! Well that sounds ok, I have just read online that they wallow about but you can't believe everything Journos say can you? A bit of comfort would be nice from my rock hard ride 25, hence why it will become 'the fun car'. My commute has rather slow anyway as I have allot of traffic. Yes springs weaken over time as do dampers with age!
 
Nodge68 said:
The Freelander is a smoother more comfortable ride than the Z but does lean more in the bends! I'm on XPF ;)
Click to expand...

I see, I can't expect it to handle like my 25 to be honest as it is impossible, its worth it I would think! Ahh I am on that site too...same username as on here.
 
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