markyzs180
Active Member
td4 only mate, don't touch a petrol. have a browse through this section as its be covered hundreds of times before.....
angeloc
Well-Known Member
VCU - Viscous Coupling Unit
It is a black round thing halfway along the propshaft
IRD - uuumm? It's the thing that transfers drive between front and rear wheels
VCU us very sensitive to tyre size - they last about 80k mls or thereabouts and if gone put load on the IRD and tear Diff which can then in turn fail - costly repairs.
VCU is an easy fix - give Bell Engineering a look. £300
A TD4 should pull smoothly all through rev range and not be noisy at motorway speeds and howling or similar can be costly but can also be simple rear wheel bearings.
I bought mine cheap enough but have spent £1000 plus to get it very good. Best to take someone who knows them and if buying private buy cheap really cheap.
Hippo
Lord Hippo
Last edited:
Hippo
Lord Hippo
Updated 13 March 2016
This post will be edited to add/improve info on a continuous basis.
When reading this post you need to be aware Freelanders have faults just like any vehicle.
The reason why so many faults are listed below, is because we LZ members know a lot about our Freelanders. Years of suffering, sorry, ownership. It dun't mean Freelanders are crap or full of faults. Far from it. It means we knows our Freelanders well and knows how to fix them. Don't be put off by the faults. There's loads of happy Freelander owners out there driving their Freelanders. I'm one of them. You have to consider the Freelander 1 stopped production in 2006 so they're all 10+ years old now.
This post was originally a private reply to a tratterer who was interested in buying a Freelander 1 as a second vehicle. He bought one.
The Freelander 1 started in late 1997 and ended in 2006. The Freelander 2 started in 2006 and ended late 2014. The Freelander 2 is a totally different vehicle to the Freelander 1. The Freelander 2 was completely re-engineered.
FL1FLdifference Ic8NGPC
The best Freelander 1's to go for are the L series diesel (original Rover diesel - manual gearbox only) or the later Td4 bmw diesel (2001 model year onwards - started late 2000 - both manual and auto gearbox available). The diesels are generally betterer, but that doesn't mean the petrol's should be written oft. There's also a 1.8 rover petrol k series (manual gearbox only) and a 2.5L v6 Rover k series (auto gearbox only) (v6 also called the kv6).
All manual and automatic gearboxes on Freelander 1's have 5 forward gears and 1 reverse gear. Freelander's don't have a low ratio gearbox like conventional Land Rover products, with the option of high and low ratio.
Diesel Freelander's are considered better than petrol's so they cost more than petrol's do as they're in greater demand. The L series diesel is often referred to as bomb proof on ere compared to the petrol's, but they do go wrong sometimes. The Td4 isn't that far behind the L series diesel for reliability. MPG is betterer too on diesels when compared to petrols. Both manual and auto gearboxes are good. If buying the auto make sure you drive it from cold, in all 5 forward gears and reverse gear. Get it warm on a test drive and also drive it on the motorway at speed (at legal speeds). Also switch off and restart when warm (when stationary) and it should still drive ok and change gear correctly after restarting when warm. It's a common mistake to undo the wrong bolt on the Freelander 1 Jatco auto gearbox when doing a fluid change or level check. This is a known problem. If undoing the wrong bolt you will lose reverse gear as the reverse brake band is held by the bolt incorrectly undone. Well documented on ere with pictures I've put up. If buying an auto make sure you drive it in reverse gear (preferably selecting/driving in reverse several times).
If buying a manual find out when the clutch was last changed as they is expensive to replace unless you can replace it yerself. Make sure the engine is up to correct running temp on a test drive, regardless of what you buy. Start and restart the engines when warm and cold to make sure they start first time every time.
Petrol's have a bit of a bad reputation on ere. That dun't mean every petrol Freelander 1 is bad. But it does mean yer should know what to look for to enable you to buy a betterer one if petrol is what yer wants. We're talking head gasket failure (hgf) ere. If you don't know what to look for then you should take someone with you who does.
The 1.8 blows head gaskets more often than other Freelander engines. Some of this is down to bad maintenance. The rest is believed to be poor design and bad luck. Land Rover never really sorted out the problem. Even with the new updated multi layer gasket they can also fail. Poor servicing or lack of servicing, poor repairs, crap head gasket repairs... all increase the chance of a head gasket failure happening again. It's sort of built in at production, as a common fault as they didn't do enough to fix the design to stop it happening or at least make the engine more tolerant to reduce the chances of it happening. Rover petrol Freelander 1's generally run hotter than the average petrol engine. When hgf does happen some get rid, or get it fixed on the cheap then sell it. "Fixed on the cheap" often means they haven't changed enough parts or done enough work/checks to find faulty parts like a cracked head etc so head gasket failure happens again due to incorrect or poor repair. Yer can't blame the car for that. Poor workmanship is the likely cause of a quick repeat head gasket failure. We're talking within 1000 miles or less. Sometimes a few hundred miles if the work done it crap. Some owners leave it too late to repair or don't notice it until it's propper feked. Which yer can't really blame the car for if they're daft enough to keep driving it like that or never lift the bonnet to see if the engines still happy, not to mention the coolant reservoir still being full of coolant. Basic visual checks you can do yerself on a regular basis.
Yer can fit a coolant level sensor in the coolant reservoir to monitor the coolant level. Wire this to an LED on the dash as a visual warning coolant is ok or low. You could also wire in a buzzer too. See ere:
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/freelander-1-coolant-level-sensor-how-to-guide.256090/
If yer handy with tools and catch hgf soon enough then it's a days work to do correctly, most say. Many on ere happily run petrol Freelander's and have done for many years. Some have done head gasket repairs and most have been ok after. They've changed the oil rail and some other good to do stuff too to reduce the chances of it happening again. V6 also suffers head gasket failure too. Less so than the 1.8's, compared to what the Land Rover main dealers I've had the misfortune to deal with say. It's difficult to compare fail percentages directly between 1.8's and v6. Mainly due to there being a much lesser percentage of Freelanders with v6's fitted. The v6 has stainless steel head gaskets too.
More often than not hgf failure on a v6 seems to be a secondary problem, after something else goes wrong first. Like coolant loss causing low coolant and/or low pressure in the cooling system. The cooling system is pressurised by the coolant expanding as it heats up, which stops the coolant boiling by increasing the boiling point of the coolant (temp it needs to get to when it will boil). Many garages avoid all Rover petrol's full stop. Dun't matter what car it's in. v6's can drink a v8 under the table, which is probably why they is cheap to buy second hand. Basically anyone buying a petrol needs to (shoot themselves) do a sniff test on the coolant or face a bill for repair at some point if it's being sold with hgf and you haven't been told, so you don't know it needs fixed. You need to be careful of doing a sniff test as you don't want to release the pressure out of the cooling system when it's hot with the engine running as you can easily boil the coolant and damage the engine. When the engine is cold undo the coolant reservoir cap (whilst on level ground) and let any residual pressure out. Remember where the coolant level is so you can compare after the test drive. Look for cracks around the top of the coolant reservoir which indicates it's time the coolant reservoir was replaced. Cracks = pressure lost. For some reason they seem to crack more often than other vehicles. With the pressure cap fitted and the engine cold squeeze one of the big 2 inch coolant pipes to get a feel for it. When the engine is hot after a test drive squeeze the same pipe again and the pipe should be a lot firmer than it was when it was cold. If not then the coolant system is leaking. Be careful not to burn yerself. Now look at the coolant level in the coolant reservoir and it should be slightly higher than it was when it was cold (whilst on level ground).
V6's can slip liners, suffer with cracked thermostat houses (located in the V of the v6 engine) and are generally more expensive on parts. If buying a v6 look in the v of the engine with a torch through the gaps in the front after taking oft the acoustic cover that covers the top of the engine, to see if there's any coolant in there. There shouldn't be. If there is then it's leaking. The acoustic cover is held on by a rubber band at the rear, 2x hand turn bolts at the front, and has a few hose clips to undo to release the breather pipes connecting it to the engine.
When looking to buy a Freelander (or any petrol/diesel vehicle) you should check the oil filler cap after the test drive. If it contains a mayonnaise looking cream like substance in it then this is a sign of coolant and engine oil mixing. Chances are it's the head gasket failed causing this, but there are other possible failed parts that can cause the same problem.
When the td4 came out at the same time as the v6, hgf and over heating problems were already well known in the 1.8 petrol Freelander 1's and petrol Rover cars. The Freelander v6 suffered with similar over heating problems already found in Rover cars too. Both diesels were considered a betterer option as MPG was betterer. Also peeps are more likely to buy a diesel if buying a larger vehicle like a 4x4. Having said that, the Freelander 1 was aimed at the average Mondeo driver who was probably more likely to want to buy a petrol as the diesels would have been considered slower at the time. It's a fact that petrol Freelander 1's accelerate faster than diesels Freelander 1's. Land Rover technical figures back this up. In the end it seems more peeps went for the diesel option. Rover had had a bad time with petrol's before, regardless of Land Rover having problems with them when they started to use the same engines. Many modifications were done to try to fix problems on the v6 (also known as the Rover kv6 and used in Rovers for many years). The v6's had dampers fitted to the rear of each exhaust camshaft to stop the camshaft from shattering, due to vibration. The v6 had stainless steel head gaskets too. At one point the v6 was so bad in the Rover cars, a major recall was done. This was said to be so difficult for garages that the recalled Rovers were sent back to the factory for the corrective work to be completed .
Land Rover put the v6 in the Freelander 1. A cheap quick idea for the USA market one would assume. You'd have thought this would have been spotted as a potential problem, but we think bmw saw it as a cheap option. Fekin bastids. The Freelander 1 v6 is the natural choice for the USA market as it had an auto gearbox and petrol is free over there. It's a shame Land Rover couldn't do more to give betterer reliability.
The 1.8 petrol's were attacked by the Rover bean counters who wanted to reduce costs in manufacture and assembly. Plastic dowels were used as the previous metal dowels sometimes damaged gaskets when chucking, shorry assembling the engines. The damaged gaskets lost the company money in production and were wasted. A bit like the engine being wasted if the owner didn't realise there was a problem when the coolant level dropped due to failure. Plastic dowels = heads move about over time = head gasket failure more likely. Differing metals used in the engine construction heat up and expand at different rates, causing more movement. So there's some serious fundamental problems here. Hence why Rover as a company int here anymore. For many years Rover was known for problems and being unreliable. A real shame but reliability caught them out and public perception never changed from this. Funny thing was Land Rover spotted these problems or must have been aware of them at least. It was after all an on going problem for many years. Land Rover Freelander 1 petrol engines were said to be built adjacent to Rover engines, even though they're the same (or very much so), as they were said to be separated in build as they wanted a higher tolerance on the Land Rover Freelander 1 petrol engines to reduce/stop the failures. If true then this would point to Land Rover knowing of the problems and trying to fix/solve them in production, or at least take some steps to reduce faults and increase reliability. Bastids went and put Land Rover failed specification engines/parts in Rovers when they didn't meet Land Rovers specification. Hence why buying a diesel Freelander is much betterer. That's not to say all petrol's are bad. Far from it. You just need to make sure yer buying a good one or know how to stop the signs so yer know if it's got problems. Been reading up on the history of this.
If it has air conditioning then make sure it works. Not all Freelander 1's have it. You should see a frost sign on one of the buttons on the dash. If yer wants a sat nav fitted then make sure it comes with a disk. I think they need a disk, and the disk box thing is in the boot if I remember correctly. Mine dun't have it as I prefer to have a removable sat nav as I don't see the point in keep buying them fitted as you change cars. It's common practice for low life's to take the sat nav CD out on any vehicle they're selling. Sometimes after you've checked it's there. So it's a good idea to check it's there just before paying for it. Tell them you will do this when you first check it's there. Also check you can use the sat nav and see maps on it too as the CD you see may not be the correct CD. A copied CD probably won't work.
Freelanders are ok to drive. Seating position is very comfortable as yer sitting more upright than a normal car. We hire cars at work for site visits. Often 300 miles driven in a day. When doing a round trip of 200 miles to bala 4x4 in Wales I don't notice the driving fatigue as much as I do in a Ford Focus, 3008 Peugeot and similar sizes cars. Fuel consumption is higher in a Freelander than a smaller vehicle but you expect that as it's a heavier vehicle. You may be able to buy a Freelander 2 for £8k, but it would be the lower end of the price range as they is very expensive. The Freelander 2 is an all round betterer vehicle than the Freelander 1. The Freelander 2 replaced the Freelander 1 in 2006 with a complete redesign, pushing it further into the premium market. The Freelander 2 may be worth looking at if yer budget allows. Enough of that, this fred is about buying Freelander 1's. The Freelander 1 is comfortable to drive and has a feel good factor when driving it. Driving view is betterer as yer higher up and there's a reasonable amount of space inside. It has the usual high up commanding driving position of a Land Rover product. Some say the boot is small but that depends how much you want to put in it. Bolt on roof rails are available so you can fit roof bars or a roof rack.
VCU and transmission problems: VCU = Viscous Coupling Unit. If yer tratter (square type Land Rover) gets cross axled yer stuck. 1 spinning front and 1 spinning rear wheel renders yer tratter a shed. This is because power goes to the wheels with the least grip, front and rear. If it had locking front and rear diffs then no problem. Lock them up and off yer goes. If it has electronic traction control then this will abs pulse the brakes on the spinning wheels, allowing power to go to the wheels with the grip (the one not spinning) on the same axle.
Not all Freelander 1's had antilock brakes ABS, electronic traction control ETC and hill decent control HDC. They were optional to start with but became standard fit on later models. HDC is operated buy a yellow button on the gear lever on manuals and a push button behind the gear level on auto's. It only operates in 1st and reserve gears. It's intended use is to automatically monitor and control vehicle speed and limit it down hill. You have to take yer feet oft all pedals for it to work. This is something fitted to later Land Rover products after it's success in the Freelander 1. It helps aid the driver and sort of compensates for not having a high/low ratio transfer box for use down hill in low ratio selection.
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Freelanders are completely different to other Land Rover products as they is betterer. The front wheels turn slightly faster than the rears to make it feel more like a front wheel drive road car. This removes the vagueness of the steering you see on traditional bulky rusty 4x4's. The engine turns the gearbox, the gearbox turns the ird Intermediate Reduction Drive, the ird (fixed ratio transfer box) turns the front wheels which have a differential between them. Drive is also taken from the rear of the ird via a pinion gear to the vcu to the rear differential, which drives the rear wheels. While this is happening the rear wheels follow along and turn due to the road going by. The ratio of front to rear wheel speed is important. The vcu located in between the propeller (prop) shafts (essentially between front/rear wheels) slips very slightly most of the time whilst on road in normal conditions. If the difference in speed of the front to rear prop shaft increases above a certain amount, then an increased sheering effect happens within the vcu, causing the silicon type fluid inside to reduce the amount by which the differing plates within the vcu can slip past each other, by sort of thickening up. It's a lot more complicated than that but we'll leave it there for now. The plates inside the vcu sort of slip less, and turn together more than they did before, so more power from the front prop is transferred to the rear prop. Hence all 4 wheels are then driven by the engine/gearbox/ird. Coupled with traction control to brake pulse spinning wheels, and a light body work without a rusty chassis, and you start to see why Freelanders are so good off road, fer what they are.
In reality power from the engine/gearbox/ird always goes to the front prop, as it's always connected to the front prop. The power also goes from the front prop via the vcu to the rear prop, and hence the rear wheels, but only by a varying amount which is dependent on the state of the vcu. The rear prop is constantly connected to the rear diff. The vcu slips and takes out the difference in the speed of the front/rear props. Hence why the front wheels can turn faster than the rear wheels in normal use, as the rear wheels are also turned by the road they're travelling on, as the Freelander is pulling them along regardless of any drive to them. The vcu allows the Freelander 1 to have an automatically sensing 4x4 action which provides partial connection/power/drive to the rear wheels under normal conditions, until wheels start to spin, and then applies full or near full power/drive to the rear wheels (as well as the front wheels it constantly powers). The vcu works in a constantly varying equilibrium state as required, which is controlled automatically by the forces applied to it based on the speed of the wheels and the condition of the surface yer driving on (gripping tarmac, sand, mud, snow etc...).
Now in practise it's often said that Freelanders are 60% front, 95% front or some other figure that we dun't have proof of which describes the ratio of drive to the front/rear wheels under normal conditions. Somewhere there's an equilibrium value of ratio split, but we don't know for sure what it is. Hence me suspicions over the figures. The later ratio ird's (2001 model year onwards - started late 2000) stopped vcu's locking up so much. If yer get a td4 or v6 then it will have the later ratio, which is smaller than the old ratio. Hence better as it means the front and rear wheels turn at a closer ratio to each other. If yer get an L series diesel or 1.8 petrol then it will have the old less better ratio, that int as kind to the transmission. Unless someone has updated it to the later ratio. Driving a Freelander with a seized vcu on tarmac will have the effect of transmission wind up. Something has to give. Normally it's the ird or/and the rear diff. A costly repair if not spotted before it happens. The ird/rear diff will take a lot of stress but if it's increased constantly by a failing vcu one or both will suffer with failure.
VCU's can fail by becoming stiffer which causes them to seize up sooner than they should. A betterer description would be the resistance across a vcu increases as it starts to fail, until the resistance is too high for it to work in the manner LR wanted it to. If a vcu becomes more resistive this puts more pressure in the transmission, which causes a greater amount of transmission wind up. A higher resistance across the vcu means it can't cater for the differing speeds of the front/rear props. The effect of this will put the ird and/or the rear diff under a greater constant pressure than normal, which may result in the ird and/or rear diff failing. This can cause internal bearings to fail or if yer really unlucky the case may crack. If yer does the "one wheel up test" in my signature below this will give you an idea if yer vcu is ok. 32mm nut. Be prepared for a faulty vcu and test before the repair cost goes up.
When buying a Freelander 1 make sure both front and rear props are fitted, as well as the vcu. Many remove them when there's a fault to hide the fault. Some will tell you they're removed to increase mpg (miles per gallon). The increase in mpg when going from 4x4 to front wheel drive only (called mondo mode on ere after the great Mondo) is vary very small. In fact you'll struggle to notice it. The seller is just trying to fool you into thinking the vehicle is ok. Some owners remove the props/vcu for the summer months and put them back in the winter when 4x4 is needed. If you find a Freelander 1 like this then insist on the props/vcu being fitted before you test drive it. Those who do run their Freelander front wheel drive only need to advise their insurance company as this is considered a modification.
Electrics failing: yes they do. Check everything works ok. Lights, doors, windows (cable drive metal wires inside can snap), air con, sunroof, air bag / srs light at the beginning when switching on the ignition - then they go off - some naughty peeps take the bulb out to hide faults, cruse control, all keys and fobs (Freelander 1's had 2x keys and 2x fobs when new), alarm, central locking, door locks, wind screen wiper, lectric mirrors work, basically everything electrical. HDC switch on the gear lever on manuals is a favourite to fail - wires snap off. Curtsey light should go off when all doors are closed after a bit of time. Door close sensor is in the lock. If the curtsey lights stay on after a certain amount of seconds then the Freelander thinks a door is still open.
Make sure all 5 tyres are the same make, model and size - very important for a longer life of yer vcu. Newer deeper tread tyres (same make, model and size) must go on the rear to lessen transmission wind up as per above vcu problems. It's in the owner handbook that new tyres go on the rear. Handbook should come with the vehicle. Leaks on the rear tailgate window can be fixed with new seals which late td4's / v6's should already have. Sunroofs cause problems due to jamming, lack of use and stuck rails. Grease rails and the motor gear (poke the screw driver slot in and grease). Some just close sunroofs and remove the fuse so they don't open it by mistake if they fail.
Td4's can blow the turbo somehow so they fit an egr blanking plate and also change the filter to a bmw type which has a changeable filter or something - I have the v6 so not sure - there's a thread at the top of the Freelander section all about it. the other option is to make sure the EGR value is kept clean to reduce the chance of problems. Pull out the oil dip stick and check the oil and listen for a sigh if the crankcase is pressurised. Look at the oil cap for crean coloured oil which means there's water/coolant mixing in the engine. Steering should be ok without knocks. Drop links and anti roll bar bushes can fail. Turbo hoses fail by splitting - they open up as the revs/pressure increases and yer looses power. Pin holes and splits cause loss of power. Watch for over heating on petrol's. This is less of a problem on diesel models but still worth a check. Make sure it has proof of regular servicing regardless of main dealer or independent. Vcu bearings can fail. Also the rear diff mounts. Cheap to fix if yer good with spanners. Usual stuff like drive shafts, cv joints can fail as well as the usual car stuff. Yer takes yer chances with any motor.
Td4 is a bmw engine. Previous diesel was the rover L series. Both considered bomb proof compared to the petrol's. But you can also pick a bad one. Both manual and auto gearbox are good. I have a v6 auto. I would prefer a td4 auto which if life goes the way I hopes, then I will get a Freelander 2 diesel when the v6 feks up. But after test driving a Freelander 2 off road I wants one of them now. But I loves ma hippo so I hopes it don't ever brake. Auto's are better off road as manuals can over heat the clutch. Be careful if it's a manual.
Specs vary over the years. Major updates took place in the 2001 model year (started late 2000) with the introduction of new engines / gearboxes as well as many other updates including: strengthened body shell, interior improved, changes to brakes / steering / suspension / ride handling. Original grey bumpers changed to black bumpers in 2002, which was the same year the Freelander was launched in the US. In 2004 the front end had a facelift and colour coded bumpers front and rear with new lights. Later models are: e, ex, esx then later on s, se, hse. Have a look on these links for the guides on what the spec's are:
Freelander 1 = Land Rover Freelander 1 (1997-2003) - Facts and Figures
Freelander 1 = Land Rover Freelander 1 (2003-2006) - Facts and Figures
Freelander 2 = Land Rover Freelander 2 (2006 onwards) - Facts and Figures
The boot int very big but you could get a pig in it. Ground clearance is lower than a tratter. Freelanders don't have a low ratio. Many on ere tow caravans with their Freelanders. You need to check the towing/nose weight. If you want to take it off road then off road tyre choice is better for 16 inch wheels. On the later models you can have sport or non sport models. Sports sit slightly lower (30mm I think) and have stiffer suspension. There's plenty about. Take yer pick and shop around.
If buying a UK vehicle you can see it's MOT history online. This isn't a reference to the current condition of the vehicle, but it does allow you to check the mileage and see the history of how well presented the vehicle was for it's MOT.
Online MOT history check (UK only) = MOT History Check
Euro NCAP results for Freelander 1: (3 star)
link = https://www.euroncap.com/en/results/land-rover/freelander/15573
report - https://cdn.euroncap.com/media/9893/euroncap_land-rover_freelander_2002_3stars.pdf
Euro NCAP results for Freelander 2: (5 star)
link = https://www.euroncap.com/en/results/land-rover/freelander/15728
report = https://cdn.euroncap.com/media/8782/euroncap_landrover_freelander_2_2007_5stars.pdf
All the links below are FREE... Some are also empty - I will fix them at some point
Freelander 1 = 1997-1998 Freelander 1 Sales Brochure and Specification
Freelander 1 = 1998 Freelander 1 Sales Brochure and Specification
Freelander 1 = 1999 Freelander 1 Sales Brochure and Specification
Freelander 1 = 1999 Freelander 1 Commercial Sales Brochure and Specification
Freelander 1 = 2001 Freelander 1 Sales Brochure and Specification
Freelander 1 = 2001 Freelander 1 Accessories Brochure
Freelander 1 = 2004 Freelander 1 Sales Brochure and Specification
Freelander 1 video review = Freelander 1 Car File video review
Freelander 1 video review (1998) = Freelander 1 video review (1998)
Freelander 1 Maintenance manual FREE = Rave disk maintenance manual (covers other land rover models too)
Freelander history = The Dunsfold Collection Guide to Freelanders
Freelander 2:
The Freelander 2 replaced the Freelander 1 in 2006.
Freelander 2 sales brochures = Freelander 2 sales brochures
Freelander 2 video review (2013) = Freelander 2 video review (2013)
longer version will be back soon
Freelander 2 Terrain Response Video Explanation = Freelander 2 Terrain Response
Freelander 2 maintenance manual FREE = Freelander 2 maintenance manual
This post will be edited to add/improve info on a continuous basis.
When reading this post you need to be aware Freelanders have faults just like any vehicle.
The reason why so many faults are listed below, is because we LZ members know a lot about our Freelanders. Years of suffering, sorry, ownership. It dun't mean Freelanders are crap or full of faults. Far from it. It means we knows our Freelanders well and knows how to fix them. Don't be put off by the faults. There's loads of happy Freelander owners out there driving their Freelanders. I'm one of them. You have to consider the Freelander 1 stopped production in 2006 so they're all 10+ years old now.This post was originally a private reply to a tratterer who was interested in buying a Freelander 1 as a second vehicle. He bought one.
The Freelander 1 started in late 1997 and ended in 2006. The Freelander 2 started in 2006 and ended late 2014. The Freelander 2 is a totally different vehicle to the Freelander 1. The Freelander 2 was completely re-engineered.
FL1FLdifference Ic8NGPC
The best Freelander 1's to go for are the L series diesel (original Rover diesel - manual gearbox only) or the later Td4 bmw diesel (2001 model year onwards - started late 2000 - both manual and auto gearbox available). The diesels are generally betterer, but that doesn't mean the petrol's should be written oft. There's also a 1.8 rover petrol k series (manual gearbox only) and a 2.5L v6 Rover k series (auto gearbox only) (v6 also called the kv6).
All manual and automatic gearboxes on Freelander 1's have 5 forward gears and 1 reverse gear. Freelander's don't have a low ratio gearbox like conventional Land Rover products, with the option of high and low ratio.
Diesel Freelander's are considered better than petrol's so they cost more than petrol's do as they're in greater demand. The L series diesel is often referred to as bomb proof on ere compared to the petrol's, but they do go wrong sometimes. The Td4 isn't that far behind the L series diesel for reliability. MPG is betterer too on diesels when compared to petrols. Both manual and auto gearboxes are good. If buying the auto make sure you drive it from cold, in all 5 forward gears and reverse gear. Get it warm on a test drive and also drive it on the motorway at speed (at legal speeds). Also switch off and restart when warm (when stationary) and it should still drive ok and change gear correctly after restarting when warm. It's a common mistake to undo the wrong bolt on the Freelander 1 Jatco auto gearbox when doing a fluid change or level check. This is a known problem. If undoing the wrong bolt you will lose reverse gear as the reverse brake band is held by the bolt incorrectly undone. Well documented on ere with pictures I've put up. If buying an auto make sure you drive it in reverse gear (preferably selecting/driving in reverse several times).
If buying a manual find out when the clutch was last changed as they is expensive to replace unless you can replace it yerself. Make sure the engine is up to correct running temp on a test drive, regardless of what you buy. Start and restart the engines when warm and cold to make sure they start first time every time.
Petrol's have a bit of a bad reputation on ere.
That dun't mean every petrol Freelander 1 is bad. But it does mean yer should know what to look for to enable you to buy a betterer one if petrol is what yer wants. We're talking head gasket failure (hgf) ere. If you don't know what to look for then you should take someone with you who does.The 1.8 blows head gaskets more often than other Freelander engines. Some of this is down to bad maintenance. The rest is believed to be poor design and bad luck. Land Rover never really sorted out the problem. Even with the new updated multi layer gasket they can also fail. Poor servicing or lack of servicing, poor repairs, crap head gasket repairs... all increase the chance of a head gasket failure happening again. It's sort of built in at production, as a common fault as they didn't do enough to fix the design to stop it happening or at least make the engine more tolerant to reduce the chances of it happening. Rover petrol Freelander 1's generally run hotter than the average petrol engine. When hgf does happen some get rid, or get it fixed on the cheap then sell it. "Fixed on the cheap" often means they haven't changed enough parts or done enough work/checks to find faulty parts like a cracked head etc so head gasket failure happens again due to incorrect or poor repair. Yer can't blame the car for that. Poor workmanship is the likely cause of a quick repeat head gasket failure. We're talking within 1000 miles or less. Sometimes a few hundred miles if the work done it crap. Some owners leave it too late to repair or don't notice it until it's propper feked. Which yer can't really blame the car for if they're daft enough to keep driving it like that or never lift the bonnet to see if the engines still happy, not to mention the coolant reservoir still being full of coolant. Basic visual checks you can do yerself on a regular basis.
Yer can fit a coolant level sensor in the coolant reservoir to monitor the coolant level. Wire this to an LED on the dash as a visual warning coolant is ok or low. You could also wire in a buzzer too. See ere:
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/freelander-1-coolant-level-sensor-how-to-guide.256090/
If yer handy with tools and catch hgf soon enough then it's a days work to do correctly, most say. Many on ere happily run petrol Freelander's and have done for many years. Some have done head gasket repairs and most have been ok after.
They've changed the oil rail and some other good to do stuff too to reduce the chances of it happening again. V6 also suffers head gasket failure too. Less so than the 1.8's, compared to what the Land Rover main dealers I've had the misfortune to deal with say. It's difficult to compare fail percentages directly between 1.8's and v6. Mainly due to there being a much lesser percentage of Freelanders with v6's fitted. The v6 has stainless steel head gaskets too.More often than not hgf failure on a v6 seems to be a secondary problem, after something else goes wrong first. Like coolant loss causing low coolant and/or low pressure in the cooling system. The cooling system is pressurised by the coolant expanding as it heats up, which stops the coolant boiling by increasing the boiling point of the coolant (temp it needs to get to when it will boil). Many garages avoid all Rover petrol's full stop. Dun't matter what car it's in. v6's can drink a v8 under the table, which is probably why they is cheap to buy second hand. Basically anyone buying a petrol needs to (shoot themselves
) do a sniff test on the coolant or face a bill for repair at some point if it's being sold with hgf and you haven't been told, so you don't know it needs fixed. You need to be careful of doing a sniff test as you don't want to release the pressure out of the cooling system when it's hot with the engine running as you can easily boil the coolant and damage the engine. When the engine is cold undo the coolant reservoir cap (whilst on level ground) and let any residual pressure out. Remember where the coolant level is so you can compare after the test drive. Look for cracks around the top of the coolant reservoir which indicates it's time the coolant reservoir was replaced. Cracks = pressure lost. For some reason they seem to crack more often than other vehicles. With the pressure cap fitted and the engine cold squeeze one of the big 2 inch coolant pipes to get a feel for it. When the engine is hot after a test drive squeeze the same pipe again and the pipe should be a lot firmer than it was when it was cold. If not then the coolant system is leaking. Be careful not to burn yerself. Now look at the coolant level in the coolant reservoir and it should be slightly higher than it was when it was cold (whilst on level ground).V6's can slip liners, suffer with cracked thermostat houses (located in the V of the v6 engine) and are generally more expensive on parts. If buying a v6 look in the v of the engine with a torch through the gaps in the front after taking oft the acoustic cover that covers the top of the engine, to see if there's any coolant in there. There shouldn't be. If there is then it's leaking. The acoustic cover is held on by a rubber band at the rear, 2x hand turn bolts at the front, and has a few hose clips to undo to release the breather pipes connecting it to the engine.
When looking to buy a Freelander (or any petrol/diesel vehicle) you should check the oil filler cap after the test drive. If it contains a mayonnaise looking cream like substance in it then this is a sign of coolant and engine oil mixing. Chances are it's the head gasket failed causing this, but there are other possible failed parts that can cause the same problem.
When the td4 came out at the same time as the v6, hgf and over heating problems were already well known in the 1.8 petrol Freelander 1's and petrol Rover cars. The Freelander v6 suffered with similar over heating problems already found in Rover cars too.
Both diesels were considered a betterer option as MPG was betterer. Also peeps are more likely to buy a diesel if buying a larger vehicle like a 4x4. Having said that, the Freelander 1 was aimed at the average Mondeo driver who was probably more likely to want to buy a petrol as the diesels would have been considered slower at the time. It's a fact that petrol Freelander 1's accelerate faster than diesels Freelander 1's. Land Rover technical figures back this up. In the end it seems more peeps went for the diesel option. Rover had had a bad time with petrol's before, regardless of Land Rover having problems with them when they started to use the same engines. Many modifications were done to try to fix problems on the v6 (also known as the Rover kv6 and used in Rovers for many years). The v6's had dampers fitted to the rear of each exhaust camshaft to stop the camshaft from shattering, due to vibration. The v6 had stainless steel head gaskets too. At one point the v6 was so bad in the Rover cars, a major recall was done. This was said to be so difficult for garages that the recalled Rovers were sent back to the factory for the corrective work to be completed .Land Rover put the v6 in the Freelander 1. A cheap quick idea for the USA market one would assume. You'd have thought this would have been spotted as a potential problem, but we think bmw saw it as a cheap option. Fekin bastids.
The Freelander 1 v6 is the natural choice for the USA market as it had an auto gearbox and petrol is free over there. It's a shame Land Rover couldn't do more to give betterer reliability.The 1.8 petrol's were attacked by the Rover bean counters who wanted to reduce costs in manufacture and assembly. Plastic dowels were used as the previous metal dowels sometimes damaged gaskets when chucking, shorry assembling the engines. The damaged gaskets lost the company money in production and were wasted. A bit like the engine being wasted if the owner didn't realise there was a problem when the coolant level dropped due to failure. Plastic dowels = heads move about over time = head gasket failure more likely. Differing metals used in the engine construction heat up and expand at different rates, causing more movement. So there's some serious fundamental problems here.
Hence why Rover as a company int here anymore. For many years Rover was known for problems and being unreliable. A real shame but reliability caught them out and public perception never changed from this. Funny thing was Land Rover spotted these problems or must have been aware of them at least. It was after all an on going problem for many years. Land Rover Freelander 1 petrol engines were said to be built adjacent to Rover engines, even though they're the same (or very much so), as they were said to be separated in build as they wanted a higher tolerance on the Land Rover Freelander 1 petrol engines to reduce/stop the failures. If true then this would point to Land Rover knowing of the problems and trying to fix/solve them in production, or at least take some steps to reduce faults and increase reliability. Bastids went and put Land Rover failed specification engines/parts in Rovers when they didn't meet Land Rovers specification. Hence why buying a diesel Freelander is much betterer. That's not to say all petrol's are bad. Far from it. You just need to make sure yer buying a good one or know how to stop the signs so yer know if it's got problems. Been reading up on the history of this.If it has air conditioning then make sure it works. Not all Freelander 1's have it. You should see a frost sign on one of the buttons on the dash. If yer wants a sat nav fitted then make sure it comes with a disk. I think they need a disk, and the disk box thing is in the boot if I remember correctly. Mine dun't have it as I prefer to have a removable sat nav as I don't see the point in keep buying them fitted as you change cars. It's common practice for low life's to take the sat nav CD out on any vehicle they're selling. Sometimes after you've checked it's there. So it's a good idea to check it's there just before paying for it. Tell them you will do this when you first check it's there. Also check you can use the sat nav and see maps on it too as the CD you see may not be the correct CD. A copied CD probably won't work.
Freelanders are ok to drive.
Seating position is very comfortable as yer sitting more upright than a normal car. We hire cars at work for site visits. Often 300 miles driven in a day. When doing a round trip of 200 miles to bala 4x4 in Wales I don't notice the driving fatigue as much as I do in a Ford Focus, 3008 Peugeot and similar sizes cars. Fuel consumption is higher in a Freelander than a smaller vehicle but you expect that as it's a heavier vehicle. You may be able to buy a Freelander 2 for £8k, but it would be the lower end of the price range as they is very expensive. The Freelander 2 is an all round betterer vehicle than the Freelander 1. The Freelander 2 replaced the Freelander 1 in 2006 with a complete redesign, pushing it further into the premium market. The Freelander 2 may be worth looking at if yer budget allows. Enough of that, this fred is about buying Freelander 1's. The Freelander 1 is comfortable to drive and has a feel good factor when driving it. Driving view is betterer as yer higher up and there's a reasonable amount of space inside. It has the usual high up commanding driving position of a Land Rover product. Some say the boot is small but that depends how much you want to put in it. Bolt on roof rails are available so you can fit roof bars or a roof rack.VCU and transmission problems: VCU = Viscous Coupling Unit. If yer tratter (square type Land Rover) gets cross axled yer stuck. 1 spinning front and 1 spinning rear wheel renders yer tratter a shed. This is because power goes to the wheels with the least grip, front and rear. If it had locking front and rear diffs then no problem. Lock them up and off yer goes. If it has electronic traction control then this will abs pulse the brakes on the spinning wheels, allowing power to go to the wheels with the grip (the one not spinning) on the same axle.
Not all Freelander 1's had antilock brakes ABS, electronic traction control ETC and hill decent control HDC. They were optional to start with but became standard fit on later models. HDC is operated buy a yellow button on the gear lever on manuals and a push button behind the gear level on auto's. It only operates in 1st and reserve gears. It's intended use is to automatically monitor and control vehicle speed and limit it down hill. You have to take yer feet oft all pedals for it to work. This is something fitted to later Land Rover products after it's success in the Freelander 1. It helps aid the driver and sort of compensates for not having a high/low ratio transfer box for use down hill in low ratio selection.
s
Freelanders are completely different to other Land Rover products as they is betterer.
The front wheels turn slightly faster than the rears to make it feel more like a front wheel drive road car. This removes the vagueness of the steering you see on traditional bulky rusty 4x4's. The engine turns the gearbox, the gearbox turns the ird Intermediate Reduction Drive, the ird (fixed ratio transfer box) turns the front wheels which have a differential between them. Drive is also taken from the rear of the ird via a pinion gear to the vcu to the rear differential, which drives the rear wheels. While this is happening the rear wheels follow along and turn due to the road going by. The ratio of front to rear wheel speed is important. The vcu located in between the propeller (prop) shafts (essentially between front/rear wheels) slips very slightly most of the time whilst on road in normal conditions. If the difference in speed of the front to rear prop shaft increases above a certain amount, then an increased sheering effect happens within the vcu, causing the silicon type fluid inside to reduce the amount by which the differing plates within the vcu can slip past each other, by sort of thickening up. It's a lot more complicated than that but we'll leave it there for now. The plates inside the vcu sort of slip less, and turn together more than they did before, so more power from the front prop is transferred to the rear prop. Hence all 4 wheels are then driven by the engine/gearbox/ird. Coupled with traction control to brake pulse spinning wheels, and a light body work without a rusty chassis, and you start to see why Freelanders are so good off road, fer what they are. In reality power from the engine/gearbox/ird always goes to the front prop, as it's always connected to the front prop. The power also goes from the front prop via the vcu to the rear prop, and hence the rear wheels, but only by a varying amount which is dependent on the state of the vcu. The rear prop is constantly connected to the rear diff. The vcu slips and takes out the difference in the speed of the front/rear props. Hence why the front wheels can turn faster than the rear wheels in normal use, as the rear wheels are also turned by the road they're travelling on, as the Freelander is pulling them along regardless of any drive to them. The vcu allows the Freelander 1 to have an automatically sensing 4x4 action which provides partial connection/power/drive to the rear wheels under normal conditions, until wheels start to spin, and then applies full or near full power/drive to the rear wheels (as well as the front wheels it constantly powers). The vcu works in a constantly varying equilibrium state as required, which is controlled automatically by the forces applied to it based on the speed of the wheels and the condition of the surface yer driving on (gripping tarmac, sand, mud, snow etc...).
Now in practise it's often said that Freelanders are 60% front, 95% front or some other figure that we dun't have proof of which describes the ratio of drive to the front/rear wheels under normal conditions. Somewhere there's an equilibrium value of ratio split, but we don't know for sure what it is. Hence me suspicions over the figures. The later ratio ird's (2001 model year onwards - started late 2000) stopped vcu's locking up so much. If yer get a td4 or v6 then it will have the later ratio, which is smaller than the old ratio. Hence better as it means the front and rear wheels turn at a closer ratio to each other. If yer get an L series diesel or 1.8 petrol then it will have the old less better ratio, that int as kind to the transmission. Unless someone has updated it to the later ratio. Driving a Freelander with a seized vcu on tarmac will have the effect of transmission wind up. Something has to give. Normally it's the ird or/and the rear diff. A costly repair if not spotted before it happens. The ird/rear diff will take a lot of stress but if it's increased constantly by a failing vcu one or both will suffer with failure.
VCU's can fail by becoming stiffer which causes them to seize up sooner than they should. A betterer description would be the resistance across a vcu increases as it starts to fail, until the resistance is too high for it to work in the manner LR wanted it to. If a vcu becomes more resistive this puts more pressure in the transmission, which causes a greater amount of transmission wind up. A higher resistance across the vcu means it can't cater for the differing speeds of the front/rear props. The effect of this will put the ird and/or the rear diff under a greater constant pressure than normal, which may result in the ird and/or rear diff failing. This can cause internal bearings to fail or if yer really unlucky the case may crack. If yer does the "one wheel up test" in my signature below this will give you an idea if yer vcu is ok. 32mm nut. Be prepared for a faulty vcu and test before the repair cost goes up.
When buying a Freelander 1 make sure both front and rear props are fitted, as well as the vcu. Many remove them when there's a fault to hide the fault. Some will tell you they're removed to increase mpg (miles per gallon). The increase in mpg when going from 4x4 to front wheel drive only (called mondo mode on ere after the great Mondo) is vary very small. In fact you'll struggle to notice it. The seller is just trying to fool you into thinking the vehicle is ok. Some owners remove the props/vcu for the summer months and put them back in the winter when 4x4 is needed. If you find a Freelander 1 like this then insist on the props/vcu being fitted before you test drive it. Those who do run their Freelander front wheel drive only need to advise their insurance company as this is considered a modification.
Electrics failing: yes they do. Check everything works ok. Lights, doors, windows (cable drive metal wires inside can snap), air con, sunroof, air bag / srs light at the beginning when switching on the ignition - then they go off - some naughty peeps take the bulb out to hide faults, cruse control, all keys and fobs (Freelander 1's had 2x keys and 2x fobs when new), alarm, central locking, door locks, wind screen wiper, lectric mirrors work, basically everything electrical. HDC switch on the gear lever on manuals is a favourite to fail - wires snap off. Curtsey light should go off when all doors are closed after a bit of time. Door close sensor is in the lock. If the curtsey lights stay on after a certain amount of seconds then the Freelander thinks a door is still open.
Make sure all 5 tyres are the same make, model and size - very important for a longer life of yer vcu. Newer deeper tread tyres (same make, model and size) must go on the rear to lessen transmission wind up as per above vcu problems. It's in the owner handbook that new tyres go on the rear. Handbook should come with the vehicle. Leaks on the rear tailgate window can be fixed with new seals which late td4's / v6's should already have. Sunroofs cause problems due to jamming, lack of use and stuck rails. Grease rails and the motor gear (poke the screw driver slot in and grease). Some just close sunroofs and remove the fuse so they don't open it by mistake if they fail.
Td4's can blow the turbo somehow so they fit an egr blanking plate and also change the filter to a bmw type which has a changeable filter or something - I have the v6 so not sure - there's a thread at the top of the Freelander section all about it. the other option is to make sure the EGR value is kept clean to reduce the chance of problems. Pull out the oil dip stick and check the oil and listen for a sigh if the crankcase is pressurised. Look at the oil cap for crean coloured oil which means there's water/coolant mixing in the engine. Steering should be ok without knocks. Drop links and anti roll bar bushes can fail. Turbo hoses fail by splitting - they open up as the revs/pressure increases and yer looses power. Pin holes and splits cause loss of power. Watch for over heating on petrol's. This is less of a problem on diesel models but still worth a check. Make sure it has proof of regular servicing regardless of main dealer or independent. Vcu bearings can fail. Also the rear diff mounts. Cheap to fix if yer good with spanners. Usual stuff like drive shafts, cv joints can fail as well as the usual car stuff. Yer takes yer chances with any motor.
Td4 is a bmw engine. Previous diesel was the rover L series. Both considered bomb proof compared to the petrol's. But you can also pick a bad one. Both manual and auto gearbox are good. I have a v6 auto. I would prefer a td4 auto which if life goes the way I hopes, then I will get a Freelander 2 diesel when the v6 feks up. But after test driving a Freelander 2 off road I wants one of them now. But I loves ma hippo so I hopes it don't ever brake.
Auto's are better off road as manuals can over heat the clutch. Be careful if it's a manual. Specs vary over the years. Major updates took place in the 2001 model year (started late 2000) with the introduction of new engines / gearboxes as well as many other updates including: strengthened body shell, interior improved, changes to brakes / steering / suspension / ride handling. Original grey bumpers changed to black bumpers in 2002, which was the same year the Freelander was launched in the US. In 2004 the front end had a facelift and colour coded bumpers front and rear with new lights. Later models are: e, ex, esx then later on s, se, hse. Have a look on these links for the guides on what the spec's are:
Freelander 1 = Land Rover Freelander 1 (1997-2003) - Facts and Figures
Freelander 1 = Land Rover Freelander 1 (2003-2006) - Facts and Figures
Freelander 2 = Land Rover Freelander 2 (2006 onwards) - Facts and Figures
The boot int very big but you could get a pig in it
. Ground clearance is lower than a tratter. Freelanders don't have a low ratio. Many on ere tow caravans with their Freelanders. You need to check the towing/nose weight. If you want to take it off road then off road tyre choice is better for 16 inch wheels. On the later models you can have sport or non sport models. Sports sit slightly lower (30mm I think) and have stiffer suspension. There's plenty about. Take yer pick and shop around. If buying a UK vehicle you can see it's MOT history online. This isn't a reference to the current condition of the vehicle, but it does allow you to check the mileage and see the history of how well presented the vehicle was for it's MOT.
Online MOT history check (UK only) = MOT History Check
Euro NCAP results for Freelander 1: (3 star)
link = https://www.euroncap.com/en/results/land-rover/freelander/15573
report - https://cdn.euroncap.com/media/9893/euroncap_land-rover_freelander_2002_3stars.pdf
Euro NCAP results for Freelander 2: (5 star)
link = https://www.euroncap.com/en/results/land-rover/freelander/15728
report = https://cdn.euroncap.com/media/8782/euroncap_landrover_freelander_2_2007_5stars.pdf
All the links below are FREE... Some are also empty - I will fix them at some point
Freelander 1 = 1997-1998 Freelander 1 Sales Brochure and Specification
Freelander 1 = 1998 Freelander 1 Sales Brochure and Specification
Freelander 1 = 1999 Freelander 1 Sales Brochure and Specification
Freelander 1 = 1999 Freelander 1 Commercial Sales Brochure and Specification
Freelander 1 = 2001 Freelander 1 Sales Brochure and Specification
Freelander 1 = 2001 Freelander 1 Accessories Brochure
Freelander 1 = 2004 Freelander 1 Sales Brochure and Specification
Freelander 1 video review = Freelander 1 Car File video review
Freelander 1 video review (1998) = Freelander 1 video review (1998)
Freelander 1 Maintenance manual FREE = Rave disk maintenance manual (covers other land rover models too)
Freelander history = The Dunsfold Collection Guide to Freelanders
Freelander 2:
The Freelander 2 replaced the Freelander 1 in 2006.
Freelander 2 sales brochures = Freelander 2 sales brochures
Freelander 2 video review (2013) = Freelander 2 video review (2013)
longer version will be back soon
Freelander 2 Terrain Response Video Explanation = Freelander 2 Terrain Response
Freelander 2 maintenance manual FREE = Freelander 2 maintenance manual
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Streetlander
Active Member
....... gawd makes me wonder how mine stays on the road!!!
Wiff all those lingering 'failures' I better start working more overtime to pay for them!! :doh:
Wiff all those lingering 'failures' I better start working more overtime to pay for them!! :doh:
Hippo
Lord Hippo
All cars have faults. Collectively we know the more popular faults which others can look out for when they buying. Most will only suffer a limited amount of them, unless poorly maintained. Having bin on a round the world tour of landyzone, I can confirm all land rovers break just as often as Freelanders. At least ours dun't rust.
Oh and erm, if yer buying a Freelander 1 wiv auto gearbox make sure yer drives it in reverse gear also. Some incorrectly undo the wrong nut on the auto thinking it's the oil level check plug. It int. It's the bolt that bolts on the brake band. If removed yer will loose reverse gear. Un yer will have to take the auto apart to put it back.
Oh and erm, if yer buying a Freelander 1 wiv auto gearbox make sure yer drives it in reverse gear also. Some incorrectly undo the wrong nut on the auto thinking it's the oil level check plug. It int. It's the bolt that bolts on the brake band. If removed yer will loose reverse gear. Un yer will have to take the auto apart to put it back.
Just seen this, shud be a sticky or the relevant data put in the "all yu need to know Fred".
Good wun Hippoo
Good wun Hippoo
Hippo
Lord Hippo
Thanks. Ill start a fred off soon wiv the above un put more info in it. Also split it into betterer sections, with numbered parts. Others can then add stuff to the fred un Ill add it to the original post (and their member id). Theyll be mistakes or stuff Ive missed. I fink collectively we could come up wiv the ultimate Freelander fred. We could also add links to things like the ming egr mods and other technical freds which specialise on certain problems. Once we has it all sorted it could go in a new fred as you suggest. One stop guide fer new Freelander sufferers, shorry owners.Just seen this, shud be a sticky or the relevant data put in the "all yu need to know Fred".
Good wun Hippoo
OldIrishWulf
Well-Known Member
Not another flippin sticky .Just seen this, shud be a sticky or the relevant data put in the "all yu need to know Fred".
Good wun Hippoo
11 stickys already and only 3 on the defender page .
Pottedbeef
New Member
Drive it at motorway speeds , make sure it doesnt sound like a UFO from a 1970's Sci-fi film
Let's just say mine does make that noise - any suggestions what may be causing it?
badfelafel
Member
Great thread thanks! But whats a tratter?
Hippo
Lord Hippo
Tratter = a land rover. The type with no suspension and straight edges everywhere.
Tratterer = one who owns and/or drives a tratter.
Tratterist = one who owns and/or drives a tratter.
Trattering = the art of trattership.
Trattered = one who has caught the trattering bug.
Tratterdom = blissful tratter ownership thinking tratters are the only vehicle to own.
Tratterburd = female tratterer.
Tratterolic = one who owns too many tratters.
Tratterphobia = fear of tratters.
Tratterphobic = one who hates tratters.
Biscuit tin = tratter.
Drafty damp biscuit tin = tratter.
Garden ornament = a tratter that hasn't been driven using its own engine and mechanicals for 1 year or longer.
Rust worm = a tratterers worst fear.
badfelafel
Member
I'm glad I asked, I knew it trattered
