FL2 Bluetooth Unit Failed

I’ve today finally sorted the Bluetooth unit on my Freelander 2, this is the second FL2 I’ve owned as I had a 2007 TD4 HSE and never had a problem with the media equipment. However I bought a newer SD4 HSE luxury 2010 60 plate and after a few months the Bluetooth started playing up. This would drop out continuously and cause the nav & radio to keep switching on & off and in the process the phone connection was lost. I changed the relays in the rear fuse box which did not sort the problem. This week I finally bought a second hand unit from a 2008 FL2 took just 10 minutes to fit in the rear off side boot area. Suddenly everything back to normal for the princely sum of £45 ‘used‘ off eBay. A new one was £485 plus vat so that wasn’t an option. In short the only answer is swap it out for a replacement, what goes wrong with the unit is unknown as it’s a sealed black box, given this would have been a £35000 car new it doesn’t say a lot for the quality of this Bluetooth part as after 12years old it brings the whole media kit to its knees. This unit is used on Volvo’s and some Ford models so you may even be able to pickup cheaper.

Good it's fixed.
I don't actually think that a 12 year old module failing is down to a low quality part.
It's what happens to modern electronics in the harsh environment in vehicle over time.
These modules actually suffer from bad solder joints on one or more of the ICs, which is almost certainly caused by the use if lead free solder, which all consume grade electronics manufacturers have been mandated to use since January 1 2006. Unfortunately lead free solder isn't as durable as traditional 50/50 lead/tin solder, which has caused the early demise of millions of tonnes of electronic equipment per year since it was introduced. This is why all military and aviation equipment is exempt from this lead free solder legislation, as they can't have a radio, radar or computer failing due to cracked solder joints.

The whole audio system in this vehicle is a linked network, which is why one part failing causes other issues on the system. It's good it's just the BT module that failed, as many other modules need to be coded to the vehicle, so require a programme session on a suitable piece of equipment.
It's sad but modern electronic equipment isn't made to last, but a failure after 12 years isn't bad. How well will your phone work in 12 years, or your TV, computer, or anything else electronic.