Freelander 2 td4 possibly rear strut issue

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Danny11111

Member
Posts
17
Location
London
Hi there,
I have a an undiagnosed problem with the rear end of my 2010 freelander 2. When I go over bumps or potholes round a corner the car shudders and it feels like the backend slides a bit. I've changed the rear anti roll bar bushes and also the drop links. Is there any way to determine what the issue is and from where, as I begrudge putting it into a garage and pay £70 for them to tell me what's wrong. Any helpful hints and tips are most welcome
 
Mine gives a little sideways kick to the right, when the LR rear wheel runs through a sharp indentation in the road, like a sunken drain cover. It also does the same thing but mirrored, if the RH rear wheel runs through a similar indentation in the road.

It's pretty normal for a vehicle to do this, especially if the rear shocks are past there best.
Having said that, our Mazda CX5 has done the same thing from new, as did the Ford Kuga before.

If it's just a shudder, with a minor twitch at the back, then it's of no concern.
 
Thanks for the reply, I do feel slightly better that it's nothing too conspicuous but it does sound like it's getting noiser at the back especially as the roads are crappy
 
Danny11111 said:
Thanks for the reply, I do feel slightly better that it's nothing too conspicuous but it does sound like it's getting noiser at the back especially as the roads are crappy
Click to expand...

If the noise increases on rough roads, then it's most likely a slight hardening of the rubber bushes. Or it can sometimes be down to the tyres. Again, it's nothing to worry about.
 
Have you considered getting your shocks checked. Had mine changed a couple of years ago and it transformed the ride.
Symptoms sound similar to your description. Don’t think it was expensive.
 
Yea I was thinking I should do, but just wanted to hear from people on here 1st to see if there was any way to tell if they were knackered or not, plus I would probably attempt to do it myself so wanted to know it I would change the top mounts aswell
 
Danny11111 said:
Yea I was thinking I should do, but just wanted to hear from people on here 1st to see if there was any way to tell if they were knackered or not, plus I would probably attempt to do it myself so wanted to know it I would change the top mounts aswell
Click to expand...

Does it bounce more than once, after going over a speed hump?
 
Yea It does it's more the shuddering after that concerns me, literally the whole car shakes and it's mainly on the left side
 
Danny11111 said:
Yea It does it's more the shuddering after that concerns me, literally the whole car shakes and it's mainly on the left side
Click to expand...

If the vehicle is shaking, then that's not right. It should give a little twitch just as the tyre goes through a sharp bump. This is mainly due to the weight of the wheels, as they are bounced upwards by the bump, which lifts the body very slightly.

It definitely shouldn't be shaking the whole vehicle, or unsettle it in any way.

It sounds like you could have a rear shock (they are struts) failure, which does need investigating.

As I said, my own FL2 has a minor twitch at the rear through sharp bumps, but it doesn't shake the body, or unsettle the suspension.

I'm planning on replacing all my struts at some point, as a complete set (front and rear) can be found for under £200, and as mine has now over 120k on the clock, the shocks will be past their best.
 
Last edited:
Yea I thought it could be a strut issue, would I change the top mounts aswell just because you can and its easier doing the whole lot at once?, my cars done 120k also
 
Danny11111 said:
Yea I thought it could be a strut issue, would I change the top mounts aswell just because you can and its easier doing the whole lot at once?, my cars done 120k also
Click to expand...

I myself would change everything, even the springs if they were beginning to corrode. Spring failure is pretty common on modern cars, and unfortunately the FL2 is not immune either.

There aren't many components to the rear struts, just the strut, spring, top pan and top mounting plate. There's a mass damper, which will also need replacing, if it's rubber section had deteriorated.

The fronts are a little more complicated, as they have a swivel bearing too, which again is sensible to replace, while it's all apart.

If doing it DIY, you'll need a suitable spring compressor, as the springs need compressing before the centre nut is released.
 
Ok brilliant thanks for you help, I cant seem to find anywhere that sells the damper you mentioned got the stuts, springs and top mount just not the damper‍♂️any idea where I can get them from.

Thanks
 
Mine shocks cost about £270 for the garage to replace. The mechanic just bounced on the towbar and said "yes they are shot" it was drivable but felt nasty.
heres a video I took at the time (sorry not a very good one) one good and one bad.
 
Ok thanks for that I ask about to see what prices i can get, at the moment parts about £340 but that's strut spring and top mount
 
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