Freelander Clutch Problems

I recently spent £1300 having a new clutch, flywheel, master and slave cylinders fitted by a main LandRover dealer into my 2003 Freelander TD4.

After 4 weeks and 2000 miles of normal driving I could not get gear immediately after towing 750kg 5 miles to my home address for the first time with the new clutch. I have towed the same load on the same journey numerous times before without any problems and heavier loads on longer journeys too.

The vehicle was recovered back to the LandRover dealer who took 2 1/2 weeks to look at the problem. They say that the clutch is badly slipped and the only reason is driver error which I dispute; otherwise I would have had the problem many times before.

The dealer is waiting for a response off LandRover - but has anyone else had similar problems?

how long did your previous clutch last, its a good indication of your driving style

freelance said:

how long did your previous clutch last, its a good indication of your driving style

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The clutch has been replaced at 49k and 98k which I have noted is normal on some Freelanders and given our location and the usage the vehicle gets is probably not bad.
I today received a call from the LandRover main dealer telling me the car is ready for collection (it went there 4 weeks tomorrow) and that LandRover are covering the cost in full.

andystatham said:

The clutch has been replaced at 49k and 98k which I have noted is normal on some Freelanders and given our location and the usage the vehicle gets is probably not bad.
I today received a call from the LandRover main dealer telling me the car is ready for collection (it went there 4 weeks tomorrow) and that LandRover are covering the cost in full.

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The clutches are crap, there are plenty of instances where the diaphragm spring becomes distorted which affects both the clearance when trying to engage gears and also the clamping force which can result in slip.

It appears that they have decided that the evidence of slip was the result of the failure and not the cause.

Picked up the car to find that both the clutch, fly wheelm and both master and slave cylinders had all been replaced.
An explanation for the slip could not be given, like you say it appears that they have decided that the evidence of slip was the result of the failure and not the cause.
Still dont know why it took so long for a main LandRover dealer to even get round to looking at a vehicle recovered into them. Although at 35 miles awaty they are my local dealer (there is not much choice on the coast in Mid Wales) I wont be using them again. Next time I will use Conwy LandRover who athough they are 70 miles away in the opposite direction have always been fairly reliable, or if they have cocked up, been apologetic.