Freelander 1 TD4 Upgrade project

Hi guys,

So, I have a 2002 TD4 5 door GS which I got a few weeks back after being screwed over by a local Ford dealer on my faulty new B-Max (not bitter here at all....really...ok a little). Long and short meant I handed it back to the dealers, lost £6K and then found this gorgeous TD4 at the auctions. 104,400 miles, history to 61k, good clean bodywork, undamaged seats and tidy alloys. Not too shabby for £1100 including buyers premium.

I dropped her straight to my local Halfraud Autocentre for a major service and auto box service, just to make sure she was OK. Yep, not cheap but at least there is some comeback if there are problems and its an official stamp in the service book.

So far I have swapped the headlight bulbs for +130 bulbs, renewed all the orange indicator bulbs as they were cracked and showing too white and sourced a front bumper with the period fog lights in them.

I have been tinkering internally, too. I have replaced the fabric seats with black leather heated seats. The seats needed a good clean, re-dye and polish but have turned out very nicely. The heating connectors were under the seats so I just needed the 2 switches for the centre console and I now have a warm bum. I've installed a new Kenwood head unit with DAB+ and a DAB aerial, along with the correct adaptor to link in the steering wheel audio controls.

Today I have fitted the master switch, ECU and steering wheel controls for the cruise control and tested it on the way home. It all works! It was all plug and play. The hardest part was cutting the hole in the side of the steering wheel to take the switch/paddle module.

I've sourced a NOS driving light pods kit but still need to get the soft A bar from somewhere as the lights need that apparently. The same supplier sold me a NOS silver trim kit for the centre console. Unfortunately I forgot that it would be different as it is designed for an earlier manual model, not an auto with HDC. So that will be going on ebay soon.

I still need to remove the front fog lights from the donor bumper and fit them to my own front bumper (which is in better nick) and then sort out the wiring and switch.

I'm tempted to have a go at fitting powerfold mirrors and the heated front screen but that might be for the future.

So, thats the progress so far. I am so pleased with the car and with LR for fitting a single loom to all the cars so we tinkerers can retro-fit what we want to and it will look factory.

When I can figure out how to upload some photos (I'm on a iMac) I'll get them sorted.

Andy

Sounds like a nice project.

Did Halfords auto centre change the PCV filter in the service they did for you, clean the EGR & manifold also clean the MAP sensor, I doubt not so I would therefore consider doing these your self as Halfraud's as you stated, do quite often omit to doing a proper service, I found this out with my recent FL 2 which at or supposed to have been serviced by them just before me acquiring it, all stamped etc but when I phoned up to ask certain questions I was told, no sir that was not done in the service ? even though they had wrote that the belts had been done, so I would not take any Halfords centre as face value always ask.

Sounds like you have found a good one though so best to keep it up to scratch, good luck with it I passed my FL1 Td4 on early this march gone wanted for nothing.

andystarks said:

Hi guys,
I dropped her straight to my local Halfraud Autocentre for a major service and auto box service, just to make sure she was OK. Yep, not cheap but at least there is some comeback if there are problems and its an official stamp in the service book.

So far I have swapped the headlight bulbs for +130 bulbs, renewed all the orange indicator bulbs as they were cracked and showing too white and sourced a front bumper with the period fog lights in them.

I have been tinkering internally, too. I have replaced the fabric seats with black leather heated seats. The seats needed a good clean, re-dye and polish but have turned out very nicely. The heating connectors were under the seats so I just needed the 2 switches for the centre console and I now have a warm bum. I've installed a new Kenwood head unit with DAB+ and a DAB aerial, along with the correct adaptor to link in the steering wheel audio controls.

Today I have fitted the master switch, ECU and steering wheel controls for the cruise control and tested it on the way home. It all works! It was all plug and play. The hardest part was cutting the hole in the side of the steering wheel to take the switch/paddle module.

I've sourced a NOS driving light pods kit but still need to get the soft A bar from somewhere as the lights need that apparently. The same supplier sold me a NOS silver trim kit for the centre console. Unfortunately I forgot that it would be different as it is designed for an earlier manual model, not an auto with HDC. So that will be going on ebay soon.

I still need to remove the front fog lights from the donor bumper and fit them to my own front bumper (which is in better nick) and then sort out the wiring and switch.

I'm tempted to have a go at fitting powerfold mirrors and the heated front screen but that might be for the future.

So, thats the progress so far. I am so pleased with the car and with LR for fitting a single loom to all the cars so we tinkerers can retro-fit what we want to and it will look factory.

When I can figure out how to upload some photos (I'm on a iMac) I'll get them sorted.

Andy

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I seriously doubt you you'll get a true Freeland spec clean bill of health from Halfords.
I'd not them service a bike, let alone a finicky car like the Freelander.
The rest of what you're doing is good though.

Hi guys,

Thanks for the responses.

Arctic2 - thanks for the advice, I'll check on those points.

So, hopefully, there will be some photos from the links below.... in theory

And the cruise control bits and bobs from today - sorry the photos are so large, I need to learn how to reduce the photos for everyones sanity!

Looks good! Do the pcv and check the vcu and you're good to go, for a bit

kernowsvenski said:

Looks good! Do the pcv and check the vcu and you're good to go, for a bit

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And all tyres are identical with least worn on the rear.

andystarks said:

And the cruise control bits and bobs from today - sorry the photos are so large, I need to learn how to reduce the photos for everyones sanity!

Click to expand...

The pics look fine on my PC.
Nice job with the seats.

Alibro said:

The pics look fine on my PC.
Nice job with the seats.

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+1

Alibro said:

The pics look fine on my PC.
Nice job with the seats.

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+2 also is that a leather gear knob? i been looking for one of them mine is a bit worn

You like it then.

@Devilish I'm surprised you got the cruise control working with just the one box, I thought you needed the black ecu box and the grey metal interface box? But yeah its coming along nicely

Jayridium said:

@Devilish I'm surprised you got the cruise control working with just the one box, I thought you needed the black ecu box and the grey metal interface box? But yeah its coming along nicely

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Not on a TD4. The CC ECU controls the EDC directly.
The V6 petrol needs the grey box and different CC ECU as it's an electro-numatic system.