Thinking of getting another one

Hello all
I have not been on this site for a few years.I had a early freelander 3 years ago and although I loved it it was a bit of a pig it had the old diesel engine which was the good part but just about everything esle went wrong including the IRD,VCU,ABS MODULATOR,and ECU so I didnt have much luck. now I am thinking of getting another one so what I would like to know is do the later models fair any better and if so from which year did they sort them out.I have about £5500 to spend so I can get a high milage facelift one but would a cheaper slightly older one be ok.

Thank you in advance for any help I am sure if anyone can answer my questions it will be you guys and girls .

Mark

You may have to wait a while for the right one to come up but I would suggest you get the newest you can find, ideally single previous owner, that's in immaculate mechanical condition and with a service history to match, including belts etc.

Why not consider a Disco II? Apparently they have their own share of problems though, but I'd consider it a worthy upgrade nonetheless!

RichM said:

Why not consider a Disco II? Apparently they have their own share of problems though, but I'd consider it a worthy upgrade nonetheless!

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I did think of a disco at first but its more car than I need and the wife used to like driving the old freelander, also running costs play quite a large part.

Mark

Mechanically there's not much difference between the facelift Td4 & the early Td4 from 2000. They changed low pressure fuel pumps & I think the dashboard was changed on the facelift. Forget the petrols as they were never fully sorted & check out the common Td4 faults like MAF, Crank & Cam sensors, Crankcase breather, Injectors, low presssure pump etc. Engines themselves are good with a timing chain, so no belts.

If you're any good with the spanners, it might be worth thinking about buying something like a low miler 02/03 plate & fit a set of facelift bumpers & lights yourself as they do look better. £5.5k is a good healthy budget & you wil sort out a good one for that.

chromiumuk said:

Mechanically there's not much difference between the facelift Td4 & the early Td4 from 2000. They changed low pressure fuel pumps & I think the dashboard was changed on the facelift. Forget the petrols as they were never fully sorted & check out the common Td4 faults like MAF, Crank & Cam sensors, Crankcase breather, Injectors, low presssure pump etc. Engines themselves are good with a timing chain, so no belts.

If you're any good with the spanners, it might be worth thinking about buying something like a low miler 02/03 plate & fit a set of facelift bumpers & lights yourself as they do look better. £5.5k is a good healthy budget & you wil sort out a good one for that.

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Thank you for the reply it is most helpful, when they changed to the TD4 did they also sort out the IRD/VCU problem or was that later ,at the moment I am looking at a 2004 TD4 it has service history upto 84000 and it has done 116000 the history is missing for the last 2 years because its a finance grab back. I have been looking at a facelift model as I thought some of the problems may have been sorted but if that is not the case and it was sorted on earlier models I might go for one of them instead.

Mark

MARK II said:

Thank you for the reply it is most helpful, when they changed to the TD4 did they also sort out the IRD/VCU problem or was that later ,at the moment I am looking at a 2004 TD4 it has service history upto 84000 and it has done 116000 the history is missing for the last 2 years because its a finance grab back. I have been looking at a facelift model as I thought some of the problems may have been sorted but if that is not the case and it was sorted on earlier models I might go for one of them instead.

Mark

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go for the 2002 on as that is when they sorted the rear ratio's. . . . .however any faulty vcu can play hell with the rest of the transmision. . . .maf was an on going problem [Rover Ron can sort that out] most of the niggles have been sorted by this forum actually [a big plus for loony zone] as said before history is all important and yes stick to the doozles [nice motors] best 4x4 in there catergory go for high spec [auto's are nice] welcome back to crazy land

2004 should be after the diff ratios were changed, should be less chance of a vcu/ird problem, or just wishful thinking ?

Optimus Prime said:

2004 should be after the diff ratios were changed, should be less chance of a vcu/ird problem, or just wishful thinking ?

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cough !!!!!

ming said:

cough !!!!!

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wot?porky shove a stick up ya?

Beast o Bodmin said:

wot?porky shove a stick up ya?

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yes its defo loony zone

ming said:

go for the 2002 on as that is when they sorted the rear ratio's. . . .

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I thought they were changed in 2001?

RichM said:

I thought they were changed in 2001?

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YES THEY WEZ FFS. . . . .didnt wanna get all complicated it wer late 2001 but i i i just just. . . . . .yer ok

Thanks for all the info guys its good to be back everyone thinks I must be mad but I just think they are great cars, its good to know the date the ratios were sorted so I dont need to go for a facelift car so I may go looking for a slightly older one with lower mileage.its also good to be back in the zone.
one other thing is there any preventative measures I can take to keep the car healthy and are the auto boxes reliable.


Mark

MARK II said:

are the auto boxes reliable.


Mark

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Yes they is good [jatco auto box] but like all auto's need to know how to check them,get engine hot and boot it listen out for hard bangs and gear drops , a steep hill is the best test, then do the same in sports mode, and test in manwell. . . .in tick over it should be able to drive forward without any judder and should hold with light brake pedal , try this test quite a few times, any suspects then walk away

ming said:

Yes they is good [jatco auto box] but like all auto's need to know how to check them,get engine hot and boot it listen out for hard bangs and gear drops , a steep hill is the best test, then do the same in sports mode, and test in manwell. . . .in tick over it should be able to drive forward without any judder and should hold with light brake pedal , try this test quite a few times, any suspects then walk away

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Thank you for that I wasnt sure about autos, as in the old days (20 years ago) autos in any car were a bit dodgey,but things move on and get better.


Mark

MARK II said:

Thank you for that I wasnt sure about autos, as in the old days (20 years ago) autos in any car were a bit dodgey,but things move on and get better.


Mark

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As Ming says the autos are great, just do the checks he suggests & use a competent garage/specialist when changing fluid & you'll be ok. I've had an 03 plate for over two years now (had 52k on the clock & cost £4,700 from a dealer back in 2008) & it's been brilliant.
Yes, I've had to fit new wishbones, brake discs, front bushes etc. but they're fairly cheap & easy to replace & I've also fitted an excellent roverron synergy 1, egr bypass & roverron mafam which has improved it no end.
Just watch out for the road tax situation on the autos from Y plate onwards. It might go up to around £430 from next year but we're not sure yet as the old Labour government gave 01-06 cars a years stay of execution to see them through the election & didn't make any firm declaration about the future. The only way out of this for the auto models is to either buy an X-plate or buy the commercial version.
If you elect to go for the manual, then check out the dual mass flywheel.

chromiumuk said:

As Ming says the autos are great, just do the checks he suggests & use a competent garage/specialist when changing fluid & you'll be ok. I've had an 03 plate for over two years now (had 52k on the clock & cost £4,700 from a dealer back in 2008) & it's been brilliant.
Yes, I've had to fit new wishbones, brake discs, front bushes etc. but they're fairly cheap & easy to replace & I've also fitted an excellent roverron synergy 1, egr bypass & roverron mafam which has improved it no end.
Just watch out for the road tax situation on the autos from Y plate onwards. It might go up to around £430 from next year but we're not sure yet as the old Labour government gave 01-06 cars a years stay of execution to see them through the election & didn't make any firm declaration about the future. The only way out of this for the auto models is to either buy an X-plate or buy the commercial version.
If you elect to go for the manual, then check out the dual mass flywheel.

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Ok thanks for the info 1 question what is the dual mass flywheel and how do I check it.

Mark

MARK II said:

Ok thanks for the info 1 question what is the dual mass flywheel and how do I check it.

Mark

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. . . . . .TITTER :doh: I'm orft ta pub :hysterically_laughi:lalala::beer2::bump::speakenglish::5bbeatdeadhorse5:

ming said:

. . . . . .TITTER :doh: I'm orft ta pub :hysterically_laughi:lalala::beer2::bump::speakenglish::5bbeatdeadhorse5:

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:doh: arse it was late. went to look at a 2004 facelift tonight £5000, to good to be true! oh yes what a pile of ****.

Mark