OK all. Not quite the long haul planned from Beziers, S of France to Krakow Poland and we are doing a compromise - driving to Bergamo north of Milan and then getting a cheap flight on to Poland. More to do with pasengers getting bored and cost of overnight stays than my unwilingeness to do the...

Thanks Kev 1nlm. Good to know others use their old freelanders as long trip workhorses without problems. britishwardog - the L series was highly regarded - didnt it go in the Honda Accord in preference to Japanese lumps?

Thanks I will check my cover. I have used the cover I have in France and it was pretty good to be fair (option of hire car etc and cost reimbursed for alternative travel) but I dont know whether this extends throughout Europe. May call the ADAC if I need to.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. Yes I am sure I have breakdown cover with the insurance. The trip is not till the summer and if we do decide to drive I will certainly keep a photo chronicle! I'm up for it but I think my three passengers (wife and two grown up children) are not sure...

Thanks guys! I have done big trips before in other cars and after the first few hundred or so miles of (perhaps) hearing and worrying about all sorts of noises, I just drove ..... and got there! As someone said - I should just concentrate on enjoyeing the scenery Breakdown cover I will...

Hello I have an old L series diesel which is going just fine at the moment. We are visiting family in Warsaw, Poland in the summer for my father-in-law's 85th birthday (from our home near Beziers, France). There will be 4 of us travelling and the flights and hire car options are...

Possibly diff front mount. Mine did the same. Lots of advice on replacement on this site. Gareth

I can only speak about my own experiences and other advice may differ. I had a vibration from underneath/rear above about 50mph and thought it might have been the diff. In fact is was the rear UJ on the prop. I checked it a few times and sometimes it seemed solid, other times a bit wobbly...

I had the same problem last year and Bells warned me the front bit would be more difficult than the back. In the end it worked free with force and lots of WD40 (and a replacement chisel after the first one snapped). Just persevere and it will come off eventually. I was swearing at my prop...

Good job and well done. I did the same last year and it made a big difference to the feel when parking - and also much smother at high speeds with new bearings. If you keep on top of these beasts they can be tamed and by now I think everyone knows the main weaknesses so we know what to expect!

Have you checked the front diff mount? That is more of a thump than a grinding but might be worth looking at if you haven't looked already. Had the same on roundabouts with mine.

Good evening I spent the day doing my rear UJ and now I have a Freelander with no vibrations. Yipee! Observations: 1) The UJ didn't seem that bad bolted up to the diff but there was some play. In fact over the last few months I have had vibrations on and off sometimes worse sometimes OK...

Yep - even with not such a keen eye! Viewers should also note your tippex markings on teh carriers to keep everything straight for reassembly

I got a friend to help me lower the whole unit down last year - a lot easier! But I see it could be done with carefully placed jacks and stands. I will have a go at dismembering the rear prop in in situ as Nodge68 has suggested (if I recall on the bench the rear prop came off the VCU much more...

Interesting - I was encouraged to take the whole lot down before fixing the rear UJ and on reflection thought that may be easier than struggling to separate the VCU splines from the prop underneath at awkward angles.

Great - that link is just what I needed. Thank you Busterbus.

Excellent - thank you. I will get the bits and have a go when the sun next comes out. Thanks again. Gareth

Hi thanks I am going to invest in a vice and wonder what size it needs to be - maximum open. I would prefer something that fits onto my workmate with a screw mechanism ( like old fashioned meat mincers) but these are generally small. If anyone can give me a size I need that would be helpful...

Thanks! I think you are right and I would just get grumpy and mad trying to do it all under the car! Sometimes short cuts are long cuts...!

Thanks - I think I have a G clamp somewhere. Do you reckon I can do it under the car if I just drop the rear prop off the diff (I have some decent ramps). The offer of a GKN joint is very kind but I live in France which is extra hassle for you. I will pay postage if you are able to send it -...