2004 td4 freelander , manual ..

Hi
I really need some advice .
Having been severely bitten last year with a 2001 2.5 v6 automatic i am very very wary of buying another freelander ..But i miss it
I am now taking a close look at buying a 2004 td4 manual 5 door ( in mint green lol )
What i really would like to know from the experts on here is , is this car safe to buy , or is it going to turn into the cash cow that the v6 was ?
Im not worried about the little bits but i am majorly worried about the engine and all the expensive bits . The car im looking at has a full service history and has had only 1 owner ..
Thank you
xx

From my understanding and experience,
The 1.8 k series engine is fine if you keep your eye on the cooling levels. The system itself is very weak and does not hold a massive amount of fluid so if you get leaks then its not far off hurting the block and head.

The 2.5 v6 in the auto trim is juicy and really the one to avoid IMO.( and now yours!!)
The TD4 is a strong oil burner,looked after and serviced will go strong for years.
Try to get one without a tow bar and manual. what is the mileage on the "mint green one"?
unfortunately there is always going to be a risk buying a car.
If you keep your wits about you , keep your ears listening for nasty noises and the general drive you should be ok. You have experience for the problems of your n/a 2.5 v6 take this knowledge with you when you go to look at others.
Have a butchers underneath for damage and major rust. scrapes on the sump if you can see it.. Touch all the carpets make sure they are nice and dry. make sure all the heaters work cold and hot , all the windows work and check all the lights,horn, wipers so on and so forth.
good luck with the sale and buy.

The biggest problem area on any Freelander 1 is the transmission and rear prop assembly. Have a look at the multitude of threads on here regarding IRDs and VCUs and you'll see what I mean.

Make sure the VCU on the vehicle you're looking at has been replaced at the specified mileage (70K? Someone correct me...) assuming it's reached that mileage. Do the relevant full steering-lock reversing tests to check if it feels over "tight" (see other threads for details).

Ignore the VCU at your peril. A knackered one can take out your IRD and/or rear diff! Tyres can take a pounding from a knackered VCU too.

That aside, the Td4 is a good engine. There's quite a bit you can do to make it better, but even in standard form it should feel strong and return decent mpg (I get about 38mpg from mine).

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your purchase if you go for it

Hi td4 is the way to go, tyres are crucial , check all 4 are the same make/model/size , as mismatched tyres are one of main causes of drivetrain failure on the freelander 1 , i would buy another one good luck

Hi
Thanks for the replies
Like i said , my other Freelander v6 cost me 2 engine rebuilds within 15 months and then the cam belt went again ( tried suing the garage but nothing ) Finally sold her on ebay as a going concern , this is why i am very cautious .
But driving about in a Mondeo ( shame on me ) I miss the ease of getting in and out and sitting high in traffic etc , just generally i miss the Lander ..
The one i am looking at is a 2004 and has done 110,000 miles , i know the miliage is high but this car looks immaculate , i havnt done a test drive as of yet because i didnt want to get excited before i found out some facts about the car ..
What i do know is the car was a business lease car from new , then when the lease ran out the driver bought it ..I doesnt sound as if its ever been used for any off roading and it doesnt have a tow bar so not used to tow a caravan .. I might just go and see if i can get test drive later today and listen carefully to any noises etc ..
Thank you for the advice , i feel a little more excited now !

Nowt wrong with Mondeos. Ive got the 2.0 TDCi and get almost 60 mpg from it.

Might not be so happy after Ive changed the broken front coil spring this weekend. Never done one on a Mondeo before and Ive read I have to lower the sub frame to remove the strut..

Enjoy driving both my Mondeo and Freelander.

And good luck with your new car

Make sure yu go prepared to look underneath. Check all 4 tyres are the same make, type and size with no unusual wear patterns - sharp edges or angular block patterns. Or allocate for 5 new tyres.
Look underneath and make sure there is a propshaft fitted that goes to the rear diff.
Do the reversing on full lock test and if yu are still happy, then you have checked the major issues.

If you are buying from a garage get a warranty if private reduce their price by at least £500

This will pay for a recon VCU from Bell engineering plus a few mods to make it go even better.

The TD4 is a great engine if looked after and serviced correctly. It has plenty of power for most work and is smooth and pretty quiet on the road.

Really really important make sure you have a set of new Tyres all round or if not new the same make and the ones with most tread on the rear - this bit is important - new Tyres always go on rear and the old ones moved to the front if you ate not replacing all four - it states this in the handbook - your VCU will last a long time then.

Fuel consumption is so much better that v6 - expect 36 mpg plus.

Do not buy a 1.8 K series - it will break and the resale value is terrible.

zoolander said:

Nowt wrong with Mondeos. Ive got the 2.0 TDCi and get almost 60 mpg from it.

Might not be so happy after Ive changed the broken front coil spring this weekend. Never done one on a Mondeo before and Ive read I have to lower the sub frame to remove the strut..

Enjoy driving both my Mondeo and Freelander.

Click to expand...

We do ike the mondeo i have to admit but i have a severe arthritic knee and have problems getting out of it because its so low to the ground and yes itis brilliant on fuel , we drive from Southampton to exeter and back on £40

Duhhh i forgot to say the engine is a 2.ltr tdi4 , if that makes any difference ..Had a good look over it today but the paper work for the car is in a locked office ( manager went home early ) Going to test drive on Sunday, and will give the paper work a full look over .
I also heard today from asking around that these car has a known problem with the clutch ? This car has no tow bar so hasnt towed anything .

Just had the clutch dine on mine - the parts are average price but you have to remove the URD and Gearbox to do it . I changed clutch slave and plate as well as the Duel Mass Flywheel (95,000 miles it was pretty rough so glad I did but £360) total cost inc labour from a cheap friendly guy £700! So budget thi in any deal. How much is it?

While your checking the paperwork make sure you look at the mot closely and see if the advisory box has been ticked. If it has and he doesnt have the advisory sheet then get the serial number off the mot and check on the gov website and that will tell you the history of the past mots and any advisories. Its also a good way to verify the mileage.

Duhhh i forgot to say the engine is a 2.ltr tdi4 , if that makes any difference.

Yes indeed - a huge difference. I'm sure you mean 2 litre TD4 - no i.

This is one of the best diesels engines ever made by BMW - IMHO.

As long as its had the oil changed & been serviced regularly its very, very reliable.

As you will discover on here there are a couple of things you can do to update / upgrade it - but even the standard lump is outstanding.

If the paperworks good - go for it - and enjoy.

angeloc said:

Just had the clutch dine on mine - the parts are average price but you have to remove the URD and Gearbox to do it . I changed clutch slave and plate as well as the Duel Mass Flywheel (95,000 miles it was pretty rough so glad I did but £360) total cost inc labour from a cheap friendly guy £700! So budget thi in any deal. How much is it?

Click to expand...

The dealer is asking for £5000 so we will conter offer with £4500 for a cash sale with warranty ..

I paid £3200 for mine it's an 03 private deal no warranty. I would go in with the costs of a clutch and flywheel and get him to either to the full job or drop £1000. Do some reading on how to check the VCU and do it with him in the car - they all bind up a bit so shake your head at him on full lock take deep breathe and ask for a new one.

A car dealer mate said you can always pay too much but there is a point when both parties are happy just make sure you are the one who is happiest - he can only say no and you know you have avoid deal when he swears blood and still says yes!

The prices you guys pay are amazing. I got my 03 Td4 auto (3 door) three & a half years ago with 52k on the clock for £4,700 from a dealer. There's no way I'd look at one with over 100k for £5000 though the full service history does count for a lot. Check how often the crankcase breather has been changed on the service records and whether the new design one available from BMW only (Landrover still sell the old crappy ones) has been fitted. This is critical & the older one must be changed every 12,000 miles or else it clogs up & eventually blows the turbo. BMW took a while to find the problem so there probably isn't much evidence very early in the cars life of changes but certainly around 2006/7 should be regularly changed/documented. Once the new redesigned unit is fitted it can be forgotten for about 60,000 miles.

Well we bought the car

This is the 1st time i had seen it , hubby had been eying it up and had been to see it before me .

We took it for a 45 mikn test drive , the engine is purring quietly and no knocking from the engine when sitting at lights . No black smoke , doesnt smell hot , tyres are all even with good tread . Hubby did the full lock reverse test and said it was really smooth , then he looked underneath and felt the VCU unit which was cold after a 45 min drive , including a couple of miles on the motorway .
I sat in the back for a while and it is as quiet as a mouse , no knocking on bends or turns. The engine bay was clean with no sign of an oil leak underneath ..Its immaculate inside ..
Looks like it was odriven by a woman for the last 4 years as its only did 15,000 miles in those 4 years ..
I know b uying any second car is a gamble so we told the sales we only had 4500 to spend and he let us have it ..
Fingers crossed now that we havnt bought a lemon

Congratulations - now enjoy!

Just check a few little things in the near future and all should be well.

EGR and pcv for example - lots of threads on here about what need checking / cleaning.

No huge expense should be involved.

Have fun with your new toy.