NEED MECHANIC FOR LAND ROVER STX

Hah, good luck.

We have a European luxury SUV also (Volvo XC90) and have struck out on STX. Some people with some Euro cars (e.g., Porsche) fly a mechanic in periodically. I heard someone actually got the Automart dealership to bring in a mechanic for some Euro cars recently as well. My plan for fixing ours is probably going to entail putting it on a ferry and sending it to Puerto Rico (awaiting a price estimate now.) Once we get it fixed properly we're selling and never owning anything that doesn't come from a new car dealership on island so we can get proper warrantied manufacturer service (which means no more Euro cars and since I don't like the Japanese car driving experience I think we'll stick with Domestic as there are some great options now - mostly Fords.)

Leave a note at Ziggy's (formally Smokies) There are 2-3 Land Rover owners in that area. Almost every morning there is an older gentleman with a beard there, he drives an older one but knows the man who has the new one. Word is he bought the scanner?
Why do you guys do this to yourself?

Good to Go, you are right on the Volvo mechanic that is currently working at Caribbean Auto Mart . Call and ask to speak to Miguel, the manager in the service department for service issues

B&J, what is the problem you are having with the Land Rover? Be specific please.

Thanks

Have you talked to Mike at MPH?
He's down from 5 corners.

First of all, Thank you all for replying!

I took my car for an oil change and brake job on Jan 5th, drove it home and have not been able to drive it since. When I start the car it makes this really loud knocking noise that sounds like it's coming from the front of the engine. I had a guy named Mike (new on island) come here and attach the scanner and it read that 5 of my cylinders were misfiring.

This guy Josh knows about Discovery Land Rovers and Range Rover Land Rovers. But it seems the Freelander is a breed of its own and not a lot of people (mechanics) know anything about it.

It's a 2002 Freelander with only 50,000 mi on it....

I guess I may have to fly someone in but who has the money for all that plus parts and labor????

B&J

scanners don't usually read physical problems until they can be picked up by a sensor and then you still need to take that info with a grain of salt, the Freelanders are notorious for blowing engines even with low miles, so is the noise a engine knock? Is the oil level correct? Did they perhaps run it after the oil change without filling it first? It would not run if 5 cylinders were not working so more likely a sensor or computer issue if not mechanical, any decent mechanic should at least be able to tell you if the noise is the problem or the symptom. If it turns out to be a computer or sensor you may need someone who is good in this field but they would not have to be schooled in rovers, the same would be true if it needs a engine rebuild or swap, any good mechanic should be able to handle a rebiuld or swap. Of course finding a good mechanic can be an issue as well as getting parts but I would recommend finding a well recommended one on island and see what they say.
good luck,
D

MAY be preigniting, could be cam or crank sensor.
And, NO, don`t know a dam thing about these!!!

Does it run?
Is it a 6 cylinder?
Doubt it, but what if, you ran out of oil from a loose oil filter/drain plug(check oil level).
This would of course destroy the engine.
But, did it knock (at all) on the way home?

If it`s a computer error, I would think there is a method to put it into fail safe mode.

have you tried any freelander forums?? google -- forum land rover freelander -- there are quite a few and some are very active and informative.

This is my issue as well. The problem with flying someone in is you're going to have to fly them in twice - if you're lucky. The first time is for the diagnosis (and God help you if they don't have the manufacturer's proprietary diagnostic interface) and the second time is for parts installation after you find the parts and get them shipped. You'll be lucky if everything works right and the problem was properly diagnosed and fixed on the second trip and doesn't necessitate another rounds of parts and flights.

I'm going to give the Automart dealership a call this week and who knows, I may be pleasantly surprised, but I expect I'll be paying for a ferry to Puerto Rico next month (over Spring break when I'll take the family off-island for vacation.)

...

I guess I may have to fly someone in but who has the money for all that plus parts and labor????

B&J

B&J.
Did anybody check to see if you had water in your gas tank?

Thanks fo r all the replies!!!

OK car starts but makes the knocking noise; we changed the wrong oil the mechanic put in to 5W40 Havoline Synthetic (he had put regular 3W40); I changed the Variable Intake Valves #1 & #2 along with the seal and gasket for each.

Now the diag computer says "misfire to #3 & #5 cylinders" as opposed to initially it said "all cylinders were misfiring except #6"

It's now going on 2 months and my car is still sitting in my driveway.....Come on guys there are LOTS of LandRovers on island I can't believe no one knows about Freelanders. I so upset.... :0(

OK gotta go to work

Thanks everyone
B

Again - there are some really helpful forums online for the Freelander - I just looked at 3 that I am sure would he of use to you if you register there and ask about your specific problem.

What did Mike say?

were are you? if I drive by I will take a look.pm me

OK guys it looks like it might be the INTAKE MANIFOLD. Josh the Land Rover mechanic that has been helping me solve this problem, plus the guy in PR and the head honcho for Land Rover in Denmark all feel this is what it may be. Josh is coming by on Sat to take out the manifold and we shall see....

The guy in Denmark says I should trade it in ASAP. Says this Freelander 2002 is a lemon year model and they have had lots and lots of issues. I will be trading it for a Honda or ... I'll accept any suggestions :0)

I will keep you all posted of the occurances.

Thanks again for everyone's input/suggestions etc etc etc

B

It seems a little odd, (but possible), that it was right after someone was under the hood. Be sure they didn't knock loose a intake hose or vacuum line or something along those lines first, Also any sensors that may be near the oil filter or filler cap.
good luck.
D

Youch!

That's an expensive lemon if that's the case.

Not necessarily. Depends on whether B&J bought it used or not and how hold it was if bought used. Land Rover's have HORRIBLE resale. Back home in the Seattle suburbs I regularly see 3 year old ones on used lots with sticker prices less than half MSRP and that's just the starting point for negotiation. When you buy a new one (with some exception for the top of the line HSE models if I recall the name right) the value falls off a cliff which makes them great used buys if you don't get a real lemon.

Youch!

That's an expensive lemon if that's the case.

You're right. Looked it up on NADA.com Reasonably priced used.
How about replacement parts tho?

Not sure about parts. Probably more expensive than average but you never know. It depends on where / how many wearhouses there are, to what degree parts are common with Ford or Volvo models that were common underpinnings for years, etc. I used to assume that European meant more expensive but back about 10 years ago I finally realized the maintenance and upkeep on my Volvo was cheaper than it was on my parent's Camry!

Yeah, you are much better off buying a used discovery, They are actually pretty reliable and fairly well priced (but have awful fuel economy) and are a true off road vehicle and parts through on-line suppliers like rovers north are fine. I remember when the freelander came out, as soon as I saw drum brakes on the rear I knew this was a car they skimped on.

I bought the car used for $8,000 2002 model w/38,000 miles on it. Shipped here from Miami for $1, 000 (total) I really think that was a mistake on the Customs officers part, but at least it wasn't more than that. :0) I even had the pleasure of driving the car for 6 mos before buying it. I had no clue it was a bad deal. You live and learn. Now I check everything (blogs, forums, chat rooms, etc) out before purchasing.

I've had it for 2.5 yrs now and have had not one ounce of problems with it. I just find it odd that everything was working fine and out of the blue I take for an oil change and brake pads and now there's something that might be seriously wrong with it. Maybe it's just me but I just believe that something was done that should not have been done!!!!

Anyway today (Sat) Josh is coming by to remove Intake Manifold and see if that's the problem.

I will cont to keep you all posted...

Thanks again guys...it's nice to know there are so many friendly people on this island that I now call home :0)
B

OK Josh took out the Intake Manifold and we heard nothing rattling....???? Any other ideas??? There is another part of the manifold that is metal, where the plastic intake manifold sits and we are thinking about removing that.

Let me know what you guys think

Thanks
B

Do a compression test, maybe a bad ring or valve.

Clogged injectors?