FREELANDER owners - CLASS ACTION ???

Didn't see that programme but class action suits are very rare under English law and not supported at all under Scottish law so individual suits are more likely to succeed.

My Dad told me about this programme as he is in the UK and I am in Australia. It was Watchdog and regarding to the 1.8 litre K series Freelander engine.

Head Gaskets cracking due to nylon studs? I had a similar problem and got sick of fighting with Land Rover so we sold the car and ahem got a Defender.

Same engine in the MG does not suffer with these defects.

cheers 3LB

Are you sure - I've heard of quite a few head gasket problems with K-Series motors in general going back to the late 1980's.

I believe that it also caused several similar problems in the Lotus Elise, which IIRC also has a K Series

-- Simon Isaacs

Peterborough 4x4 Club Chairman and Webmaster

3.5V8 100" Hybrid Part owner of 1976 S3 LWT, currently under restoration Suzuki SJ410 (ex-Girlfriend, at the moment......) Series 3 88" Rolling chassis...what to do next Pug 106 (offroaded once!!)

Yes it does!

"Hi-Soft" wrote in news:Kg2qb.179439$ snipped-for-privacy@news-server.bigpond.net.au:

You can find info on the BBC Watchdog website

which has a link to the Group Action reported in the latest program. However, AIUI, Watchdog's latest report was that LR are sorting things out and that it's MG Rover that are the subject of the Group Action. The Watchdog journalist gave the impression that LR and MG Rover are the same company. I thought that Ford bought LR from BMW, who retained MG Rover -- is this correct? If so, I can fully understand why LR customers are getting a different response to MG Rover's.

HTH,

BMW also sold MG/Rover (or whatever they're called) but not to Ford. they are now an independant car manufacturer.

Regards Steve G

hmmm..... i just filled out the claim for with that link for the Group Action...but just realized it was for MG Rover...NOT Land Rover !!!!

So where does that leave me with my Freelander ?

BTW... I did a head gasket at under 50,000km...then after having it all repaired ( by ULR Land Ronver in Melb ) cracked a cylinder only 1,000kms later !!!! All up it cost me over $10,000 AU ... and that hurt...... no conpensation at all from either dealer or LR.

Landrover was sold to Ford. MG/Rover were sold for £10 to a venture capitalist group, and BMW retained Mini.

As far as I can see, it just underlines the old adage that there's nothing to substitue for experience. It's always the new engine designs that seem to come up with these fundamental flaws, whereas the older engines that have been updated and developed over a period of many years are still going string. Just look at the Rolls Royce V8 engine, still going strong after 50 years.

Alex

Hi Hi-Soft,

I'm sorry to hear of your woes.

MG Rover were bought for £10 by some Midlands Business men and is now owned by them, the dealers and the work-force. The k series engines are supplied by Powertrain to LR & MGR. Powertrain was given to MGR by BMW after the sale or Rover.

The K-series is a good engine which is very efficient with an excellent power to weight ratio. Like all engines you need to maintain them. It has been in service for many years in 1.1, 1.4, 1.6 & 1.8 and now 2.0 varients.

If the engine is not serviced correctly when the coolant is changed then air can get locked causing a hotspoit and Head Gasket Failure (HGF). The inlet manifold on older models can leak which this causes fluid loss and HGF. A modified inlet manifold gasket is available for £6.

If the head gasket fails it is £100-150 repair to get it fixed. If you get HGF and you do not check your water and ignore the temperature gauge then after a while the cylinder head can crack causing a £600+ bill.

I feel the plastic dowels are a factor but not the whole problem.

If you cylinder head failed again after 1000k then either the CHG was not fixed correctly OR the head was cracked when the original CHG failed. It normally costs £50 to get the head tested when the CHG is replaced.

All cars have CHG failures, you should hear the tales of woe about company Vauxhall engines at work! It appears Watchdog have followed the weary trend of bashing a British company while it is finally turning the corner and providing employment for workers in the Midlands. When you look at the massive problems other manufacturers face (Nissan, Volkeswagen etc) and the lack of publicity they get about their problems it is very fustrating. I don't know how old your car was when it failed or how many miles it had done but failures do happen. The 1.8 engine is quite small for pulling such a large car.

Regards,

AL

Yeah, my Freelander had only done 49,000kms when it was first diagnosed with the HG problem...though it was only in for a routine service, and showed no sign of the temp rising or powerloss as such !

The car has been serviced by the book on the exact schedulled time EVERY time since new...all accounted for..AND been driven very easily ( not thrashed ) mainly for running around town dropping of the kids etc..

BAsically the first job ( Head Gasket ) cost me around $1,000 AU, then after that when the cylinder cracked ( with virually no warning ) the engine replacement cost me just over $10,000AU, plust around $1,000 for a new clutch which i apparently need at the time as well !

So you can see, I'm not real happy with the whole situation...I feel like I've been totally had :(

I quite agree with you, but surely your gripe is with the garage that allegedly repaired your vehicle only for it to break 1000km later? Don't they offer a warranty with their work? They are the people I'd be suing.

Yeah...I tried that angle staight up....and they just denied that it was their fault....saying it must have been already cracked when they did the first gasket...but they akways....start with the gasket before jumping to conclusions of a cracked cylinder !

It's really hard for someone like me who isn't mechanically minded, to question what a reputable dealer ( one would think ) tells me ....

But yeah, the more I think about it...the more I think I've really been duped by the dealer...and perhaps LR as well !

Hi Hi-Soft,

I tend to agree that the garage is at fault for the second failure. It would be very poor if the garage did not pressure test the head when they were changing the gasket. This is standard procedure if they were doing this work, it costs about £50 and adds a day or so to the repair as it has to go to a machine shop for the test but it prevents doing abortive work.

Presumably the $10000AUD was for a new engine? If so the second repair was for more than a new cylinder head..... what happened?

AL

I don't know, but I would contact your equivalent of the AA or RAC first and explain the situation - you will probably have to join first though. Then contact your equivalent of the Citizens Advice Bureau who will make you aware of your rights.

I suppose it is a much smaller car market in Oz than here, but still sounds expensive.

What rubbish - if the cylinder head is cracked, you need a new head, thats why they are a separate part!

Yikes! You can pick them up for a few hundred pounds over here from any scrapped Rover 25/45, but I guess that doesn't help you.

Well according to what I've been told about the recent BBC Watchdog programme, while MG-Rover have denied there is any problem with the K-series engine, LR put there hands up and said they would reconsider all claims for failed heads on 1.8 Freelanders so I suggest you detail your tale of woe and and send to the managers of the customer service departments in both Aus and in Solihull and keep badgering them until you get some response.

o.k.... I'm going to get on to all of this ... so thanks for you advice here..