These aren’t really FAQs in the strictest sense.  Some of them are questions that you might not think to ask, but have answers that you might be interested to hear – or even should hear.  Others are questions about weird behaviours or nuances of the car.

Where a question relates to a specific model and/or derivative, assume the Freelander TD4 Sport (automatic) unless otherwise stated.

How often does a Freelander break down?  Ok, they have a reputation for being unreliable, but the post-facelift models (> 2004) are vastly improved, especially since the BMW-sourced TD4 diesel engine is more robust than the Rover K-series diesel.  In 60,000 miles and five years, my car has not broken down once.  Any car can break down, but treat it well and service it as required and you should have minimal problems.

Why does the Freelander steam up so quickly?  Because it does.  It has the poorest cabin ventilation of any car I’ve driven.  Luckily the heated front/rear windscreens work very well, as does the blower’s demist setting.  Opening the windows an inch or two for a few minutes helps a lot.  I’ve fitted HEKO wind deflectors to both the front and rear windows of my Freelander, which keeps out wind and rain while my windows clear.

Is there anything I should know about the blower’s demist setting?  Yes, it automatically turns on the air conditioning without lighting up the air conditioning button.

Why is the wing mirror glass hot?  The car has heated wing mirrors, and has a design ‘feature’ whereby the heating element is always on.  Even in the summer.  The mirror glass can get uncomfortably hot to the touch.

Why does the tail gate glass sometimes lower unexpectedly?  A safety feature of the tail gate glass mechanism is that it will fully open if it is prevented from closing or fails to close fully.  This behaviour is also triggered if you start closing the tail gate window, but stop midway to retain some air flow.  The controller assumes something got in the way, so it reopens the window.  In order to have the tail gate window half open, you must first fully close it, then open it as much as you need.  A dirty tail gate glass sensor will also cause this to happen.

Is it safe to drive with the tail gate glass lowered?  No.  This can cause a pressure difference between the air inside the car and the air through which the car is passing, causing outside air (including exhaust gases) to be sucked into the car.  The handbook recommends, in situations where driving with the tailgate window lowered is unavoidable, that all other windows are closed, the blower direction is set to the face vents, and the blower speed is set to maximum.  It seems like you’d be relying on the blowers being able to adequately displace the air sucked in through the rear of the car, and seeing as you cannot measure this without specialist equipment, I would recommend against it.

Why does the alarm randomly sound when the car is parked outside my house?  This happens to me occassionally, and is caused by the key fob buttons being pressed accidentally while in my trouser pocket as I sit down or put something in my pocket.  It seems that your pocket can press exactly the right combination of buttons to set off the alarm, or lower the tailgate glass, or even unlock the central locking.  It happens mainly when I’m upstairs, since there’s better line of sight to my car from upstairs windows.

What does Hill Descent Control (HDC) do?  If you activate HDC in first gear or reverse, the HDC light will come on and HDC will use the ABS system to regulate the braking at each wheel to maintain a steady low speed.  This is useful for descending difficult off-road slopes, or icy sloping driveways.  If any other gear is selected, the HDC light will flash but HDC will not operate.  HDC can cause the gearbox to make loud grinding noises as it employs engine braking to to maintain the correct speed, but this is normal and nothing to worry about.

Why have my Traction Control (TC/ETC) and Hill Descent Control (HDC) lights come on?  The brake pedal position switch may be faulty.  This must be resolved as a matter of urgency; while these dash lights are on, your brake lights and/or horn may be inoperative.

What is the TD4 Sport?  It’s just a regular TD4 but with 30mm lower and 30% stiffer suspension.  It makes for a less wobbly but slightly more bumpy ride.  It’s unrelated to Sport mode, which is available on all TD4 and V6 automatics.

What is Sport mode?  Also known as Fun mode, it’s a gearing pattern in the automatic gearbox which will favour changing up through the gears at higher-than-normal engine speeds.  It means you can get quite a bit more power out of the engine before changing to a higher gear.  Sport mode also allows semi-automatic operation, whereby you can push the gearstick forward to change up, or pull it back to change down.  The car will still maintain overall control to stop you from doing anything silly, such as changing down to 1st gear at 90mph, or trying to get to 90mph in 1st gear.  Once engaged, semi-automatic  mode stays active until Sport mode is disengaged or the engine is switched off.

Why is there a short delay in the car responding to the throttle?  It is one of the TD4′s peculiarities, and its prominence varies from one car to the next.  It is worse when the engine is cold, and more pronounced with an automatic gearbox.  To reduce this turbo lag, see the performance articles referenced here.

Why doesn’t ‘kickdown’ respond instantly?  It’s probably to do with the automatic gearbox.  Land Rover tout this behaviour as a ‘feature’, enabling you to abort kickdown before it takes effect - my feeling is that if you wanted to abort kickdown, you wouldn’t have initiated it in the first place.  The car responds better to kickdown when in Sport mode, but there is still a little delay.

What kind of fuel economy should I be getting?  Well, different owners have reported completely different fuel consumption for similar vehicles, usually in the range of 25mpg to 35mpg.  It depends on your driving style, the journeys you make, tyre pressure, tracking, and factors such as those in the improving performance section, above.  If you drive in Sport mode a lot, the fuel economy won’t be as good.  Personally I get around 26mpg – but I drive with a very heavy right foot, and don’t often do long journeys.  My lowest has been 19.5mpg, and my highest 27.8mpg.  I have heard of 40mpg+ on forums.

How do you know your fuel economy so accurately?  I use fuelly.com to record my fuel usage.  My profile is here; don’t forget to change to UK units (in the top left corner).  If you join, I would be interested in hearing about your Freelander’s fuel economy over time.

What is the best fuel for the TD4 Freelander?  I’m still working on this.  I used to believe it was BP Ultimate diesel, but after an unexpected fuel-light incident in August 2010 I had to find the nearest petrol station of any type – and it ended up being Total.  I reluctantly filled up with Total regular diesel, and ended up getting a record tank: 348 miles out of the tank for 27.8mpg.  As soon as I have any useful information I’ll update this question.

What is the best oil for the TD4 Freelander?  Anything semi- or fully-synthetic with a rating that matches the handbook.  I use Castrol Magnatec 10W-40, as per this article.

Why won’t my car start?  Well, there are several reasons for this, but one that has caught me out before is that the engine won’t start if it’s not in Park or Neutral.  If you try to start the engine in Drive, absoultely nothing will happen.  Presumably this is the same with all automatic gearboxes.  If you’ve selected Park and your car still won’t start, it’s time to crack out the Haynes manual.

Is the Haynes manual for the Freelander any good?  It’s better than nothing, but there are a few annoying inaccuracies (see the brake pedal position switch artcile, above).  The photos can sometimes be useful, but I use the manual most for giving me an idea of a job, then researching it further on the Internet.

Why does smoke sometimes come from the left-hand front edge of the front bumper?  This is exhaust for the fuel-burning heater (FBH) which burns diesel to warm the engine up on particularly cold days, and on random not-so-cold days when you’ve left your car in the car park outside Wickes, resulting in a store-wide tannoy announcement that your car is on fire.  It’s probably not on fire, but the FBH often runs on for a few minutes after you switch off the engine.  The FBH activates when the ambient temperature is around 5 degrees Celcius.

Why has the dash clock suddenly reverted to 12-hour format?  This happens if you disconnect the battery, or let the battery run down.  To switch back to 24-hour format, turn the ignition to position I and simultaneously press the hour and minute buttons on the clock.

Why is Cruise Control behaving strangely?  For a start, you are unable to set or restore Cruise Control from below a certain speed, which I think is around 20mph.  Cruise Control must also be activated by the switch on the dash, to the right of the steering wheel and just above the storage compartment.  Cruise Control forgets its setting when the ignition is switched off, resulting in the RES paddle doing nothing until Cruise Control is set again.

Why does restoring Cruise Control accelerate better than using the accelerator pedal?  I don’t know, it just does.  It’s probably because the ECU has the benefit of several sensors and is able to calculate the most efficient and effective acceleration pattern, whereas humans have a tendency to simply stamp on the gas.

What should I know about the TD4′s brakes?  The TD4, especially automatics, east brake pads for breakfast.  Expect to replace them at least every annual service.  However, they’re relatively cheap (manufacturer equivalents from EBC are around £30 for a set) and very easy to replace.

What should I know about the TD4′s tyres?  They’re expensive (especially the Sport’s 235/50 tyres), they must be replaced in pairs, and when replacing tyres it is highly recommended to move the newest pair of tyres onto the rear axle.  This helps prevent wind-up in the VCU (Viscous Coupling Unit), which is a known problem with the Freelander and can cause the VCU to cease up and destroy all or part of the drivetrain (intermediate reduction drive, rear differential, and gearbox).