Just back from the MOT. Passed again with no advisories.
It's been a fun year with complete battery failure, seat belt,vacuum pump drama and bottom hose exploding ! Plus the rear number plate de-laminating .
I was convinced there'd be something needing to be sorted after everything else that suddenly needed replacing. But it was another clean bill of health and another thumbs up from the tester who always comments on how well I look after it.
Before my ownership it'd failed some previous MOT's on common sense things. Although the previous owner would take it to the main dealers and have service items like bulbs fitting, near to MOT time she couldn't seem to figure out that the hand brake wasn't working properly, tyres needed replacing or windscreen wipers were not wiping. If she had, then the Freelander would've passed every MOT from the start.
I've said it before, I've owned Land Rovers for around 30 years.I've had the Defenders,I've had Series 2a's and series 3's. Discoverys, coil sprung hybrids, Freelander 1's in all guises from 1.8, Td4 and KV6. I've loved them all (except for one 90 that despite all the things I did to it, never felt like "mine" ). But , I can say this without a doubt. My F2 is the best of the bunch. It does everything I want from all the different others I've owned. It's good off road. It's great on it. It's comfortable, smooth and doesn't feel tiring to drive. It's fast when I need it to be. It swallows the camping gear. It doesn't smell. It's not draughty. Doesn't rattle or bang , break my spine or shake my fillings out. I can hold a conversation without having to shout. It still gets looks wherever I go .
I'm going to be at odds as to what to replace it with when the time comes. But for now, I have no reason to part with it. Unless I was made an offer I really couldn't refuse.

Result on the MoT, it's always a good feeling when you get a pass. 2009 FL2 TD4 SE (Sadly gone)
2007 FL2 TD4 GS (The wifes , gone after 8 great years)
2012 FL2 SD4 SPORT LE(Gone and missing it)
2015 DISCOVERY SPORT 2.2SD4 HSE (For now ?)
2014 Ford Bmax 1.0 ecoboost ( Gone but what next )
2014 Ford Focus 2.0tdci Zetec S

Realbeale: Great write up for FL2
Mine has also passed its MOT last week.

I often wonder why people move on from vehicles especially if it does everything you want car to do and is reliable.

Nice post. The MY14 SD4 Metropolis is my second FL2 and after well over 100k miles and 14 years of FL2s I still love them to bits. Over all that time, the only mechanical that required professional attention has been a dead diesel injector on the TD4. Otherwise it's just been routine service/MOT (all passed). I plan to keep the Metro - now at 42k miles for the foreseeable (I'm now 76) as there's no new car I'd consider south of a stupid £60k+ and my 5K/year mileage doesn't warrant it anyway. BUT.... a good friend's father, now nearly 90, will be selling his RR Vogue Autobiography soon. Less than 20k miles and 6 years old, it looks an attractive proposition. When in business, in the 80's and 90's, I had RR Vogues most of the time and was very fond of them, but the modern ones seem rather different animals and maybe an expensive(complicated) vehicle to own and run. Anyone with experience/thoughts on this please? I've decided to stop being a good example and will now just be a terrible warning.....
2008 TD4HSE - gone but much loved.
2014MY SD4 Metropolis - very much loved.

All I can say is that modern JLR vehicles appear not to fair well in the reliability stakes.

As I get older vehicle reliability becomes an ever more important aspect of car ownership.

I have no idea what will replace our FL2 when the time comes - so much is changing - I'm not looking forward to the fateful day. Jules

I suppose another way to consider this is actual costs:

cost to replace vehicle obviously minus any trade in etc
Cost to keep original vehicle on the road

So if you own the car outright then this becomes interesting as i would probably consider a 5-10K increase in purchase cost of another vehicle (minimum) but could this money be a safety net on keeping original car on the road? 5-10K is a fair amount to spend to repair a car. So if it doesn't cost this to keep existing car on road then your saving a fair bit

AT1963 wrote:

Realbeale:

I often wonder why people move on from vehicles especially if it does everything you want car to do and is reliable.

AT1963 wrote:

Realbeale: Great write up for FL2
Mine has also passed its MOT last week.

I often wonder why people move on from vehicles especially if it does everything you want car to do and is reliable.

Another MOT passed £40

First ever advisory - slight weep on R NS shock absorber - nothing else.
Its only done 58K miles so far, so hopefully it will go on for a good bit longer.

Didn't have time to go over the FL2 at the weekend prior to the MOT as my son turned with his 13 year old Leon needing new rear disks, pads and shock absorbers. His shocks were a lot easier to change than mine will be. Jules

It's such a nice feeling when the car passes with no advisories isn't it!

I had the same recently with my manual 2011 FL2 HSE. I have been thinking of selling it and getting an auto FL2 but when it passes with no advisories I wonder why I'd chance changing it!

 2013 FL2 XS.
Defender 90 300 TDi.
Defender 90 300 TDi CSW.
1964 MGB Roadster.
1944 Willys MB "Jeep" with bullet holes. (gone)
17 hand Irish Drought Thoroughbred (mostly lame)
Nagging Old Boiler.

 2009 FL2 S now gone
2011 FL2 HSE AUTO
2012 FL2 XS AUTO
2000 Kawasaki er 5

jules wrote:

Another MOT passed £40

First ever advisory - slight weep on R NS shock absorber - nothing else.
Its only done 58K miles so far, so hopefully it will go on for a good bit longer.

Didn't have time to go over the FL2 at the weekend prior to the MOT as my son turned with his 13 year old Leon needing new rear disks, pads and shock absorbers. His shocks were a lot easier to change than mine will be.

Im about to do the same.
Ordered Bilstein B4 from Autodoc.

Found some useful and some not so useful videos on utube too. Jules

Today, I've had the same good fortune of an advisory free MOT pass, the second during my ownership. So I must be doing something right...