Afternoon

I was hoping my first post would just be a ‘hello’ to intro myself now that I’ve become a first time owner but sadly not. Literally picked up my 2013 Dynamic yesterday and on the drive home found the autobox consistently thumping into drive when lifting foot off the brake in stop start traffic/junctions etc. Also at times it would thump when going into D when I’d put into neutral. I’ve done some searches and have seen mention of a software update which seems to have sorted it for a few but I note others who this didn’t work for and one who it did initially but the problem eventually came back. It seems it may be something to do with o-ring seals in the box plus the feature on later models of it doing some sort of quasi neutral to save some emissions/fuel/heat?

My question really is, if the software patch is just masking a problem that will come back how big a bill could I be facing potentially e.g. to sort the seals (if possible) or worse if the valve body or something is worn from insufficient fluid changes. I’ve got to decide whether to reject the car as I’m still within the timeframe to do so or let the garage try and fix it (they are proposing an oil change first, I haven’t mentioned the TB about the software yet and that would presumably need a LR indy to do). But if the garage patch it and the problem returns after six months it’s on me to sort. Gear changes are buttery smooth by the way, it’s literally just foot off brake or N to D that the issue occurs.

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks, AJ

Most likely cause is low or dirty Transmission fluid.

As your FL2 is still the responsibility of the garage seller, and they are offering a ATF change, this should be the first move. If this doesn't clear the fault then things will get expensive.

I would be inclined not to accept the car unless it drives OK, as you do not know what problems forced the previous owner to sell the car.

Unless of course you are looking for a project.

PS what software patch are you referring to? FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 84k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

Reject it. While you can.
Unless you love the car & are willing to invest hours and potentially £££s putting it right.
There are plenty of used Freelander 2s out there - try a different one.
I rejected my first Freelander 2 because the nice people selling it had removed the rear prop shaft (while still advertising it as a 4x4). I thought about getting them to "fix" it, or even repairing it myself - but decided to reject it, recover my money and buy elsewhere. Second car was newer, lower spec, higher mileage and much cheaper... It is by no means perfect, but I'm so glad I rejected the first car while I had the chance...
Good Luck!

Get it scanned for fault codes, transmission will report issues. As said you may get away with a fluid change, maybe not. My last car did exactly what yours is doing, just intermittently.Had a torque convertor lock up solenoid issue. Never got it sorted before car was written off. its replacement, my current car had same fault code, but different issues, intermittent bumping into gear etc. it had a new valve block and fluid change, reset of adaptions and its like a different car now, although still flagging a fault when towing with no apparent issues. As recommended, reject it and buy something else, plenty of choice out there.

Get a manual,more faults with auto boxes on here than with manuals.

Thanks all.

I believe the technical bulletin was LTB00782V4 (28th Oct 2015):

https://www.freel2.com/gallery/albums/user...ncerns.pdf

No fault codes (on my basic scanner nor the garage's more sophisticated one). Classically it was almost perfect on the drive over from Sheffield back to the garage in Manchester. It then did a couple of times just before getting to the dealer and then of course NOT ONCE while he drove it. They are offering to do the gearbox service and then give me 12 months warranty on the box. His own car is a 2009 FL and he said he's confident they will be able to sort it if the service doesn't resolve it.

I'll have to have a think as I really like it otherwise and it has a spec combination I was after that seems quite rare.

I believe that the procedure you have found is just a way of getting some moderate known values into the TCM (self learning) Registers. This will give the Autobox to establish some values to allow smoother changes and gear engagements.

Look at the what it says to tell customer ----

When the vehicle is returned you must inform the customer that some harsh
gearshifts may occur until the transmission control module (TCM) has adapted
itself. The adaptation can take several weeks depending on the customer's
driving. The TCM self-learning will continue to improve the shift quality in the
additional temperature ranges until optimum values are achieved. The shift
quality for NEUTRAL (N) to DRIVE (D), 5th to 4th gear down shift and neutral
idle exit control will be improved.

If you say the gearchanges are improving already, then show the bulletin to the garage, accept the offer of a service and warranty. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 84k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)