I am sorry I do not know much about the V6 - though there are a couple of V6 owners on here who might come in and offer advice.

Since I have had my car it has never been to a mechanic as I work on it myself so I am not able to make any recommendations to get work done - plus I am in Canberra.

However, I think your current mechanic knows less about the car than I do. What I do know is that there is nothing wrong with the reliabilty of freelander (maybe the 1.8 excepted) if they are serviced as necessary - look after the car and it will be fine - why would freelander hoses crack more than any other car - the hoses are not made by landrover, they are made by the same company that makes hoses for a whole range of cars - a lot of people who don't know anything talk through their arses about Freelanders and Landies.

Garry