Land Rover Repair: Freelander 98 problem in hot weather, doubleday australia, diagnostic capabilities

Question
Hi John,  I have been having a problem with my 98 1.8 fuel injected Freelander for the last three years but it seems to have got worse this summer.  On a hot day after driving for about 30mins the car suddenly starts loosing power like it is struggling to get fuel. Changing down gears does not help and eventually have to pull over - the car never stops - it keeps idiling - but to get going again you have to turn the ignition off, leave for a minute and restart - you then get about 10mins before it happens all over again. I managed to get it to do this with my mechanic in the car and he was able to eliminate a few things.  He has spoken to the Landrover people here and they have said they don't know but think it could be the computer.  At a cost of AUD $1500 Plus labour plus if thats not it they are going to keep changing bits ( and charging for it) until they can work it out.  After just spending $4000 after a timing belt broke I am not keen to go down this path.  Any suggestions as to what it could be?
(If you need more info just ask and I can get some more technical info from my mechanic )

Answer
My instinct tells me this isn't a computer problem. And you've said it's just a guess.

It sounds like it may be time to seek a shop with better diagnostic capabilities.  At Robison Service, for example, we can use the Autologic or the T4 to monitor all the engine's live data as we drive.  If the motor loses power we can see all the signals at once on the screen, and the answer should be discoverable.

I don't know what to suggest in terms of finding a Land Rover shop in Australia, but I think you need a specialist.

BTW, I hope to visit your country next year.  My new book, Look Me in the Eye, has been one of Doubleday Australia's bestsellers for 5 months now.