Hi, I have a Freelander 2 Automatic and towed my new (and first) caravan back home the other day. The journey back was up-hill for about a mile and in quite hot weather (26degC) and in traffic - the total journey was about 10 miles. When I got back there was a strong clutch type burning smell! The only think I can think of is that on the uphill section as I was crawling in traffic, I was holding the cravan somewhat on the drive position of the automatic gearbox, i.e. not putting into Neutral and applying the handbreak every time I stopped/crawled. Has anybody has any experience of this? Is it normal or should I get the clutch checked out incase it's on it's way out. The car has done over 60k miles and is probably on the original clutch.

no clutch on an auto, probably handbrake sticking or similar, sell the van and enjoy stress free holidays without all the towing road blockery nonsense At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Almost certainly brake-related, as CG says. Maybe the handbrake but maybe not. A similar smell on my car recently turned out to be delaminated rear brake pads - new disks and pads required!

If you were doing uphill sections is it reasonable to assume there were downhill sections also? The 'van brakes may have been coming on due to the overrun mechanism if you were only crawling.

Did you manage to locate the source of the smell? I have noticed that burning chicken feathers have a similar unpleasant odour. GONE - '07 TD4 GS manual Zermatt Silver
LONG GONE - '55 Norton Dominator 99 SS cafe racer

cant have been the caravan burning, thats a pleasant rewarding aroma At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Thanks for the feedback (at least the non-juvenile ones). I'm getting the car checked out tonight, breaks / hand breaks etc. If get the all clear will then get the supplier of the caravan to check out the caravan breaks / handbreak etc.

Hello. I had the clutch burning smell with my auto as well every time i towed, I was going to get my caravan brakes checked but in the end the poxy electronic hand brake on the car had to be reset. It looks like yours has a proper hand brake with a lever so should be fixable without having to be plugged into a commodore 64 to reset it. Stupid poxy electronics.

Could it be a DPF regen? smells similar, so I was told on here  my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

To old to have a dpf!

Hi, had breaks and hand break checked last night, no problems with any of them.
Smell must have been coming from caravan brakes or handbreak. I will hitch up again this weekend and take for a test drive to see if it does it again. If it does then its back to the caravan supplier to sort out.