I have noticed on closer inspection that the early "Rear Lamp Access Panels" seemed to go through a change.

The item on the left is removed from a 99 model. If you notice the clip is different and also the moulding to that on the right which was removed from a 2000 model. The grained effect on the early item is also rougher in feel.

I'm not sure if cost cutting happened on early Cowley fittings or it was a manufacturer and availability issue.


http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/u...psc7797980.jpg

Interesting.

I found that my original ones, from June 2001, both had broken clips and wouldn't stay in place. The replacements are the earlier type, I wonder if the later ones are more prone to broken clips?

Just wondering if I have just found the earliest change of them all! The button on my original key fell apart, so I bought a case to rebuild it with, in the process lost the 'rover badge' on the unlock button as the new cases are of the generic non branded later type. However I thought I would keep an eye out for a 'proper one' and as a result have bought another key, just for the case

However it's is slightly different to my original. The original is blank on the reverse, the one I have just received has writing on it,
'Val TX3
CEPT SRD 1e GB'
and in large script
'Valeo'
none is suprising, as Valeo made it and similar appears on the other rover fobs I have had

Hoever both my broken origibnal and this one have moulding marks to indicate they were moulded in '99

Not heard of blank-backed keys before, wonder if other launch car owners have the same?

Otherwise earliest change is probably deletion of the rubber strips at the bottom inside of the doors.

Closer inspection of my original reveals the mouding date of the blank key case to be october 1998!, the one I aquired is april 1999, the spare key with the car appears to be much later, feb '01 that has fewer letters on the reverse of it

Just checked my car, built 16th Feb 2000, and it has the trim type shown on the left. Vin is 164378. Can anyone pinpoint a more exact date for this change?

Steve.

I can't remember exactly when the diesel auto was launched but it was certainly well into my time at Longbrdige, maybe late 2001 / early 2002? The damper was only specified for diesel autos and was fitted from launch. From memory it was tuned to 27 Hz (is the diesel idle speed around 800rpm?). It was very similar in design to the one on 25 diesels. I wasn't aware that it was later deleted but it doesn't surprise me, given the climate at the time.

Steve.

Mine was built in June 2001, and according to the VIN number, should have the damper.

Another one? Diesel Auto LH Hydrabush
 

Apologies if this one has been mentioned before but there’s a lot of pages to check. I do not know for certain that this is true but I believe it to be so. When the Diesel Automatic was introduced early in the Longbridge era the LH hydrabush had stiffening brackets welded to it (for noise / vibration reasons) making it unique to this model. Due to the low volume this was an expensive addition. I’m sure these stiffeners were later deleted so that the Diesel Auto could use the V6 Man/Auto LH Hydrabush Assembly. Rimmers sort of confirms this. The part no. for the first Diesel Auto bush is KKU108221. This was later replaced in 2003 (VIN 273883) with the earlier Part No. KKU106483 (the V6 one). The detriment to the NVH (noise/vibration/harshness) will have been checked by my department and unless it was noticeable to ‘most’ customers would have been allowed. Not sure if you can see the stiffeners in car but should be able to. They are on top of the ‘gold’ coloured bracket and sit diagonally. (Listens for the pop of Diesel Auto bonnets across the land…..)

Steve.

dunno about this one, mine is Jan 2000, Cowley and has H1 fogs....