Please help if you can?

I have posted before but with Rover Forums. However lots of you gents have come across, here. You may thus recall what was posted there? I am desperate for your help and advice, please.

I promised to let everyone who helped me before know what happened after I took my case to Arbitration.May be best to briefly outline the background, though. Sorry its so long.

I bought a 75 & paid 10 k for it in 2004 and bought it from what I thought was a reputable dealer . The tappets were noisy and they carried out repair by replacing the oil seal ring on the oil pick up pipe (the O ring).When they carried out this repair (which incidentally was within the first 3 months of ownership), it caused a noise to occur. This noise was persistent and very embarrassing to me. After all I was driving a Rover 75. The garage told me that the down pipe was faulty and this was not covered by warranty. They asked me to pay £600 for repair. I refused and a 2.5 year fight started I wrote to the Industry and they just backed the garage. They paid for an independent inspection on the car and the expert said that the garage was not at fault. After this , I could not put up with the noise any longer. I managed to get A to have a look at the exhaust down pipe. They put a new one on for approx £300 and this finally cured the problem When they removed the old pipe they showed it to me and said that instead of putting on a gasket when joining the pipes back together, the garage used paste. Apparently you should not put paste when the pipe is so near the cat. What may have happened was that some of the paste had hardened & somehow made its way into the cat and damaged/ destroyed it.

I wrote back to the Industry, who had initially tried and failed to mediate between us. They suggested Arbitration as a means to ending the dispute and I agreed to this, thinking that I would be treated fairly. I put in several long hours of work preparing my case and getting strong evidence All this counted for nothing. Yes you guessed it I lost the Arbitration case.

If anyone can pass on their views, thoughts etc I would be extremely grateful as I am trying to pursue the matter further. Unfortunately the odds are stacked against me considerably.

1.The Arbitrator (Arb) said he was advised that the use of paste may have damaged the cat which would then not have operated between the period of the O ring repair and down pipe being replaced. I believe he is wrong because the paste damaged the cat and caused the noise to occur. It would not have caused the car to just stop operating.

2.Arb said that I did not prove that the quality of the car or the standard of repair undertaken by the garage was the cause of a defect in the car. What of the opinion of A then? Are they not to be trusted? But the garage is?

3.Arb said that the Independent Expert's report (that was commissioned) noted that the removal of the down pipe would not be necessary to access the oil pump seal (removal of engine sump) and that the slicing noise was a normal operating noise and not detrimental to the car and that the exhaust was not damaged. May I obtain your expert views on what is being reported?(a) Do you have to remove the down pipe to access the oil pump seal and(b) does this mean removal of the engine sump? And (c) is the oil pick up seal located in the engine sump? Sorry I am asking so much on this particular item but it appears to be the most crucial.

4.Arb said there is no evidence provided in respect of failure in the cars emissions and Mot certification in 2 years and thus the cars exhaust system was not defective. Of course the car was Mot'd but the paste caused a noise to occur but it did not make a hole or a crackin the exhaust pipe. It passed the emissions test but that's because the damage was internal.

5.Arb said I did not provide evidence of servicing of the car in 2 years. The technical advisers supported the view that the cars exhaust system was, in the absence of any other evidence, half way through its life and metal fatigue would be evident. Of course the car was serviced and as to the bit about being half way through its life? I don't know what to say.

6.Arb said, although the flexi pipe arrangement may have been the cause of the noise, it was a natural progression of the ageing process and was not a defect in the car. No way is this true. The garage's poor repair caused the noise to occur.

I am sorry there is so much to take in but I really would be extremely grateful for answers to any of the questions I have posed. If you have answers to them all, Fantastic.

Any help/ advice whatsoever will be greatly received and who knows may allow me to continue?

THANK YOU.

Martin.

[kaiser]

Martin. Here is a piece of advise you may not like, but it may give you a bit of piece of mind.
The world is not fair. You are most likely right in most of what you say, but there is a time to admit that you are beat.
I know your feeling of frustration and anger, but look at some of the good things that pleases you and let it go!
Hope it helps.

Originally Posted by kaiser

Martin. Here is a piece of advise you may not like, but it may give you a bit of piece of mind.
The world is not fair. You are most likely right in most of what you say, but there is a time to admit that you are beat.
I know your feeling of frustration and anger, but look at some of the good things that pleases you and let it go!
Hope it helps.

Thanks for your advice Kaiser.

I may have to but it would be so useful to get answers to my questions. As I said, my chances are poor but I hope someone with knowledge on here can advise me. I am only a lay person who does not profess to know much about the mechanical side. I have conducted research and it would appear that what has been said about how repair should have been carried out is contradictory to what their experts are saying.

I have to know for my peace of mind.

Martin.

[T-Cut]

Originally Posted by Martin D'mello

I have to know for my peace of mind.

Sell the car. It's the only way.

TC

Originally Posted by T-Cut

Sell the car. It's the only way.

TC

Sorry TC I got the front exhaust pipe repaired a year ago and everything, touch wood, is fine. I paid to get it done so I have effectively been out of pocket some £350 plus all my time and trouble. I could not afford to sell because it 's fine.

Just need sound advice from experienced gents on the site, with regard to my questions.

Thanks.

Martin.

[Lates]

(a) Do you have to remove the down pipe to access the oil pump seal and
(b) does this mean removal of the engine sump?
(c) is the oil pick up seal located in the engine sump?

Answers :

To replace an oil pick up pipe O seal the correct process by MGR instructions is to remove the front pipe,drain oils,remove sump pan.Fit new O ring and refit removed componenets.

a ) If a techincian follows the process layed out by MGR the downpipe is removed.

b) The sump will be removed after the exhaust is out of the way.
c) The oil pick up pipe is inside the sump.

There was a mod to the exhaust front pipe on 75's due to rattling.Cure was to drill a hole throught the outer skin and fill with weld as the inner pipe resonates iirc.

Originally Posted by Lates

(a) Do you have to remove the down pipe to access the oil pump seal and
(b) does this mean removal of the engine sump?
(c) is the oil pick up seal located in the engine sump?

Answers :

To replace an oil pick up pipe O seal the correct process by MGR instructions is to remove the front pipe,drain oils,remove sump pan.Fit new O ring and refit removed componenets.

a ) If a techincian follows the process layed out by MGR the downpipe is removed.

b) The sump will be removed after the exhaust is out of the way.
c) The oil pick up pipe is inside the sump.

There was a mod to the exhaust front pipe on 75's due to rattling.Cure was to drill a hole throught the outer skin and fill with weld as the inner pipe resonates iirc.

Thank you Lates.

You are a gent.

Martin.