Over the Rover - I've had enough

[south bank]

I am. And I have. I was today cured of my obsession with this particular make and model of car.

Subsequent to my suspected second head gasket failure I've today been informed that the engine liners have failed . Due to the cost of repairing said liners it's cheaper to just replace the engine.

So that means I've now got to replace the engine on my 2004 59,000 mile immaculately maintained and serviced 75.

I maintained it perfectly, only having it serviced and MOT'd by the same ex-Rover dealer on the dot of when either the service interval display indicated, or the garage called to arrange the annual service. I festidiously checked the oil and water at least every fortnight, mostly every week and never let either depleat.

Even when the original head gasket failure somehow occurred a couple of days after last checking the system, I never let it overheat. I also never, ever let it rev anywhere near above half the rev range until it had reached normal operating temperature as this cold period is when 80% of engine wear occurs. I always without exception reverse parked, much to the annoyance of everybody who ever rode with me as it's better for the engine of the car to drive a forward gear than reverse on startup since the gear ratio in reverse is much more severe.

If I spent any more time checking the damn thing and babying it, I'd never have had any time to actually drive it anywhere and

IT STILL FAILED!

What more can you do?

It's been in to a real Rover specialist today who informed me that there was absolutely nothing I could do to predict nor prevent any of this, either the head gasket or the engine liner failures; to quote verbatim: "Some will, some won't. It's just the way these engines are. I and my wife had one do the exact same thing". He then went on to explain that after driving to his garage one day and spotting a small dripping leak, within the distance of the front to the back of the garage theirs emptied on to the floor its entire sump through the cooling system because of the engine liner. Luckily mine wasn't that severe.

So the 1.8K. I need another one and then... I'm back to the original risk factor of course. The blind lottery of whether or not my engine will again develop a fatal, unpredictable and hideously expensive internal flaw. I don't want to be a part of this lottery any more. I was actually a big supporter of the K-series engine design too, I admired it as a piece of engineering and believed if you really took care of it (I did), that it could be great. But replacing a 59K engine on a 6 year old car that you've treated impeccably over the 33,000 miles you've drive it for is unarguably ridiculous.

He advised me to fix it, get rid of it and get a diesel as he knows of and services some that literally have driven to the moom and back mileage wise. After all the complaints about diesels that have mounted up over the last few months, both on here and in person with various owners, I'm no longer wanting to own a Rover 75/ MG ZT whatsoever.

I was never a fragile admirer of these cars, I considered myself a real officionado with a deep knowledge of these cars. I spent many nights over about two years before I bought it looking in to everything about these cars, including the HGF issue and concluded that it was a bit more common, but I'd get it MLS uprated early in the car's life (It failed the night before it was going to be uprated) and from then on, based on Land Rover forums and the like, expect the car to be ok.

I genuinely loved them like no other car but this today has done it.

[Banjo]

You must be gutted, and in your position I would feel the same way. I adore my ZT, i cosset it like you have done - but if this happened to me I would feel the same way. It is like a good friend turning on you. But you clearly are very fond of the car - maybe it deservres just one more chance ?

[Dragrad]

Been there...... £12k spent - my car cost me £4300, the rest on repairs and car hire - engine died, clutch went, than broke crankshaft in the first 18 months or so of ownership

Since then no problems Still the feeling of driving her surpasses the pleasure of all other cars I've ever driven

But then mine is a bullet-proof diesel

[Departed 32016]

Was the cause of the head gasket failing ever found and fixed? Not sure what you mean about diesel reliability but as with any car they can go wrong. The average cost of a prep at the BMW dealer I work is £1000... There was an 06 320cd with 30k that needed £2000 worth of work before we could sell it so if really could be a game of luck

[Allegroboi]

Sorry to hear of your plight Soutbank, When things like this happen it really tests our commitment.

I had HGF on my 1.8, had it repaired then sold it on, I replaced it with a diesel, which I have had for 2 and half years and covered 45,000 trouble free miles in, best thing I did really.

But I have since added to the fleet with a 2.5 KV6, but this is not a replacement for the diesel it is an extra.

With having a second HGF as has already been pointed out, was the cause of the first one going ever really sorted, and was the replacement work done properly and everything replaced as it should?

If the car is good and cherished in every other respect, it may be worth doing it one more time, and to take it to somebody who really knows these engines and has replaced HG on a regular basis.

Good luck with whatever you do.

[stevemac]

Originally Posted by south bank

I am. And I have. I was today cured of my obsession with this particular make and model of car.

Subsequent to my suspected second head gasket failure I've today been informed that the engine liners have failed . Due to the cost of repairing said liners it's cheaper to just replace the engine.

So that means I've now got to replace the engine on my 2004 59,000 mile immaculately maintained and serviced 75.

I maintained it perfectly, only having it serviced and MOT'd by the same ex-Rover dealer on the dot of when either the service interval display indicated, or the garage called to arrange the annual service. I festidiously checked the oil and water at least every fortnight, mostly every week and never let either depleat.

Even when the original head gasket failure somehow occurred a couple of days after last checking the system, I never let it overheat. I also never, ever let it rev anywhere near above half the rev range until it had reached normal operating temperature as this cold period is when 80% of engine wear occurs. I always without exception reverse parked, much to the annoyance of everybody who ever rode with me as it's better for the engine of the car to drive a forward gear than reverse on startup since the gear ratio in reverse is much more severe.

If I spent any more time checking the damn thing and babying it, I'd never have had any time to actually drive it anywhere and

IT STILL FAILED!

What more can you do?

It's been in to a real Rover specialist today who informed me that there was absolutely nothing I could do to predict nor prevent any of this, either the head gasket or the engine liner failures; to quote verbatim: "Some will, some won't. It's just the way these engines are. I and my wife had one do the exact same thing". He then went on to explain that after driving to his garage one day and spotting a small dripping leak, within the distance of the front to the back of the garage theirs emptied on to the floor its entire sump through the cooling system because of the engine liner. Luckily mine wasn't that severe.

So the 1.8K. I need another one and then... I'm back to the original risk factor of course. The blind lottery of whether or not my engine will again develop a fatal, unpredictable and hideously expensive internal flaw. I don't want to be a part of this lottery any more. I was actually a big supporter of the K-series engine design too, I admired it as a piece of engineering and believed if you really took care of it (I did), that it could be great. But replacing a 59K engine on a 6 year old car that you've treated impeccably over the 33,000 miles you've drive it for is unarguably ridiculous.

He advised me to fix it, get rid of it and get a diesel as he knows of and services some that literally have driven to the moom and back mileage wise. After all the complaints about diesels that have mounted up over the last few months, both on here and in person with various owners, I'm no longer wanting to own a Rover 75/ MG ZT whatsoever.

I was never a fragile admirer of these cars, I considered myself a real officionado with a deep knowledge of these cars. I spent many nights over about two years before I bought it looking in to everything about these cars, including the HGF issue and concluded that it was a bit more common, but I'd get it MLS uprated early in the car's life (It failed the night before it was going to be uprated) and from then on, based on Land Rover forums and the like, expect the car to be ok.

I genuinely loved them like no other car but this today has done it.

This is almost exactly my story, HGF (one being an MLS) then liners, almost the same mileage as well, spooky. Decided to spend £1600 on a new engine, still not sure it was the right decision

[Zircon]

Hi south bank,

Very sorry to hear of your bad time.

I wonder if the X Part 'Close call' scheme could help you? I read this press release below a few weeks ago. I believe the scheme is to help owners who might be thinking of otherwise cutting their losses due to the cost of repairs (not just crash damage). Partly of course, because it's in X Part's interests to keep as many of our cars on the road as possible.

Best of luck,

Zircon/Nicholas


"Recent statistics from the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) show that there are still nearly one million MG and Rover cars on the road. These figures demonstrate the longevity of MG Rover cars and the continued success of parts specialist XPart in keeping these highly regarded vehicles on the road.
Some models recorded a decline of just 1% from 2009 to 2010. XPart is proving extremely successful in enabling MG Rover owners to keep their cars on the road. With 92% part availability and programmes such as the write-off avoidance scheme Close Call, the company has provided MG Rover owners with the parts and servicing necessary to preserve their vehicles.

These results really vindicate the work XPart is doing across the UK. A great many people are passionate about MGs and Rovers and we feel it is important to keep these fine examples of British engineering on the road for as long as possible.” Craig Cooper, General Manager, XPart

‘These results really vindicate the work XPart is doing across the UK. A great many people are passionate about MGs and Rovers and we feel it is important to keep these fine examples of British engineering on the road for as long as possible,’ says Craig Cooper, XPart General Manager. ‘The figures show the level of affection people still have for these historic brands and we are constantly finding new ways to source components to ensure that we can provide parts and service to help maintain these fantastic cars.’

The MG ZR, TF, ZS and ZT all performed well, with each model achieving a decline of less than 5%. Rover models also stood out, with the CityRover and Streetwise falling by a mere 2% and 1% respectively. The total MG Rover parc now numbers 921,811 cars."

[naffdave]

Sorry to hear about your car Southbank makes my problems seem very small in comparision. Its amazing you did all that work and cherished the car and it still went belly up. Then you can get people who never do a thing to there car and it just soldiers on without a misshap
Hope you get it sorted

[capese21]

Are you certain that the liners have dropped and trust the garage 100%?

A colleague of mine had a 45 with HGF and was told the engine was scrap. I told him about a Rover specialest garage who said it just needed a HG replaced. They did the work and 40k later still going strong.

Maybe get a second opinion or measure the liner height yourself?

Ed.

[calibrax]

I know how you feel.

Had to replace my diesel engine earlier this year. But diesel problems are very rare on 75/ZTs. There are a hell of a lot of us diesel owners on here, and very few have had major problems. The vast majority are trouble free. I think I'm correct in saying that only two of us on here have had to go as far as replacing their engine.

My engine replacement cost me about £1200 in total. But I still wouldn't change the car... because even taking that expenditure into account, there's still nothing out there that compares to it for the money.

I'd take the mechanics advice... fix it, sell it, buy a diesel.