How many T4 machines exist

[johnnyb44]

Hi.
I'm more curious than anything else but how many T4 machines still exist. I know they cost a small fortune second hand and are almost impossible to replicate. There's only a handful of people I know who have them and was just wondering how many are there about. Another question is where did they actually come from before they fell into the hands of the few people that own them. Where they only available to use in the original factory where our car where produced or did most Mg / rover official dealers have them in there dealership garages.
Many thanks
Johnny

[Mogodon]

They were I believe main dealer bits of kit.

Don't think that many around still as pretty ancient now.

Although, in Northamptonshire where I am I know of two in use still and both in Olney.

T4 Phil who is on here

And

Souls of Olney the old MGR main dealer there, as I rang and asked them to which their reply was "we have it and one of our old Rover boys can still work it" :-D.

[topman]

I think to know i would be useful to know how many were made originally. Does anyone know? Somewhere in the low hundreds?

[chipsceola]

Hazard a guess, how many Main MG-Rover dealerships were there?
Assuming they all had one each, that's your starting number.

Mind you, I believe the vast majority used them only as diagnostic tools and were nowhere near as expert as the
handful of forum guys we call the T4 Guru's.

[marinabrian]

I have three real T4 units, and the newest was serial number 4095, and the earliest 1083.

So quite a few I'd say

Getting one may be a problem however, as ancient or not, they are still in use today in Land Rover workshops throughout the world

Brian

Originally Posted by johnnyb44

Hi.
I'm more curious than anything else but how many T4 machines still exist. I know they cost a small fortune second hand and are almost impossible to replicate. There's only a handful of people I know who have them and was just wondering how many are there about. Another question is where did they actually come from before they fell into the hands of the few people that own them. Where they only available to use in the original factory where our car where produced or did most Mg / rover official dealers have them in there dealership garages.
Many thanks
Johnny

Mine came from Kendal Rover, and Caffyns of Eastbourne respectively.

Many thousands of pounds was the first one new, I have the original purchase invoice from OMITEC in late 2004.....and it was more than £25,000

I bought the unit in 2006 for £7500, still a hefty price tag in anyone's book

Brian

[Jakg]

Originally Posted by marinabrian

I have three real T4 units, and the newest was serial number 4095, and the earliest 1083.

So quite a few I'd say

Getting one may be a problem however, as ancient or not, they are still in use today in Land Rover workshops throughout the world

Brian

Do you think the serial numbers are sequential? I struggle to believe that they shifted 4,000 units.

Using some massive estimations - Google says there are 5,000 franchised dealers in the UK - and I'm assuming the number of independent dealers who would of bought them new are statically irrelevant - and that in 2003 MG Rover had a 4% market share. That works out to roughly 200 dealers in the UK. Even if we assume that every dealer has 2x T4's, then the rest of the world would have to buy nearly 10x more MGR products than the UK to make the numbers add up?

[e668ecp]

Rover Group pre-1998 had around 700 UK dealers and after the BMW dealer cull still had around 400.. some very large dealers may have had more than one T4. Include Land Rover dealers circa 200 and there would have been 900 dealers.

[marinabrian]

Originally Posted by e668ecp

Rover Group pre-1998 had around 700 UK dealers and after the BMW dealer cull still had around 400.. some very large dealers may have had more than one T4. Include Land Rover dealers circa 200 and there would have been 900 dealers.

Add into that Land Rover dealers too

Originally Posted by Jakg

Do you think the serial numbers are sequential? I struggle to believe that they shifted 4,000 units.

Using some massive estimations - Google says there are 5,000 franchised dealers in the UK - and I'm assuming the number of independent dealers who would of bought them new are statically irrelevant - and that in 2003 MG Rover had a 4% market share. That works out to roughly 200 dealers in the UK. Even if we assume that every dealer has 2x T4's, then the rest of the world would have to buy nearly 10x more MGR products than the UK to make the numbers add up?

Yep, the pair I bought from Caffyns have sequential numbers

Brian

[e668ecp]

Originally Posted by marinabrian

Add into that Land Rover dealers too

I did.. 700 + 200 = 900... I forgot to add in some dealers having more than one though!

[marinabrian]

Originally Posted by e668ecp

I did.. 700 + 200 = 900... I forgot to add in some dealers having more than one though!

Worldwide, remember not just the UK would need a T4 as a mandatory service tool

Brian