Car advice

Otis Driftwood

Afternoon all.Im currently hunting for a car and Ive taken quite a shine to the MG ZR 1.4 and am hoping to get some advice on said vehicles from current or past owners.Probably around 03 - 05 age range.

The most obvious question would be from a mechanical point of view,are they any good in terms of reliability,mileage,servicing,parts etc.

Are they known for having any problems or is there anything I should watch out for when looking at them.

Should I end up buying one I intend holding onto it for a while so resale values arent really that important.

Any and all advice greatly appreciated.

Mods,if this is in the wrong section then apologies and by all means re locate it.

Cheers!

colm_mcm

the only real issue is head gaskets. widely discussed here and elsewhere.

They're 90's technology, powerful for a 1.4 and easy to get parts for. If you can get past the head gasket thing, they're great value.

Otis Driftwood

Anyway of checking for this or could they go at any time?

Ive been pricing around and for an 04 with between 60 and 80 k miles they are going for between 3 and 3.5k.

colm_mcm

There is an uprated gasket available I think - if it does go, and if you replace the thermostat and keep an eye on the coolant you should be ok

bazz26

Also check the oil filler cap for a kind of white mayonnaise type gunk which may indicate the head gasket is on the way out. I reckon if it has had the upgraded head gasket fitted then the seller will mention it as a selling point, as most owners are well aware of the head gasket issue. If it hasn't then haggle hard on the price and budget to get it done.

1.4 litre engine has 105bhp which is pretty good even by today's standards. Try and find the 105+ model as it will have alot more toys than the standard model.

colm_mcm

Yep, the basic ones don't even have electric windows.

The thing to look for is coolant loss, it really is important to keep a regualr eye on the coolant, weekly or so is ideal, it only takes a second. Most HG failures on the K are due to coolant loss that lead to overheating then the HG fails. There are cases of the gasket simply perishing over time but its not as common as folks would have you believe. There is for and against the uprated HG that was developed by Landrover for the 1.8K, generally the problem with a cooked K is that the head is scrap and should be binned not repaired. Unfortunately there is many the numpty out there who will take €500 off you for a HG repair on a K that really needs a new head.

03s may still have the Rover R65 gearbox which gets a bit whiney too, have a listen for noise when coasting in gear, if it's whiney it may be on the way out.

The K is a great engine and the Zr is a fantastic handling car so if you like the looks its defo worth considering.

nedtheshed

nedtheshed wrote: »

Anyway of checking for this or could they go at any time?

- check the coolant level
- check that the coolant is clear but defo coolant and not water, just water indicated frequent topping up, ie a coolant loss.
- check cap of expansion tank for mayo like gunk
- check oil level and condition

Otherwise, Ks like regular oil changes, if the oil is black walk away and find a well service one

I have had 2 1.4 K series cars and currently have a 1.6. Both of the 1.4s were perfect and never had HG issues, I put over 100K miles on the 2nd one. The 1.6 I currently have is after HG failure 3 times during previous owner period due to f**ktard mechanic not diagnosing the source of HG failure (inlet manifold gasket).

Max Power1

RoverJames wrote: »

The thing to look for is coolant loss, it really is important to keep a regualr eye on the coolant, weekly or so is ideal, it only takes a second. Most HG failures on the K are due to coolant loss that lead to overheating then the HG fails. There are cases of the gasket simply perishing over time but its not as common as folks would have you believe. There is for and against the uprated HG that was developed by Landrover for the 1.8K, generally the problem with a cooked K is that the head is scrap and should be binned not repaired. Unfortunately there is many the numpty out there who will take €500 off you for a HG repair on a K that really needs a new head.
.

Slightly off topic, but I have a 75 with the 1.8K engine (the gasket just been replaced 2,000miles ago), is the engine using a lot of coolant a sign of a more serious problem?

Max Power1

Max Power1 wrote: »

Slightly off topic, but I have a 75 with the 1.8K engine (the gasket just been replaced 2,000miles ago), is the engine using a lot of coolant a sign of a more serious problem?

Depends really, worst case scenario the coolant is being lost through the HG Which may be due to the head being scrap but the HG repairer chap not being on the ball.

Or you may have a coolant leak
- from rad
- from rad hose
- thermostat housing
- inlet manifold gasket

The worst case scenario means you have a big issue, if its just a leak it's not too bad. How much are you losing per say 1000 miles do you know ? Or is it a case of a weekly top up of half a pint ish ?

Important thing is to keep coolant in the expansion tank, never leave it drop below half full.

Max Power1

doesnt seem to be any undercar pools (or specs even) of leakage. Its not even a pint per 1000 miles. Ive done about 1000 since I bought it and have topped up (ie a small bit, less than 100mls) twice in that time. The second time was only a tiny few drops top up.

Otis Driftwood

Thanks a million for the advice and pointers folks,tis greatly appreciated.Ive found one or 2 that Im going to check out in person so at least I have a few questions to ask current owners as I really havnt a breeze when it comes to the auto world.

Just on the potential HG issues,both Im looking at have been NCTd in the last couple of months,would something like this be flagged by the NCT?

This may be a retarded question but as Ive said,I know nowt about cars.

Max Power1

nedtheshed wrote: »

Thanks a million for the advice and pointers folks,tis greatly appreciated.Ive found one or 2 that Im going to check out in person so at least I have a few questions to ask current owners as I really havnt a breeze when it comes to the auto world.

Just on the potential HG issues,both Im looking at have been NCTd in the last couple of months,would something like this be flagged by the NCT?

This may be a retarded question but as Ive said,I know nowt about cars.

the HG issue would probably not be detected in the NCT - its not really what the test is for tbh