mechanics poll - which engines are least reliable?

In message , mrcheerful . writes

Perhaps that's because there are a lot of them out there.

Seems like a good reason not to turn them away!

The message from "mrcheerful ." contains these words:

I've a friend who jealously guards the phone number of an ex-directory plumber she knows.

Sounds like something out of Terry Gilliam's film Brazil, doesn't it.

The message from "SimonJ" contains these words:

If he's got enough work already - he should turn away anything he doesn't fancy.

Just out of interest, with K-series is it really just the head gasket that's the main problem?

Also, do you do newer Rovers/MGs which you can presumable charge a bit more for?

Also, I've heard that the latest version of the gaskets are very good and there are no real problems with them at all. Is this true?

When you see the same car coming in regularly for all sorts of different problems, then you start repeating some of the jobs, I find it depressing, the customer gets irritated and starts to believe the fault is with the garage, rather than the designers. So to pre-empt the negativity I just turn them away in the first place. There are still more customers than hours in the day, so I am happy, someone else gets the work, so they are happy, eventually the owner realises I was right and gets a different car, then comes back to me !! This has happened several times !!

mrcheerful

I think the K series problems are design rather than just a dodgy gasket, although I agree the gasket is now much improved.

No. There's also the inlet manifold gasket that fails (water cooled/heated manifold), also the plastic manifolds have been known to melt/warp/crack. Along with various water pipes that burst (ie. the metal one at the back which a royal pain up the ar$e to change). Radiators disintegrate. And that's without looking at anything other than the cooling system.

Rover modified the head gaskets (along with the head locating dowels), although they've reduced gasket failures, it still happens. Biggest problem is the head bolts which gradually stretch, which lets the head start moving and the gasket fails. I know somebody who has had a few rovers, and he re-torques the bolts about 40k, and hasn't had any gasket failures.

To be honest my dad and I haven't had any failures either. My dad's had K-series since about 1990 and I've had them since 2000. No problems at all.

It's a fair bet that the problems with the K-series engine cost Rover very dearly, especially as they denied that there was any in the first place.. pity really, just as they were about to launch two new models, the P60 and the P45.

cooled/heated

melt/warp/crack.

They were nowhere near launching them. Bad management cost them badly, but it had been an uphill battle for years. I don't think the K-series had a big negative affect. Lotus and Caterham used them did they not?

Well the P60 and P45 bit was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, and yes I do happe n to think that the problems with the K-series engine did cost their reputation dearly.

Two members of my immediate family suffered expensive repairs with their K-series engines and as a consequence certainly wouldn't be recommending them to anyone else, also IIRC after complaints to the BBC's Watchdog resulted in Rover denying any knowledge of wide spread head gasket problems with the K-series, weren't they confronted a week or so later by a switchboard full of viewers offering their own sad experiences... Isn't there an old saying that goes something along the lines of 'A bad reputation will always spread much faster than a good one'?

Mind if I ask what problems you`ve found with them ?

Mine (an S reg Accent, had it from new) has only ever had the drivers' side window winder mech fail (that`s a known problem I believe) - curious to know what might be lurking around the corner :-}

That said, i`ve been hit by a HGV in it (poor dealer repair job - they never did line the panels up correctly) and I backed it into a post :-} - a BMW dealer called Williams in Liverpool did a real s*it job* repairing that !

• they couldn`t be arsed getting the correct colour, and consequently used the wrong paint, returned with rear wing damage it didn`t go in with, entire roof lining left dangling, boot pops open of its own accord, and the boot doesn`t shut properly.

I've done a few hydraulic tappets on on them, they realy tapped in the mornin.

Friend of mine had a Hyundai Accent 1.8 - a tappet seized and took the cambelt out, cost a lot for a rebuild head.

Andy

Any of the recent 4cylinder Alfa twin sparks- when the owner doesnt check the oil every two tankfuls of fuel and they seize solid.

Tim..

and a set of plugs is nearly £80 to buy

What about the most reliable. A 23yr old Nissan Cherry, admittedly only

Thats cos it's not fast or powerfull enough for anything to go wrong!

Andy

Hi There

That's a weird engine, having a rear windscreen to have a wiper nut come loose on!!