Rover K engine cost.....?

There's one way to sort their reputation and that's to source an alternative engine.

Worst thing that ever happened to MG-Rover was that they were sold to BMW rather than Honda.

Neither. Sudden loss of coolent with no leaks... maybe a blockage. The coolent cap may have been loose we never got to teh bottom of it - it did it twice inside 15Kmiles anyway

Well yes, I would check then of course. I generally service at 10K, and check every few months in between, but checking the levels is one thing. A headgasket failure for no obvious reason is another. I very much doubt many cars get much looking under the bonet more than the 10-12K service interval.

That's a good example. Manufactures have taken resonsibilty of the service, these schemes encourage most people not to check - this is how they promote their cars as examples of a good modern car.

Like everybody else, when it starts pulling to the side of the road :) or when I wash it...

Mine did a bit better than that...27K and again at 40K

I've always had to lift the bonnet to check the oil on all of the cars/vans I've owned, and to give a quick glance over to the coolant takes an extra second, if that.

Ah right. Makes little difference anyway, with that sort of mileage it's absolute s**te, and if MG-Rover value improving their reputation (which it does seem to be, I think) they should pay for the repairs without a moment's hesitation.

Peter

Hmmmmmmm...............

Any idea of a cost tho....

and no it wasnt a head gasket failure...the block was damaged in an accident........

Or maybe its just because its a K series, and they all do that?

Heh - yeah, average MGF owner would lift the front bonnet and think "wow, nothing to check"

The K has these "issues" which can lead to sudden coolant loss / overheating. It has a low coolant capacity, so any loss at all causes big problems. Earlier ones had crappy hoses and a silly bleed point that would snap off, causing total coolant loss in minutes. They have an odd bolt-through arrangement that aggravates a warping of the head / block interface if it overheats. Innovative but maybe a bit too close to precision engineering for Rover at the time. So you get this viscious cycle of a little coolant loss, causing an overheat, causing the failed gasket, causing the big coolant loss.

It's been known for Alfas and some BMWs to seize before first service due to oil usage.

K series: 1.1 8v Metro/100/200, 1.4 8v and 16v metro/100/200/400. 1.6 16v later 200/400/MGF/MGTF. 1.8 16v 200/400/MGF/MGTF/Rover 75 1.8VVC

Oh, and of course the MG Z derivatives of the Rovers.

Also used in Kia Sedona (or some other eastern people carrier), Gibbs Aquada, Lotus Elise, Caterhams etc. Small capacity ones had high specific outputs for the time - 1.4 105bhp 16v for example, 1.8 160bhp VVC has variable valve duration not just phasing or dual profiles. 2.0V6 was 150bhp and very very smooth.

Prime point - the Freelander driver is probably more likely to be your "it'll be ok to the next service" type, and the engine is running at a higher average load than in any other application so is more dependant on cooling than other fitments. As I mentioned elsewhere, Alfa and BMW have been criticised in recent years for engine failures that have been for lack of owner attention (oil levels) - my mitsubishi would need over two litres between services.

Why not? it's easier to check (look at the greeny-bluey stuff in the clear bottle..)

It probably did.

Yep - if the 75 had been built on the Accord platform with a 3.0V6, and a sports MG with a Vtec engine, they would be better than they are now. The current range is getting very tired, the 75 is still very good though.

There's one big flaw in that argument. The excellent 75 chassis is BMW based. And Honda have never been good at getting a decent ride.

Of course, the flip side of all this is that Honda would have ensured decent build quality and reliability - compare the Swindon built Accord with it's equivalent 600. Most 600s are looking and feeling tired these days, whereas the Hondas are still going strong.

SteveH ( snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

I wonder how much of that is down to people servicing and treating Hondas properly, yet running a cheap ol' dog of a Rover into the ground?

The same happens with identically engineered Peugeots & Citroens - people spend on servicing a 306, but will just fix the necessary on a Xsara.

Perhaps if they demolished the old Rover factories and started afresh with a new workforce too.

But the cost of doing this defeated BMW - arguably the most profitable and successful car company in the world.

So I'd not hold my breath that Honda would have managed it either. And despite their obvious good points, Honda aren't as big sellers in the UK as elsewhere - so products produced by them under the Rover badge wouldn't be guaranteed success.

I often wonder what the outcome would have been if BMW had been given government money to finish the job they started so well. Probably just been wasted, though, without the same need to be competitive.

Captain Kirk: "don't fire the phasers until you see the whites of their eyes"

Sorry, couldn't resist ;-))

LOL!

My bad ;0D

-- JackH