Am I likely to have to get the head gasket changed myself? How much would this be likely to set me back
Thanks in advance!

There is no `set` mileage or age for HGF, some cars have had failures at 10K miles, some have done 100K+ miles and never failed..

Either stick £500 in a seperate account just in case, or get yourself an after market warrenty from the AA/RAC which only costs around £60 and will pay the first £500 of any claim!.

 

Any chance you could give me details of these after market warrantys.
Do i just speak to the AA or do you have a link

 

I got a quote from warranty direct of £30.07 per month for my car.

www.warrantydirect.co.uk

 

Try the AA - £65
http://www.theaa.com/breakdownrepaircover/index.html
I think this is on top of breakdown cover.

 

AA is a good shout

I just purchased my Trophy recently and got full cover with AA which is for any driver as its the vehicle thats covered not the individual, breakdown plus repair cover for things like cam belts, headgaskets etc.... is 96 quid for the year.
You can clain 5 times a year which is cool!!

I watch my oil & water temperature like a hawk and check my coolant level every few days.

 

I just purchased my Trophy recently and got full cover with AA which is for any driver as its the vehicle thats covered not the individual, breakdown plus repair cover for things like cam belts, headgaskets etc.... is 96 quid for the year.
You can clain 5 times a year which is cool!!

I watch my oil & water temperature like a hawk and check my coolant level every few days.

I also own a Trophy and just been on the AA website and been quoted £98.88 which seems very good value to me. Will definately be going for that which gives me peace of mind. Well worth it.

 

Thanks guys. Have now bought the MGF I was originally looking at when I first posted and am absolutely loving it
Have also taken out the repair insurance from the AA.
Thanks again to all who posted to help.

 

On a cautionary note, read the small print on the policy!..

The car MUST be serviced and maintained according to Manufactures specifications, AND you must have reciepts to prove this, a simple `stamp` in a service book will not suffice!.

I know one `F`er who found out the above to his cost,, AA refused to pay out on his claim as allthougth he had the service book fully stamped up, he had no bills to prove, so claim was rejected!.

Also you MUST have called the AA out to the problem before they will consider a claim!, ie you have had a breakdown!.
If you just phone up and say I think my HGs gone where should I take it for repair, again your claim will be rejected!!..

For what these type policies cost they are a good value`Safety net`, BUT they are not a blank cheque to have every repair done free on your car......... at the end of the day they are in it to make money, and if they can get out of paying, they will!!.

 

I have an 04 TF115 (1600cc) and have been told that they are much less prone to head gasket problems that the 1800cc.

Not sure why as the 1600 has the same bore as the 1800, just a shorter throw (1400 K series?) crank.

Anyone got any real info about this?

 

It has been said that the 1600 in the F/TF is less prone to HGF but on balance there are more 1800’s then 1600 so the number will be naturally lower.

 

A thought.

Perhaps the owners of 1600s don't thrash them as hard as the owners of 1800s.

That said the 1600; as the only over square engine in the range; probably revs more sweetly.

My car is used for long distance continental cruising rather than as an out and out sports car. Of it's 30000 miles from new in 04/04 15000 mls have been covered in Europe visiting: Venice; Sorrento; Rimini; La Rochelle; and Catalonia, plus trips over the Alps and Pyrenees.

Hence standard 15 in wheels & tyres (less harsh ride & marginally higher overall gearing) and air con for the trips to places where it's 40 degrees C. There it's hood up and air con on in the middle of the day and hood down in the evenings!

The secret is perhaps to ensure they don't over heat. On mine there is a device that shuts down the air con if the oil temp gets too high!! Nanny state??

 

i was told that the 1.8 models hg was prone to failure at around 60 thousand miles and that this was a design fault by rover is this right???????

 

No I think that is an over simplification, the reality is that they can go at any time or not at all due various factors.

 

The main issue with the K series is simply letting it warm up adequately before it's used in anger. Labouring or using an engine hard before it reaches it's operating temperature will ensure it's eventual untimely demise! as a rough guide, I'd say at least 5 minutes of running in summer conditions (not sitting in traffic though!) or 10 minutes in winter before you should start using the motor anywhere near hard. I've stuck to this policy and never yet had a K, A, S, M or T series head gasket failure!