New owner of MG ZR

i wouldn't
it could be possible it has been changed they just have not kept a reciept ?
however if your cars running fine i wouldn't !
just make sure that when it does go you have a good mechanic and some cash .
id say most places would charge about £300 ?
all mechanics unless there good friends or family members will charge you or find something else , after all they can make easy money
i could be wrong though enjoy .

Thank you so much for the advice i really do appreciate all the help. As you can guess me being a woman i dont really know alot about Cars let alone a MG ZR.

Oh and sorry for no pictures like i say im new to all this

:grouphug:

Youd never really know when and how they will go, theres a lot of factors that can cause and prevent it.

You can see usually when one has been done, theres usually telltale signs such as looking at the gasket, any liquid sealant used etc but for the novice they can be hard to spot.

If you know anyone who is good with cars, after they try telling you how bad rovers and headgaskets are (i usually ignore this starting point to any rover/mg based conversation) they might be able to spot if its been done.

Otherwise good servicing routines, including the thermostat, visual checks of the coolant level and radiator state, and watching the temp gauge will help.

Welcome.

Paul:

Thank you for your advice.
:dunno:
Sorry to sound a little thick but how would i as a woman know if this has been done?

Does this sounds dodgy- purchased the car last night and the rear lights do not work? the trader told me that the switch needed replacing? Is he right or is he blagging me?

Reversing lights or entire cluster?

If reversing lights, it could be:

Bulbs, frayed wire, Relay getting wet or Reversing switch need changing.

(Mine was a combo of getting wet and changing the switch, which is a nice easy fix even I could do it!)

If its the cluster, I would guess it could be a fuse, or it could be the wires are rubbish.

Well the left lights seemed to work except the reversing light and the right side none of them?

am i to be worried?

concentrate on getting the cluster working on the right, then the reversing lights.

Check its plugged in properly, release the 2 "catches" on the inside of the boot, this holds the fabric in place, pull it back and ther eis a "catch" in the middle of the light cluster which releases it. Inspect it visually and see if you can spot anything, then unplug it and check the connectors and replace the connection.

No need to be worried, would say grand total would be £20 thats if you need a new reversing switch, and bulbs. lol.

Check the fusebox by your right knee when your in the driving seat. Look for the fuses for the back lights (shown in the manual and the back of the cover for the box) and visually inspect them with a torch.

Then check the bulbs, you can remove them from inside the boot.

Chance are either of the above will fix it, frayed wires are usually very rare.



To be honest trying to describe what to look for when inspecting the engine for headgasket change would probably bamboozle you (no offence intended), your best popping it into a garage.

Guys you are like the guru's of ZR's lol

Thank you so much.

Well the trader is fixing the issue apparantly today so will see what he says.

Also ill pop into a garage and ask them to take a look.

this site is AWESOME!!!

:hyper::clap:

Dont forget that you have a warranty if the guy is a trader.

That means if you can prove that the car had faults when it was sold to you, they are liable to sort them out.

I wouldnt accept it, whatsoever, until everything works. Otherwise i would be looking for money off.

Hi Paul,

Me being me i already got £400 knocked off the car so am impressed

But he did say he would fix this prior to me taking car home and he is delivering any minute now.

i noticed on another thread about a Haynes Manual is this worth me getting one?

I am sure i will be asking of your guidance in the near future.

IF you plan on doing any maintenence or servicing yourself i would. If not, i wouldnt really bother. If you intend to just drive it and let a garage worry about everything else then just post any snags on here for advice.

When its delivered, test everything. Dip the oil, check all the lights, horn, doors, interior lights, everything.

Anything at all your not happy with give it back and get him to sort it.

If its all ok, good luck with your new car, send me a pm if you get stuck.

Haynes manuals are good if you want to make any alterations, or do any work on the car yourself, however if your not really doing that much, this forum as a rule is the best resource. I would be lost by now if guys on here hadnt have been so helpful! :broon:

:welcome:

as above, the head gasket lifespan can vary greatly, although it will almost always give tell tale signs before it does.
it is fairly important to remember to have the cambelt changed at the correct interval, depending on the engine... the 1.4 is 60,000 miles, some of the more powerful engines are a little sooner.

but overall, keep it clean, check it over regularly and treat it nice, it should look after you pretty well.

welcome to the forum, and remember, there's no such thing as a silly question. :lecture:
if you don't know, feel free to ask :broon:

Matrix MG:

Thanks for the advice.

My car has now been delivered and in excellent condition. I'm loving it!!!

Will have to post a picture of her soon!!!

Too good not to show off but lets hope she stays that way

matrix MG said:

it is fairly important to remember to have the cambelt changed at the correct interval, depending on the engine... the 1.4 is 60,000 miles, some of the more powerful engines are a little sooner.

Click to expand...

I have a 1.1 and its just clicked over 68k and I've had it since 64k, no idea if the cambelt was done prior.

A. when should I have mine done?
B. Anyway to tell if its already been done?
C. Would a MOT bring it up?
D. How much to change it?

Beatonator said:

I have a 1.1 and its just clicked over 68k and I've had it since 64k, no idea if the cambelt was done prior.

A. when should I have mine done?
B. Anyway to tell if its already been done?
C. Would a MOT bring it up?
D. How much to change it?

Click to expand...

That is a really good question would this be shown on the history MOT check you can get offline?

http://motinfo.direct.gov.uk/internet/jsp/ECHID-Internet-History-Request.jsp

This wont show up on the MOT as its not tested on the MOT. IMO i would get it changed as the consequences are severe if it fails. If it does fail it will most likley be a major rebuild/engine change.

regards

Harry