Rover 75 chrome

Hi Alan,

I completely agree with you on the quality front.

I switched from a 52 ZT v6 to a 53 ZT CDTi and in that year difference i noted frailties not only on the exterior but on the interior. Little things like the electric window switch packs were different material, the door locking button is now one push to lock/unlock all rather than a lock unlock split etc. Paint work again agreed on, im getting chips on certain parts which make the vehicle look tatty under close inspection.

I feel that the quality certainly dropped on both 75 and ZT models after the late 03 models when "cost cutting" kicked in. Shame really.

As for cleaning the chrome im not too sure, but im sure someone will come along and let you know soon

Regards,

Chrome door handles have always been a problem with Rover cars since the late 60s to my certain knowledge, chrome blisters & pits----- Had one of mine changed under warranty when a year old, all now showing similar minor defects----most annoying

I have a 2002 Rover 75 (built in 2001) and a 2003 built in 2003 I think.
The major things I noticed was the use of real wood on the dash and a slightly better quality leather on the 2002 over the 2003,otherwise everything else seems similar.

I think there is a lot of debate about this however on http://www.aronline.co.uk/ - If you search for "Project Drive" there is a list of about 10 .pdf files which contain the details of all the changes made over time to Rover / MG cars , some of the changes would be pretty much unoticable unless you were a real expert however overall I think it did "dumb" down the quality of the vehicle as a package.

There is also the question of the early cars being made in Cowley and the later in Longbridge on top of this.

I am not sure if they used different materials - different quality for the parts they didnt list as changed over time, maybe that happened as well.