Why are all my cars so unreliable?

[Jonathan]

This is getting so comical I'd laugh if it were funny. Look at the light brown oily substance gushing out from the top of my 825s coolant tank and imagine the repair bill for the inevitable head gasket failure :banghead: :banghead:

I know, I should have expected it :rolleyes:

2500 miles is better than I got from my old 820 before I had to make a warranty claim because of an intermittent electrical problem that caused it to cut out whenever it felt like it, though.

The MG Maestro was great for the first 8 months or so apart from the usual little hallmark Maestro problems, then gaskets started going one after another.

0 out of 3 cars running once again. The Rover 800 was voted Britain's most unreliable car not so long ago and I have to say I can see why, you do seem to stand a much higher than average chance of something going wrong. But on the other hand, apart from the Maestro of course, I've yet to find anything that comes anywhere near to them as a package (when they're actually on the road), not even the 75.

So, somebody try and stop me giving up and buying a 5 series :laugh:

Anybody had to call the AA out more than 5 times in one year?

[MGTurbo]

We did try to tell you that the KV6 in the 800 would have problems. You should have stuck with the 2 litre or got a very late 2.7 Sterling. Pah, hindsight, wasat? :rolleyes:

Gareth

[Jonathan]

You take risks - sometimes they pay off, other times they don't. There's nothing to say that every KV6 will blow its HG for certain. Whatever car I get involved with is bound to f*ck up in some way or another anyway :laugh:

[Rich]

Jon, the answer is simple, buy Daves LX, I really dont think you can go wrong, especially considering the way it has been looked after, and the fact it has a new engine.

Rich

[H48HPE]

if you find a maestro with a really good rust free body and you can spend some time looking after it you cant go wrong, the 1.3 engine I have found to be really reliable. the best thing is they are nice and simple to work on.

[Jonathan]

Yes they're great cars, lovely and simple to work on especially for those of us who have trouble changing a light bulb. But not my idea of fun for high mileages and frequent long journeys I'm afraid, maybe so called luxury cars have spoiled me!

It looks like the 800 will be off the road for a few weeks though, so Dave where are you? Help!

[Simon]

My Maestro racks up large annual mileages and it is stable, comfy, economical and practical. That's why I still use it as my everyday car. Looks like I'll be shelling out indecent amounts of money on it soon though on account of the "panel offer". Sorry to hear about your latest Rover's maladies. As you know I too am a huge fan of the 800 series.

[MG1600S]

Originally posted by D428CHO
This is getting so comical I'd laugh if it were funny. Look at the light brown oily substance gushing out from the top of my 825s coolant tank and imagine the repair bill for the inevitable head gasket failure :banghead: :banghead:

I know, I should have expected it :rolleyes:



Just done an 825 Coupe at work.... the bill was £1700. However, I fitted Rover 75 Multilayer headgaskets, so it should not happen again.

Meanwhile, I've just bought this for £50.....

[MG1600S]

Here is the rest of it....guess what happened???:laugh:

[talkingcars]

Just what I want for the bay in my maestro!

[Rich]

Originally posted by D428CHO
But not my idea of fun for high mileages and frequent long journeys I'm afraid, maybe so called luxury cars have spoiled me!



Erm, I beg to differ. Maybe, theres no PAS but never mind, and no air con but just open the window. Its more comfortable to sit in and the ride is better than a lot of cars I have been in, and high mileages and frequent long journys are not a problem.

Every event I have been to in H902 had either been from the IoW or Fareham, I can clock up 300+ miles in one of those trips and she doesn't even flinch at it. I have done 70k + in that car since I bought it, and she had 60k on the clock when I bought her. The only "breakdown" was one day when the alternator went. Apart from that ro tine servicing. Admitadly she is a little smokey now, a little noisy and a little thirsy compared to how she used to be, but I got a new engine for £100. It would probably be better if I had have driven her more gently, I am used to 90mph (minimum) on the motorway usually, and she doesn't hang about, shes hardly "slow"!

High mileages and long journys are NOT an excuse!!!:cool:

[H48HPE]

if mine hasnt been on the motorway for a while its a little unsure at first but after 10 minites has passed its settled down and will happily cruise along, I tend to stay around 80 but it will stay at ninty quite easily and pulls a ton when you want it to.(although the speedo is surly optimistic by the time your that far up the clock. It could benefit from some more sound insulation but thats easy enough to sort, I havnt done it yet because it doesnt really bother me but I will get round to it. the sun roof tilts up to give a nice climate inside avoiding Air con.

apart from being a bit smoky on start up the engines strong and hasnt let me down once since I got it over 2 years ago (apart from a flat battery which isnt something I would count) its never not started on the first turn of the key . I'm now on 93,000 miles

[Jonathan]

Rule number one... avoid visiting forums when feeling grouchy!

Sorry, it looks like I might have sounded a bit harsh towards the not so humble Maestro above ;) Lots of us run Maestros as every day cars often over high mileages and several hour long journeys and in terms of overall value for money there's not much out there more capable of doing the job, usually reliably too because there's not so many electricals to go wrong. If I didn't think that I wouldn't be doing everything I do.

Being in the fortunate position that I could afford to run something more modern from the Rover stable aswell, reducing some of the wear and tear on the ageing Maestro(s), that's what I chose to do. Even comparing it with my bigger engined MG the Rover is more comfortable, smooth and refined and I'd rather that for my regular commutes up to London. But then it's supposed to be because I'm not comparing like with like, there was about a £15,000 price gap between the two models even when new and a good ten years between mine. Things evolved a lot over that time, except reliability issues it seems :)

If one had to go I know which it'd be. What the 800 doesn't have is the same character, nostalgia, driving enjoyment of the type that puts a big grin on your face or value for money of the Maestro. There's a car to suit every occasion.


If the car wasn't still on warranty and the bill for a KV6 head gasket replacement was £1700 I think I'd risk tackling it myself despite my clumsy tendencies when armed with a spanner.

[G51 NAV]

Risking getting banned from the forum, or at the very least flamed to death, for recommending a car other than an Austin Rover / MG Rover product, as a daily driver I cannot recommend a 1.4 Mk3 Astra highly enough, particularly the Phase 2 variants. It will happily cruise along all day at any speed, it's quiet, acceptably nippy (similar to a 1.3 Maestro), Maestro sized inside and out, and economical. And for some reason they're a lot cheaper to buy than similar-aged Escorts, and are a much better buy. They're even cheaper to buy than a similar-aged Rover 200/25 and, dare I say it, more roomy inside and have a larger luggage-space.

(G51 now dons his flame-proof jacket and waits for the hate-mail)

[MGTurbo]

Originally posted by G51 NAV
Risking getting banned from the forum, or at the very least flamed to death, for recommending a car other than an Austin Rover / MG Rover product, as a daily driver I cannot recommend a 1.4 Mk3 Astra highly enough, particularly the Phase 2 variants. It will happily cruise along all day at any speed, it's quiet, acceptably nippy (similar to a 1.3 Maestro), Maestro sized inside and out, and economical. And for some reason they're a lot cheaper to buy than similar-aged Escorts, and are a much better buy. They're even cheaper to buy than a similar-aged Rover 200/25 and, dare I say it, more roomy inside and have a larger luggage-space.

(G51 now dons his flame-proof jacket and waits for the hate-mail)

Bloody hell John, if you think the people on this site are so narrow minded that they think everything except the Maestro is crap then it's a very sad site indeed! :rolleyes:

Mk3 Astra's are good, the 1.4 Hi-Torq model is very underpowered though and a 1.3 Maestro would leave it behind :D But they are safe, cheap to run, modern'ish' and pretty good at resisting rust.

Gareth

[D87 SMW]

Originally posted by MGTurbo
Mk3 Astra's are good, the 1.4 Hi-Torq model is very underpowered though and a 1.3 Maestro would leave it behind :D But they are safe, cheap to run, modern'ish' and pretty good at resisting rust.

Gareth

True enough. The 1.8 Rover 75 is a lot quicker! I think it's more economical too. :eek:

The Astra is slightly smaller than the Maestro I think, certainly less head and legroom - and the driving position is shocking. :rolleyes:

They offer a quiet ride, but suspension is too harsh.

[H48HPE]

i like loads of different motors, its just ive no space to put them

[Simon]

Mrs. H has always found her P*ugeot diesels reliable and economical. Not practical for DIY repairs though...For goodness sake, don't buy a 5 series, please.

[MG1600S]

Originally posted by D428CHO

If the car wasn't still on warranty and the bill for a KV6 head gasket replacement was £1700 I think I'd risk tackling it myself despite my clumsy tendencies when armed with a spanner.

Not too difficult to do - just very, very long winded....

[SimonR]

Originally posted by G51 NAV
Risking getting banned from the forum, I cannot recommend a 1.4 Mk3 Astra highly enough, particularly the Phase 2 variants.

My housemate had one of those for many years and I can vouch for it as I drove it while F153 was in many bits. Very boring but very reliable motoring, even if the steering wheel is off-set to the left!

However, going off topic (sorry Jon!) has anyone else noticed how many of these cars have rear wheel-arch damage? The one I drove did and so many others I've seen are the same... I think there's a blind-spot which leads to the driver misjudging the width/positioning of the rear and stuffing it into things. Next time you see one, see if both rear arches are intact!

[G51 NAV]

Originally posted by MGTurbo
Bloody hell John, if you think the people on this site are so narrow minded that they think everything except the Maestro is crap then it's a very sad site indeed! :rolleyes:
It was meant tongue-in-cheek really. It would be sad if people on this BBS really were so narrow minded. Sadly the same cannot be said for all the Ford owners I've met, who tend to be very narrow minded though, from my experience of them. For example there's lad at work who's convinced his unmodified Escort Turdo will waste G51 in straight-line acceleration, and he won't accept otherwise. He rekons he wasted a Lotus Carlton with it a few years back. If he really did then all I can say is the Carlton was only running on two cylinders!
Originally posted by MGTurbo
Mk3 Astra's are good, the 1.4 Hi-Torq model is very underpowered though
That's what we've got. It does 0-60 in about 46 years, but 5th is quite high geared and great for motorway cruising, and on a run the car does about 450 miles on one tank of petrol.

And the 140-mph speedo is a constant source of amusement :laugh:

[H48HPE]

talking about gearing, the maestro could do with a sixth gear, (1.3 could anyway, dont know about the others) recently ive been reaching down to change up when its in fifth. I dont know how people manage with the 4 speed version. (any1 still got a four speed car?)

Andy

[E_T_V]

Yes I've got the worst gearbox of them all a 1.3 4 speed LOW RATIO gearbox. Mind you it is handy for towing cars and stupidly large loads of maestro parts over the scottish mountains. I can safely say that ours will tow over a tonne with a full car too.

[MGTurbo]

A370 HRT was a 4-speed and i drove that 2-3 years. The 5th gear model drops it down a bit and makes it bareable but not a huge difference.

Gareth

[MG1600S]

What you all need is "Three plus E" !! HLE:laugh:

[G51 NAV]

Originally posted by MG1600S
What you all need is "Three plus E" !! HLE:laugh:
No, what you need is Overdrive, but I bet they aren't even made anymore, nor probably could theybe fitted to our modern FWD cars

[SteveC]

Originally posted by G51 NAV
It was meant tongue-in-cheek really. It would be sad if people on this BBS really were so narrow minded. Sadly the same cannot be said for all the Ford owners I've met, who tend to be very narrow minded though, from my experience of them. For example there's lad at work who's convinced his unmodified Escort Turdo will waste G51 in straight-line acceleration, and he won't accept otherwise. He rekons he wasted a Lotus Carlton with it a few years back. If he really did then all I can say is the Carlton was only running on two cylinders!

That's what we've got. It does 0-60 in about 46 years, but 5th is quite high geared and great for motorway cruising, and on a run the car does about 450 miles on one tank of petrol.

And the 140-mph speedo is a constant source of amusement :laugh:

I found the Hi-Torq subtly quick, but you have to register that changing up at lower revs isn't to the detriment of acceleration... which is the exact opposite of my 216 which whilst very perky in at all revs, just loves being thrapped at over 5k up to the redline - best of all, apart from the red pin stripe in the bumper, it looks just like a Hyacinth Bucket special from the front, meaning lots of bigger stuff seems quite surprised when you're still up their chuff when they've booted it!
:laugh:

Even the Montego does that... oh the fun I had watching a boyed up Corsa 1.2 trying to shake it off the other week :laugh:

[Ricky]

I know i'm going to get shot and people will accuse me of being a scratched record for this, but I cannot sing the praises of the Peugeot 309 highly enough! The diesel models have quite probably the best engine available at the time, and the petrol ones were quite good too! I've only ever had the 1.3 (4 of them!), and ive driven over 35000 miles in them, so good to drive on an a road, bit slow on the motorway (85 is really racing, but I have had 115 from one of them!), and a steady low 40's to the gallon, what more does anyone want? Sure, theyre as ugly as sin (well some seem to think so!) but this makes them horrendously cheap! The current one was an ebay special (£72.50, still with 3 months MOT, and it flew through the next one, 85000 on the clock!) I could go on forever, its simple to fix, doesnt rust, economical, powerful enough (usually!), and its an absolute hoot to drive, not to mention the huge boot and ample space for 5.....

I'm 100% glad I defected from the usual Vauxhall or Ford for a first car, neither of them can hold a candle to my beloved 309!

You may laugh, but to you I say try it! You wont look back!

There, sales pitch over, does anyone want to buy........
Only joking!! I wouldnt part with it for the world! (yet...!)

Mind you, it is nice to get into the Maestro and feel some sort of solidarity, with doors that clunk as opposed to clang!

(now going to my underground bunker to avoid insults!)

Ricky.

[talkingcars]

I had a PUG205 Diesel Style which had a really useful amount of tourqe when you needed it.

[G51 NAV]

The physical appearence of the 309 never really appealed to me, but hey that's just me :)

One thing I will say though is that the salt air round here has killed off 309s and 305s more than any other Pug. The old 505 "houses on wheels" seem to just trundle on forever (many estates still being used as private taxis here, though you don't see saloons anymore) and there are loads of 205s, not just GTis either. 405s get tired-looking, but don't seem to rust, and must just pass away quietly. But the 305 and 309 turned into rust-ridden hulks very quicky: bootlids, wheels arches and doors just seemed to melt away within a few years, and are now vrtually extinct in this part of the country. I wonder what was so different about their design to cause this?

[H48HPE]

I like the 305 saloon, My dad runs a 405 estate, its prety resistant on the corosion front and Im very impressed with it that way but the engine hasnt been the best in the world although only with regard to the cooling system. The best engine to abode on our driveway was the perkins diesel in my dads maestro, very economical and reliable, shame about the poor corrosion resistance of the body. my A series would probably come in second place but its oil leok from the crankshaft front seal isnt doing it any favours. The worst motor reliability wise that we've had was a Mk2 Cavalier estate which didnt like damp and enjoyed throwing dizzy caps off.

Andy

[talkingcars]

IIRC the 305 and 309 were built in Coventry, other models in France.

[SteveC]

Originally posted by Ricky
I know i'm going to get shot and people will accuse me of being a scratched record for this, but I cannot sing the praises of the Peugeot 309 highly enough!

I had a K reg 1.9D 309...

The engines are good... the interiors, not so good.

And it had this knocking coming from the front when you reversed - the garage never could quite pin it down, and we tried different calipers etc.

And the sunroofs always leak once the vacuum seal dies a death.

Very good on fuel though, much better than the 306 diesels, although to be fair, they have a much more rev happy revision of the same lump.

[G51 NAV]

Originally posted by talkingcars
IIRC the 305 and 309 were built in Coventry, other models in France.
Hmmm...that explains it. Pug 305/9s were probably put together by ex-BL workers, adopting the same 'care' and 'attention to detail' they gave to putting together BL's cars :rolleyes:

[talkingcars]

not ex BL, ex Talbot

[SteveC]

Originally posted by talkingcars
not ex BL, ex Talbot

Ew!

Hillman Avenger... Hillman Hunter...

MUMMY, I'M FRIGHTENED!

[D87 SMW]

Originally posted by D428CHO
This is getting so comical I'd laugh if it were funny.

I'm still trying to work this one out. :banghead:

:confused:

[H48HPE]

IIRC the peugeot 309 was the replacement for the Talbot Horizon. I think it was going to be called a Talbot but then they decided to drop the Talbot name all together.

I love the hillman/chryser avenger, its shape is fantastic, shame not many survive today.

[Rich]

Originally posted by F170 GGT
I'm still trying to work this one out. :banghead:

:confused:

Shall we say, erm, Jonathan hasn't had the best of luck with the cars he has owned over the years.....sometimes I just dont think its fair on him!!

Rich

[Jonathan]

Sorry Steve, might be a bit subtle?

It gets better, you have to laugh. The warranty company was warranty holdings, who I've now discovered went into receivership just a couple of weeks before my car's failure and as a result of that not a single garage in the country will have anything to do with them because claims never get paid. And who can blame them. So having just recovered from the impact of the original purchase which hadn't been budgetted for, it looks like it's goodbye to another month's wages :banghead:

Are you sure you don't want to sell that Pug 309? :laugh:

[Ricky]

Hey, if youre interested, I can pick up a c reg example for peanuts, it's been offered to me as spares but I can't ever break a 309, I've tried and failed once before! Somehow I thought not..... :laugh:

Just to clarify, (i'm sure ive said this before!!) the 309 was designed as the replacement to the Talbot Horizon, and was originally intended to use the Talbot badge (a mod I have considered!) as the Arizona, and was going to save the company etc. (remind you of anyone??) However Peugeot decided that it would stand a better chance as a Peugeot (they were probably right!), but had no immediate number for it in their range as the 305 hadn't reached the end of its product lifecycle yet, so to distance it from the 305 it was decided to name the Arizona the 309. IMHO it also shows the true extent of Peugeot's "design flair" as it was the only 80's built peugeot that was not styled by pininfarina, and it does show!

The vast majority of them were built at Peugeot's Ryton plant (vin plate starts SDB for those who are interested!), as were three of mine, but there were some french imports (vin plate starts VF3, to meet demand I presume? :laugh: ), and I have had one of those too. IMHO the french built one was actually worse for rust than the others (I have also seen this point noted elsewhere!) My current one has rust in strange places, none of them structural, but it is by no means a rusty car, it appears to have fared quite well considering its first 11 years were spent in Plymouth!

G51, that shows regional variance for you, as it seems we have exactly the opposite situation with 505's down here! They all died a death many years ago due to rust, and it is only ever old 205's and 309's you ever see now (305's seem to die a death anywhere!), although I will say that 309's especially are usually unkempt, which will kill it off fairly quickly (as it will anything!), especially the XU/TU's which need that cambelt doing bang on schedule or doom will strike! Strangely, the best aspect of the 309 for me is the clattery old ohv 1.1/1.3, a vastly underrated engine, much better in service than any ford ohv i have seen (and usually quieter!), and with more power to boot! Simple, cheap and easy to fix (when it needs doing!), and lack of cambelt ensures skipping/putting off a service isnt a disaster!

As far as the interior goes, great seats (unless you get the sack cloth ones!), and theres nothing quite like the uncertainty of whether the dashboard is going to end up in your lap after the next bump in the road! :laugh:

Anyway, rant over, this is a Maestro forum after all, where did I put those carbs.....? :eek: :laugh:

Ricky.

[Quality]

For me a Montego will easily run all day on the motorway, plenty of room in the back too, just ignore thos brown patches on the rear wheel arch :(, and thats a 1.6!

Of the luxury cars around a Citroen CX wouild be my choice, just as lond as you join the club to get their help with the suspension. Scary:confused:

[Dave]

Jon, I fired up H762 this afternoon - she's been sat for nearly 4 months and started instantly. (battery has been kept charged). I can have her taxed next week should you need it. MOT expires end of Sept.
????

sorry i wasnt around earlier - ive been all over the place (again).
Dave.