The hardest fortnight

[pjamek]

Recently my Rover 75 1.8 overheated. No problem, I though. I have a very good Repair policy with the AA that covers this exact thing. So I called the AA and they confirmed that it was a suspected HGF after a sniff test. It then got sent to H******s (one of the recommended AA garages- recommended because the AA get £10 for every customer they send there). After being at the H******s garage for 2 days the garage, having not stripped the car, stated that they would not warranty any work and that it was company policy that they had to replace the entire engine. Madness! I thought! I spoke to management at H******s and the AA and accidentally received an internal memo from H******s that states the K series engines are essentially useless, too many come back to their garages overheating again after repair. Moreover, it states many of their 'technicians' attempt the job without the ability this causing the above problems. It makes a very interesting read for all of you interested in engines. Being a firm lover of Rovers 1) I was not wiling to let a garage that is wholly incapable to repair my car, fix it. 2) I wasn't willing to have any repair done without a warranty.

So I moved the car to another local garage. This time it got stripped. A week later from the breakdown. I said last Thursday to the garage can you confirm the cylinder liners are in good condition, not wobbling, haven't got any scoring etc. they confirmed to me that the liners were in excellent condition and they were just waiting to receive the recently tested head, which was in superb condition had been skimmed, x-rayed and pressure tested.

I was then telephone by the new, local garage on the Friday evening saying we have cleaned the mating surfaces for the new gasket and discovered their I'd damage to the cylinder liners. "We have seen nothing like it, it looks as though they have been hit with a hammer" we now recommend that you require a full piston and liner set to fix the car. I asked them how much would this cost? The weekend past and late Monday I received a call saying we now recommend a new engine. The cost to replace the pistons is £1900 and a new engine fitted is £2100.

Upon digging further I stated to the garage that they could just buy cylinder liners and replace these, thus the cost would be significantly lower. They said 'if we just do that, we will not warranty that work. If the head gasket fails again you can not come back to us."

This means that the only way I can get a repaired vehicle is to buy a new engine and I am being forced into this corner.

In the matter of the cylinder liners the garage states "it hasn't been caused by anything mechanical. We'd suggest they were hit with a hammer when the car's gasket was last replaced' I have owned and ran the car for 40,000 miles there's nothing in the service history about a new gasket. I don't see how this can have been done when the car's gasket was last replaced (before I owned the car, assumedly).
I've been and inspected the liners myself- there is the tiniest element of unevenness on the upper lip of 3 liners. It's just even to touch.

I haven't got a car and I'm just trapped in bureaucracy and call centres. Any comments?

[rizla]

wow what a story, guess in this world of everyone sueing everyone else they are covering themselves:shrug:

id be inclined to get it repaired elsewhere, even without a warranty at a much lower price, MUCH lower

[Athorpe]

Why not just are it somewhere and get the gasket done at £250 ish ,
Given cost of an engine vs the gasket change even if it fails again in 10k miles you could do 8 head gasket changes for the cost of the engine
Any garage offering a warranty will want the job done bang on, otherwise its going to come back and cost them a fortune - if you want it done cutting corners you can't expect them to warranty the work

Alternatively why not get an engine from a breakers I fit, much cheaper or even just to take the pistons and liners from - no garage will warranty that work though

How about getting someone nearby to look it over who knows what they are doing, I struggle to see how the top of the liners could be damaged such that the gasket won't seal on them

[Mike Noc]

I spoke to management at H******s and the AA and accidentally received an internal memo from H******s that states the K series engines are essentially useless, too many come back to their garages overheating again after repair. Moreover, it states many of their 'technicians' attempt the job without the ability this causing the above problems. It makes a very interesting read for all of you interested in engines.

I'm interested in engines so please PM me a copy. The reason so many come back might be more a reflection on their technicians.

And are we talking about Halfords here? If so then I wouldn't trust them to assemble and safety check a push bike after the last one I bought.

Apologies to any Halfords technicians who know their stuff and care about the work they do, but the bike I picked up should never have left the shop in the condition it did. :getmecoat:

And instead of fixing it I should have sent it back and had it out with them, but there you go. :(

How the top of your liners got damaged is a mystery. This is a long shot but you can harden the cylinder head by peening it with a hammer, could someone have got mixed up and tried peening the top of the liners as well? :shrug:

[Gate Keeper]

Hi PJ

You certainly seem to have been given the run around. I see you have been on the forum since 2007. Have you been to any of the club meeting in Yorkshire? If you decide to ask for someone from the region to check the engine out for you, if sure you will get help, as they are a great bunch of guys. Not that I am undermining your own skills here. You could find a low mileage engine and use it for the purpose you need it for and it would still undercut the prices you have been quoted. Personally from experience, I find that garage warranties are worthless.

[Anthony & Maricel]

OMG :eek: you have been really messed about. You should of contacted Mg Dave, they would have got you up and running and would of told you up front if the engine was repairable or not. http://mg-rovermobilemechanics.com/

[SD1too]

This means that the only way I can get a repaired vehicle is to buy a new engine and I am being forced into this corner.
No you're not! You're paying the bill. Tell the garage to replace the cylinder liners on the existing engine, because that is what you want done. Tell them that you don't require any special warranty over and above their legal responsibility for the work you've instructed them to do.

You're right to resist all this 'new engine' nonsense. Well done.

Simon