New service for mg rover buyers in south west

[MGR South Devon]

We are now offering an appraisal service for anyone in the South West who has just bought an MG ZT or Rover 75 and is not sure of either Service history or if any work may need doing in the future.

It is a basic oil and filter service, plus a T4 test, and full check of all items which can cause problems ie plenum chamber, radiator cooling fan, suspension bushes, road springs and more.

Any faults found above the standard service we advise and can give competitive quotes for the work.

We do not pressure anyone to have work done, and we are happy to answer any questions you may have about your vehicle.

If you have bought the vehicle with a warranty insurance, we can also advise if any additional work may be covered and help you make any claim.

The aim of this service is to give MG Rover owners peace of mind about the vehicle they have purchased, and help them to maintain them to a high standard for the future.

Please PM me for further details if you are interested

[chillyphil]

I would trust these chaps to be very honest about what they find.

[alanjay]

Originally Posted by chillyphil

I would trust these chaps to be very honest about what they find.

So would I!

[kevein57]

Me too - just had lower engine mount changed - very pleased with their service and they have a wealth of knowledge regarding all Rovers and an up-to-date T4 service - I would recommend them highly.

[Ebbesbourne]

Although I'm 90 miles away, I've just taken my new Rover 75 to Exeter Road garage for an appraisal service. I'd recommend them to all members. I'd just bought the car privately locally (Year 2000 V6 2.00ltr). The belts and waterpump had been replaced 10k ago but this was in 2006. My local ex-Rover garage (now Kia) said, without looking at the car, they must be replaced. A trip to see Devon revealed the belts are OK (so about £600 saved there) but their thorough examination of the car revealed that the rear springs were broken (missed by a MOT tester a month ago) and a VIS needed attention (revealed by Exeter Road's T4).

So thank you to Lynn and her team. Well worth the visit. Recommended.

[RayDar]

Like Ebbesborne I took my newly acquired Rover 75 Tourer for an appraisal on the 5th Jan 16 and ERG found that yet another MOT inspection - 5/12/15 - wasn't worth the paper it was printed on. Both rear springs are broken and there is corrosion in a sill -what did ERG find? Yes, a hole! How could the tester have missed that! So I'm now going through the DVSA with a complaint against the MOT Station.

Lynn and the lads explained everything that needed to be done and gave quotes to sort out any work necessary, following the T4 interrogation and their inspection which revealed a fan speed problem, so they'll fix that and do the "O" rings in the intercooler, whilst the front bumper is off. Also replace springs and repair the sill. Quotes are very competitive I reckon.

They are "switched on" when it comes to any thing MG Rover I'll endorse other's recommendations. It's good to have some one you can trust in the South West.

[RogerHeinz57]

So I'm now going through the DVSA with a complaint against the MOT Station.

Hi, I know it drives you mad when obvious things are passed that should have been failed, but when my car was tested, the ABS and SRS lamps where not visible, and without a second thought, it passed despite seeing speed sensors at each wheel, and ABS modulator and SRS on no less than 4 obvious areas visible at any service or inspection. I decided to make some enquiries at the test centre. They were dismissive of my account, I offered photos of the taped over warning lights in the spedo housing but they were uninterested and told me to take it up with the seller of the car who isn't a tester, who didn't pass it!
I then did some research, and the ruling about this puts the car owner in a position where the car is re-tested by the then Vosa, and if it failed, you lost the car until it was mended and re-tested. The responsibility would lay with you to deal with the whole job from start to finish. And the likely effect would amount to a black mark against the tester and or VTS. I decided to fix all of the faults over a time and budget, and got tests done at Nationally recognised test centres since where they are more observant of issues and consequences of bad judgement or negligence.

Think before you do it, as it could go on for a long time with no car, and cost considerable sums to put right.Good Luck...........

[RayDar]

Hi One and all. & John - The Cardinal . Have just heard form DVSA that they found the faults and isssued a FAIL notice. However in their accompanying letter they state :-

" This inspection will not effect the original result"

So if you have a pass certificate you're OK 'til it runs out, I assume.

[RayDar]

You've no doubt seen the advert by MGR South Devon on the club site
for their appraisal service & inspection. which is very useful and I only wish I had organised one before I bought my latest 75. It was revealed by their inspection that the car should not have been issued a PASS MOT on the day I bought it - 05.12.15. Lynn and her team gave me some good advice and I reported matters to the DVSA who inspected again -05.01.16 and duly failed it due to corrosion in the offside cill. However they did not comment on the rear suspension arms which were also corroded! I had been taken in by the cosmetic appearance , low mileage and detailed service history! Anyway ERG fixed all the problems they found once parts became avaliable, some 6 weeks later. Boy was I fed up! Though a private purchase I decided to take the vendor to court, quoting Section 2(2) the Misdescription Act 1967, to recover the cost of the repairs. Initialy he offered to pay 50 % of some of the corrosion repairs but as there were other issues I pressed for more. I made the claim through the S.C.C. internet site ( M.C.O.L. ) and found that straight forward. Much to my surprise the defendant vendor never offered a defence nor did he acknowledge the claim, in which event I had my claim granted. It still took a long while for the money to come through and then not until a "bailiff " had called and obtained a cheque which then took some 2 weeks to clear throught the Court's system. So alls well that end well! . Maybe a lesson for many of us "All that glitters is not gold" even when it is
"White Gold" !! It is now though thanks to ERG

[MGR South Devon]

Thanks Ray for this post.
We are glad that in the end it all worked out well.
It seems unfair that private individuals can get away with so much when we as traders
have a responsibility for all our services and car sales, which is rightly so.
We have carried out quite a few of these appraisal services now, and they have proved quite interesting in the findings. The most common items found are inefficient or non working cooling fans, broken springs and other suspension problems, plus poor or non existant servicing and this is on some low mileage very clean cars, but of course we must remember that all these cars are now well over 11 years old, and must have some wear and tear regardless of mileage. Often we find, on investigation, a lot of items found were advisories on the current MOT, which is why we advise anybody looking to buy a Rover or MG carries out two checks before even going to look at the vehicle. A) HPI check on the Reg No at a low cost of £1.99 with mycarcheck will show if the vehicle has been written off and B) Government MOT history check which is free and gives details of the last 6 MOT's including all items failed and all items advised.
A stamped service book is good, but not all garages carry out services to manufacturer's recommendations and can be economic with what they record, so for peace of mind, it is always good to have a fresh service carried out.