The end of the Rover 75 as a useable car ?

[jackatesme]

After over 6yrs of ownership,the only leak i have had is in the boot.
Had to spend £8 on light seals and £8 on tube of Captain Tolleys sealant.

[Dawn]

Originally Posted by Blink

The reason I asked is that I'm wondering if a faulty seal somewhere on the bulkhead might be the source of my heavy condensation problems. It's so heavy I've had water running out of the front interior lamp cluster and dripping onto the gear lever area. In cold weather, condensation forms on the metal roof (the underside of it) and drips onto the headlining. It then runs forward on top of the headlining until it reaches the lamp cluster, where it escapes downwards.

I had water leaks at the front on two of mine. I thought bulkhead at first, but it took a long time to realize in both cases both cars had had new windscreens. BOTH had been fitted incorrectly, so not the cars fault! I replaced the screens, and problem solved. The current ZT has had a leak in the past as a previous owner has sealed around the rear lights. I have peeled this off and bought new seals which are going on at the weekend when the lights are off for rustproofing the car at krown.

[Blink]

Originally Posted by Dawn

I had water leaks at the front on two of mine. I thought bulkhead at first, but it took a long time to realize in both cases both cars had had new windscreens. BOTH had been fitted incorrectly, so not the cars fault! I replaced the screens, and problem solved.....

Did you find out exactly where the new windscreens were letting water in?

Mine's had a new windscreen too but I can't see any obvious entry points for water (and that's with the headlining off and A pillar trims off).

[ALPACA]

Originally Posted by Teflon

Forgive me for snipping your post, but this part really struck a chord with me.

When I fist came across my '75 in a local dealership, I thought long and hard about buying it. At the time, I was driving a small Hyundai hatchback which was proving to be ultra reliable and cheap to run. As much as I liked the Rover, I reasoned that it would be less practical (saloon V hatchback), less economical on fuel, cost more to tax, and cost more to insure. It would also take up more space under the carport.

I also firmly believed that the initial enjoyment would fade as I became more familiar with the car, as has happened with every other car I've ever owned.

Despite all this I still bought her, and have found that much to my surprise, the initial enjoyment has increased with each passing year.

I've had her for 11 years now, and so far she has only needed a new battery, new clutch, and two rear light seals (plus some repairs after being rear ended by a Ford Transit ). Of course, I've spent way more than that on her - primarily on upgrades and beauty treatments .

So far, she's proven herself to be a reliable everyday car, and works equally well both as a daily driver and a show car. Hopefully, this will continue for many more years .

Love my '75!

Cliff

Same thing here. I have had a long list of cars during my motoring life and particularly loved a series III Jaguar 3.4 and other luxury cars, but fell in love with my dad's Rover 75 CDTi when he bought one, so much so that I had to buy one for myself. Twelve years later I still have both 75's and now that they are both 17 years old, I still love them in so many ways and have no intention of ever parting with them.


I am no mechanic, but I can easily do the oil and filter, air filter, fuel filter and basic bits and bobs. Referring to the OP's original post, my two old girls have stood up to the tests of time pretty well I would say, mainly thanks to the very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful people here on the forum who have given me tips and advice over the years. I trust a well known Rover75/MG garage for repairs which have included (between both cars and 250,000 miles) front springs, steering rack, two air con systems which lunched themselves, brake lines, shocks and usual suspension rubber mounts and strange metal parts that I do not claim to understand and thus believe they must come from outer space!


Boot and carpet leaks can all be traced and sorted thanks to forum posts, and little niggles can be fixed. All we have to do is post a question and someone always helps us out, so I don't understand why a Rover 75 should represent anything more of a problem to prospective owners than any other car, if fact far less so perhaps as many marques do not have such a brilliant dedicated club/forum & legion of owners. Driving my 75's is still a wonderful experience every time I get behind the wheel, there is something really enjoyable and 'special' about a long run to Scotland or Wales in them as I waft along in total comfort. I love the looks, the comfort and luxury, the MPG, the admiring looks and remarks from people whenever they see Roxy and Bluebelle... and I still get comments from passengers 'It's so comfortable', 'what a lovely car', 'this is so much nicer inside than my.... (please select any modern marque here). I have never loved a car as much as the 75 nor owned a car for so many years without getting bored of her, and when I park up, I always look back because I think they stand out amidst the sea of bland-mobiles that abound these days.


After 17 years, my 75's are absolutely worthless now in resale terms, but priceless to me. A set of Contact 6's costs more than the value of the car itself. And when I spent a lot of money on the air con system replacements even the garage were surprised when I said 'yeah, that's fine, go ahead', as sadly the 75's have reached a point where many are older and high mileage and bought as cheap luxury cars till service costs prove too much.I will keep mine going as long as I can and having had drives and rides in many modern luxury cars from BMW, Mercedes and Lexus.... the supple, sumptuous, comfortable ride on my 75's is still, in my opinion far superior to many of them.

Rover 75's in their old age.... Worth every penny in my opinion. And again refering to the OP's original point raised of the 75 after 10 years a useable car?...... I say a resounding 'Hell yeah'

[Blink]

Originally Posted by Dawn

I had water leaks at the front on two of mine. I thought bulkhead at first, but it took a long time to realize in both cases both cars had had new windscreens. BOTH had been fitted incorrectly, so not the cars fault! I replaced the screens, and problem solved. The current ZT has had a leak in the past as a previous owner has sealed around the rear lights. I have peeled this off and bought new seals which are going on at the weekend when the lights are off for rustproofing the car at krown.

Did you find out exactly where the new windscreens were letting water in?

Mine's had a new windscreen too but I can't see any obvious entry points for water (and that's with the headlining off and A pillar trims off).

[Dawn]

Yes, it was in the corners. Both screens the bonding hadn't been done correctly to the corners, it was like they'd cut across slightly instead of following the shape of the screen. You couldn't tell at all until the screen was removed but it left gaps. Sadly both my screens broke while trying to be taken out, so I had to replace. It might not be your issue, but it was mine twice.

[Nantwich 75]

I had a terrible leak in my old TR6, until I realised the hood was down.

[minimutly]

My 14 yr old zt has now done 161k, 120k of this on lpg. I use it as a company car, it gets me two holidays a year, costs no more than normal servicing and cos its a v6 purrs allong.
I'm going to struggle to find a replacement...

[Blink]

Originally Posted by Dawn

Yes, it was in the corners. Both screens the bonding hadn't been done correctly to the corners, it was like they'd cut across slightly instead of following the shape of the screen. You couldn't tell at all until the screen was removed but it left gaps. Sadly both my screens broke while trying to be taken out, so I had to replace. It might not be your issue, but it was mine twice.

Thanks for the info Dawn.

My screen was replaced but I can't see any sign of water entry around the inside of it (while a hose pipe is bombarding it from outside).

On your car, what led you to suspect the front windscreen was leaking in the first place? Could you actually see signs of water coming in?

[PRC ROEWE]

For what it's worth my Chinese built 2007 Roewe 750 has 95K on it and not a single leak. Of all the areas prone to leaks on any auto are the sunroofs, usually as a result from neglectby lazy owners. Keep the drains & gutters clean, wipe the rubbers occasionally with your favourite cleaner/protector and they should be trouble-free for a long time.