MG ZT 160+

[pmanson]

We picked this one up at the beginning of December to replace our Impreza that was stolen at the end of October.

It could do with a claybar/polish session but i've only had time to wash it and give it a dry off with Megs Last Touch.



The residue glue from the Turbo badge won't come off - i've tried polish, heating it, white spirt, tar and glue remover... Need to give it another going over at some point. Oh yeah and the rear plate has been changed for the proper shaped version:





Ebay special xenon upgrade fitted to the standard projectors:






A quick upgrade last weekend - i've fitted a Parrot CK3000 Evolution Bluetooth kit:



The mic installed on the rear view mirror pointing towards the driver.



Not 100% happy as it seems to interfere with my HK amp and pops when you start/end calls and there is some background buzzing and alternator interference (sounds like the turbo is coming on song...)

I've been looking online for a solution but haven't found one so far.

I've had it serviced (all fluids changed) and fitted four new Falken FK452 tyres and that's about it. I've bought it as a motorway mile muncher which it does very well but an extra gear would be great to improve economy.

Cheers,
Phill

Edited by pmanson on Thursday 17th February 09:24

[pmanson]

Sshhhh bldy typos

[pmanson]

mrtwisty said:

Nice, that colour really suits the car. Whats the grip/handling like?

Oh and... BOUGHT BOUGHT BOUGHT BOUGHT BOUGHT!!! (sorry ;-)

It's much better since I put the new tyres on it, the old ones were near the legal limit and had gone off.

It's a big car but the ride is suprisingly compliant considering the fact that it's running 18s

[pmanson]

Podie said:

Looks alright that.

Which engine has it got?

It's the 1.8T so a k-series engine. Not a huge issue as I don't mind checking fluid levels on a regular basis!

[pmanson]

Podie said:

Phill - "cheap ebay HID" and "interference on the handsfree kit" may be related...

Possibly (will unplug the HIDs at the weekend to check) but it seems to be an issue with how it interacts with the amp in boot.

I get a pop on connection/disconnection. A friend has suggested moving the location of the parrot control box as he wonders if the standard amp wiring might be badly shielded.

[pmanson]

DannyVTS said:

Hey bud, I'm looking at getting a ZT but might end up being a diseasal..

How are you finding the turbo petrol? I know it's not on par with the likes of todays turbo petrol engines, but how do you find it? How is your fuel economy looking?

Could you also say the price you got it at and on what mileage/history? (can PM if you want, would be interestd to know though!)

They prefacelifts look excellent in Xpower Grey Smart purchase

Costs are all in my profile. The car cost us £1750 but needed four new tyres (£450) and i've recently had it serviced which cost me another £400 (that included a replacement rear plate and temp sender).

The service included changing all fluids so i'm good for another 15,000 miles (ish).

Mpg if i'm just running around Milton Keynes it can drop as low as 26mpg and as high as 45mpg (if stuck in road works at 50mph on the M1).

According to the computer i'm averaging 32.4mpg at the moment but I filled up on Tuesday night and again last night and i'd managed 440 miles on a single tank (with 20 or so left on the trip computer). It cost £76 to fill up at 126.9p. That was mainly all motorway mileage though.

I have to say I do tend to just cruise at between 70-80 leptons as it's just a relaxing place to be.

Edited by pmanson on Friday 18th February 14:40

[pmanson]

Podie said:

pmanson said:

It cost £76 to fill up at 126.9p. That was mainly all motorway mielage though.

Ouch. Either the ZT has a big tank, or my Mondeo has a small one.


Any options for chipping the ZT?

Just put in my expenses claim this morning - it wasn't pretty (over 1100 business miles over the last four weeks).

I put in around 60 litres I think. Apparently it has a 65 litre tank though.

I was tempted to just keep running it but never like to pick out the rubbish at the bottom of the tank.

The most i've got in it was £80 when I filled up in Manchester last month (130.9)

[pmanson]

Podie said:

"Simple calculation" - bullst have you done 76 divided by 126.9 in your head.

[pmanson]

Quick update as I do a lot of business miles the car tends to be filthy most of the time but this time it seemed to be covered in lots of tar!

No before photos but the process was:

Snow foam x2
Wash
Wheels - clayed, polished and waxed
Clay
Tar removal
Polish with DA and menzerna polishes
Lime Prime Lite by hand
Megs wax
Bare bones on trim
Interior hoovered / dash cleaned

Cheers,
Phill

[pmanson]

Hi All,

When the time has come to sell up and move to the dreaded devil's fuel...

So any ideas on value? The car is currently on 104k and running well.

Good points:

1) Tax'd until the end of July
2) MOT'd until July
3) Interior in very good condition (half leather / alcantara)
4) Four decent Falken FK452s in the correct size - front tyres replaced 1,000 miles ago
5) Bodywork is X-Power grey

Not so good points:

1) It is currently running a silver front bumper due to a car/deer interface issue (only the bumper was damaged)
2) It needs two new foglights (see above)
3) One of the aftermarket HID lights is out - I was going to replace it when I got the bumper spray'd but never got around to it
4) It's due a minor service (and will need front pads)

I've got no idea how to value it!

Do I take the time and get it serviced/bumper sprayed? I'd much rather sell to someone who is happy to do the work so that it's gone from my drive!


Cheers,
Phill

[pmanson]

Podie said:

Personally, I'd get the car sorted and then sell it.

I know a good, cheap bodyshop (but not quick) - but it's up my way.

Sure you could do the brakes yourself?

Brake pad and oil change aren't a problem.

I'm in no rush, new car (if all goes well on Sat) can be purchasd outright without selling this one.

[pmanson]

Podie said:

I can drop you my man's number, but it is up Northants way. Might be worth getting a quote though. His work is spot on - worked on all three of our cars. GregE240 can also vouch for his handywork. If you had the fogs, he could fit them at the same time.

Alternative is to get it sorted, and buy the new one at a dealer and go for a trade in?

Looking at that private PB Estate with the Recaro's and Nav on Saturday morning as I suspect I'll get bend over with a trade in on an "MG".

Fogs are easy enough to pick up and I know a guy locally that has spray'd one of my cars before, the only issue will be insuring it as I want to transfer my policy to the new car.

Edited to add - in fact how does the insurance situation work these days? Car will be off-road and tax'd but do I need to insure it?

[pmanson]

SD1992 said:

Looks a lovely car, what are they like on a long drive? Seat comfort / wind noise etc?

Very tempting

Very comfy, ride can be firm at times due to the tyre profile but then I prefer a firmer ride. It's no sports car but can hustle along quite well for a big car.

I spend a lot of time on motorways and it's got a nice planted ride and enough power that if you want to join a slip road/outside lane quickly you can get up to speed well.

Wind noise isn't bad, although at 80ish (not in the UK officer) it can be difficult to be heard on the handsfree.

Stereo is fantastic, with enough bass due to the HK sound system. Suprisngly practical as well with the split rear seats.

If it a CDTi version i'd be keeping it... however the PPM that my work pay me means that it costs me to drive for work at the moment (ignoring my car allowance).

[pmanson]

Podie said:

pmanson said:

Edited to add - in fact how does the insurance situation work these days? Car will be off-road and tax'd but do I need to insure it?

Not sure. I think if it's stored and SORN'd you can get "storage insurance" - but I'd phone your insurer ASAP to find out.

Looks like I have to SORN it and give up the tax disc.

Actually that might not be a bad thing - take the bumper off, get it sprayed and then refit it with new fogs and service at my leisure.

O/T any thoughts on the Estate with Nav that I sent to you via FB? Mileage is a little higher than I would like but seems to be well looked after. Running Yoko's on the front and Goodyears on the rear.

[pmanson]

had ham said:

Nice car, always liked them.

You do know that you can/should claim the difference between the government advised cost of 40p per mile (first 10K miles, 25p thereafter)and the PPM you get from work for all use of a personal vehicle for work? This is done via box 2.5 'Allowable Expenses' on your short tax return.

For example you get 15PPM from work. Govt allow 40PPM, so 40-15 = 25PPM back on your tax return. Depending on how many miles this is, and therefore how much you claim, as well as your tax status, they'll either alter your tax code/tax-free allowance for the following year or send you a cheque.

Details here http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/travel.htm

I'm doing that as well... sshh it's only Man Maths to justify to my wife about me fancying a change of car

[pmanson]

A lex said:

Quite tough to value.

Sorry if I missed it already but is it a V6 160 or a 4 pot turbo?

I came very close to buying one of these last month (albeit it tourer 190 flavour). There are a LOT of good cars out there for about 1200quid.

Yours does look in very good condition. Finger in the air would suggest about 1400 quid with the issues sorted or 1000 as is. Drop by a little bit for a quicker sale.

Its the 160 4 pot turbo

[pmanson]

Maty said:

Lovely car, good luck selling it. I can't help but want one of these next, incredibly cheap and still look far better than anything available for the same cost/spec.

A question for you regarding the Falken FK452's, how many miles did you get out of the fronts before needing to be replaced? I'm looking at some new boots for the Renault and whilst the Toyo's that are on it now are fantastic they simply do not last long enough for my liking and I've heard good things about these Falkens, mainly that they last longer!

Plenty of grip but probably a little soft considering the weight of the car. I massaged 18,000 miles out of the fronts but that was probably pushing it... In fact the last 1,000 miles probably killed them and they should have been changed slightly sooner.

Rears are still doing well with 19k+ on them

[pmanson]

Well it's finally dead and on the bay of e listed as spares or repair.

It succumbed to the dreaded HG failure (which I think was probably caused by the water pump failing)and has been replaced by a Mazda 6 2.2 Sport.

Seems to be a bit of interest in it (possibly due to the interior/projector headlights + the HK stereo) so hopefully it'll get me a bit of cash back!

Was a nice car - served me well and I would recommend it.