Rover 75 Diesel Bargain
Discussion
BMWE34FAN said:
Little update! £310 poorer and the car is now MOTd for 12 months. A bit more than I wanted to pay but hey should give me 12 months service now.
Within the context of motoring in the UK which is damned expensive £300 is by no means an unreasonable figure to achieve an MOT on a car that has been standing for some time and is some years old. Having rescued multitudinous kit cars from the grave over 50 years I know just how pernicious standing idle can be to mechanics and bodywork. Even fibreglass can deteriorate in a few years out in the rain. Brakes and suspension also need to ne moving. I think that is a very good result since the car seems to drive and look very good. Best of luck and continued good fortune to the OP!BMWE34FAN said:
Little update! £310 poorer and the car is now MOTd for 12 months. A bit more than I wanted to pay but hey should give me 12 months service now.
Make sure the car has front spring protectors fitted.These were the subject of a recall, but many cars escaped.
When the front springs snap (which they do, quite a lot) the sharp end can embed itself in the tyre. If this happens on your drive when manoeuvring (which is where it usually happens), it's a new tyre.
If it happens on the motorway, absolutely anything can happen next.
Edited by SpeckledJim on Thursday 2nd October 14:56
Little update on the £300 75 Diesel. It's all MOT and taxed again now after 2 years of standing. It drives really well and is very relaxing. I'm just finding it very sluggish, are all the 2.0 CDT like this?
I gave it a quick wash to get rid of all the moss etc and I must say it's come up really well. Just need to source a replacement boot lid to make it more presentable.
I gave it a quick wash to get rid of all the moss etc and I must say it's come up really well. Just need to source a replacement boot lid to make it more presentable.
Doesn't look bad that at all 
I'm currently running a 300,000 mile one of these which is doing very nicely indeed.
The standard tune of the CDT is 114bhp so yes, it's not exactly quick. Being the BMW M47R lump they are, of course, capable of a much more respectable figure and you just need a simple ecu tweak to unlock 131bhp / 160bhp. You need to find a local T4 equipped chappy (map on the owners' club) and they will certainly be able to help with regard to giving it a bit more poke. Expect to pay in the region of £100 though.
I'm currently running a 300,000 mile one of these which is doing very nicely indeed.
The standard tune of the CDT is 114bhp so yes, it's not exactly quick. Being the BMW M47R lump they are, of course, capable of a much more respectable figure and you just need a simple ecu tweak to unlock 131bhp / 160bhp. You need to find a local T4 equipped chappy (map on the owners' club) and they will certainly be able to help with regard to giving it a bit more poke. Expect to pay in the region of £100 though.
Wow that sounds promising about the remap! How are you finding going from a V6 to a high mileage diesel? Are there big differences in mpg? Is yours a standard CDT like mine? No belts to worry about that will save you money.
I now call mine the slug, I've driven 110bhp Passats that felt alot quicker. I think I will definitely find someone local with the equipment.
Tomorrow I'm going to tackle the interior, the cream plastics are very dirty so it could be a hard task. Will grab pictures of the results.
I now call mine the slug, I've driven 110bhp Passats that felt alot quicker. I think I will definitely find someone local with the equipment.
Tomorrow I'm going to tackle the interior, the cream plastics are very dirty so it could be a hard task. Will grab pictures of the results.
BMWE34FAN said:
Wow that sounds promising about the remap! How are you finding going from a V6 to a high mileage diesel? Are there big differences in mpg? Is yours a standard CDT like mine? No belts to worry about that will save you money.
I now call mine the slug, I've driven 110bhp Passats that felt alot quicker. I think I will definitely find someone local with the equipment.
Tomorrow I'm going to tackle the interior, the cream plastics are very dirty so it could be a hard task. Will grab pictures of the results.
Before a remap get the T4 guy to do an overall check - I think they do that as routine anyway. If its feeling extra sluggish at worst case it could be a dicky injector or two (again not big money to have sorted - plenty of info on the owners' forums). The other thing to check is that the PCV filter is not blocked - it is prone to clogging on these engines and really should be listed as a service item! Another cheap fix if needed.I now call mine the slug, I've driven 110bhp Passats that felt alot quicker. I think I will definitely find someone local with the equipment.
Tomorrow I'm going to tackle the interior, the cream plastics are very dirty so it could be a hard task. Will grab pictures of the results.
Mine is a standard CDT, but my mechanic (who I bought it off) might have waved a magic wand over it, so I've got the 135 xpower upgrade. It's adequate for motorway driving, but as this car is a stop gap and definitely a means to an end, I am not bothered about the 160 upgrade.
I'm actually pretty suprised at how well mine drives, for a 300k mile car. The interior has worn the mileage very well indeed, and the only thing when driving that makes it feel leggy is the amount of play in the gearstick mechanism. I'm sure it's sitting a bit low too, but ride quality seems as good as my old V6. Of course I'm missing the V6 engine, and I'm hoping that within a year I'll be back in a KV6 engined one, but at motorway speeds (which is what I'm doing with this one) I can't complain really. Also gone from 33mpg (V6) to averaging 53mpg on the diesel so far - that's with brim to brim calculations. Quite a difference over a full tank!
Just a quick note on the interior, especially the cream plastics: the best thing I've found to get the dirt out is a Vanish soap bar. Seriously rub it into a damp cloth and get some elbow grease into it, it's amazing. MUCH better than any car interior cleaner stuff.
This is how mine has come up after a couple of good cleans - you really wouldn't guess its mileage if you didn't know!
Just a quick note on the interior, especially the cream plastics: the best thing I've found to get the dirt out is a Vanish soap bar. Seriously rub it into a damp cloth and get some elbow grease into it, it's amazing. MUCH better than any car interior cleaner stuff.
A classic car mag did a group test of specialist interior cleaners a while back, and threw a bar of Vanish in as a joke....They were very surprised when it wiped the floor with the competition (so to speak)
A classic car mag did a group test of specialist interior cleaners a while back, and threw a bar of Vanish in as a joke....They were very surprised when it wiped the floor with the competition (so to speak)
smileymikey said:
Just a quick note on the interior, especially the cream plastics: the best thing I've found to get the dirt out is a Vanish soap bar. Seriously rub it into a damp cloth and get some elbow grease into it, it's amazing. MUCH better than any car interior cleaner stuff.
A classic car mag did a group test of specialist interior cleaners a while back, and threw a bar of Vanish in as a joke....They were very surprised when it wiped the floor with the competition (so to speak)
I'm not surprised! It works very well indeed!A classic car mag did a group test of specialist interior cleaners a while back, and threw a bar of Vanish in as a joke....They were very surprised when it wiped the floor with the competition (so to speak)
Just a small update on my bargain Rover. I ended up buying a steam cleaner for the interior and I did everything inside. The results are amazing. All of the very dirty cream plastics have come up amazing! I also steam cleaned all of the door closures and the alloys, can't believe how good these steam cleaners are.
Mechanically it's running great, it's quiet and very smooth to drive. The only issue is like a "ghost sound" occasionally that can be heard inside as well as outside. God knows what it is but it's quite funny as people stare! I was thinking along the line of the power steering making the noise but then a part of me thinks it could be the climate control? Any ideas?
Mechanically it's running great, it's quiet and very smooth to drive. The only issue is like a "ghost sound" occasionally that can be heard inside as well as outside. God knows what it is but it's quite funny as people stare! I was thinking along the line of the power steering making the noise but then a part of me thinks it could be the climate control? Any ideas?
BMWE34FAN said:
Just a small update on my bargain Rover. I ended up buying a steam cleaner for the interior and I did everything inside. The results are amazing. All of the very dirty cream plastics have come up amazing! I also steam cleaned all of the door closures and the alloys, can't believe how good these steam cleaners are.
Mechanically it's running great, it's quiet and very smooth to drive. The only issue is like a "ghost sound" occasionally that can be heard inside as well as outside. God knows what it is but it's quite funny as people stare! I was thinking along the line of the power steering making the noise but then a part of me thinks it could be the climate control? Any ideas?
It's the aircon making the noise - you need a regas Mechanically it's running great, it's quiet and very smooth to drive. The only issue is like a "ghost sound" occasionally that can be heard inside as well as outside. God knows what it is but it's quite funny as people stare! I was thinking along the line of the power steering making the noise but then a part of me thinks it could be the climate control? Any ideas?
The noise is like a high pitched "whoo" noise, it's strange! Just does it randomly. Everyhing seems to be working fine but I thought the power steering was whining but it could be me being paranoid!
I treated the car to an oil and filter change today (did myself). The old oil was filthy and felt very slimy. I also gave it another wash! I added some fuel cleaner in to see if it would make it anymore responsive. It's not slow when it's going, just doesn't seem as quick as I thought it would be.
I'm still very fond of it though, 126,000 miles and it's smooth to drive with no rattles at all. Definitely was a good buy.
I treated the car to an oil and filter change today (did myself). The old oil was filthy and felt very slimy. I also gave it another wash! I added some fuel cleaner in to see if it would make it anymore responsive. It's not slow when it's going, just doesn't seem as quick as I thought it would be.
I'm still very fond of it though, 126,000 miles and it's smooth to drive with no rattles at all. Definitely was a good buy.
BMWE34FAN said:
The noise is like a high pitched "whoo" noise, it's strange! Just does it randomly. Everyhing seems to be working fine but I thought the power steering was whining but it could be me being paranoid!
I treated the car to an oil and filter change today (did myself). The old oil was filthy and felt very slimy. I also gave it another wash! I added some fuel cleaner in to see if it would make it anymore responsive. It's not slow when it's going, just doesn't seem as quick as I thought it would be.
I'm still very fond of it though, 126,000 miles and it's smooth to drive with no rattles at all. Definitely was a good buy.
From everything on here looks like a brilliant buy to me. Shed bangeromtcs at its most rewarding. It drives well, looks good and cost peanuts. Damned good buy. I would think you could genuinely sell this when you fancy a change at no loss whatsoever. Can't get cheaper or more rewarding bargain motoring than that. Excellent example of self help and well done OP.I treated the car to an oil and filter change today (did myself). The old oil was filthy and felt very slimy. I also gave it another wash! I added some fuel cleaner in to see if it would make it anymore responsive. It's not slow when it's going, just doesn't seem as quick as I thought it would be.
I'm still very fond of it though, 126,000 miles and it's smooth to drive with no rattles at all. Definitely was a good buy.
I'd treat it to another oil change, consider what you've just put in as flushing oil. Have a look at the PCV, as if the oil is as treacle like as it looks it'll be safe to assume that hasn't been touched and is gunked up too. Just takes a bit of you time and a few 100cc's of petrol/diesel to wash it out.
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