Please help. Tuscan red rose with problems!!

[Hickling]

Last January I had to tow my Tuscan (red rose) into the local TVR dealer because it wouldn't start. As a result i needed to have the ECU reset & a service a total of £840. I use my car most days & after about 2000 miles i noticed it was becoming harder to start. Then after another 1000 miles it would start then cut out, but would always restart. So to be on the safe side i called my local dealer, he told me that as the weather becomes colder i would find it harder to start. Apparently this is the case for even the latest TVR's, so with my mind put to rest i carried on driving my car. However last week i started my car & as usual it cut out, but this time it wouldn't restart. The engine would turn over but wouldn't start up, i thuoght it may have flooded so left it for a good half hour but with no success. My local dealer is now collecting my car on Monday but with it suffering the same problems as in January it looks like i'll be shelling out another £840. So i was wondering if anyone could shed any light on my problem? As the engine mangement system been changed since 2000 (it's a red rose so it hasn't got the standard chip) or as anyone come across this before, any advice would be appreciated, thanks.

[UpTheIron]

So what was the diagnosis for the original problem?

Was the service in line with the servicing schedule, or did the dealer suggest this as a fix for your problem?!

[Hickling]

Last January i towed my car to my nearest dealer which is near Derby. They told me that the car needed the ECU resetting which they charged me way over the top (£320). I drove the car about 200 yards & noticed straight away that the car was mis-firing so i took it back, & they said it needs a service we thought you knew! Personal i would thought they would have told me this before i drove the car away. When i asked them how much for a 12000 mile service they replied £920! Needless to say i took it to another dealer were they preformed the same service for £540.

[Big Al.]

So you got a result and saved yourself somne £'s.

Can't help with the rough running, not had that sort of problem yet.

Oh! and welcome to the asylum. OH

[Hickling]

If i knew about the problems i've had with this car before i bought it, i would have walked away. ECU reset £320, service £540, passager side window sticking £280, Alarm repair £750, someone backed into it, in the summer & drove off £1750! When it goes in on Monday on top of the starting problems, it needs the display screen on the dash sorting out & a fluid leak in the gearbox. I will have owned it for a year in January & i reckon i'll have spent £4500 just to keep it running.

>> Edited by Hickling on Wednesday 14th December 21:50

[wild oyster]

i now how you feel,my car is currently at austec havin a re-buid which totalls the amount you have spent,iv'e also got other issues like lines on the lcd and my immobiliser wont kick the fuel pump on all the time which is so annoying when you have to keep turning the ignition on and off for what seems like a life time!!oh and my door trim is pulling off the door,i could go on but most of these things i can live with for now.
at the end of the day i still cant wait to get it back and take it for a spin(takes my mind off all the other issues).

these cars can be very trying but when they are on the road it all fades away.

[TUS 373]

If engine cranks but won't start - one thing to do is check all of the fuses are OK (in driver's footwell). The ignition coil fuse has been upgraded over the years from a 7.5 amp to 20 amp. Don't ask me why a 7.5 amp can be OK one day, but blow on another - but maybe a cold engine does take more effort and therefore current drain to start.

If you can rule out the fuses, next check that the earth lead between engine/gearbox and chassis (runs to rear of front driver's side wheel arch) - is making good contact. In fact, get it removed - clean it up, clean up the areas on the end of the strap and corresponding contact pathches on engine/gearbox and chassis to ensure good electrical contact, then cover over with some copper grease to keep moisture from getting underneath.

These are common foibles, I would at least recommend that you take them into consideration before going any further especially if lots of cash is being demanded before a satisfactory diagnosis is offered.

[Hickling]

Thanks for that Tus 373, i'll check the earth wire tomorrow if i can get someone to give me a hand with the bonnet. I know the fuse isn't blown but i'll double check the ampage. They must have had a lot of problems for such a big jump in ampage.

>> Edited by Hickling on Wednesday 14th December 22:19

[targarama]

Hickling said:

If i knew about the problems i've had with this car before i bought it, i would have walked away. ECU reset £320, service £540, passager side window sticking £280, Alarm repair £750, someone backed into it, in the summer & drove off £1750! When it goes in on Monday on top of the starting problems, it needs the display screen on the dash sorting out & a fluid leak in the gearbox. I will have owned it for a year in January & i reckon i'll have spent £4500 just to keep it running. >> Edited by Hickling on Wednesday 14th December 21:50

I think you need to take a reality check.

Surely the accident isn't the car's fault. You already said you were ripped off for the ECU reset, so that's £2k off your total for starters.

Now tell me how much you would have spent running a comparable car?

Sorry about the problems, and I suggest a good indie to fault find this time, but just because it needs a few bits doing doesn't mean its a wreck. For instance Audi TTs regularly get through Dashpods at £600+ fitting - and this can be any time, not after 5 years. Our TT had a leak on one of the driveshaft/gearbox seals after 4 years too.

Maybe there is more to it, but the facts you present don't make the car sound that bad IMO.

[TUS 373]

Hickling said:

Thanks for that Tus 373, i'll check the earth wire tomorrow if i can get someone to give me a hand with the bonnet. I know the fuse isn't blown but i'll double check the ampage. They must have had a lot of problems for such a big jump in ampage. >> Edited by Hickling on Wednesday 14th December 22:19

Hi. No need to take off bonnet for the earth lead. Its more a case of getting the car off the ground with the front offside wheel off. You can then reach under to attack the earth. Its a common problem this - so genuinely worth doing the job because even if it is not the problem now, it may save you considerable inconvenience in the future.

I think you have been charged alot of money for the problems you have had and would recommend shopping around TVR dealers, or independents as suggested. It will at least get the hourly rate down.

[tovie]

Maybe there is more to it, but the facts you present don't make the car sound that bad IMO.[/quote]




I agree it is a pain when these cars go wrong, but if you are trying to run it on a tight budget then this may not be the car for you. Plus you have got to except the older it gets the more it may go wrong, if you brought it from a dealer surely these problems were under warrantee.

[NCE 61]

Sorry to hear about your starting & other issues, I am afraid they are not cheap cars to run supercars never are no matter what they are. I had a similar cold start issue recently. On inspection of the HT leads and caps two of the caps showed signs of tracking ie discoloration down the side these were changed for a complete new set as they were the originals & more than five years old denoted by the purple lead colour apparently. Since then cold starting has been fine with no stalling & engine runs smoother at low speeds.

[dannylt]

I would also add that you shouldn't take any shit from the dealer. It shouldn't really matter how cold it is, now matter how old your TVR. If it's in good shape you shouldn't have to worry about starting in our weather, say down to -5. Mine Chimaera/Cerbera Red Rose always started even when covered in ice! As for a few hundred quid to reset the ECU... I think you need a better description of what they did. Clearing the adaptives take 5 minutes, but is not really solving the underlying problem.

[cjb]

Had the same problem with my 2001 Tuscan. Noticed that it sometimes took longer to start. Starter motor would turn over, but occasionally it would sound like it had got stuck, before the engine started. Stopped outside Charring-Cross station the other day and it failed to start. *Always* good to break-down in a high visibility, no parking zone Turned out to be the alternator slowly dying and not charging the battery enough. Recovered back to Gatwick TVR, fixed same day (Thx Guys)

Cost was around £360 for the new alternator including fitting. I also had a new battery fitted while it was there, just to be on the safe side.

Chris

[kipper_]

Paul,

I have the same issue with dealers in the East mids as there are so few they seem to quote what they want. I can recommend a good honest indie who has done a lot of excellent work on my Tuscan, in Nottingham and won't charge the earth.

[Hickling]

My experience with other garages i my area are poor to say the least. When i had my Chimera i was forever telling them were things were & how to do this, for something that when all said & done is a Land Rover V8. The ECU & CTS reset bill was for five hours labour only. After double checking it was £366, (job which should take two & a half hours). As for running on a budget i've also got a BMW X5 from new which as been faultless, i don't expect my Tuscan to have the same reliability as that but it would be nice to drive it for more than two months without it having to go into the garage. It is a 7.5 amp fuse so i've changed it & put the batterey on charge. I'll let you know how i get on. I would love to know KIP it's a bit of a trek to TMS.



>> Edited by Hickling on Thursday 15th December 14:02

[TUS 373]

Had the 7.5A fuse blown though?

[Hickling]

You know your stuff TUS 373. I've spent most of the day messing around with the earth wire & fuses as you suggested, & believe it or not it's started. It's running like a bag of bolts, & the windows are all over the place, but at least it will save me the price of a tow. Thank you very much, your a life saver. No none of the fuses had blown, so it was most probably the earth wire.

>> Edited by Hickling on Thursday 15th December 15:45

[whitey]

TUS 373 said:

Had the 7.5A fuse blown though?

I thought it was upgraded from a 15A to 20A.

[TUS 373]

whitey said:

TUS 373 said: Had the 7.5A fuse blown though? I thought it was upgraded from a 15A to 20A.

If I am right, the history went 7.5A to 15A to 20A. That's what Heath at the factory told me a couple of years ago. These fuses should all have been upgraded as it went into a service bulletin. You can imagine that most of them have not been swapped over by dealers though because it seems like an insignificant job. Until that is, the car conks for the owner. A slim supple body also comes in handy - I usually need 3 people to lift me from the footwell after I have changed fuses!!