CHIMERA GENERAL MAINTAINENCE

[adiandvic]

just got our first tvr from a dealer who has serviced it etc etc. Any suggestions for day to day looking after her, things to keep an eye on etc

[peteruc]

All the usual things like fluid levels but especially the engine oil as she will burn a bit. It is also worth keeping a beedy eye on the state of the wishbones and regularly check the foot wells for water ingress as this will make your cockpit stink in the best case. Enjoy!

Pete

[adiandvic]

thanks Pete.... i was warned they burn some oil but is it really that bad.... is it a check each time you go out job

[M@H]

Trolley Jack, Wire brush, screwdriver, paint scraper, hammerite (or similar) and waxoyl.

It can look shiney as you like and go really really well, but its worth sod all if the outriggers rust through

[raceboy]

Just the same as any car really, day to day keep an eye on what the gauges are telling you, weekly checks of oil/water levels, tyre presures, etc, then regular checks on the chassis and like M@H has said keep on top of any rust issues

[Targarama]

adiandvic said:

thanks Pete.... i was warned they burn some oil but is it really that bad.... is it a check each time you go out job

Some do, some don't. I never needed top the oil up on mine between services (it went from max to halfway above min). The larger engined cars tend to use more oil than the 4.0Ls on average.

Some people say check everything every time you use the car. IMO it depends on how you use it. If you're doing a 10 mile commute then once a week is probably fine, watching/listening/sniffing for any changes in behaviour. If you drive from London to Devon every time you use it then I suggest checking the levels before each journey. It also depends on your mechanical sympathy/knowledge ... some people can 'feel' when the car's not right and will stop before anything fails.

The more you use these cars, the better they are. They hate being left in the garage.

[peteruc]

Yep,
I also agree with what the other two have said. When I got mine up on the ramps I was amazed how rusty it was. Luckily it was all superficial and nothing a wire brush/hamerite and waxoil couldn't sort out. All four of my wishbones were completely shot to bits. The car had only done 16K. They must have been produced with very poor engineering standards.

Pete

[adiandvic]

thanks to everyone so far

[adiandvic]

thanks to everyone so far

[Hut49]

adiandvic said:

thanks Pete.... i was warned they burn some oil but is it really that bad.... is it a check each time you go out job

Depends on engine wear, how you drive it and very much on the type of oil you use. Did the dealer tell you what oil they used? Good to know. First so that you don't inappropriately mix oils, and secondly it will give you a clue as to the rate of oil usage - Mobil 1 0W/40 fully synthetic (someone on PH recently described this as "batpiss") might be a great oil to get good lubing on a cold engine but it disappears quite quickly in my 450, maybe a litre every 1000 miles. Mobil 1 Motorsport at 15W/50 (been using this during the summer) seems to hardly have moved down the stick in over 2000 miles. Last winter I used Halfords 5W/40 fully synthetic - significantly cheaper than Mobil.

Getting to know the habits of an enthusiasts car like a TVR is part of the fun. Each one will have its own appetite for oil - there's no prescription, but don't get paranoid and check it every trip. That would seriously get in the way of the fun part of ownership.

There's always someone here to help with questions - there probably isn't a noise, engine/transmission symptom, running or leaking problem etc that someone on here hasn't already had and sorted.

[M@H]

peteruc said:

Yep, I also agree with what the other two have said. When I got mine up on the ramps I was amazed how rusty it was.

Without wishing to sound harsh how come you didn't know before you bought it...? ..the outriggers and wishbones were the first (and in one case only, as they were that bad) things I looked at when hunting for the current car.

Cheers,
Matt.