A lesson learned
Discussion
I'll start this post with what you're all going to say.... serves you right pal!
I bought a 96 chim 400 a couple of weeks ago privately. The guy had spent 3k-4k on doing her up & despite a sticky window & a bit of mould on the carpet behind the passenger seat she seemed to run well. There is loads of history & 6 weeks ago it had a full service & new MOT.
I call Andy at APM to have her looked over yesterday... Now, what the guy selling decided not to tell me which I now know. The camshaft is gone/going (700-800), the diff need sorting (600-750), front & rear disc & pads (420+), front shocks (400), plus engine mounts & wishbone... bits.
After calling Fernhurst where the service & MOT were done all of this was pointed out to the "gentleman" at the time, but he insisted on "getting it through the MOT".
So, unless your a mechanic make sure you have the car completely checked before you part with 10k+ otherwise, like me you'll be stuck with a 3k+ to sort it out.
(I know I've been a c*ck, so please don't point out the obvious, I just wanted to make a point for new buyers)
PS. I bought the car from an ad on PH, I guess we're all not enthusiasts!
I bought a 96 chim 400 a couple of weeks ago privately. The guy had spent 3k-4k on doing her up & despite a sticky window & a bit of mould on the carpet behind the passenger seat she seemed to run well. There is loads of history & 6 weeks ago it had a full service & new MOT.
I call Andy at APM to have her looked over yesterday... Now, what the guy selling decided not to tell me which I now know. The camshaft is gone/going (700-800), the diff need sorting (600-750), front & rear disc & pads (420+), front shocks (400), plus engine mounts & wishbone... bits.
After calling Fernhurst where the service & MOT were done all of this was pointed out to the "gentleman" at the time, but he insisted on "getting it through the MOT".
So, unless your a mechanic make sure you have the car completely checked before you part with 10k+ otherwise, like me you'll be stuck with a 3k+ to sort it out.
(I know I've been a c*ck, so please don't point out the obvious, I just wanted to make a point for new buyers)
PS. I bought the car from an ad on PH, I guess we're all not enthusiasts!
Hiya Elk!
Unfortunately just goes to show that even PH is not immune to the occasional 'chancer' slipping through the net.
I hope that you are able to get the car sorted, and once it is in fine fettle, the guy will be pissed off that he ever sold it!
There are lots of good specialists around who will do a good job at a good price, so I am sure you will (finally) end up with a happy end to the saga!
Unfortunately just goes to show that even PH is not immune to the occasional 'chancer' slipping through the net.
I hope that you are able to get the car sorted, and once it is in fine fettle, the guy will be pissed off that he ever sold it!
There are lots of good specialists around who will do a good job at a good price, so I am sure you will (finally) end up with a happy end to the saga!
That is real bad news..... Did you see many before buying?
I guess I was lucky when I bought as I got a good 1. I was very green at the time and would no a hell of a lot more now if I was to look at replacing my current Chimaera with a newer/bigger engined model.
The only thing I would say to you is consider an indie for the work to be done. I'm lucky as have a friend who owns a tyre specialist who does brakes and suspension as well. He said to me take it to him if anything ever needs doing as the brakes are basically Ford items. I'm open to be corrected on this but I would feel happy for him to do work like brakes, suspension and exhausts (if he can get the parts) and go to a specialist for the 'general' annual service (use Offords btw).
I hope you kept some money back for such problems if not good luck with the impending meeting with your bank manager!!
Hope you get it sorted..... You'll soon forget when you start driving
I guess I was lucky when I bought as I got a good 1. I was very green at the time and would no a hell of a lot more now if I was to look at replacing my current Chimaera with a newer/bigger engined model.
The only thing I would say to you is consider an indie for the work to be done. I'm lucky as have a friend who owns a tyre specialist who does brakes and suspension as well. He said to me take it to him if anything ever needs doing as the brakes are basically Ford items. I'm open to be corrected on this but I would feel happy for him to do work like brakes, suspension and exhausts (if he can get the parts) and go to a specialist for the 'general' annual service (use Offords btw).
I hope you kept some money back for such problems if not good luck with the impending meeting with your bank manager!!
Hope you get it sorted..... You'll soon forget when you start driving
Ouch!
However, here is the good news:
Front and read pads - do that yourself
Shocks - do that yourself
Engine mounts - do that yourself
There are plenty of people here who can guide you through the process. See my thread '66000 service' regarding the shocks.
The prices you've been quoted all include labour, but really so long as you get the correct parts, if you're not minded to do the work yourself, the above 3 jobs can be done by any competant back street mechanic (although the shocks need care).
However, here is the good news:
Front and read pads - do that yourself
Shocks - do that yourself
Engine mounts - do that yourself
There are plenty of people here who can guide you through the process. See my thread '66000 service' regarding the shocks.
The prices you've been quoted all include labour, but really so long as you get the correct parts, if you're not minded to do the work yourself, the above 3 jobs can be done by any competant back street mechanic (although the shocks need care).
I may be wrong but I don't think a compression test would confirm a worn cam. It would show worn bores or valves not seating both of which are worse than a worn cam IMHO.
Re the other bits. I'd suggest you have a go at the brakes at least. Its not at all difficult & by learning to do the simple things you get to know the car, save a fortune & feel smug & contented!
Re the other bits. I'd suggest you have a go at the brakes at least. Its not at all difficult & by learning to do the simple things you get to know the car, save a fortune & feel smug & contented!
cerby4.5 said:
Hiya Elk!
Unfortunately just goes to show that even PH is not immune to the occasional 'chancer' slipping through the net.
to be fair if he had spent £3k - £4k on the car and just put it through an MOT, he may not have realised there was anything wrong. It clearly wasnt that obvious or this poor chap would have picked up on it before handing over the cash. A 1995 Chimaera can potentially be troublesome and if you are joe average you may not realise certain things are on their last legs, especially if you rely on MOT and back street garages to do the work.
The Elk said:
Hey POD - Andy has just done a compression test & has estimated the she's running at about 120bhp.
As for doing the work myself... give me a pc & I can strip it down & rebuild with my eyes closed... a car? I'll fit a new head-unit, but that's it.
At least give the brakes a try, its not rocket science
parrot of doom said:
Hey POD - Andy has just done a compression test & has estimated the she's running at about 120bhp.
As for doing the work myself... give me a pc & I can strip it down & rebuild with my eyes closed... a car? I'll fit a new head-unit, but that's it.
At least give the brakes a try, its not rocket science
The older TVRs are not technologically advanced cars. I didnt know one end of a spanner from the other 4 years ago when I bought my first. I learnt by taking things apart and putting them back together again. Its really not as hard as it may first appear. These days I am replacing head gaskets without too much of a fuss and even when I cant fix a problem, I can usually diagnose it.
Seriously, you may surprise yourself.
Best of luck, lovely colour car and I hope you get it sorted (and cheaply) to enjoy it properly. They are fantastic when you get them right.
poorpeet said:
I may be wrong but I don't think a compression test would confirm a worn cam. It would show worn bores or valves not seating both of which are worse than a worn cam IMHO.
Oh
If the cam is seriously worn (and the RV8 cam often does wear badly - such that the lobes virtually disappear)then if the inlet valve lift is greatly reduced - cylinder charge is significantly impaired, even at cranking speed, so reduced volume of air in cylinder and less pressure on compression stroke. So yes, poor pressures can indicate a badly worn cam. Just be sure to have the throttle fully open whilst cranking with the comp tester in place, otherwise you'll get false low readings.
Not a good start to TVR ownership.
£3k sounds alot for what needs doing though. Try sourcing some of the parts yourself. I,m sure you could get most of this done for Circa £2k and alot cheaper if you know someone with basic mechanical knowledge. These are old school mechanically simple.
Good luck. The first time you drive it when its sorted will convince you it was worth it.
Mac5
£3k sounds alot for what needs doing though. Try sourcing some of the parts yourself. I,m sure you could get most of this done for Circa £2k and alot cheaper if you know someone with basic mechanical knowledge. These are old school mechanically simple.
Good luck. The first time you drive it when its sorted will convince you it was worth it.
Mac5
As above really, very sorry to hear you are having trouble but as previously said 3K sounds alot to sort out what needs doing. If you shop around im sure you can get the work done alot cheaper especially the brakes and as for the camshaft how bad is it i.e is it misfiring or has a lack of power? Wear on RV8 cams is a pretty common thing however they have to be pretty bad before they cause a major problem! If your local to Brighton and want some advise contact me and arrange to pop your car into my garage, ill get the guys to take a look and give you a second opinion Free Of Charge and with no obligations!
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