Internet sensationalism for car faults
Discussion
doogz said:
OP, MR2 owner?
Remove the precat, easy enough job.
Hi doogz,Remove the precat, easy enough job.
I actually thought I'd had them removed, but turned out that I got bumped and they never actually got removed. So now I'm 25k miles and 3yrs down the line and everythings A-ok. I realise that now I've said this, I'll find my engine will have disintegrated by tomorrow morning.....
But this is part of my original point. How many MR2s have actually had precat corrosion cause comprehensive engine failure? Hundreds? Thousands? As a percentage does anyone really know? So many people on the forums talk about it, but there must be huge numbers of owners who've never been near a forum, happily plodding along with no issues at all.
I appreciate that its cheap to remove the precats, but I think because of that and the amount of prevention that's went on, we don't have an accurate failure rate as the constants have been altered.
morgrp said:
I liked the rumour that Volvo t5 engines have a tendency to bend conrods - symptoms are knocking when cold but clears once warmed up - yeah because a bent conrod goes away once the engines warms up - utter mugs...
Lol at ''knocking when cold'A mate of mine started his T5 outside his house and moved it onto his driveway once. An hour later it wouldn't start. Anyway, long story short, it had a bent con rod.
Edit: although the Internet is useful, it's also a very easy way to make you panic about your car and it's inevitable failure you've just read all about.
The K-series really does fail, but it costs less than a service on some cars to fix it and it's otherwise a decent, reliable, little engine. In that case the sensationalism is not that the engine fails all the time, but that it matters much.
I worked out I could replace the head gasket every three or four years, and still be financially up compared to buying a Toyota powered Elise, just from the difference in fuel consumption.
I worked out I could replace the head gasket every three or four years, and still be financially up compared to buying a Toyota powered Elise, just from the difference in fuel consumption.
The internet has put people off buying certain cars without a doubt. When I started driving we still used dial up modems so the internet was in it's infancy. Everyone used to buy a car, service it once a year and if something went wrong in the meantime, fix it. Now, the internet is full of scare stories about this car, that car, etc. Ignorance is bliss I say
I think the world wide web has simply allowed the more rapid proliferation of failure stories. Together with forum 'hanger-oners' you end up with sensationalised descriptions of events repeated in triplicate.
The Ford Cosworth YB series was known to have head gasket issues, but if you know how to use and look after a motor, they are good for the best part of 100k miles. Swap out for a Gp.A or cometic gasket and never worry again.
The Ford Cosworth YB series was known to have head gasket issues, but if you know how to use and look after a motor, they are good for the best part of 100k miles. Swap out for a Gp.A or cometic gasket and never worry again.
St John Smythe said:
The internet has put people off buying certain cars without a doubt. When I started driving we still used dial up modems so the internet was in it's infancy. Everyone used to buy a car, service it once a year and if something went wrong in the meantime, fix it. Now, the internet is full of scare stories about this car, that car, etc. Ignorance is bliss I say
Look on the bright side, any 'scare' cars will be lower in price!Surely this is much better than the cars which are bigged-up by the fanboys but are inherently huge money traps for the unwary!
Rover head gasket failure is not a myth.
My mates dad. Rover 45 head gasket failed leaving them stranded on the M25. (they live in Northumberland)
Engine was ruined... so hunted for a new car.
Told him to get a honda... he bought another second hand rover.
Head gasket has failed on that one as well... literally within a month of buying. Engine was not damaged, so was fixed and put back on the road.
Another mate, likes to tinker on with comp safari and suchlike bought himself a freelander as a cheap tow car. Head gasket had already been repaired on it so he thought it would be okay for a while.
Went pop a few weeks ago, water pissing out all over so he's just weighed it in for scrap.
Fingers well and truly burnt.
Everyone I know who has had a car with the rover k-series has ended up being a horror story.
My mates dad. Rover 45 head gasket failed leaving them stranded on the M25. (they live in Northumberland)
Engine was ruined... so hunted for a new car.
Told him to get a honda... he bought another second hand rover.
Head gasket has failed on that one as well... literally within a month of buying. Engine was not damaged, so was fixed and put back on the road.
Another mate, likes to tinker on with comp safari and suchlike bought himself a freelander as a cheap tow car. Head gasket had already been repaired on it so he thought it would be okay for a while.
Went pop a few weeks ago, water pissing out all over so he's just weighed it in for scrap.
Fingers well and truly burnt.
Everyone I know who has had a car with the rover k-series has ended up being a horror story.
jbi said:
My mates dad. Rover 45 head gasket failed leaving them stranded on the M25. (they live in Northumberland)
Engine was ruined... so hunted for a new car.
I am certainly no longer a lover of MG/R but it's extremely rare for this to ruin an engine, unless they tried to drive the Le Mans 24hour race on an overheating engine! Engine was ruined... so hunted for a new car.
I think I drive the only leak free S1 Elise, unless everyone else with one doesn't post on the internet about stuff that works fine.
You only get to read about the stuff that goes wrong, and even then without any of the back ground information. Last night I took the clutch slave cylinder off my MX5 because the clutch wouldn't disengage. The internet says that this is because the slave cylinders leak, and the seals in mine were knackered. However it's 20 years old and has done a gigzillion miles.
Unless we fill up the forums with tedious posts about things working just fine the interent will be mostly full of stories of mechanical mayhem.
You only get to read about the stuff that goes wrong, and even then without any of the back ground information. Last night I took the clutch slave cylinder off my MX5 because the clutch wouldn't disengage. The internet says that this is because the slave cylinders leak, and the seals in mine were knackered. However it's 20 years old and has done a gigzillion miles.
Unless we fill up the forums with tedious posts about things working just fine the interent will be mostly full of stories of mechanical mayhem.
PoleDriver said:
jbi said:
My mates dad. Rover 45 head gasket failed leaving them stranded on the M25. (they live in Northumberland)
Engine was ruined... so hunted for a new car.
I am certainly no longer a lover of MG/R but it's extremely rare for this to ruin an engine, unless they tried to drive the Le Mans 24hour race on an overheating engine! Engine was ruined... so hunted for a new car.
I still can't believe he went and bought another one though.
Apparently the reason he didn't buy the honda is because he wants to "buy British" and he "disagree's with Japan's whaling policies", so refuses to buy anything made there
PoleDriver said:
I am certainly no longer a lover of MG/R but it's extremely rare for this to ruin an engine, unless they tried to drive the Le Mans 24hour race on an overheating engine!
Not with a K.Unusually (along with amny other factors) the block & headare made of a heat-treated alloy. Once it gets too hot for a while (and the gauge or other signs may not be noticed for a few miles) and depending on the type of failure (water to oil?) it can and does damage engines beyond repair. I've a HGF overheat softened block in the downstairs loo ATM. Should be around 115 Brinell, but is around 95.
GravelBen said:
Apparently Subaru engines explode all the time for no reason... funny, none of mine have.
some of the boxer engines can get an air lock in the oil system if the filter change is not done properly, mate got his sti serviced on the cheap at a local place and 100 miles latter engine seized ...Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff