British Barge Content-my Rover 75 V6
Discussion
I might even bring it to a Sunday Service at some point instead of the Elise. It’d certainly stand out, for sure, by virtue of being the only one!Clivey said:
These are seriously underrated cars. I bought a 2003 ZT-T+ 2.0CDTi with 82k miles, for £500 from a neighbour. The thermostat needed replacing but since then it's done not far off 20k in 18 months. Unfortunately there was a reason we only paid £500; the previous owner was a bodge artist (apparently Araldite makes a good light bulb holder substitute! 
) and adding-up all the things it'll need, plus the fact that the bodywork is covered in golf ball-sized dents means that it's got to go before I end-up spending a silly amount of money on it!
OP, are you still looking for the Cruise Control bits? I have them...
Ooh yes please! Have you got the lot? From memory it needs the steering wheel switches, wood trim surround & dash switch, throttle body & actuator, brake light & clutch pedal switches and something else? ) and adding-up all the things it'll need, plus the fact that the bodywork is covered in golf ball-sized dents means that it's got to go before I end-up spending a silly amount of money on it!OP, are you still looking for the Cruise Control bits? I have them...
Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah said:
Just about to read the thread. Looks like a nice purchase. One tip, your leather needs a good clean. Shiny leather is dirty leather, and dirt kills your finish over time. If you look at the picture showing the rear of the drivers headrest it shows you what your leather should look like. Soft and matt.
I did clean it-Autoglym Leather Balm makes it look shiny. The cleaner (which looks like man muck!) takes the shine away but the balm makes it go a bit glossy again. Smells lovely, though.Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah said:
Fun Bus said:
Interesting. How should that type of leather be cleaned?
With a decent PH neutral cleaner, no perfumes, no alcohol or strong chemicals. Nothing with wax, oils or silicone, as per the above which shall just shine it up. Never never use babywipes, they're designed to break down acid!Also put a protector on the leather at least a few times a year.
I personally swear by LTT's products.
Edit-can’t seem to find their products? Got a link please?
Not Invented Here said:
Not Invented Here senior (in his early 80s now) bought a 75 2.5 v6 pre-facelift light green conn estate 17 years ago. Mostly trips to the shops but it's been as far as eastern Europe at least twice. It's on about 80k now.
He's kept all the bills in a briefcase over the years and told me the other day that not including tax and insurance, but including MoTs and servicing and what ever parts and work it's needed, it's cost him £3.5k in total.
£3.5k in 17 years... pretty much Lexus-a-like reliability?
In those 17 years I've gone from seeing it as a weird retro-pastiche to something vaguely desirable...
Averages out at just over £200 per year-considering the cambelt change (all three of them!) on a V6 is due every six years and a garage will usually charge £500 plus to do the job including parts; I’d say that’s bloody impressive!He's kept all the bills in a briefcase over the years and told me the other day that not including tax and insurance, but including MoTs and servicing and what ever parts and work it's needed, it's cost him £3.5k in total.
£3.5k in 17 years... pretty much Lexus-a-like reliability?
In those 17 years I've gone from seeing it as a weird retro-pastiche to something vaguely desirable...
Just remembered I hadn't updated this thread with a few additions I've made. So, um, here are the additions.
Firstly-I alluded to upgrading the ICE to something more modern but sympathetic in my first post. An Android head unit is the easiest way to do this-you can retro fit the OEM nav/TV, but this gives a somewhat outdated navigation functionality and the TV as standard is analogue terrestrial only (now defunct). A BMW digital TV tuner can be fitted, but still won't give the features of an Android unit.
So, said Android unit was purchased and fitted, together with a dash cam (hidden neatly behind the rear view mirror), digital TV tuner (more on that in a minute) and DAB radio dongle.
Installation was a pain in the utter tits. It's sold as plug and play-far from it. Lots of soldering is required if you want a neat installation (I did) together with functioning steering wheel controls (I did) without loads of scotch locks everywhere (I didn't, as they're utterly
). I nearly gave up on the thing, until the guy who runs the company who sold it to me came down to finish the fitting, and agreed it was a pain. At least it wasn't just me...
In typical Android style, the user interface is as far from intuitive as could be. I've just about worked out how to connect it to wi-fi and download some apps (stupid me for thinking there'd be a dash cam app preinstalled to support the, er, supplied dashcam). The interface for connecting an iPhone is useless, and the sound quality for streamed music is dire. I would have ripped it out and returned it if you couldn't download Spotify directly to the unit, which is a saving grace. Having BBC iPlayer and SkyGo on there is nice, though.
Remember that TV tuner I ominously mentioned earlier? Yup, it doesn't work properly. I've returned it to the supplier and am awaiting replacement-fortunately it can be fitted by removing the climate control panel (four screws and a facia panel that pops off-careful, watch the 19 year old plastics...), which takes five minutes. The first replacement was a completely different tuner, and no way was I re-soldering everything in and tearing the interior apart to fit the different aerials.
So then. Android head unit. If you're a computer geek, by all means go for it. If you're a simple Luddite who appreciates the functionality of a Nokia 3310 and gets excited by semaphore railway signals at work (and, lets be honest, this is me all over, and presumably why I'm all foamy about an old Rover in the first place), then just don't. Stick with the standard cassette player and pop down your local car boot sale for Wham! The Greatest (s)Hits, or something. Or try Classic FM. I hate classical music (sorry Mum) but it actually suits the ambience of the 75 rather well.
The auto gearbox selector indicator was missing several LED's-it buggered with my OCD a tad. £50 later (ouch) and a new one was delivered from Rimmer Bros (great bunch and seriously ill people**).
I couldn't resist a new, old stock book pack sleeve (unfortunately the early 75's came with a lovely leather wallet which I cannot find in good condition anywhere-if anyone knows of one, please let me know).
Equally as irresistible was a new handbook. Unfortunately the previous owner who I assume is no longer with us has not responded to my letter asking about the history of the car, and it came with pretty much nothing.
Even the pages smell like Rover.
Childhood memories continue to be indulged as I found a launch edition brochure on eBay in marvellous condition, complete with colour and "Build your own 75" pamphlets detailing the Personal Line options. Flicking through the brochure and seeing the tracing paper second page takes me straight back to sitting in Diamond Rover with my Dad as an eleven year old as he ordered his new 75, one of the first on the road. I wonder where that car is now?
I've barely driven the car over the past couple of months, it's been covered in the garage and coming out on occasions only. I'm going to a cottage in Wales with a hot tub with friends for a long weekend in a couple of weeks and planning to take it on a cross country waft. Can't wait. For the drive over, not the hot tub.
Firstly-I alluded to upgrading the ICE to something more modern but sympathetic in my first post. An Android head unit is the easiest way to do this-you can retro fit the OEM nav/TV, but this gives a somewhat outdated navigation functionality and the TV as standard is analogue terrestrial only (now defunct). A BMW digital TV tuner can be fitted, but still won't give the features of an Android unit.
So, said Android unit was purchased and fitted, together with a dash cam (hidden neatly behind the rear view mirror), digital TV tuner (more on that in a minute) and DAB radio dongle.
Installation was a pain in the utter tits. It's sold as plug and play-far from it. Lots of soldering is required if you want a neat installation (I did) together with functioning steering wheel controls (I did) without loads of scotch locks everywhere (I didn't, as they're utterly
). I nearly gave up on the thing, until the guy who runs the company who sold it to me came down to finish the fitting, and agreed it was a pain. At least it wasn't just me...In typical Android style, the user interface is as far from intuitive as could be. I've just about worked out how to connect it to wi-fi and download some apps (stupid me for thinking there'd be a dash cam app preinstalled to support the, er, supplied dashcam). The interface for connecting an iPhone is useless, and the sound quality for streamed music is dire. I would have ripped it out and returned it if you couldn't download Spotify directly to the unit, which is a saving grace. Having BBC iPlayer and SkyGo on there is nice, though.
Remember that TV tuner I ominously mentioned earlier? Yup, it doesn't work properly. I've returned it to the supplier and am awaiting replacement-fortunately it can be fitted by removing the climate control panel (four screws and a facia panel that pops off-careful, watch the 19 year old plastics...), which takes five minutes. The first replacement was a completely different tuner, and no way was I re-soldering everything in and tearing the interior apart to fit the different aerials.
So then. Android head unit. If you're a computer geek, by all means go for it. If you're a simple Luddite who appreciates the functionality of a Nokia 3310 and gets excited by semaphore railway signals at work (and, lets be honest, this is me all over, and presumably why I'm all foamy about an old Rover in the first place), then just don't. Stick with the standard cassette player and pop down your local car boot sale for Wham! The Greatest (s)Hits, or something. Or try Classic FM. I hate classical music (sorry Mum) but it actually suits the ambience of the 75 rather well.
The auto gearbox selector indicator was missing several LED's-it buggered with my OCD a tad. £50 later (ouch) and a new one was delivered from Rimmer Bros (great bunch and seriously ill people**).
I couldn't resist a new, old stock book pack sleeve (unfortunately the early 75's came with a lovely leather wallet which I cannot find in good condition anywhere-if anyone knows of one, please let me know).
Equally as irresistible was a new handbook. Unfortunately the previous owner who I assume is no longer with us has not responded to my letter asking about the history of the car, and it came with pretty much nothing.
Even the pages smell like Rover.
Childhood memories continue to be indulged as I found a launch edition brochure on eBay in marvellous condition, complete with colour and "Build your own 75" pamphlets detailing the Personal Line options. Flicking through the brochure and seeing the tracing paper second page takes me straight back to sitting in Diamond Rover with my Dad as an eleven year old as he ordered his new 75, one of the first on the road. I wonder where that car is now?
I've barely driven the car over the past couple of months, it's been covered in the garage and coming out on occasions only. I'm going to a cottage in Wales with a hot tub with friends for a long weekend in a couple of weeks and planning to take it on a cross country waft. Can't wait. For the drive over, not the hot tub.
- Translation-Proper British car enthusiasts
AppleJuice said:
Pistom said:
They really shouldn't have been made with anything less than 6 cylinders.
Shame the 2.5 M57 6-cylinder diesel didn't fit transversely. 
Would've suited the 75 perfectly - especially with an automatic gearbox.Being as the 75 seems to be getting a fair bit of love (well, and hatred on the shed thread, predictably!) on PH recently, I thought I'd resurrect and update this thread.
After deciding my 75 was way too nice and rare to use everyday (yup, that was always going to happen), I ploughed a faintly ridiculous amount of money into the car in 2020 getting it fully resprayed and renewing every exterior chrome trim piece with new old stock, sourced from around Europe. My internet search history that month wasn't pretty viewing.
The wheels were also refurbished, and other jobs such as a new thermostat, VIS motors and handbrake shoes/discs & pads were completed, along with four new tyres.
I did toy with selling the car recently, but decided I just couldn't let such a rare (pre-production and low mileage) car go. A trip to Norfolk the other week to visit my folks confirmed it's an exceedingly agreeable way to travel. Still smells divine, too-the early cars were prior to Rover's well documented "Project Drive" cost cutting, so all of the trim is of beautiful quality, the leather is thick and the wood is real, not from a plastic tree.
After deciding my 75 was way too nice and rare to use everyday (yup, that was always going to happen), I ploughed a faintly ridiculous amount of money into the car in 2020 getting it fully resprayed and renewing every exterior chrome trim piece with new old stock, sourced from around Europe. My internet search history that month wasn't pretty viewing.
The wheels were also refurbished, and other jobs such as a new thermostat, VIS motors and handbrake shoes/discs & pads were completed, along with four new tyres.
I did toy with selling the car recently, but decided I just couldn't let such a rare (pre-production and low mileage) car go. A trip to Norfolk the other week to visit my folks confirmed it's an exceedingly agreeable way to travel. Still smells divine, too-the early cars were prior to Rover's well documented "Project Drive" cost cutting, so all of the trim is of beautiful quality, the leather is thick and the wood is real, not from a plastic tree.
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