£600 Rover 75 Connoisseur SE, 2.5 v6
Discussion
Cascade360 said:
£209, not bad at all - Klarius backbox charged at cost and an hours labour. Apparently it was properly welded on with rust so glad I didn't try it on axle stands, on my back, in the cold ...
Money well spent -- trust me you definitely don't want to attempt on axle stands!This is the season of PH 75s having their exhaust changed - glad to hear its back providing proper service.
So, MOT tomorrow.
It should fail on the aforementioned rusty sill, and was of the view if that was all it failed on (we will see ...) I'd try and get a patch welded on and run it for another year. It isn't worth spending proper money getting the sills done as the rear wheel arch and door should be done too, which would not be cheap.
However, in my pre-MOT checks noticed it was losing coolant. On investigation it seems the thermostat is leaking, plus some weeping from other pipes:
It may be coming to the end of the road ...
It should fail on the aforementioned rusty sill, and was of the view if that was all it failed on (we will see ...) I'd try and get a patch welded on and run it for another year. It isn't worth spending proper money getting the sills done as the rear wheel arch and door should be done too, which would not be cheap.
However, in my pre-MOT checks noticed it was losing coolant. On investigation it seems the thermostat is leaking, plus some weeping from other pipes:
It may be coming to the end of the road ...
It's possible to replace the thermostat from the side without removing the manifolds and other gubbins, if you lather your hand with something slippery like margarine. (Ask me how I know...ouch!). Don't bother with all the guff that's pedalled about the "rubbish" plastic thermostat housing - it's plastic for a reason. Replace it and you won't have to do it again, they don't fail that often.
When refilling the cooling system it is essential to unbolt the expansion tank and raise it up to allow for removal of airlocks. Just put a box of some kind underneath it so it can sit on top of it while the engine is running. Many fail to do this when refilling and suffer difficulties with airlocks - I never had any problems using this method.
The 75 is well made and I've seen a lot worse corrosion than that, it looks quite weldable.
When refilling the cooling system it is essential to unbolt the expansion tank and raise it up to allow for removal of airlocks. Just put a box of some kind underneath it so it can sit on top of it while the engine is running. Many fail to do this when refilling and suffer difficulties with airlocks - I never had any problems using this method.
The 75 is well made and I've seen a lot worse corrosion than that, it looks quite weldable.
Edited by SirGriffin on Sunday 5th June 22:52
Just dropped it off. Of course a bloody bulb warning popped up on the way there. The same tail light that was giving me issues last week, and a new bulb hasn't sorted it, so must be an issue with the connections or wiring. It also went from max to min coolant overnight, topped up and was back to min before i got to the garage which is five minutes away, so leak is serious.
So, it did fail - welding and front ball joint. Let's see how much the welding would be, if I can even find someone to do it - if it was a few hundred quid, I am sure I could replace the stat and suspension arm myself for a few hundred quid.
Repair immediately (major defects):
Nearside Front Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))
Offside Front Outer Integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced sill (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Rear Anti-roll bar corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
Repair immediately (major defects):
Nearside Front Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))
Offside Front Outer Integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced sill (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Rear Anti-roll bar corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
PrinceRupert said:
There is, though a bit of Googling suggests the front suspension arm can be a bit of a pain ...
Suspension arms on all old cars have the potential to turn into a day long struggle, I don't think it'll be Rover 75 specific ballache they're talking about, from what I remember they're totally conventional.I've discovered that finding someone to do welding to a "just get it through the MOT" standard is getting harder by the year as the old boys retire, I suppose nothing really rusts until it's 15+ years old now when you're inclined to just bin the car, so it's a dying skill outside of proper restorations.
stickleback123 said:
PrinceRupert said:
There is, though a bit of Googling suggests the front suspension arm can be a bit of a pain ...
Suspension arms on all old cars have the potential to turn into a day long struggle, I don't think it'll be Rover 75 specific ballache they're talking about, from what I remember they're totally conventional.I've discovered that finding someone to do welding to a "just get it through the MOT" standard is getting harder by the year as the old boys retire, I suppose nothing really rusts until it's 15+ years old now when you're inclined to just bin the car, so it's a dying skill outside of proper restorations.
Decky_Q said:
Surely man maths says that even changing car you will get a higher sale price if you get the work done and pass MOT, by which time man maths will dictate you keep it as you know its issues and what else can you buy for £1k these days?
Indeed, though the problem is the cosmetics (see earlier in the thread) are such that it would probably struggle to make much more than £500 when fixed, though if I can replace the thermostat and lower arm myself for less than 200 quid and get the welding done for a few hundred quid it is probably worth fixing. Man maths could also say scrap it and use it as an excuse to buy a new car ...
The garage just rang me to say they're struggling to find anyone to do the welding, but have one last guy to try and will let me know ...
Decky_Q said:
Surely man maths says that even changing car you will get a higher sale price if you get the work done and pass MOT, by which time man maths will dictate you keep it as you know its issues and what else can you buy for £1k these days?
I was going to say the same. The chances of finding another comfortable, interesting £1k car that doesn't need a few hundred spending on it are pretty slim these days. PrinceRupert said:
Decky_Q said:
Surely man maths says that even changing car you will get a higher sale price if you get the work done and pass MOT, by which time man maths will dictate you keep it as you know its issues and what else can you buy for £1k these days?
Indeed, though the problem is the cosmetics (see earlier in the thread) are such that it would probably struggle to make much more than £500 when fixed, though if I can replace the thermostat and lower arm myself for less than 200 quid and get the welding done for a few hundred quid it is probably worth fixing. Man maths could also say scrap it and use it as an excuse to buy a new car ...
The garage just rang me to say they're struggling to find anyone to do the welding, but have one last guy to try and will let me know ...
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