Servicing your own TVR?
Discussion
Hi, wondering if I could get a few opinions.
Do any of you service your own Chim? I know a lot of repair work is done on a DIY basis, but when it comes to servicing do you prefer to go to a specialist?
I've been learning some spanner work on my Jeep Cherokee, and for things like oil changes, brake fluid and coolant changes I think I'd be able to do it myself (unless the TVR is radically more difficult?)
I'm not considering doing this long-term as I'd appreciate having a specialist cast their eye over the car from time to time as they'll no doubt spot issues I may have missed, but is there any reason not to do this myself occasionally? I'm thinking in particular of things that can easily get foobared by the unwary home mechanic (are there any delicate/complicated bits hiding in there?). I'd keep a detailed record of the work done, and receipts, but I guess DIY servicing could discourage a potential buyer down the line?
I'm getting the car back on the road after being SORNed over the winter, but funds are a little tight at the moment with a wedding to pay for, so if I could get away with some DIY servicing to tide me over until the winter that would be handy. If it's generally considered to be a bad idea, I'll book it into a local specialist and be done with it.
Whaddaya reckon?
Do any of you service your own Chim? I know a lot of repair work is done on a DIY basis, but when it comes to servicing do you prefer to go to a specialist?
I've been learning some spanner work on my Jeep Cherokee, and for things like oil changes, brake fluid and coolant changes I think I'd be able to do it myself (unless the TVR is radically more difficult?)
I'm not considering doing this long-term as I'd appreciate having a specialist cast their eye over the car from time to time as they'll no doubt spot issues I may have missed, but is there any reason not to do this myself occasionally? I'm thinking in particular of things that can easily get foobared by the unwary home mechanic (are there any delicate/complicated bits hiding in there?). I'd keep a detailed record of the work done, and receipts, but I guess DIY servicing could discourage a potential buyer down the line?
I'm getting the car back on the road after being SORNed over the winter, but funds are a little tight at the moment with a wedding to pay for, so if I could get away with some DIY servicing to tide me over until the winter that would be handy. If it's generally considered to be a bad idea, I'll book it into a local specialist and be done with it.
Whaddaya reckon?
The Chimaera & Griffith are extremely straightforward to service at home.
Here's a useful guide:
http://www.rv8r.co.uk/Servicing%20guide.pdf
However there are a few things that are more involved if you're to complete the job properly, some examples include:
1. Prop shaft UJ greasing - this requires dropping the exhaust system
2. Wheel alignment/steering & suspension geometry - to complete this you'll need wheel alignment equipment & is best left to a competent TVR specialist
It should be noted that the above two examples are also often overlooked by many so called TVR specialists themselves, I've even seen the lazy & unscrupulous skip basic jobs like air filter cleaning.
The quality of service can vary enormously between TVR specialists, it's not 100% fool proof but you can very often tell what you're getting by the money they charge.
Because many elements of the service are invisible to the owner collecting his car it's very tempting for the specialist to skip certain elements.
Ask yourself....
So you see it's very tempting for the less conscientious TVR specialist to skip them.
If you do your own servicing you can reassure yourself nothing has been skipped, you can also choose the filters, lubricants, anti-freeze, spark plugs ect used, instead of just hoping your specialist is using quality parts.
For example if a TVR specialist wanted to improve his profits using cheaper oils would be an easy way to do it, ask yourself if you can tell the difference between cheap & quality oil by looking at the dip stick after the service?
Fresh cheap oil looks just like fresh quality oil but the protection they offer is worlds apart!
Don't get me wrong, there are good TVR specialists out there but I'd put money on there being quite a few that cut a corner or two and use cheaper parts/lubricants, it's just too tempting as they know you'll never know.
If you service your own car you'll know exactly whats been done and the quality of parts & lubricants used, you'll also get to know your car better, remember a big part of any service is inspecting everything as you go identifying items that are approaching failure before they leave on the side of the road.
Servicing your own car is not only about saving money, it's often just as much about knowing its been done properly.
Every 12,000 miles/2 years pay a decent TVR specialist like Str8Six to do your wheel alignment and ask them to complete a visual inspection of the car, there's nothing like the eye of an experienced honest TVR specialist being cast over your car even if you're satisfied everything is Ok.
Here's a useful guide:
http://www.rv8r.co.uk/Servicing%20guide.pdf
However there are a few things that are more involved if you're to complete the job properly, some examples include:
1. Prop shaft UJ greasing - this requires dropping the exhaust system
2. Wheel alignment/steering & suspension geometry - to complete this you'll need wheel alignment equipment & is best left to a competent TVR specialist
It should be noted that the above two examples are also often overlooked by many so called TVR specialists themselves, I've even seen the lazy & unscrupulous skip basic jobs like air filter cleaning.
The quality of service can vary enormously between TVR specialists, it's not 100% fool proof but you can very often tell what you're getting by the money they charge.
Because many elements of the service are invisible to the owner collecting his car it's very tempting for the specialist to skip certain elements.
Ask yourself....
- Did they change your diff oil?
- Did they change your gearbox oil?
- Did they drop the exhaust & grease your propshaft UJs?
- Did they replace the brake fluid?
- Did they replace the clutch fluid?
- Did they replace the anti-freeze?
So you see it's very tempting for the less conscientious TVR specialist to skip them.
If you do your own servicing you can reassure yourself nothing has been skipped, you can also choose the filters, lubricants, anti-freeze, spark plugs ect used, instead of just hoping your specialist is using quality parts.
For example if a TVR specialist wanted to improve his profits using cheaper oils would be an easy way to do it, ask yourself if you can tell the difference between cheap & quality oil by looking at the dip stick after the service?
Fresh cheap oil looks just like fresh quality oil but the protection they offer is worlds apart!
Don't get me wrong, there are good TVR specialists out there but I'd put money on there being quite a few that cut a corner or two and use cheaper parts/lubricants, it's just too tempting as they know you'll never know.
If you service your own car you'll know exactly whats been done and the quality of parts & lubricants used, you'll also get to know your car better, remember a big part of any service is inspecting everything as you go identifying items that are approaching failure before they leave on the side of the road.
Servicing your own car is not only about saving money, it's often just as much about knowing its been done properly.
Every 12,000 miles/2 years pay a decent TVR specialist like Str8Six to do your wheel alignment and ask them to complete a visual inspection of the car, there's nothing like the eye of an experienced honest TVR specialist being cast over your car even if you're satisfied everything is Ok.
Excellent answer, that makes a lot of sense, thanks.
I guess it's partly down to how I see the car - a short term ownership, where I need to keep my mind on selling it, in which case receipts and invoices are important, or as a long term proposition where it's more important that I know the car well and know everything has been done well.
I fall into the latter camp, so that makes life easier, plus I'm really enjoying the spanner work I've been doing (even if it's meant lying on the deck under the Jeep in a hailstorm to get jobs finished because 'her indoors' wants to go out somewhere
)
I'll have a thorough read through that service guide, if there's anything I'm not sure of I'll 'take it to a man'.
Thanks for all the advice!
I guess it's partly down to how I see the car - a short term ownership, where I need to keep my mind on selling it, in which case receipts and invoices are important, or as a long term proposition where it's more important that I know the car well and know everything has been done well.
I fall into the latter camp, so that makes life easier, plus I'm really enjoying the spanner work I've been doing (even if it's meant lying on the deck under the Jeep in a hailstorm to get jobs finished because 'her indoors' wants to go out somewhere
)I'll have a thorough read through that service guide, if there's anything I'm not sure of I'll 'take it to a man'.
Thanks for all the advice!
I agree with Dave. If you can service it yourself, then do it. Keep the receipts and take photos of everything you did. There's loads of help and advice on here.
As one poster said. it is nice to see an extensive specialist service history; however, with a bit of experience, you can see whether a car has been properly maintained, regardless of the main dealer receipts. The other benefit is that you'll begin to understand your car more.
I took mine to my local indie to get the coolant changed and they didn't drain all of the coolant properly. Nothing deliberate, its just that they aren't used to working on these cars. I did it myself and saved £50 in labour, plus ensured that the engine coolant was fully flushed and treated, before adding new branded coolant and a conditioner. In return for the mistake, the garage fitted my track rod ends and aligned the wheels for me (something I couldn't have done at home).
There are some reputable TVR specialists, but their costs are high as they are inundated with work. There also appear to be some 'less' than reputable specialists. At the end of the day, you pay your money, you take your chance.
As one poster said. it is nice to see an extensive specialist service history; however, with a bit of experience, you can see whether a car has been properly maintained, regardless of the main dealer receipts. The other benefit is that you'll begin to understand your car more.
I took mine to my local indie to get the coolant changed and they didn't drain all of the coolant properly. Nothing deliberate, its just that they aren't used to working on these cars. I did it myself and saved £50 in labour, plus ensured that the engine coolant was fully flushed and treated, before adding new branded coolant and a conditioner. In return for the mistake, the garage fitted my track rod ends and aligned the wheels for me (something I couldn't have done at home).
There are some reputable TVR specialists, but their costs are high as they are inundated with work. There also appear to be some 'less' than reputable specialists. At the end of the day, you pay your money, you take your chance.
The thing about the Chimaera is it still falls slightly uneasily between a reasonably modern sports car and a classic car.
And lets be honest here, if you were buying a classic car you wouldn't necessarily expect it to come with a full main dealer or specialist service history would you?
I'd guess at least 70% of classic car owners do their own maintenance and servicing (probably more), and this has absolutely zero impact on resale value.
People understand home spannering is an integral part to the pleasure classic car owners get from their hobby
In my opinion the Chimaera is already very much a bonafide classic car, in fact I'd say its one of the best classic cars you can buy because its very much in the old school theme yet is so usable on modern roads and still criminally cheap to buy compared to any other classic competetor.
Just like a classic car buyer won't necessarily be troubled by a home maintained classic car with a big supporting file of receipts, so the prospective TVR buyer should take the same view.
Lets be honest, if you buy a Chimaera and you're afraid to do a bit of tinkering & maintenance you should probably ask yourself if its the right car for you.
Saying that my mate FrenchieeTVR seems to get away with it on a combination of Str8six and a little of my help from time to time, and its my pleasure to lend a hand.
This strategy suits Frenchie, Jason of Str8six and me, as I love a bit of TVR tinkering and generally playing cars with my good mates.
Everyone happy
And lets be honest here, if you were buying a classic car you wouldn't necessarily expect it to come with a full main dealer or specialist service history would you?
I'd guess at least 70% of classic car owners do their own maintenance and servicing (probably more), and this has absolutely zero impact on resale value.
People understand home spannering is an integral part to the pleasure classic car owners get from their hobby
In my opinion the Chimaera is already very much a bonafide classic car, in fact I'd say its one of the best classic cars you can buy because its very much in the old school theme yet is so usable on modern roads and still criminally cheap to buy compared to any other classic competetor.
Just like a classic car buyer won't necessarily be troubled by a home maintained classic car with a big supporting file of receipts, so the prospective TVR buyer should take the same view.
Lets be honest, if you buy a Chimaera and you're afraid to do a bit of tinkering & maintenance you should probably ask yourself if its the right car for you.
Saying that my mate FrenchieeTVR seems to get away with it on a combination of Str8six and a little of my help from time to time, and its my pleasure to lend a hand.
This strategy suits Frenchie, Jason of Str8six and me, as I love a bit of TVR tinkering and generally playing cars with my good mates.
Everyone happy
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