Imminent Doom??

[JAK]

A recent engine inspection has revealed that I am burning a bit of oil and the spark plug in No.1 cylinder is a bit fouled. My dealer reckons this is the beginning of the end and I need a complete rebuild ASAP.

What are peoples experiences? Do I need a rebuild and if so what is involved and how much is it likely to cost?

Alternatively do I get rid of the car for something else, perhaps a T350 / Tamora or should I do the right thing and get it rebuilt?

All comments welcome.

[J_S_G]

JAK said:

A recent engine inspection has revealed that I am burning a bit of oil and the spark plug in No.1 cylinder is a bit fouled. My dealer reckons this is the beginning of the end and I need a complete rebuild ASAP. What are peoples experiences? Do I need a rebuild and if so what is involved and how much is it likely to cost? Alternatively do I get rid of the car for something else, perhaps a T350 / Tamora or should I do the right thing and get it rebuilt? All comments welcome.

Burning oil = worn valve guides. Spark plug is fouled from the oil escaping because of the worn valve guides. Over time this'll get worse till you hit more than 1 litre of oil for every 500 miles. At this point, you'll be starting to chew through spark plugs. The car needs a rebuild. You can have a Red Rose conversion done by TVR Power for £3500 all in. I'm sure the factory'll do it too. And in doing this, they can stick new valve guides in to cure that problem (and new finger followers just to be on the safe side).

If you sell it on now (privately), and the new owner finds out that you sold it knowing there was this bill lurking, and you hid it from them in any way, you could be in for a tough time. If you're honest, you'll have to knock £3.5k or so off the asking price! Trading in at a dealer, you'll lose about £3.5k because of their margins.

One way or another, you're going to be out of pocket to the tune of about £3.5k, unless you fancy ripping off some poor person by selling it to them as-is, but making out it's in "ok" condition. Personally, I'd talk to your dealer/the factory to see if they are willing to help you out on this as it IS an inherent flaw. If you took them to court, you would almost certainly win, as there are so many other examples of it on early(ish) cars. But must people don't have the patience/balls to do that...

My advice: Get it booked in for a rebuild at TVR Power/Blackpool, and have it RedRosed (after discussing money with Blackpool/dealer). Find out what the waiting list for rebuilds is, and drive it until the last minute (to keep the parts moving as much as having you miss it for weeks/a couple of months). In the meantime, switch to a thicker oil so it's getting through it a bit slower.

>> Edited by J_S_G on Thursday 27th January 18:59

[GingerNinja]

J_S_G said:

If you sell it on now (privately), and the new owner finds out that you sold it knowing there was this bill lurking, and you hid it from them in any way, you could be in for a tough time.

Minor threadjack here, but is this really the case? - I thought selling privately meant you (as the seller) have no liability to whoever's buying the car - hence writing Sold As Seen on the receipt.

[_DeeJay_]

GingerNinja said:

J_S_G said: If you sell it on now (privately), and the new owner finds out that you sold it knowing there was this bill lurking, and you hid it from them in any way, you could be in for a tough time. Minor threadjack here, but is this really the case? - I thought selling privately meant you (as the seller) have no liability to whoever's buying the car - hence writing Sold As Seen on the receipt.

It depends on how it's advertised I think.
If the seller says it's in good condition and the new buyer can prove (by using this thread for example) that it wasn't the case then yes, they'd be in hot water....

[bilton_d]

Jeff isn't it still covered under warranty?

[J_S_G]

_DeeJay_ said:

GingerNinja said: Minor threadjack here, but is this really the case? - I thought selling privately meant you (as the seller) have no liability to whoever's buying the car - hence writing Sold As Seen on the receipt. It depends on how it's advertised I think. If the seller says it's in good condition and the new buyer can prove (by using this thread for example) that it wasn't the case then yes, they'd be in hot water....

And if the buyer asks if there are any known issues/does a half decent job of getting a receipt written up stating that it's being sold with no known mechanical issues, and it's not disclosed, then that's not a great situation, either. There's negligence, and then there's deliberate misrepresentation...

[J_S_G]

bilton_d said:

Jeff isn't it still covered under warranty?

Typical third party warranties won't cover this rebuild. It'll go down as wear & tear, as the valve guides have simply just worn away. And if you get past the wear & tear clause in the warranty policy, they can just hit you with the "inherent flaw" one, as it's not an uncommon occurence on earlier engines.

I'd be knocking on TVR's door (or getting the dealer to do it for you), rather than expending too much effort chasing the warranty company on this one.

[JAK]

Thanks for the replies.

I'll pass them onto the real owner of the car incase he decides to sell it!