Service Recommendations

[groucho]

I've just had my Griff serviced (6K) and when I spoke with the guy afterwards he said that my car went through pretty well, but with a few recommendations to have done in the next 6 months.

[quote=service sheet]
RECOMMENDATIONS
Stone chip in windscreen (happened on the way to the service (:mad: lorries)

Front shocks soft

Slight leak from clutch master cylinder (assured me nothing to worry about yet)

Play in n/s/f ball joint

Very slight blow from exhaust <manifold>(No crack just gasket)[/quote]

Now this, to me seems quite a lot of work to be done. Would anybody like to hazard a guess of what price we are looking at? as I will get it all done (excluding windscreen as I've already been quoted £65).

I'm thinking at the moment about standard shocks at the front because I don't know whether I'm upgrading the car yet.

Could I,or somebody else do the front shocks and the ball joint easily or do you have to have the wheel geometry set up after a job of this kind?

If I do decide to keep the car, I think I'll put nitrons on all round.

Cheers [pic]http://smiley.onegreatguy.net/graucho.gif[/pic]

[joospeed]

would have been much more cost effective to have had all that done with the service ..

did they not call you and run it past you?

i woudn't have let the car go back out with soft dampers and ball joint play unless i'd run it past the owner and they didn't want it doing ...

[groucho]

joospeed said:

would have been much more cost effective to have had all that done with the service .. did they not call you and run it past you? i woudn't have let the car go back out with soft dampers and ball joint play unless i'd run it past the owner and they didn't want it doing ...

No, they didn't call me. He said nothing to worry about yet but they will need to be done in the near future. Now you're getting me worried, I have a track day in 3 weeks.

[Hoover33]

The garage who looks after my car are the same as Jools....

Phone up with a list of things that need attention ....

saying what is urgent, and what is not, advising/ putting forward the various options which are available and the costs.

I would expect that of a good garage.

[V8 Archie]

I'm with Hoover and Joospeed on what I'd expect (and get) from my service.

I'd be very nervous about soft shocks and play in the ball joint on a trackday too.

I can see the gaskets being expensive (and I'd have thought it's an easy enough job to do yourself if you're that way inclined.

Do you not have windscreen cover on your insurance? Chip mending usually comes with zero excess.

[groucho]

V8 Archie said:

I'm with Hoover and Joospeed on what I'd expect (and get) from my service. I'd be very nervous about soft shocks and play in the ball joint on a trackday too. I can see the gaskets being expensive (and I'd have thought it's an easy enough job to do yourself if you're that way inclined. Do you not have windscreen cover on your insurance? Chip mending usually comes with zero excess.

I do have windscreen cover with zero excess, it's not an MOT failure as It's been checked, but I will get it done.

My main concern is the shocks and ball joint. My next door neighbour has a garage and he's a very good mechanic; does my MOTs and any little work, except services. I trust him to do the shocks and ball joint, but do you need specialist equipment for the wheel geometry? if indeed this needs to be done after this job.
That's one of my questions, does it need doing after?

Cheers

[groucho]

I remember looking at the factory service schedule on the web, anybody got a link to that?

[V8 Archie]

I just noticed a rather bad typo! I meant

V8 Archie said:

I can't see the gaskets being expensive...

[bugsy]

I agree with the others,it would be nice to be given the opportunity to discuss what was urgent and needed doing immediately rather than some vague future requirement.
Certainly soft shocks would not bode well for an imminent track day.

Sometimes I wonder where the communication between owner and garage has gone.

[Hoover33]

With regards to wheel geomtry set-up..... YES get it done.

I know a lot people in the Griffs have gone down the Nitron route, and I have seen posts by Jools at his dismay of badly set-up cars done by others...

I have no experience of Nitrons.....But when I put GAZ on my S.... I got a local garage to bung the dampers and springs on.... and then got it Lazer aligned at Austec which totaly transformed the car.

[rev-erend]

I would recommend having the chip repaired - when I had a griff - I have a few chips : so as it was only £50 for a new screen I thought I'd have that done instead.

What a night mare - 2 screens - 3 trims endless visits to my home and their fitting places and it never was right.

I tried so had to have the company pay for a proper TVR dealer to do the work but they would not budge..

They got it 95% right in the end but don't think it is an easy option. I lost count on the time I spent calling them / waiting etc..

Wish I had just taken them to court..

(Major windscreen company..) no naming and shaming

[Pum]

I too have a slight blow from the exhaust gasket - the one on one of the two big pipes in front of the engine. V8 Archie said it shouldn't be too much. Can anyone say where best to get the gasket and how much it should be? I assume it's just a case of undoing, cleaning, replacing gasket, and do back up - any sealant needed/recommended?

Thanx, Pum

[groucho]

Had a word with the guy today about my concerns with the ball joint and shocks, telling him I had a trackday coming up. He said "there's nothing to worry about with your car, your shocks have just gone a tiny bit soft and the ball joint play is miniscule"

Basically don't worry about it. If he says there's nothing wrong with it, that's good enough for me, I hope.
I will be keeping a close eye on these parts though.