Just back from 12k service
Discussion
Total cost £1,029 including valve clearance check. No critical issues and my passenger door fit/open/close issue has been fixed during service. Engine seems OK. 
Will need clutch in due course, slight leak on bell housing and one of the shocks is leaking, so looks like an excuse to visit Mr. Nitron! 
So overall, two years of ownership, 8.5k miles added and total maintenance/service costs around £1,600. Very happy. Cheaper than my last car which was hardly exotic - a Renault 19 16V!
Dr D
Will need clutch in due course, slight leak on bell housing and one of the shocks is leaking, so looks like an excuse to visit Mr. Nitron! So overall, two years of ownership, 8.5k miles added and total maintenance/service costs around £1,600. Very happy. Cheaper than my last car which was hardly exotic - a Renault 19 16V!
Dr D
Sounds like good result on running costs IMO.
The original type of O.E. damper will be no worse for quite a while if only a slight fluid loss, but they are surprisingly poor quality compared to anything else. Mine leaked at 6k from new.
Similar for clutch leak IMO, if it isn't contaminating the clutch plate itself, so can still drive around while organising best replacement. Re-designed cylinder from Clever Trevor is much higher quality and now used by many TVR dealers; I've got one as a precautionary upgrade although original was still fine at 24k.
I guess we ought to remember that if the numerous high-quality aftermarket parts were fitted from new, the car price would have been
The original type of O.E. damper will be no worse for quite a while if only a slight fluid loss, but they are surprisingly poor quality compared to anything else. Mine leaked at 6k from new.
Similar for clutch leak IMO, if it isn't contaminating the clutch plate itself, so can still drive around while organising best replacement. Re-designed cylinder from Clever Trevor is much higher quality and now used by many TVR dealers; I've got one as a precautionary upgrade although original was still fine at 24k.
I guess we ought to remember that if the numerous high-quality aftermarket parts were fitted from new, the car price would have been
Good to see Devil's Advocate being true to your name! Thanks for the more positive comments tailslide!
Well the service notes from the dealer describe both the clutch and damper as slight leaks. Totally agree damper would be an MOT failure, but mine's not for another 8 months. Not that I intend to leave either issue that long, but I think both are currently minor enough that I don't have to get them done in one hit. Which is nice.
And by critical I was meaning no issues preventing me from picking the car up, three months of the road and invovling that 'R' word. Plus, thought it was about time there was a positive two year story on here. If I'd have set foot in this forum before getting a TVR I probably wouldn't have, and that would have been a crying shame.
Well the service notes from the dealer describe both the clutch and damper as slight leaks. Totally agree damper would be an MOT failure, but mine's not for another 8 months. Not that I intend to leave either issue that long, but I think both are currently minor enough that I don't have to get them done in one hit. Which is nice.
And by critical I was meaning no issues preventing me from picking the car up, three months of the road and invovling that 'R' word. Plus, thought it was about time there was a positive two year story on here. If I'd have set foot in this forum before getting a TVR I probably wouldn't have, and that would have been a crying shame.
Good points DD. Glad you didn't listen to us earlier!
The fun I've had with mine on road and occasionally track for last 3.5 years far outweighs little niggles, of which there have been few anyway, and have seldom interfered with driving it.
So much so that last year, after trying the usual fast road & track alternatives that offer some comfort for distance (Exige, Noble, 911,... Sagaris) I decided it really couldn't be bettered as a dual-purpose sports car, so I'm now enjoying lavishing some quite unnecessary time & money on track-oriented development
The fun I've had with mine on road and occasionally track for last 3.5 years far outweighs little niggles, of which there have been few anyway, and have seldom interfered with driving it.
So much so that last year, after trying the usual fast road & track alternatives that offer some comfort for distance (Exige, Noble, 911,... Sagaris) I decided it really couldn't be bettered as a dual-purpose sports car, so I'm now enjoying lavishing some quite unnecessary time & money on track-oriented development
Edited by tail slide on Saturday 1st September 22:15
doctor_darren said:
Total cost £1,029 including valve clearance check. No critical issues and my passenger door fit/open/close issue has been fixed during service. Engine seems OK. Will need clutch in due course, slight leak on bell housing and one of the shocks is leaking, so looks like an excuse to visit Mr. Nitron!
So overall, two years of ownership, 8.5k miles added and total maintenance/service costs around £1,600. Very happy. Cheaper than my last car which was hardly exotic - a Renault 19 16V!
Dr D
What did they do to fix the door problem as I've got this problem on my Tam. Will need clutch in due course, slight leak on bell housing and one of the shocks is leaking, so looks like an excuse to visit Mr. Nitron! So overall, two years of ownership, 8.5k miles added and total maintenance/service costs around £1,600. Very happy. Cheaper than my last car which was hardly exotic - a Renault 19 16V!
Dr D
Hi Ian,
I gather they just adjusted all the bits you can to get the door aligned properly. I can't admit to knowing exactly which bolt does what. I think it's just takes time. A different place had a go at my door previously, initially it was too high and catching the bottom of the windscreen surround, but it ended up too far back with the door twisted, sticking out at the bottom and in at the top. Finally I have a consistent shut-line all the way round and it opens and closes with minimal force. And all part of the service.
Cheers Liam. Frankly all TVRs look nice, especially T350s!
Dr D
I gather they just adjusted all the bits you can to get the door aligned properly. I can't admit to knowing exactly which bolt does what. I think it's just takes time. A different place had a go at my door previously, initially it was too high and catching the bottom of the windscreen surround, but it ended up too far back with the door twisted, sticking out at the bottom and in at the top. Finally I have a consistent shut-line all the way round and it opens and closes with minimal force. And all part of the service.
Cheers Liam. Frankly all TVRs look nice, especially T350s!
Dr D
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