servicing in the north east

[matt12023]

Its time for the cars first service with me, the obvious choice up here is hexham horseless carriages. was just looking for peoples opinions of there and if there is anywhere else to consider. If i'm not too busy this weekend i may pop along to see the place myself

[Toma500]

Hello matt First service time means about 6-700 for the large one and 4-500 for the small one but HHC do know their stuff and are very thorough it might indeed seem expensive but they will do a good job i have used them for 5 yrs now and have no complaints . You can save a bit though by doing some of the easy stuff at other places who are a bit cheaper brake pads discs etc . oh and if your in the tvrcc they used to give you a 10% discount on parts so worth asking . best of luck Tom

[mt10argyll]

I do all my own servicing so only costs me for Oil and Filters and Plugs
if needed.Expect to pay about 160 pounds for a service at a good Indie
any more and your getting done. Remember that the Chim is just a Rover engined
car and service accordingly Had mine three years no problems with it apart
from wear and tear, Tyres, Brakes,and Petrol

Edited by mt10argyll on Saturday 3rd January 22:26

[matt12023]

I've booked it in for a major service and mot and its coming out at more expensive the toma said

in my spare time i'm fully restoring and putting the 540 v8 into an e30 so I could service it. But for what i paid for the car i'd rather get it done by a specialist and hopefully help the resale value for when i sell it and get a tuscan

[Red V8]

I used HHC for a few years and whilst they are good they are not cheap... I switched to independant last service... R&P woods in Heaton... very good service, cost effective and no complaints 8 months later.

[siwebster]

mt10argyll said:

I do all my own servicing so only costs me for Oil and Filters and Plugs
if needed.Expect to pay about 160 pounds for a service at a good Indie
any more and your getting done. Remember that the Chim is just a Rover engined
car and service accordingly Had mine three years no problems with it apart
from wear and tear, Tyres, Brakes,and Petrol

Servicing is a bit more than changing plugs and filters - http://www.automedon.co.uk/serviceschedule.html

It's a serious safety check, so if you do do it yourself bear in mind the service schedule that proper TVR service centres use - an indy with little or no experience of TVR's is more than likely going to do it badly, even if it is just a rover engined car. Like most things, you get what you pay for...

[Toma500]

siwebster said:

mt10argyll said:

I do all my own servicing so only costs me for Oil and Filters and Plugs
if needed.Expect to pay about 160 pounds for a service at a good Indie
any more and your getting done. Remember that the Chim is just a Rover engined
car and service accordingly Had mine three years no problems with it apart
from wear and tear, Tyres, Brakes,and Petrol

Servicing is a bit more than changing plugs and filters - http://www.automedon.co.uk/serviceschedule.html

It's a serious safety check, so if you do do it yourself bear in mind the service schedule that proper TVR service centres use - an indy with little or no experience of TVR's is more than likely going to do it badly, even if it is just a rover engined car. Like most things, you get what you pay for...

Yes totally agree with above its for peace of mind if nothing else and mines a pre-serp and they can be tricky to do an oil change on (oil pump priming issues ) . Plus the likes of HHC will have parts on the shelf if they do find a problem say a ball joint, or a engine temp sensor etc etc . I have changed simple stuff myself eg. radiator fans and rad . and will probably be putting the odd upgrade like smoothbore afm hose and plenum spacer etc on in the future . My local garage is also good for getting underneath and doing the chassis waxoil and other stuff a ramp is needed.

[andy-w]

siwebster said:

Servicing is a bit more than changing plugs and filters - http://www.automedon.co.uk/serviceschedule.html

It's a serious safety check, so if you do do it yourself bear in mind the service schedule that proper TVR service centres use - an indy with little or no experience of TVR's is more than likely going to do it badly, even if it is just a rover engined car. Like most things, you get what you pay for...

Not looking for a bun fight but i cant see anything on that list that i would not check with an ordinary car...or anything extra that i can see that is special to a TVR, apart from maybe linking a cerb to a computer???

I am not sure what an indie could get wrong on that list...???
Surely that is a bit like saying it should only be MOT'd by someone who knows a lot about TVR's as that list is similar to an MOT check list...?

[Red V8]

andy-w said:

siwebster said:

Servicing is a bit more than changing plugs and filters - http://www.automedon.co.uk/serviceschedule.html

It's a serious safety check, so if you do do it yourself bear in mind the service schedule that proper TVR service centres use - an indy with little or no experience of TVR's is more than likely going to do it badly, even if it is just a rover engined car. Like most things, you get what you pay for...

Not looking for a bun fight but i cant see anything on that list that i would not check with an ordinary car...or anything extra that i can see that is special to a TVR, apart from maybe linking a cerb to a computer???

I am not sure what an indie could get wrong on that list...???
Surely that is a bit like saying it should only be MOT'd by someone who knows a lot about TVR's as that list is similar to an MOT check list...?

I agree with Andy.... and would also add that the indie I used has a good reputation and worked from a checklist, which looked very similar to the one on the link above... they handed it to me when I picked up the car.

Would also pose the question aren't all garages indies these days, i.e. there is no such thing as a TVR main dealer any more as there is no TVR (or at least a very small remnant)?

[siwebster]

Red V8 said:

andy-w said:

siwebster said:

Servicing is a bit more than changing plugs and filters - http://www.automedon.co.uk/serviceschedule.html

It's a serious safety check, so if you do do it yourself bear in mind the service schedule that proper TVR service centres use - an indy with little or no experience of TVR's is more than likely going to do it badly, even if it is just a rover engined car. Like most things, you get what you pay for...

Not looking for a bun fight but i cant see anything on that list that i would not check with an ordinary car...or anything extra that i can see that is special to a TVR, apart from maybe linking a cerb to a computer???

I am not sure what an indie could get wrong on that list...???
Surely that is a bit like saying it should only be MOT'd by someone who knows a lot about TVR's as that list is similar to an MOT check list...?

I agree with Andy.... and would also add that the indie I used has a good reputation and worked from a checklist, which looked very similar to the one on the link above... they handed it to me when I picked up the car.

Would also pose the question aren't all garages indies these days, i.e. there is no such thing as a TVR main dealer any more as there is no TVR (or at least a very small remnant)?

Yep, I too use an independent TVR specialist, I took the 'Indie' as any garage, not a TVR specialist, particularly due to the 'expect to pay £160' comment which is way off for the time/labour costs involved, even for the 6k service.

My reference to the checklist was more to do with the DIY servicing comments, not necessarily the Indy garages - but when I took my car for it's first service under my ownership there were a few things pointed out to me that had been missed in it's previous service by the previous owner that are Chim specific - adjustment of doors and a few other bits. The previous owner had taken it to a reputable sports car specialist, but not a dedicated TVR service centre, so although most of the standard service items were fine, there were some things that weren't attended to.

I still think it's essential to get these cars serviced professionaly by TVR specialists, the higher price isn't because it's a TVR, it's because of the time these people spend getting it right and making sure your motor is kept in tip top condition...

[andy-w]

siwebster said:

Yep, I too use an independent TVR specialist, I took the 'Indie' as any garage, not a TVR specialist, particularly due to the 'expect to pay £160' comment which is way off for the time/labour costs involved, even for the 6k service.

My reference to the checklist was more to do with the DIY servicing comments, not necessarily the Indy garages - but when I took my car for it's first service under my ownership there were a few things pointed out to me that had been missed in it's previous service by the previous owner that are Chim specific - adjustment of doors and a few other bits. The previous owner had taken it to a reputable sports car specialist, but not a dedicated TVR service centre, so although most of the standard service items were fine, there were some things that weren't attended to.

I still think it's essential to get these cars serviced professionaly by TVR specialists, the higher price isn't because it's a TVR, it's because of the time these people spend getting it right and making sure your motor is kept in tip top condition...

Things like adjusting doors, boot, bonnet, lights etc i just take for granted as being part of TVR or any car ownership and do this kind of work as and when it is required.

I spend a good couple of hours a week fettling and tweaking bits and peices and probably once every couple of months going right through the car checking everything including jacking the car up and getting right underneath it.

Maybe this is why i dont feel the need to go to a TVR specialist.

But like you say - it probably is best to get it checked out by someone who knows their way round these cras just to be on the safe side, especially if you are not handy with a spanner!!!

On the other hand a i know of one person who had their car serviced at a 'Specialist and they removed the steering UJ's to grease them up...when they put them back one of them had not been put on far enough and sheared when the car was moving, luckily no damage occured and the driver was ok but he had to pay for a new steering shaft out of his own pocket...