Rover 25 Head Gasket Failure

s_b

the best thing about rovers is i see less and less of them as time goes by
why OP would buy a rover when the company went phoenix like i have no idea
oh well
ps OP keep your eye on the expansion bottle,might be a good idea to cut a hole in the bonnet save keep opening it:D;)

Hammyman

red_eye wrote: »

only if you change the oil evey half mile

I can only guess you buy banger and never service them. I had a Ford Capri that I fitted a reconditioned engine to and 30k later, the oil was still clear when it was due to be changed. Wife had a BMW 525 with 180k on the clock that was run on 0W/30 fully synth for its entire life and also had clear oil when it was due to be changed.

Hammyman

split_second wrote: »

k series engines have a reputation for blowing head gaskets for fun

...Only those who've not been serviced properly.

pendulum

pgilc1 wrote: »

Noone used the word impressive except you?

Did I claim someone other than me used the word impressive? No.

The other poster was trying to use the fact their car had lasted 12 years to prove Rovers are reliable. They're not reliable, 12 years isn't an impressive age to reach, and even if it was, one Rover reaching that age is not proof that Rovers in general are reliable.

pgilc1 wrote: »

Noone said it wasnt - merely making the point that cars tend to disappear from our roads once they hit 12-13 years old - even something as once popular as an escort.

I haven't disagreed with that. Old cars become unfashionable and tend to get scrapped for the smallest of problems once their value reaches just a few hundred pounds. What does this have to do with anything?

pgilc1 wrote: »

Sorry. You're wrong. Generally speaking anyway. There will have been some sort of neglect in the cars past to cause the problem - whether that be coolant leak, water pump failure, overheating, etc.

The two HGFs i've dealt with this year BOTH caused by overheating - oh, and one was on a Clio (a known common problem) and the other an Astra.

No, this is where you're wrong! I was specifically talking about Rovers blowing their headgaskets and the reasons for it, hence why I said "A Rover blows its headgasket because...". Why bring other cars in to the picture to confuse things?

What you said about cars in general suffering some neglect in the past to cause the headgasket to fail is also untrue. Headgaskets suffer wear and tear like everything else, and once an engine hits a large mileage it's quite common to have to change one despite the car never being neglected. Nothing lasts forever. Good servicing just makes it last a lot longer.

When it comes to Rovers, their reasons for blowing their headgaskets are well understood; the headgasket blows, it loses water, then it overheats. Then a Rover fanboy or DIY "mechanic" comes along and notices no water in the radiator! "That's why the car overheated!" they say. When they top it up and it drinks it... the overheating gets the blame for damaging the gasket.

Cliffnotes: Rovers suck. Owner gets the blame as well as the bill for the bad engine and cooling system design.

s_b

Of course also rovers had radiators and expansion bottles only just on top of the job to save weight money and obviously screw a little bit more mpg out of them
the problem comes when the water level drops a little ,probably due to the idiotic design of the inlet manifold
what in a normal car would be a raising of the temperature gauge a bit of steam and most drivers pulling over just turns to a catastrophe in a rover because having no reserve water in the critical minute of meltdown it just transfers all the heat to the internal bits and

---

pop

rover==========over

motorguy

pendulum wrote: »

Did I claim someone other than me used the word impressive? No.

The other poster was trying to use the fact their car had lasted 12 years to prove Rovers are reliable. They're not reliable, 12 years isn't an impressive age to reach, and even if it was, one Rover reaching that age is not proof that Rovers in general are reliable.


I haven't disagreed with that. Old cars become unfashionable and tend to get scrapped for the smallest of problems once their value reaches just a few hundred pounds. What does this have to do with anything?


No, this is where you're wrong! I was specifically talking about Rovers blowing their headgaskets and the reasons for it, hence why I said "A Rover blows its headgasket because...". Why bring other cars in to the picture to confuse things?

What you said about cars in general suffering some neglect in the past to cause the headgasket to fail is also untrue. Headgaskets suffer wear and tear like everything else, and once an engine hits a large mileage it's quite common to have to change one despite the car never being neglected. Nothing lasts forever. Good servicing just makes it last a lot longer.

When it comes to Rovers, their reasons for blowing their headgaskets are well understood; the headgasket blows, it loses water, then it overheats. Then a Rover fanboy or DIY "mechanic" comes along and notices no water in the radiator! "That's why the car overheated!" they say. When they top it up and it drinks it... the overheating gets the blame for damaging the gasket.

Cliffnotes: Rovers suck. Owner gets the blame as well as the bill for the bad engine and cooling system design.

Well, we'll have to agree to disagree.

The difference being, my opinion makes me a very comfortable living in the motor trade. Yours just makes you come across as narrow minded and smug on forums.

pendulum

If the best response you can come up with is an insult then I'm afraid you've lost the argument. You're also one of the few people in the trade that would touch a Rover, but I suppose you're one of those that would sell any old shed to make a quick buck.

I guess you can save on warranty claims by spreading the lie that headgasket failure is always caused by owner neglect.

mikey72

Any wet lined engine is more prone to HGF.
(I have to admit to liking Rovers though)

motorguy

pendulum wrote: »

If the best response you can come up with is an insult then I'm afraid you've lost the argument. You're also one of the few people in the trade that would touch a Rover, but I suppose you're one of those that would sell any old shed to make a quick buck.

I guess you can save on warranty claims by spreading the lie that headgasket failure is always caused by owner neglect.

It wasnt an insult it was a statement of fact.

Nope, i ensure the cars i buy are of resale quality, if they're not i pass them on to other traders or send them to auction. Of the 75 cars i've sold this past three months, only two have come back with any warranty claims - new struts needed on a Chevrolet, and new discs and pads on a Vectra. All of which i've stood over, representing less than 0.4% of turnover for aftersales claims.

RE: Rovers, my son drives an MG ZR, and my mum drives a Rover 25 - both of which they wanted and both of which I sourced for them and both of which they've been very happy with.

The trick in the motor trade is know your car and know how much its worth. Every car has a value and there is a 'bum for every seat' as it were. Every trader i deal with will happily take a Rover as a trade in and price it according to its age, condition, refurbishment costs, etc just like any other car.

So i'm not sure where you're getting your 'noone in the trade will touch a Rover'

But then thats maybe the difference between your point of view and mine - mines based on experience and yours is based on what you've read on the internet.

motorguy

mikey72 wrote: »

Any wet lined engine is more prone to HGF.
(I have to admit to liking Rovers though)

I too like them, though its getting harder and harder to get a real nice one. If i'd the space i'd love to buy in a few to keep.

I'd love a really nice V6 Rover 75 with leather and / or an MG ZT with the same engine.

I've still a soft spot for stuff like an MG Metro Turbo, MG Maestro and Montego, oh, and anything that had the 2.0 Turbo engine - the 220 GSi Turbo (had one) the 420 GSi Turbo, a 600 Ti (had one in black with black leather) or an 800 Vitesse.