Calling all experts... urgent advice required.. OMG(F)

[peakslad]

Hi all,

A brief out line of my situation. On Saturday I noticed a gurgling noise coming from the back of the car and steam was shooting out of the boot. Naturally, I stopped and examined. Being a total novice and self confessed idiot with vehicles I called the AA ( with which I have Breakdown repair cover). Upon arrival the guy examined the car briefly and revealed he suspected a problem with the head gasket. I have since learned this is a regular problem with the MGF??

The car was towed to a Halfords garage near my home and my problem outlined to the mechanic on the desk there. He refused to take the job or even examine the car to confirm the attendants suspicion. He called another branch of Halford's on my request and they also refused to even see the vehicle. He did, however, very kindly offer to call around a few local garages to see if they would take the job on. None of them would, one garage said they would do the job but could give me no warranty or guarantee. This was not satisfactory, naturally.

I had no choice but to have the car towed to my home address and try and seek out a garage of my choice. My father recommended that I should take it to the mechanic he has used for years . I called the guy and he said he would do the job for around 350 - 400 and give me a 12 month warranty. I am very happy with this and plan to have the AA tow my car there tomorrow afternoon.

I just wondered what the members of this forum thought of this whole situation... I am covered by the AA for repairs up to 500 pounds. I am really surprised that their recommended garage would not even look at the vehicle!!!

Anyway, advice and opinions would be greatly received.

Thank you, Lee

[J13UTM]

Every single Mg.Org member, and MGCC member I have EVER spoke to that has had work done by Halfrauds has been left with appalling results and had to go elsewhere. Ive seen people take them to court over poor work.

Here's a quick sample.

http://www.the-t-bar.com/en/forum/9-mgf ... mitstart=0

and another

http://forums.mg-rover.org/showthread.php?t=495069

Oh and what caused the above fault....

http://www.the-t-bar.com/en/forum/9-mgf ... mitstart=0

In my opinion, nothing but a bunch of idiots in a jump suit that should stick to fitting tyres and brakes - oh and in my experience they struggle to do that! Id does not shock me they refused to do the work. Ive come across them saying they will not warrant any work they do on a K series engined car because they are "very bad". This is tosh, it just means "we know we will get it wrong". The AA recommending them is worthless, it is a commercial tie in and nothing more.

The MG world is lucky to have 2/3 really good mobile mechanics that will do the work at your home.

http://www.mgroversolutions.com/ - AkA Russell Walsh and Jon Norris. Both excellent, have used Jon many times with no issues. I believe they both will do work under warranty packs too.

http://www.mg-rovermobilemechanics.com/aboutus.html - AKA Dave & Kayleigh. Again, used them and no issues.

Yes, the MGF has a reputation for head gaskets. Its public perception that it is common, in reality it is now just as common as with any other car of the same age, its just that some happened when the cars were still new. Variety of reasons that I wont go into.

The MGF is not a hard car to work on, but you do have to have a brain. Especially when working on the coolant system as it is a little more complicated than most.

Again, if family mechanic is notable and knows the cars then great. A good check is to ask him how many bleed points it has. If he says anything but "3" walk away.

[peakslad]

Thanks J1, terrific reply.. and very informative.

I am going to trust the guy on this one as he is offering warranty but I have noted the two other suggestions for future work should the need arise.

Very interesting , the stuff about Halfrauds!! I never realised they were that bad, the guy I am taking the car to claims they don't have the competence and that is why they refused the job?!

The guy on the desk said there is only so much skimming can be done and that is why they won't attend to it....

Thoughts?

[J13UTM]

You dont always need to skim a head when replacing a gasket.

They are correct though, you can only remove a very, very small amount of metal from the lower surface or you get contact between various components. You can however use a shim with the gasket which keeps the overall "thickness" the same.

If you are pretty close to me Id have no issue giving the car a once over if need be after the work has been done.

Just ensure that whoever buys the gasket gets one from a reputable dealer and not just "off ebay". We have seen some very bad quality parts on it of late. Its also worth mentioning that coolant MUST be OAT, aka pink or red.

Id also recommend getting the cambelt and waterpump changed at this time too. It is also worth checking the exhaust manifold and inlet manifold gaskets as these tend to fail alongside a head and should really be replaced at the same time.

Another component to replace would the the coolant tank cap, called an expansion tank cap. These fail from time to time and can cause issues with the cooling system. I kept two in my MG's just in case. Once had one fail on the M25. Not nice....

[robbie1003]

Previous replies say it all, halfords are not the best and from my experience the AA are not all they are cracked up to be either. The steam you mention could be from a number of places whether coolant pipe bust, cap failiure etc but most overheats unfortunatly conclude with a head gasket failiure because that's what engines do, vw, Hyundai or mgf they will all do the same. Goodluck with the repairs, it might be worth just searching through other posts on the forum to educate yourself to the care of the cooling system and why and where things go wrong,a bit of mechanical savvy could save you in the future.

[Rob Bell]

I agree with Robbie - this could be a split hose or a failed expansion tank filler cap... steam does not necessarily equal head gasket failure in all cases.

A decent trustworthy mechanic will be able to tell the difference and hopefully save you a pot of cash in the process.

[roger williams]

Hi
Sorry to hear about your problem but with the help you'll receive from people on this forum nothing is ever as bad as it seems.

The mobile mechanics mentioned have absolutely excellent reputations and would always be my preferred choice over a garage but unfortunately there's a problem with using your AA cover.
Firstly I must say that the AA repair cover is excellent I really don't know how they make it pay. (they paid to replace the clutch on my TF a few weeks ago) and I have a friend with a Porsche Boxter (somebody's got to have one) who has claimed over £9000 in 5 years on it. The sad thing is that as far as I know the mobile mechanics are not VAT registered which means they can't be used for AA cover.

I agree totally with the other posts. I would never take a car to Halfords unless I wanted a number plate.
It would be like asking Rob Bell or one of the other experts on here to operate on your brain !!!! Magic on MG's but I would suggest not experts on brain repair !!!!

I have recently bought another TF with the head gasket gone and am in the middle of doing it myself. It's not a simple job but nowhere near as complicated as many garages make out. Russell and Dave (2 of the mobile mechanics) can probably do them in their sleep. If it was me and I intended keeping the car I would consider forsaking my AA repair cover on this occasion and let one of the experts do it for me.
Good luck which ever way you go. It will be worth it in the end

[Neil Rushton]

It was a stroke of luck you had that Halfrauds wouldn't touch it they've saved you the hassle when it wasn't right when they'd completed it, I would go with one of the mobiles given your location I would chose Jon Norris I think www.roughluckracing.com but before you do anything make sure it is HGF as others have said there's plenty of things that produce smoke & steam on Fs/TFs unfortunately.

[talkingcars]

My only experience of Halfords mechanical repairs was fitting the wrong release bearing on a clutch they replaced, 12k later it seized and despite and engineers report they denied liability. I'd only gone there as they were able to start work on a Sunday and I was using the car for teaching, still took them 3 days, would have been quicker to wait until Monday and go to a proper garage.

I've had MJS replace 2 head gaskets for me, neither required a skim.
He carries a spare head in case it does need doing.

[peakslad]

J1 ... thanks for the advice and offer, whereabouts are you based? A once over on the car would be great for piece of mind.
Robbie and Rob - thanks a lot and I will follow your advice as much as I can. The water coolant was basically empty upon inspection so I refilled it to try and get me home , I went 5 miles before inspecting again and it was bubbling and boiling as before. When he inspected it he said as there was no leaking it was more than likely the HG.

Roger - I would have no hesitation in using the recommended MG guy on here but with Christmas so close and money tight, I would have to take advantage of the AA cover on this occasion.... it is a shame. However, if future problems present themselves I will be in touch with him.

Neil - thanks for the advice, I will def be using that guy in the future...

Talkingcars - cheers mate. How much was the job MJS did for you?

Once again guys, amazing response. I have owned this car for 3 weeks and in that time the slave went on the clutch and now this... as you can imagine I am filled with dread as to what the future holds. But, I have already fallen in love with this car and your support has made it easier for me to decide to keep it.
Thanks, Lee

[peakslad]

So....finally. With my 500 pound of cover, what else should I ask the mechanic to look at in relation to this problem? I would like to start the new year with this car and full confidence.

[talkingcars]

Talkingcars - cheers mate. How much was the job MJS did for you?

It was a while ago, his prices are on his website.

James

[roger williams]

You mention that you have £500 cover but that unfortunately is not the case in real terms. The £500 includes VAT and you have a £35 excess, so effectively it's nearer £400 which is probably not much more than it will cost to do the headgasket.

[peakslad]

Good point Roger, but if I was to undertake the other mechanical duties mentioned by J1 i.e getting the cambelt and waterpump changed at this time too and checking the exhaust manifold and inlet manifold gaskets how much would I be looking for in total? I am , naturally, prepared to pay for these necessities.

[Rob Bell]

New cam belt will need fitting as a matter of course - but also get the water pump and tensioner replaced at the same time. Time to fit these will be less than 30 minutes labour - so essentially the extra cost is in the parts themselves.

[yorkie]

BUT you will find that if the cambelt and water pump are not broken the AA won't fix them. You will need a friendly garage who is on your side and willing to split the bill to suit the AA.

[peakslad]

Indeed this has been negotiated Yorkie!!! ha.

Just thought I would inform you all that the car has not gone to the garage and I will keep you updated. I shared with him your concerns and he says he will look into them.
He is also going to do the wheel alignment as my car is shifting massively to the left!!

One day, one day..... this car will be just right!!

[RobboMC]

You display great knowledge by getting the car towed. The previous owner of our car decided to drive home once the steam stopped coming out and toasted the engine. You made a good choice there mate.

[Rob Bell]

Steering left problem could be the power steering torque sensor - they can and do go out of alignment, curiously always making the car steer to the left. If the car is jacked up, and the EPAS powered up, you'll probably see the front wheels turning by themselves...

Re-setting the torque sensor is not that difficult - and a good deal cheaper than replacing the steering column!!! http://mgf.ultimatemg.com/group2/common ... /index.htm

[yorkie]

Wheel alignment is normally necessary if the car displays strange handling characteristics , you don't feel as you can trust the car round the bends.
Pulling to the left is invariably the EPAS and as said there's how to fix this common problem. I had one car that corrected itself after disconnecting the battery but I can't think of any technical reason how that can be but it did.