Servicing A 99 VVC

[Mr Teddy Bear]

Hi,
could one of you helpfull people just remind me of the oil change interval? I don't have the owners manual or service book. I've only covered 5-6 k miles in the past two years. i bought on condition and a test drive being an engineer, instead of stamps in a service book, which doesn't really tell you wether or not the cars in good nick, [I do have a selection of servicing invoices/bills etc]. The car was storedin my garage for the best part of a year until I got around to having the cam belts changed last Sept. She's running reasonably well now at around 71000 miles. Is there any thing in particular to look out for at this sort of mileage?

Cam belts changed
oil service carried out at purchase 65/66 k miles
new wiper linkages
new expansion cap


cheers,
Tim

[Mark L]

Hi,
could one of you helpfull people just remind me of the oil change interval? I don't have the owners manual or service book. I've only covered 5-6 k miles in the past two years. i bought on condition and a test drive being an engineer, instead of stamps in a service book, which doesn't really tell you wether or not the cars in good nick, [I do have a selection of servicing invoices/bills etc]. The car was storedin my garage for the best part of a year until I got around to having the cam belts changed last Sept. She's running reasonably well now at around 71000 miles. Is there any thing in particular to look out for at this sort of mileage?

Cam belts changed
oil service carried out at purchase 65/66 k miles
new wiper linkages
new expansion cap


cheers,
Tim

Here's what I'd do without proper proof of history.....

Plugs are long life (due to access) but should be changed at 60K miles.

Brake/Clutch fluid should be moisture tested and if any doubt, replaced.

Coolant should also be checked/changed if required.

Grease the suspension via the 4 nipples, one on each corner (often missed by most garages).

Most of the above 'Should' have been done on the big 5 year/60K cambelt service, but as said without proof I'd do them anyway.

In addition I'd do the below as well...

Grease/lubethe clutch release arm where it enters the gearbox - these can sieze resulting in a needless and costly clutch change.

Grease/lube the bonnet release mechanism.

Grease/lube handrake mechanism/cables.

Check front radiator fan spins freely and it's fuse is changed from standard 15amp to 20amp - could save you a nasty overheat/hgf.

Check condition of the undefloor steel coolant pipes.

Check subframes, suspender arms and brake pipes for rot, or cracking of the rubber flexi pipes.

Should keep you busy for an hour or so..

[Mr Teddy Bear]

Yer..........................
Thanks Mark, I only had the cambelt specifically changed so that's usefull info, what about an oil change? will Euro be ok for the filter and do they prefer any particular brand of oil ? I'm guessing Magnetec is in at the moment.

Thanks,
Tim

[Mark L]

Yer..........................
Thanks Mark, I only had the cambelt specifically changed so that's usefull info, what about an oil change? will Euro be ok for the filter and do they prefer any particular brand of oil ? I'm guessing Magnetec is in at the moment.

Thanks,
Tim

Service intervals on the 'F' are yearly OR every 12K miles. any 'good' semi synthetic oil will be Ok, although IIRC MG-R advised against using Fully synthetic for some reason (??)

Some of the problems these cars suffer from can be put down to lack of service, ie many owners service them by mileage only (not age) so if the car is only used at weekends for Eg, it can take 3-4 years before it reaches the advised service mileage meaning many of the important fluids can be well past their sell by date.

[Charless]

Lack of regular use is also dire for all seals, the suspension, clutch and brakes' efficiency, battery life, hood/rear window and tyre condition.

[Mr Teddy Bear]

Yes I suspect that the suspension 'goes down' if the car isn't used. The window zip gets easier through use as well.

[Rob Bell]

In addition to the above, I'd add two other items that largely are not included in the routine service record - the cam belt tensioner and the water pump. I'd certainly recommend replacing both of these items with the cam belt, but more often than not, they're not. Both are prone to failure - the tensioner to dramatic disintegration and valve and head destroying loss of of cam belt tension, and the water pump to coolant loss, and subsequent head gasket failure or worse, cylinder head damage.

Other things to look for are oxidisation of the headlamp bowls - this occurs to all MGF head lamps - and it is only a question of time that it gets to the stage that the MoT man fails your car on this. New replacements are one expensive option that is prone to the same failure (albeit with a 10 year life expectancy) or you can get the reflectors re-silvered by a company such as Dual Metalising - for less than the price of a single, new headlamp.

Check out the potential rust areas - preventative maintenance can avoid more expensive repairs later, and unfortunately the suspension is not immune - check out the lower front wishbones that can rust out from below (and out of sight unless the car's on ramps).

There are a few other 'common' problems that can be foreseen and sorted out before they become a problem (note also the boot loom shorting and potentially causing electrical fires!!!) - and perhaps it would be good to compile such a list. Mind you, it would probably make potentially frightening reading!