MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGF Technical - Things to look for when buying used MGF...

Hi, me again!

Just a thought, after reading through a fair few of the threads, with stories of sticking throttles, tracking problems, leaking roofs, broken window stops, HGF and other 'mares, I was wondering if there is a checklist of things I could erm, check for(!) when picking my 96 'P' reg up from the dealer.

TIA

Steve.
Steve Childs

Steve,

If the garage you're picking it up from say it's going to be serviced, it may be worth checking this has actually been done. When I picked mine up last month (not from an MG dealer) it was supposed to have had a 48k service. Having a look round it a couple of weeks later whilst i was changing the plugs and leads (it didn't like the damp) I thought i'd have a look at what they'd done. Oil turned out to be very old and black, air filter wasn't in it housing properly (don't know how they did that!) but oddly they had fitted a new oil filter, albeit a very cheap one.
After refilling with synthetic I couldn't believe how much better the engine sounded and went! I suppose the mid engined config means that some mechanics can't be bothered to service it properly and think that nobody will find out. The brake fluid and coolant are supposed to be changed at 48k (i think?) - needless to say neither of these had been done.
Another thing to look out for - water leaks - you can bet they won't want to fix them once you've driven away!
HTH, i'm sure others will have loads of other things you should look out for.

Pete
Peter Bates

Might be worth trying to persuade your dealer to change the plugs and leads for you - it seems to be cars of about that age that need it doing. Other than that - throw a bucket of water over it, for the leaks, and listen out for rattles during the test drive - most are quite easily fixable.

Make sure the coolant level is exactly as it should be - i.e. v. close to the seam on the bottle when cold; this seems to be the best bet that the dreaded HGF might be avoided.

My dealer paid around #70 for a three month warranty thingy on mine (same age, just before Christmas), which I found quite encouraging.

HTH

E
Ed Clarke

whatever happens, remember it's still an MG

so be flexible, no risk buying it is impossible to exclude.

;-)


wipers, oil colour, starting it several times, leaks, front tyres (if they're new it smells fishy), gearchange, bodywork, frontlights, remote control...

you name it!
Dirk

Just off the top of my head...

Tyres - be suspicious if they are brand new, otherwise check the inner rims for excessive wear.

Ride height - bring a tape measure with you & check the ride height by measuring from the underside of the front wheel arch to the centre of the front wheel. This should be 368mm +/- 5mm. If it is any more, get them to adjust it (including 4 wheel laser alignment). Any less, find out if it has been lowered, if any method other then the Techspeed system has been used then be aware that the car may suffer from the above mentioned inner rim tyre wear.

Leaks - Look at the hood, if it has seams above the side windows, parallel with the sides of the car then this is an early hood & may suffer from leaks. Later hoods are MUCH improved & can be identified by the lack of these seams. Check the passenger & drivers foot well for damp carpet, also check the boot. If the hood is a newer design & the interior carpets are wet then the door cheaters need adjusting (the black rubber trangular wing mirror mounts) as these can block the drainage channel in the rubber seal on the windscreen frame causing a steady drip onto the inner door card & from there onto the carpet. If the boot carpet is damp, get the vendor to exchange the rear lamp cluster gaskets for the thicker ones.

And thats about it! As far as i know, there is no way of checking for a future HGF (unfortunately). I would be wary if it has just had a full coolant change & if it is a VVC i would make sure that the cam bolt has been sorted out as this was part of an unofficial recall. A good indicator for this is the presence of the later type of seat belt escutcheons. Look at the plastic slots that the seat belts pass through in the rear bulkhead (T bar). If these have two screws in them & a vertical joint below the slot then they are the newer ones & they should have been done at the same time as the cam bolt.

Other, more usual checks also apply, stone chips, service history etc.

SF
Scarlet Fever

Thanks a lot for your advice, I haven't given up on buying an MGF yet, but unforseen circumstances might have put a block on it :( - Depends if I can find a used F for around £6000 to £7000.

Regards


Steve.
Steve Childs

Steve, I hear there are ex-Japan ones coming in at around that price but no specific contacts at the moment...
David Smith

David, are these imports OK? The idea of buying a car that was spec'd for a different market doesn't sound a good idea to me. At least with the euro ones you can get UK specs.

TIA


Steve.
Steve Childs

I don't have one myself - I just read this BBS. Plenty in the archive methinks. The Jap spec is usually going to be higher than UK so what's the prob? A reputable importer will change the speedo and the headlights to UK versions, legally that's all that's needed IIRC.
HTH
David Smith

Yeah, that helped, thanks :D - There wasn't a problem as such, I just didn't know what was different.

Regards


Steve.
Steve Childs

This thread was discussed between 07/03/2001 and 16/03/2001

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGF Technical BBS is active now.