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MG MGF Technical - 2000 model, help please (newbie)

i have read with a lot of concern some of the technical problems that are being experienced with the MG F . i was seriously thinking of buying the new year 2000 model. does anyone know if things like tire wear+ride height, HGF's etc have been fixed on the new model. sorry if this seems a boring but as a newbie i have knowone to ask.
cheers
martin
Martin

Martin

As has been said on many previous occasions, people talk about the problems they have experienced. It would be a very tedious board if everyone who had not problems was constantly proclaiming "still no problems".

Lots of people have now had F for 4 years on this board and have had no major problems. We have had ours for coming up for three years of happy motorings.

There does seem to be an problem with the the head gaskets but with a new F you are covered for 3 years anyway. On the wheel alignment, you should not have a problem if the car is set up correcrtly on delivery. If there is, the occasional check on the tyres should allow you to indentify problems quickly.

I lot of the more vocal complainants now neglect to mention that they have seriuosly modified their cars...

The F is still the top selling sports car in the UK by a huge margin - this surely must a sign that it is a good product - 'cuase we all know it ain't the cheapest!

Find good dealer and find some local owners via the Owners Club if you want first hand expereince.

Our effort has been fantastic costs limited to two annual services - plus the odd upgrade...

Go for it and join the club.

Cheers

Patricl

Patrick

Martin

> does anyone know if things like tire wear+ride height, HGF's etc have been fixed on the new model

Don't panic on our messages :)
The MGF is as good or bad manufactured as each other sportscar which is produced in low batches.

No, none of the above stated problems?? are solved by design changes. But design changes or in other words design faults are mostly not the cases which we are talking about :)))

-tyre wear
... is a case of the suspension setup and lack of service or often result of lack of knowledge about the vital MGF hydragas system requirements.
Ask other owners of sporty cars with short axle stand. i.e Honda CRX owners.. *grin*

-HGF
... Hmmm, had none and don't want any. Since 77k km and two years no problem !! knock on wood.
Reason IMO also lack of service, lack of know how and sensibility on the requirements of the MGF coolant system.

So forget it :)
Testdrive the car, read Greg Hiltons MGF-FAQ and look for the now following credits of the other friends here
:))

>as a newbie i have knowone to ask.

If you additional like social gathering and meet up people with the same interests, then go for it. I got contact to about 600 owners all over the world in the last two years (Email adresses)

In my opinion the MGF is the greatest sports car I've ever owned (..its my first one..). Its so great that I never want to give it away. So I purchased a second one from a crap yard to improve my skills on techy terms and get independant of the anones at most of our dealers and also as sparepart base.

Its not only a car, its a hobby
:)))))

Regards
Dieter
http://www.mgf-net.de (sorry, most only in german language)
Dieter

Patrick,
... now following credits .. !!!
Thats not fair :) I wanted to be the first ... LOL
:oP
DK
PS .. OK need to write faster
Dieter

1995 or 2000 model ?

As Patrick wrote:
>>Find a good dealer<<

Now thàt's something to be considered of major importance.
Luc

4.5 years with my *F* and no HGF, no excessive tyre wear, no ride height problems, no leaks, no stone chips (worth talking about), no rattles (worth talking about).

However I have had the following problems:- Jealous Bastards scratched the side, rows with the wife as she now wants to drive, and not enough free time to drive the *F* myself.

So go for it - as long as you remember it is an open top sports car and a niche market car so not a lot of garages will know how to service it properly so as the others have said IT IS IMPORTANT TO FIND A GOOD DEALER.

Ted
Ted Newman

Martin, having owned both an N reg 1996 model and a V reg 2000 model, I can say that the 2000 model IMO is a vastly improved car over my January 96 model. I only kept the Jan 96 model for 13 months having bought it second hand and had 13 problems during that time. My dealer gave me a good deal to upgrade to a new 2000 1.8i model as even though the N reg had been problematic, when it was good it was very very good!

I've had the 2000 model for 6 months now and 8000 miles. No squeaks, rattles, leaks, no sign of excessive tyre wear yet and even if it does suffer HGF, it's under warranty for 3 years anyway. I know the dealers (both my local one and in Luton where I bought the car) are helpful and if not the MG helpline can usually intervene.

Get the car - it's worth it even if you do have a few niggling problems because it's such fun to drive. I still enjoy getting in the car even to drive to work every morning and that's got to be worth a lot!

Carolyn
V476 GNM
Carolyn

Martin

We're on our third F, not because of problems with the earlier ones but because we like them so much. They have improved and the 2000 yr model we have now is as well made as any car on the market. No squeeks or leaks. There is plenty of help on the internet and some sites have been identified for you. A good dealer is important, I've only recently moved to Cheshire from Sussex I had a good dealer there but I'm still looking for one up here.

You need one that actually knows more about the car then you do - not pretends to and plenty still bluff there way along. A good tip is ensure they have two mg specialist mechanics, ensure you get introduced to them by sales before buying the car and feel confident in the level of support you'll get should you have problems - hopefully you won't - 95%+ of the cars are fine, I'm certain that the quality control issue is almost perfect. You certainly won't have the leaky roof issues of the pre 98 cars or the mirror adjuster falling off issue of most pre 2000 car (now electric). If you find a good dealer let me know. Someone had a survey of dealers on the web, I've lost my links but if I find it I'll send another message. Any helper on this out there?

Martin
Martin Hart

thanks to all who have answered, you are all diamonds.
thanks a lot for all your comments.
martin , i live near the northwich area and there are 2 mg dealers i know of, lookers of stockport and chester
martin

I'm in Appleton 6 miles south of Warrington, the website I was looking for was dotcomoff.demon.co.uk but theres nothing on for Cheshire and doesn't look as well supported as it should, ie too few people have commented on their dealers. If Lookers in either location are any good then I'll be on their doorstep.
If anyone has a comment on their dealer can I recommend you pass this on via the above website.

Martin H
Martin Hart

>>Someone had a survey of dealers on the web, I've lost my links but if I find it I'll send another message. Any helper on this out there?<<

That's most likely Paul Lathwell's "MG Dealer Guide":
http://www.dotcomoff.demon.co.uk/

And if you're visiting his site, and you're heading for the MGF, why not subscribing - as most of us on this BBS - to his "F'ers Gallery".

Cheers,
Luc
Luc

martin,
i'm right near you in barnton.
martin

>And if you're visiting his site, and you're heading for the MGF, why not subscribing - as most of us on this BBS - to his "F'ers Gallery".

Of course you really need to have purchased one to take part, but it's free to do and the more th merrier so go get that F Martin, and do as others have said about looking at the Dealer Guide to find a decent one in your area. If you do end up using one not listed - please do submit your findings about the dealer. The more dealers and the more submission per dealer in my guide the better - everone benefits. :)

http://www.dotcomoff.demon.co.uk

Oh, and I'm also in the process of creating a MGF Technical FAQ - a suppliment if you like to Greg Hilton's long standing MGF FAQ. As the name suggests this will be a FAQ relating to know "problems" or other mechanical realated issues. Hopefully the end prodcut being something that will enable those with MGF problems to find the answer they need - see my site for more. ;)
Paul Lathwell

Martin (& Martin!)

Thought I would have my say. I agree with everyone who has responded to this thread - buy the F, you won't be disappointed. I've had my MGF ('97 VVC) for 9 months now and still love every minute I spend driving it - I intend to keep it for a very long time unless I am tempted by a newer MGF at a later date!

Have to agree also regarding dealers - finding a good one is SO important. I live in Appleton too and have yet to find a decent dealer. I have tried two:

1)Ryland Rover in Warrington: very poor knowledge of the car and can't get things right first time - I'm trying to discuss the poor quality work with the Service Manager at the moment but he doesn't seem to want to see me.

2)Lookers of Stockport: took the car there once - they didn't seem to understand the car either hence didn't get the work.

I've also heard bad things on the BBS about James Edwards in Chester. I'd be interested to know of a good dealer in Cheshire too as submissions to the MG Dealer Guide are poor for this area (I know I'm guilty of not submitting to it either but I'd like to find something positive to say!)

I now intend to go over the pennines to Mike Satur (an independent MG specialist - you will see many references to him on the BBS) for my future servicing requirements - he is a true enthusiast who understands the car and just as importantly knows something about customer care. But a good local specialist would still be useful to know...

Ian
Ian Chisem

As all Rover dealers are supposedly becoming MG dealers the choice should hopefully improve and hopefully the MG Dealer Guide will grow as well. Unfortunately, there is very little I can do myself to increase the coverage the MG Dealer Guide provides, it relys purely on people submitting their opinions good (preferably) or bad of the dealers they have used.

http://www.dotcomoff.demon.co.uk

Home of the F'ers Gallery, MG Dealer Guide and forthcoming MGF Tech FAQ. :)
Paul Lathwell

This thread was discussed between 20/08/2000 and 22/08/2000

MG MGF Technical index

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