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MG MGF Technical VVC ride is really getting me down. BBS discussion at MG-Cars.net
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MG MGF Technical - VVC ride is really getting me down.
| I am getting so p*****d off with my new vvc. I thought, after two mpi's I would trade up to vvc. I collected it on 12/12. and noticed it felt really light/vague and didn't feel confident in it. I assumed it was just different but by the time I'd done 1500 miles I knew it was not right. Having consulted the BBS for advice, I went to dealer. They lowered it from c. 380mm and set the tracking straight ahead. This improved the handling and though it feels light at the front at speeds over 80mph I am happy enough with that. But then the ride was poor. It feels like a vibration throught the car (not unlike when wheels need balancing but steering wheel is not visibly wobbling). I posted on the general board re this and, having once again taken note of your comments, took the car back in today (3100miles) The mechanic took me for a test drive, as he did last time, but said that he felt "it is just the normal ride" and seemed ok. He said he would recheck tyres/tracking/height etc. but referred to 'washboard effect' to describe the ride. He suggested that since my last cars had 15" wheels with narrower tyres and not of such low profile that I should expect a different ride. I did, but I expected a different better...not a different worse! I cannot believe that this car is meant to be like this, not after 80000miles in my two 1.8's. I suggested changing the front tyres to 195 (215 all round at moment) but he says he doesnt believe in varying cars from standard (I better not dare to mention K & N then!) Help! |
| Alan Dunlop |
| I meant to add that having collected the car after the mechanic had left and therefore not knowing what had been done it is now, if anything worse! They also apparently fitted a differential seal. (I dont know what that is!) I had also pointed out the excessive wheel arch rubbing which he said was not normal and they would try to sort it out.(that seems a bit better). Any suggestion most welcome. Thanks, Alan. |
| Alan Dunlop |
| Is what your experiencing 'tramlining ' ? ie. following every groove in the road. My VVC felt awful tramlining all the time especially in the wet. I took it to mike saturs and had poly bushes fitted with made it feel alot better. But the next thing i'll be doing to improve it is changing to 195's on the front i have 185's at the moment. And from what i've read 215's just exagerate the problem. Please correct me anyone if i've read wrong. |
| Gforceuk |
| No, I understand tramlining as the tyres following imperfections in the road surface that run parrallel or longwise to the road and that this is exaggereted as the tyres get wider. (it does do this but that is not really the problem) What I am getting is as if the road is rippled across the way (any and every road and most speeds).The mechanic's description of 'washboard effect' is quite a good one. |
| Alan Dunlop |
| I'd probably try the poly bush's and/or new tyres. But throwing money straight at it doesnt always solve problems like this. I complained about similar handling to my dealer when i bought it, and was told thats how it drives. But lowering the pressure in the the tyres a little and the bush's helped. I doubt wether i'll bother with a dealer again and just go to mikes in the future (i'll keep up the warranty until it runs out obviously). just wearing my tyres down now so i can fit some F1's . |
| Gforceuk |
| It does not seem right that I should have to try a 'darkside' cure since this a new car. I don't wish to modify it and risk my warranty , I feel it is up to dealer/MGR to sort. But I want to know what to suggest to them to try. |
| Alan Dunlop |
| ALAN I truely sympathise with you and know "exactly" what you mean by the statement - the car doesnt feel right!!! I had one of those !!! Unnoficially MGR mechanics ( when cornered) will tell you that some cars are good and some are BAD - Problem is very few dealers will accept that the car is a bad un and handling isnt the easiest thing to prove !! They will use the " thats how they are " etc etc - its bullsh*t!!! - dont accept it ! So - Dont take there lame excuses - you paid good money - you want the car to drive properly !! No it isnt you - the car is at fault !!!! My suggestion is that you write to the dealer and MGR STATING THAT the car doesnt handle in the expected way and that you either want it to be corrected or you want a replacement - also make it plain you will get an independant assesments of the vehicle and will forward the cost onto MGR and will consider other avenues of complaint should you not have a satisfactory outcome !!! MGR dealers in Bristol have told me "many" poor handling Fs have been returned to MGR and new replacements have been issued BECAUSE OF THE "vauge HANDLING"- but you wouldnt get that in writing !!! They will try the "its the camber of the road excuse" and lots of others The classic one i heard was "you shouldt be driving on the public highway like that sir" I told him if i can drive like that in a citroen dolly i expected an F to to do it slightly better - NOT WORSE :) smug grin!!!! When you get the car repaired or a replacement DO NOT accept it until you have driven it - if not 100% happy - refuse it !!!! Theres more than one made like this Consider yourself lucky that you have had 2 good uns and know the difference - plenty of poor souls out there that really think the F IS meant to handle that way so they toodle about at 40mph everywhere as any faster is "way outa control" BTW IT SHOULD FEEL AS LEAST AS GOOD AS THE MPIs IN FACT it should feel better on the standard set up as the cars geometry should be spot on!!! Personally I think its disgracefull that dealers allow these cars onto the road! |
| tony |
| I think all you need at first is a check of the rear axle lower control arms. Check of tightness at all bushes and bearings. ... and kick the *rse of that anone dealership !! Toe In all around as another first aid. I've got Toe In (+5 minutes) all around and can say, that there is a difference bewteen having 215 wheels all around versus small winter tyres (175) currently. Yes the steering is more 'alive' but still easy to control. Did the last long distance motorway rides in D with 130 miles/h without any problem on that small tyres though. BTW the unlucky roll over I did one year ago with my old MGF in the wet at to much speed was with parallel setup and with polybushes. So I think I know what I talk about. Regards Dieter |
| Dieter Koennecke |
| Tony, Cheers ! :o) that's it exactly. |
| Dieter Koennecke |
| <<<<< still angry over my experience hehehe ! :) |
| tony |
| *g* I remember ... LOL Ahhhm, do you think they forgot the speedo signal to the EPAS at Alans car ? ;) Or did something wrong to meet UK specs on a Jap reimport ;) |
| Dieter Koennecke |
| Don't like the sound of that! |
| Alan Dunlop |
| Alan That was one of my guesses on why the car felt wrong !!! I made many guesses - all wrong!!!! - dont go down that road !!! Dieter is just taking the piss - as i had a momment each week for months when i thought i has sussed it - I hadnt!!!! ;) Unfortunately it wasnt either of these problems - from what i hear its a problem with build in terms of chasis/subframe/geometry consistency - but no-one at MGR seems to understand what produces these handling problem/s and it seems the official way of dealing with it s to palm it off as "thats how the car is" Joe public is being conned! IMHO I Dont believe the story on the new TF going to standard suspension due to hydrolastic production costs - its due to the inconsistent nature of the system ! WHEN ITS GOOD ITS GOOD - WHEN ITS BAD - SEND IT BACK!( also beefed up subframe and made subframe location much more accurate - which kinda says it all) No one here will say this as their all enthusiasts and rightly so - the F is wonderfull when its GOOD ! Now the owner of a MX5 - Still prefer the F BUT will live longer!!! |
| tony |
| I agree with Tony - you will not ( and therefore should not try to) spend your way out of this problem by fitting poly bushes and different tyres - the car should be right in the first place. However I would not at this stage start threatening the dealer with independent engineers or anything else - you want the dealer on your side. I would be firmly requesting an examination by an engineer from MG Rover, who should have people in the field to support the dealerships in exactly this type of problem. |
| David |
| Agree with David - try the nice - BUT FIRM approach - Dont be a nice guy though - tell them what you want and do not be distracted - work with the dealer - but if you get the feeling your being led a merry dance make it clear you wont be taken for a mug unfortunately sometimes you have to be a pain in the ass to get the right result - ie - daily phone calls etc and regular visits !! - just wear them down !!! Remember - if the car handles anything other than perfectly the car is "not fit for purpose" Give them a really hard time and you may get TF :) hehe - well you never know !!!! And in my opinion why not - they have sold you a duffer! If you have had any "hairy" momments make them aware of this -- they would be liable should you crash a car that is defective! - especially if you have claimed this by letter !!!! EVERYTHING SHOULD BE IN WRITING - KEEP COPIES! Remember - when you go to part with this car - you will need it to drive perfectly to sell it - nuff said! |
| tony |
| Alan, Does the dealer have another 215 shod car that you and the mechanic can drive to see if thats the same? The next step is to get them to put some 15 inch wheels on your car and see what happens. I wonder if its a manufacturing fault with one of the tyres? Try fitting the space saver on each front. Paul P9 VLS |
| Paul |
| >Don't like the sound of that! Sorry if my posts sound so impolite. 'the Germans and English ...' Please don't take all posts here to serious. This is internet. All can be true, all can be wrong. I/we can/will write our thoughts and individual experiance only. Decisions have to be taken by yourself. :o) Cheers and good luck. Dieter |
| Dieter Koennecke |
| I found anything over 195s on the front tramlined really badly. Polly bushes helped with this but in the end I went down to 195 on the front. This appears to be the optimum tyre width IMO. When the car is too high it handles like a jelly. Check the tyre pressures, sometimes they pump the tyres too hard, this gives a driving on ice feel from the steering. The trancking could still be out, I have found that many tyre places and dealers fail to set it up correctly especially if they have been playing with the height before checking. I won't let a Rover dealer touch the height of the car and it's been stable now for two year. It could be that the rear tyres are out of alignment, make sure they did a full four wheel alignment. From what you say I would be looking for a new dealer. The comments about keeping it standard whatever you are talking about and whatever the problem is suggests to me that they don't know what they are talking about and are afraid of anything they don't know. This suggests a cowboy to me, I know it's maybe a bit strong but these sort of comments start alarm bells ringing in my head after over four years of dealing with Rover dealers. For tyres and tracking take your car to a decent tyre dealers who have four wheel alignment test gear and know how to use it. They will charge you a fraction of what Rover charge and will sell you 195s for the front of your car without question. You will also be able to watch while they do it. Always get a printout of the results from the test, before and after if possible. I would suggest 0Deg 5Min toe in for the front and the same for the rear. |
| Tony Smith |
| BTW, Polly Bushes are not really part of the dark side as they... 1. Perform much better than the flimsy rubber MGR items, the whole suspension allows a lot of movement with the standard bushes. 2. Last up to ten times longer so don't need replacing every 4 years or so. This means you save quite a lot of money longterm. 3. They fill the infamous gap in the rear suspension that allows lateral movement (can't remember which part, TCA joint?, Dieter help..) when the bushes are worn. This can also be fixed with the 10 Quid addition of compliance washers but without the above advantages. So it is not the dark side because they are simply better components than standard, an upgrade yes, but for the long term owner well worth the money. In the same way you would not say replacing the sterio with a better one was the dark side would you. Things that can be considered gateway dark side items although not really dark side in themselves.. K&N Decent Tyres Polly Bushes Decent Shocks Revised Tracking (coz the MGR settings are simply WRONG) SS Exhaust (borderline) Decent Gear Linkage Be Warned: Dabbling in the dark side can mean loss of job, income, car, roof over head, sleep, sanity, hair, Etc. Etc....... |
| Tony Smith |
| For anyone who hasnt experienced this handling fault its unlike anything i have ever experienced in any car before - very frightening as the car slips into a feeling of being on ice (kinda) - wet or dry - but only when it wants to - very very unpredictable - especially when trying overtaking manouvers on motorways (not sidewind or cambers) - but also sometimes at lower speeds on bends - (oversteers and understeers as it feels)- It is dangerous and nothing to do with tyres, road surfaces ,tyre pressures, ride height, alignment,etc etc etc ! I know as I have the bills to prove!!! I did manage to improve mine alot - but the unpredictabilty was always there!!! The one thing i noticed that made a huge difference to the feel of the car was if the front tyres have greater inner wear than outer and i would reccomend you check this yourself - anything more than 1mm difference will give a light feeling to the steering regardless of the tracking settings!!!! Even with this corrected the car still had "that feeling" As this is a new car its the dealers problem ! - DOnt spend a penny on it! |
| tony |
| Yeah, as someone with 215s and 16" all round, I can say that a tramlining F isn't half as bad as what you're describing... |
| David Bainbridge |
| It's still pretty bad though. Shame that the 195x45 F1's are so damn expensive and rare compared to the 215x40! |
| Chris George |
| Alan, I would contend that there is something almost certainly amiss with the chassis set up- the vibration you describe is pathognomic of this. It is entirely possible that when the ride height was reset, inadequate time was allowed for hydragas settling- if this isn't done, the ride height alters further, throwing the tracking out once more. Poor ride quality could suggest that there is now inadequate pressure in the hydragas system. A low pressure results in a reduction in spring and damper rates. Whilst this 'softens' the suspension, ride quality actually deteriorates because the suspension spends its time crashing into the bumpstops. Not a good situation. Re check the ride height to check on this. Running a correct pressure will radically improve the ride and the handling of the car. If all the 'easy checks' show the car to be okay (in that I'd include ride height, suspension pressure, tracking, tyre condition and pressures) then the next step is to ensure that the chassis is true and the subframes have been correctly attached to the car (these are modestly adjustable). Your dealership should be able to organise this for you via a reputable body shop if necessary, although subframe alignment is not a difficult thing to, so long as the datum points and measurements should be. Does the steering feel the same in both directions? If not, get the steering geometry checked- are both the steering arms in good condition and the relatively the same length. If the car was not under warranty, I'd ask an outside specialist to check over the car (I'd go for Techspeed, given the rich experience they have with the car). You could even suggest this course of action to the dealership if they do not feel confident about diagnosing and solving the problem. I hope that htis is of some help- and good luck! |
| Rob Bell |
| Tony, the toe in setting on the tracking cured the tyres wearing down on the inside for me. The only problem is that if you still have the uneven tyres on the front no amount of tracking changes will make it feel any different. So. 1. Have dealer pump it up to std (it will be over by the time you get home). Set the car to desired height 2. Lower the car to your desired height following instructions in the FAQ, say around 360... 3. Replace the front tyres with new ones. 4. Make sure the tyre pressures are correct. Note: Don't have the tracking checked immediately after fitting the tyres as it may give false tracking measurements because the suspension has not had time to settle again after fitting the tyres. 5. Have the tracking set to 0Deg 5Min toe in at the front (oposite direction to MGR manual) you can leave the back as standard. When they check the tracking have them do a full check to make sure the wheel base is within recomended perameters. If that is out you may find your subframe is out of alignment also. I would recomend, if not already fitted, compliance washers (anyway). If your car still don't feel right then something is seriously wrong. If you have done all of this in the right order then you can ignore this whole post. |
| Tony Smith |
| Thanks to you all. The car is going back in on Monday as it is now worse! To the dealers credit they called me at 0840 on friday to see what I thought as I had collected the car quite late on Thursday. It has occurred to me that the initial problem was the scary handling (the ride was fine at that point) and it was only when the tracking was altered to resolve this that the wobbling/bouncy/vibrating ride started (No 'ooh missus' jokes please!). I have enquired about tyres from Kwik Fit but they don't seem to list Goodyear tyres in 195/40 or 195/45. They gave me a Goodyear technical helpline number but it was an answer service. Is it possible to get Eagle in these sizes to match rear ones or am I asking for wrong thing? |
| Alan Dunlop |
| In my opinion i wouldnt even consider changing tyres as it MAY invalidate warranty - rover spec NCTs! - they could then blame the handling on the "wrong tyres" There is obviously something seriously wrong with the geometry set up - i would suspect your car will be sent back to MGR for a factory check In the meantime i would test drive a few other VVCs of the same year etc so that you have "constructive comments to feed back on the difference between yours and a good un !! IF THE CAR IS THEN SUPPOSEDLY fixed you wil have other VVCs to compare with - the worry is you will get a car backthat is better - but not entirely right - if that makes sense - Whatever happens - dont accept until you are 110% happy! tyre choices or info seem to be Goodyear F1 Bridgetone RE720s Bridgestone SO3 |
| tony |
| >I am getting so p*****d off with my new vvc. I thought, after two mpi's I would trade up to vvc. I collected it on 12/12. Tony, did you miss ? That thing is new ! Is it ? |
| Dieter Koennecke |
| I won't do anything about tyres at present and certainly not without the dealership approval. I am just trying to gather as much info as possible to try to work through the problem with them. I really do think is mainly a tracking/geometry problem rather than tyres. |
| Alan Dunlop |
| Dieter :) You been on that wine again ???? :) hehee Yes its a NEW CAR !!!! Thats why i keep going on about giving it back to the dealer - giving them a certain deadline and then demading a new replacement or money back ! Alsn - while I appreciate its your car and as with myself you become attached to your pride and joy very quickly - my advice is NOT to get involved in the possible diagnoses - I found it just complicates things! I really would just take it back and await the fix - if it isnt up to your expectations - or better still - as good as the other vvcs you test drive - refuse it! |
| tony |
| Alan, I (Nik) am not qualified to give technical advise but as you are getting worried about your car, and rightly so, it may be worth a call to Mike Satur or Brown & Gammons as these people appear to be the geometry experts. Even though initially there may be no money in it for them I feel sure that they will give you the best advice available. |
| Nik & Anita |
| Chris, my front 195/45/16 F1 were about £88, is that a lot more than the 215s? |
| Paul |
| >my advice is NOT to get involved in the possible diagnoses - I found it just complicates things! That's it, what I think as well. Alan is a customer who should get what he paied for !! Nik, I think none of us is relly able to giving clear technical advise. Only thoughts and hints and suggestions though. Regards Dieter PS. not been on wine :), but desperate looking for 'char coal' for the barbeque !!! Err, sun, meat, barbeque kit, but not coal. |
| Dieter Koennecke |
| WARNING SIGNALS >In my opinion i wouldnt even consider changing tyres as it MAY invalidate warranty - rover spec NCTs! - they could then blame the handling on the "wrong tyres" I think this depends on the dealer, if they do this you are with the wrong dealer as many dealers offer alternatives to NCT3 which IMO is quite a dangerous tyre for the F and is not really suitable. If you would rather risk your life than give a dodgy dealer chance to wriggle out of a genuine warranty claim then that is up to you, but in the wet the NCT3 is one of the worst tyres for the application. It's all about money and nothing to do with safety. >while I appreciate its your car and as with myself you become attached to your pride and joy very quickly - my advice is NOT to get involved in the possible diagnoses - I found it just complicates things! Personally, I can't agree. Again this depends on your dealer, in my experience if you stay out of it the chances are that they will screw it up. When I go to a dealer with a problem I have the problem and possible causes all written down, sometimes with pictures of how to fix the problem. I learned early on with the Rover dealer network, don't leave anything to chance, learn your car, otherwise your at the mercy of many unscrupulous delers who will take your money and lie to you. It only complicates things if you have a lousy dealer. I am no mechanic, but the idea of leaving it all up to a Rover dealer sends warning shots up my spine. Tony, I really think they saw you coming, or your really a Rover dealer. In my experience around 60% of MG/Rover dealers I have seen are not up to the job, it may be better now we have more dealers for MG, but do not trust them until they have proved themselves worthy of that trust. An example of this was the dealer I bought the car from, for a couple of years I was getting my tyres wear down on the inside because I trusted them. Every time they got the car they pumped it up and screwed up the tracking. I complained about the wheel arches rubbing, what was their solution, pump the car up, great, blow the tracking again. My gear shift was lose I asked them to adjust it, in the end they fitted a whole new gear linkage and it was just as bad, I asked them to adjust it and they packed it with rubber. I took it to another dealer, they adjusted it and it was perfect. The handling was sometimes lousy when I let them have control. Personally I think if you don't want to get involved on the technical side you really should not buy an MGF, get a Mazda, you will have much less involvement that way. If it's new and your not happy and you have the option, get it replaced, and keep on doing it until they give you a road worthy car. If possible I would be tempted to find out if I can have it from another dealer as some of your posts have started those "lousy dealer" alarm bells ringing in my head. |
| Tony Smith |
| I bought the MX :) HEHE And to be honest I have fiddled to my hearts content with it - It handles wonderfully wet or dry. Starts every morning - i dont have to check water levels etc and all in all its great Lowered suspension and Momo alloys:)and other toys on there way The one thing I miss is the Fs pretty look and also the wonderfull torque from the K engine! In saying that as the MX was considerable cheaper I can afford to bolt on the supercharger which will give me 0-60 of around 5.5 seconds/all the torque i can handle and the engine should still last 200,000 miles so all is not so bad Your right about dealers though Tony - but thats buying a car i suppose I will be keeping my eye on the TF though as this may well convert me back to MG:) |
| tony |
| I had car back in today and as before they can find nothing wrong so therefore can find nothing to fix! They swapped my 16" wheels with 215/40 onto mechanics own F and his 15" 195front/205rear onto mine. I got to drive both cars and my car still feels a constant wobble but I did not feel this in his car with my wheels(are we keeping up?). This apparently shhots down their theory that it is a tyre/wheel problem. I cannot get them to tell me what the ride height/tracking settings are and I asked both in writing and verbally! They just say standard as they left the factory. Apparently they never adjusted tracking/alignment last visit when they dropped the ride height as it "was still correct when checked" I had phoned MGR this morning after I dropped the car off as I was getting a bit impatient and I then sent the dealer a fax outlining this and my concerns which brought a phonecall shortly afterwards. It has been arranged for an MGR field techician to inspect the car on Friday and they will go by his decision as "there is nothing more they can do". I am now worried that he will say it is just the normal ride which I cannot accept. I let a friend (who bought a new 1.8i from the same dealer the same day on my recommendation) drive my car tonight and he descibed the feeling as like "driving on cobbles" and said he could not bear to drive the car for any length of time. Does anyone, who has a car with the same wheels/tyre sizes live in West/Central Scotland who could drive my car and let me know what they think? I feel I may have a fight on my hands to convince them that something is very definately wrong. |
| Alan Dunlop |
| Alan - I am in East Kilbride next tues/weds if thats near you ?? No doubt there is somthing wrong and if the tech doesnt agree - get an independant test! |
| tony |
| Just a thought, but has anyone of you that's having/had problms considered what the effects of getting air into the Hydragas system might be? haven't hd time to read all the posts, but at a glance this doesn't seem to have been mentioned. The dealers are supposed to ensure that the system is clear, but firstly this is relying on them carrying out all the PDI properly, and secondly dependent on their gas pumps working properly. If one side had considerably more air than the other, the spring and damping rates side to side would vary enormously, as the density under pressure in the spheres would be so different. I know B&G have a proper vacuum pump, that will ensure absoutely no air gets into the system when it is being pressurised/de-pressurised. Might be worth a check? E |
| Ed Clarke |
| Update. I took the car into Kwik Fit this morning for a free wheel check. They discovered that the offside front wheel was buckled and the nearside was in need of balancing. I took the car straight to the dealer with this information promising myself I'd remain calm! However within five minutes I was sent off feeling like a scolded child. "that is not the problem", "do you think we havn't checked this?"(No!) I am getting so sick of their attitude, it is so patronising. If I make any suggestions based on information or advice gleaned on this BBS it immediately gets the "lets leave it to the experts" attitude. So I will just have to "wait til Friday" when, no doubt I will be told there is nothing wrong with it! Alan. |
| Alan Dunlop |
| Alan Take your car to the AA or RAC for an independant report - if that is then 'scorned' by your dealer take the case to your local trading standards officer. Ted |
| Ted Newman |
| Hi Alan, Would have thought if it was the wheels that were the problem, your test with them on the mechanics car would have proved that. I actually had a problem with vibration at 80mph in an old Cavalier I had, and turned out to be a warped brake disc (actually I think it was a poorly seated brake disc, but that's what the guy from Kwik Fit told me). Unfortunately they told me that the solution to the excessive handbrake travel was to replace the rear brake shoes and drums (quoting £260 for the lot), so I replaced the front discs and pads myself (they couldn't just replace the front discs, had to do the whole lot sir), and adjusted the handbrake for the princely sum of £30. Good luck on Friday. I'm interested to know the outcome as I think I may be experiencing a similar problem in my car since I had it lowered, but not sure. Car's now down to the 345mm mark which is worrying as it was 360 a week ago! Leigh |
| Leigh |
| Maybe if you had used anyone other than KwikFit the dealer would have listened a little harder. Honestly I wonder why after all that one reads about these cowboys do people still insist on going to them ? |
| David |
| David, In my case it is simply because of the warranty. However, after I get this problem sorted I am having no more to do with this dealer (at least from a servicing/maintenance point) I want to find one who will set the ride heights and tracking to my preference and who won't object to my having a K&N and splitter. (I was told a K&N could freeze up. What does this mean?). Alan. |
| Alan Dunlop |
| Freezing up is exactly what happens - the air temp is so cold the fuel freezes This I am afraid is BULLSH*T on the F The standard airBox has no preheater (some older cars took warm air from the exhaust manifold to keep air temp up) aS THERE IS NO PRE HEATING ON THE F THE K&N will make squat all difference - geez these mechanics are monkeys The buckled wheel actually makes alot of sense - did the dealer check it in front of you ??? Kwik fIt are crap but anyone can spin a wheel and see if its out of line - maybe get a freind to follow you and watch the wheel to see if its running out of true?? They are only treating you like this in the hope you will give up and swallow it! I would attend on Friday - could be telling you a pile of lies - - There may not even be a MGR tech booked for all you know - If not satisfied Friday I would take legal action - Seems there taking the piss! |
| tony |
| Tony, The guy at Kwik Fit showed me the problem. (I had told him the background and asked him just to check but not alter the car). The dealer mechanic told me a few days ago that they had not balanced the wheels off the car just while on it! He was telling me it was not a balancing problem and is still saying that. To be fair the wobbling was still present with the other wheels on the car and not present in the other car which had my wheels on. (all in all a bit of a conundrum!) If you are going to be up here on Wednesday I may meet up with you if possible to get your opinion. I will see what Friday brings first. I think Ted's idea of AA check may be best way forward though. Alan. |
| Alan Dunlop |
| This sort of thing is sad and MGR should not allow dealers to get away with it - I wonder if it will get better or worse when the new EU directive is put into place and you will be able to buy your *F* along with your spuds in Tescos? What ever happens just make sure the car is working in time for Le Long Weekend! Good Luck Ted |
| Ted Newman |
| A number of Glasgow posters on this BBS have had problem with this specific dealer. I bought my car from them. with... bald tyres, fk'd shockers, broken exhaust, worn front discs, mis-aligned wheels and completely deflated hydragas. My fault as I should have got an AA check. I stupidly thought, I would rather buy through a dealer than private so I wouldn't have these problems. The car came with a valid MOT certificate, but when checked it failed. It is really shocking what these guys try to get away with. |
| paul weatherill |
| Paul. I hope it was not my old one! Ted. Don't worry I will have it sorted by June (hopefully!) Alan. |
| Alan Dunlop |
| Alan it had the reg: P593EOB. It appears to have had a shady past, and been a bit neglected. |
| paul weatherill |
| Well, It's Friday! Took the car in again and awaited the conclusion of the MGR techician. I called after 6hrs and the much anticipated response? "thats as good as it gets sir" It is "just scuttle "and it is down to the 16 inch wheels. (why sell the car with 16inch wheels then?) They have offered to try to arrange for me to have 15" wheels fitted. Why should I accept that the only outward sign that my car is a VVC be removed? (I already have a set of standard 15" wheels from my last car which I put 6 spokes on as I dont like the std. wheels) What now? Any suggestions? Oh and apparently the wheel that was said to be buckled isn't! And why did this symptom not occur on the mechanic's car when it had my wheels on? Or why did my car not do this until they tried to fix the handling? All met with much scratching of the head and no one can answer these questions. I have almost had enough, I think it will be Trading Standards soon. I refuse to accept that this is normal. |
| Alan Dunlop |
| Alan 1) I would go to C.A.B and get legal advice - Monday 1st thing! 2) I would then write to MGR HQ and your DEALER stating that your are unhappy with the car and want a replacement as yours is "not fit for purpose" Send this recorded and keep copies of ALL correspondence from now on ! 3) Inform them that you will be getting an independant assesment - I would go to a well known and respected suspension specialists (knowledge of Fs essential) Is there another MGR dealer anywhere near you ?? As the car is new and under MGR warranty you may find another dealer treats you very differently = you are not tied to that dealer! |
| TONY |
| Latest news in ongoing saga. Took the car to a different Kwik Fit who confirmed offside front wheel is buckled. Got them to swap it with offside rear and I think we may have a cure! I am booking the car into another MG garage later this week for a full check over and report, needless to say I don't have any faith in present dealer. (I shall try Morrison's of Falkirk as suggested by Paul Weatherill). I will of course have to consider what action to take depending on outcome and since I have not hit anything it concerns me that this wheel is damaged. Tony, Thanks for e mail. I can't make Tuesday unfortunately but thanks for your offer of assistance. Alan. |
| Alan Dunlop |
This thread was discussed between 31/01/2002 and 11/02/2002
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