here we go again

[Taff]

I have a nagging feeling that I have been snake-oiled.

 

The roof of the F was reasonable water tight but the recent torrential rain revealed a slight tear in the hood, directly over the center console (handy, as I could leave a jug there to catch the drips). Also, in especially heavy or prolonged rain, the inside of the roof becomes "damp" where (I think) the fabric is simply water logged.

 

Now, on a sub £300 car I'm not going to spunk good money on a new roof, so I scouted about for ideas and you can clean and retreat them. So I bought this for £18 and applied it letter by letter as per the instructions.

 

 

And, after 2 hours of doing exactly what it says on the box, the roof looks exactly the same, with the addition of some pink fluff from the cloth I was using. I suppose I shall have to wait until it rains to see how effective it is (I'm hoping for a "water beading like on freshly waxed bodywork" scenario) but I can't help but think I'm the butt of a large scale practical joke by Turtle Wax...

[purplebargeken]

I used the Renovo stuff which worked well. 

[Taff]

torrential rain last night and the roof was waterlogged this morning. No drips, but that's down to the gaffer tape rather than the treatment.

 

Turtle Wax soft-top cabrio system. Verdict - snake oil

[Taff]

So having achieved 10,000 miles in this since I bought it in Feb, I thought I ought to find something constructive to say. As far as 4-door, reliable, practical, turbo diesel saloons go, it’s not doing too badly. I’ve moved house in it, carried a dining room table & 4 chairs in it, and even got a wardrobe in it. Depending on Milf location, it’s doing anywhere between 1500 and 1800 miles a month & returning about 39 mpg. I tend to drive it with the roof off whenever remotely possible and it gets thrashed too.

 

It hasn’t broken down yet, certainly hasn’t left me stranded. The flash still doesn’t, err, flash and the passenger window stuck halfway down (or was it halfway up?) but that was a nice day so I left it until the weekend. The clock doesn’t work and I had planned on fixing it but it being stopped at 5 o’clock has now become a running joke between me & Taff Jr (“what time you picking me up?†“Five.†“What time is it now?† Five.†etc etc), and that means that, for sheer side-splitting comedy value alone, it will stay broken. The instrument binnacle has a large crack in it but this part of an MGF is very fragile, made out of a secret blend of unicorn tears and dodo feathers and was actually the first part the build started with, judging from the amount of dismantling you have to do to change one, so guess what? Actually, the crack is very useful for wedging parking tickets in so the nice warden can see them. The recent downpour highlighted a very small hole in the roof directly above the centre console. Having the blower motor on full blast (and thereby causing positive pressure and “inflating†the hood) stopped it leaking whilst on the move, and a 2 litre measuring jug took care of the problem when not driving it. I’m not going to change the roof, I’ve some duct-tape on the inside and, seeing as how the TurtleWax stuff has done nothing, I’ll have another look for a decent waterproofing system. Probably look at camping stores, waterproofing for hiking boots or similar.

Parts wise, it has had a set of part-worn tyres which got it through the MoT, a set of belts (the VVC has two timing belts) and water pump, two oil & filter changes, a couple of gaskets to sort out my oil leak, an £8 radio/CD player from the ‘Bay and a flexi exhaust.  Oh and a couple of fuses, it blows one on the dashboard lights on a monthly basis. Other money spent on it was £30 to have the suspension pumped up & £25 to get it tracked, which transformed the ride & handling.

 

Current ongoing bodge is the courtesy lights; there are five in the F (two in the rear-view mirror, one in each footwell and a glow ring around the ignition barrel). These are triggered by a micro switch in the door lock mechanism (why bother with a £2 door jamb switch, eh?) and are prone to water damage. Rather than shell out £50 on “good used†door locks, I by-passed the wiring and put an on/off switch on the dash which works just the mirror mounted lights and the glow ring.  Simple.

On the to-do list is the front pads, brake fluid change, one rear brake pipe that was my only MoT advisory, a pair of front tyres, fit the new rear tyres (which are on the correct alloys and have been in the garage for 3 months), new thicker gaskets for the tail-lights (slight water leak there), spark plugs and an air filter. It’s due another polish & wax to, to be fair. Plus a second treatment of the seats wouldn’t harm, and I’ve got plenty of gloop for that.

 

Niggles? None, really. There is one sweet spot of a driving position with the roof up and I then move the seat with the roof down (I’m 6’3â€Â), but that’s my fault, not the car. Having gone a fair way into the kettle looking for my oil leak, I’m slightly annoyed that I bottled it when I did and paid to have the cam belts done. That said, getting the crank pulley off at home would have been awkward, and I needed it for work the following day. Plus it’s handy to know a tame specialist sometimes. Oh yeah, I’ve got sunburnt twice just mooching about with the roof down.

Good bits? It’s an absolute blast to drive, very easy to keep control of. Some of the A roads around here are popular with the bikers (if you get my drift) and I swear that, after a couple of very exciting drives up and down them, the car was panting and asking to go again. 

 

All in all, not bad for a £275 car. Just don’t put your Haagen Daaz in the rear boot for the drive home.

[Vince70]

As said before you need a pack of poundland paint brushes and paint some Renovo on the roof to get the colour back and it also fills in any tiny holes to stop leaks then go over the roof with some (fabsill) paint on tent sealer....don't use the spray one though as the paint on one really gives it far better protection and you can see the water droplets just bubble up afterwards.

 

I do this to all my old cabriolets and it works a treat.

[purplebargeken]

Thumbs up for Renovo!

 

These are bloody ace cars

[Taff]

As said before you need a pack of poundland paint brushes and paint some Renovo on the roof to get the colour back and it also fills in any tiny holes to stop leaks then go over the roof with some (fabsill) paint on tent sealer....don't use the spray one though as the paint on one really gives it far better protection and you can see the water droplets just bubble up afterwards.

 

I do this to all my old cabriolets and it works a treat.

 

well, in a break from tradition I have followed advice and Renovo'd the roof of the F, check this out!

 

 

looks good, I'll report back on lack of leakiness when it rains

[Taff]

so my new Nexen's arrived and I chucked them in the car and headed off to get the fitted

 

 

while they were getting fitted, I had a mooch about under the front wheel arches to see what it was like in there. Generally tidy but I did notice that my tow eyes had been on the wrong end of a good, hard twatting

 

Driver side

 

Passenger side

 

I don't recall hitting anything that hard and it's been through and MoT since I've bought it without them being mentioned

 

Any ideas?

[Twiggy]

Great thread this...

[scaryoldcortina]

Yeah, I'd missed it entirely until just now.

 

I'm glad too, because now I've got proof of how easy it is to go out for a sensible car and come back with a MG.

 

Towing eyes look like jack damage to me.

[purplebargeken]

I 'think' my old F had similar issues. Not caused by me mind. 

[Mr A Lawrence]

Good thread.

 

We're on our fourth Mgf now!!

 

So much fun for pennies!

[flat4alfa]

Have a look under the the middle of the car for the other set of towing eyes  

[Taff]

Good thread.

 

We're on our fourth Mgf now!!

 

So much fun for pennies!

 

your fourth or the forums fourth?

 

I know of mine, dugongs, the H4H blue one (currently with fordeliveryboy?), Stations old red one (caffeind via DS?) and I think there is one other.

 

edit to add:- scary has on as well, so six I think?

 

'shiters drop-top of choice, soon to become WBoD. Actually, that's a point. Can it become a WBoD seeing as how I already own it?

[Taff]

In all the damaged tow eye excitement, I forgot to mention the headline news.

 

Four new tyres on it, now, Nexen's at both ends. Outside of buying whitewall crossplies for my Galaxie and other old yanks, I can't remember ever having four new tyres on one of my cars at the same time.

[scaryoldcortina]

your fourth or the forums fourth?

 

I know of mine, dugongs, the H4H blue one (currently with fordeliveryboy?), Stations old red one (caffeind via DS?) and I think there is one other.

 

'shiters drop-top of choice, soon to become WBoD. Actually, that's a point. Can it become a WBoD seeing as how I already own it?

 

 

You forgot mine.

[Jim Bell]

^ that's a TF?

 

Different car m8 innit?

 

Much inferior. Moar springs.

[purplebargeken]

Less horn and spare tyre - hehehe.

[purplebargeken]

Nexens are for winnahs!

[scaryoldcortina]

^ that's a TF?

 

Different car m8 innit?

 

Much inferior. Moar springs.

Do you know for sure that I don't also have an F stashed somewhere? 

[Taff]

Do you know for sure that I don't also have an F stashed somewhere? 

 

that would make you a colossal pervert

 

I would suggest that, in line with the rest of humanity and despite those evil springs you have at each corner, MGF/TF can safely be lumped in together

[purplebargeken]

 

 

I would suggest that, in line with the rest of humanity and despite those evil springs you have at each corner, MGF/TF can safely be lumped in together

 

Thou speaketh evil and must be ostrichsized. You are fairly dead to me.

[scaryoldcortina]

agreed. After all, mini people don't seem to care what type of springing or front end treatment their tiny rotbox has....

 

And I guess I'm a pervert then. Seems everyone knows, I just got a call on my mobile from a Birmingham number - I was expecting PPI/accident claims but it wasn't, it was the MG car company offering me an extended test drive of either the MG3 or the MG6. I don't even know how they got my number.

[Taff]

Thou speaketh evil and must be ostrichsized. You are fairly dead to me.

 

direct quote from the website

 

"MGF - F for Fun and TF for Terrific Fun!"

 

I don't make the rules, Uncle Ken, I just play the game

[purplebargeken]

F fo fucked, TF for Totally Fucked 

[purplebargeken]

Only kidding, I love both types of 'em.

[flat4alfa]

The best Metro Cabrio, ever

[purplebargeken]

Oh oh ^^

[flat4alfa]

[Mr A Lawrence]

your fourth or the forums fourth?

 

I know of mine, dugongs, the H4H blue one (currently with fordeliveryboy?), Stations old red one (caffeind via DS?) and I think there is one other.

 

edit to add:- scary has on as well, so six I think?

 

'shiters drop-top of choice, soon to become WBoD. Actually, that's a point. Can it become a WBoD seeing as how I already own it?

Fourth Mgf in our ownership.

 

Y reg one 2yr old, swapped for a Friday afternoon lemon of an mg zr

 

T reg one, bought blind off eBay, got £400 knocked off the price due to large dent in rear quarter panel, pulled out with a £1 sucker from local tool emporium.

 

Another T reg this time a vvc (variable valve cam) paid £800, 2 years later sold it for £1025, during that time had s/h red roof, beige interior swap and 52mm throttle body.

 

Current one, a 98 S reg bought for £300 with omghgf but with 12months mot.

 

About to be winterised due to brand spanking abarth 595 custom due imminently.