Dollywobbler's Dead Rover 600 - Replacement sorted

[Ghosty]

aint ti's sposed to have front foggys?

 

No mention of foglights in Glass's - but before 1997 even the alloy wheels and a/c were an option. On the range topper...

[wuvvum]

Whoa! You bought the ti? Ace. What's it like?

Much as I expected really.  Lacquer on the roof is utterly shagged and there's a bit of cosmetic grot round the rear arches, but I'm not too worried about that.  It's a genuine one owner from new car, with only just over 100K on the clock.  Owner was a retired military gent and not short of a bob or two - large house in Bucks, Aston V8 Vantage in the garage (which he bought this summer after selling a Ford GT40 replica he'd owned for years).  Very pleasant chap to deal with though.  I normally manage to get a cuppa out of sellers when I go to pick up a car - in the time I was there I had two cups of tea, some rather nice ginger biscuits, two hot cross buns, and then the seller's wife made me a packed tea to take away with me, which I'm still eating now!

 

The good thing about buying a car from someone like that is that you know the car won't have been run on a shoestring.  Tyres are matching Michelins all round rather than a hodgepodge of Chinese ditchfinders, it's just had a cambelt, and it's been regularly serviced with proper oil.  The chap had a spreadsheet showing every tank of fuel the car's had since new, along with a calculation of how many mpg it had managed on that tank, and the dates that other important bits were done (cambelt, exhaust etc).  He's emailed me a copy and I might well keep it going - seems a shame not to after 20 years.

 

It's an interesting drive.  It doesn't feel massively fast through the gears, but I was expecting that after being underwhelmed by a 420 Turbo that I test drove years ago (same engine, lighter car).  It's brilliant on the motorway though - floor the throttle at 70* in 5th and it surges forward in a most satisfactory manner - although it does seem to enjoy a drink when driven at speed.  Brakes are good by Rover standards, which I found out when I nearly missed a turn off at one point and had to brake like a twat to make it.  I've not had a chance to try out the handling in anger yet, but the ride is noticeably firmer than a standard 600 (which itself isn't exactly plush), so it shouldn't be too bad.  Caning it up the back road into the village when I was almost home revealed that it is in fact quicker through the gears than the Vi (albeit not by a huge margin) and also torque steers less - that'll be the LSD in action.  There's a little bit of transmission whine but nothing to worry about; engine seems in rude health, albeit with the obligatory T series oil leak from the rocker cover.  It's still on its original clutch apparently - I don't think the previous owner was much of a boy racer, even 20 years ago...

 

It's surprisingly basic in some ways.  It has half leather and electric windows all round, but no aircon and the stereo is a standard Rover radio/cassette like the one in my dad's old Montego.  It did, however, come with a fully functional heater fan.

 

I reckon it's a keeper, at least in the medium term.

[dollywobbler]

Brilliant. I had a chat with him on the phone, and he sounded a proper character. I'm still slightly gutted to be honest. 

[trigger]

Well bought all round guys!

[dollywobbler]

When you think about it, the 600 is grade A Autoshite. An actually great car that the rest of the world completely overlooks. I'm still not sure why.

[Brodders]

When you think about it, the 600 is grade A Autoshite. An actually great car that the rest of the world completely overlooks. I'm still not sure why.

Because of one of two reasons.

 

Reason 1 (Normally by people uninterested in cars): It's a Rover, it is shit.

 

Reason 2 (normally by people into classic cars): It's a Honda, not a proper Rover, so it is going to be shit.

 

Consequently, a perfectly good car ends up being ignored and forgotten by pretty much everyone, except us.

[purplebargeken]

Fabulous! When I eventually have money again one of these may well be on the radar.

[RobT]

I've been looking at these for ages. Perhaps I should stop poncing about and buy one before they all disappear, or wait for DW or Wuv to sell theirs....

 

My chod friendly mechanic has owned a 623 GSi since new and rates them highly, although he also said some parts are getting scarce now. Turns out we were both bidding on the same 623 a while back. He wanted it for parts, but neither of us won it (both of us had mingebag highest bids!).

[KruJoe]

Good work chaps!

 

It's a shame they're all saloons. If there was a hatchback or estate, I'd have SO been into one by now.

 

[dollywobbler]

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of saloons generally. The boot is entirely enormous though. I think it may have a folding rear seat too. Not sure.

 

Anyway, going to hunt for a part-worn today, and see if I can get the air con regassed. Wish me luck.

[Angrydicky]

These are good cars but a bit new and dull for my tastes. I really do rate them though, they're incredibly durable compared to most of the cars I've owned and go on and on with only minimal maintenance. My dad's 618 Automatic cost him £230 with nine months tax and MoT two years ago. Dealer demonstrator plus one private owner, FSH, cream leather etc. NO rust in the rear arches either! It's a 1999 T reg and the seller told us he went to the dealership to look at new 75s but ended up with the 600 with a hefty discount.

 

They are impressively high geared and great on the motorway. The autobox is nice too, not far off Merc standards of the era. It failed its MoT recently on a few minor points, one of which was the emissions. After a bottle of injector cleaner and an Italian tuneup made no difference, dad took the throttle body off and cleaned it out with carb cleaner - apparently it was black and full of sooty mess. Best thing was, not only did it pass the emissions test but now it has much more power than it did before!

[DaveDorson]

This place is a bad influence.  A really bad influence.

 

IMG_20160814_185220.jpg

 

 

I've always wanted a 600 Ti

[rantingYoof]

I think dollywobbler's comparison on styling on his blog was perfect (sorry - I may have creeped the link via a popular soshul meeja site)...look at the Honda Accord of the time and compare it to the Rover, and bear in mind that Rover were given rather strict limitations in what they could change.

 

 

I've always found the 623GSi a more tempting prospect than the 620Ti, as it seems to have more waftage about it. Plus, full-fat dead cow.

[dollywobbler]

Bad news on the aircon front. Here it is plugged in and being tested, while that dodgy tyre is replaced.

 

After 20 minutes of 'draining' the already empty system, it performed a pressure check and identified a fault. The garage were a little nervous about going down this road as the compressor was clearly not kicking in. However, I checked online and found that this is normal if pressure is low, and the garage quickly proved that pressure was very low. So, the machine was hooked up, identified that there was a leak, and then we found it. The pipe between pump and condenser is ruptured. They're going to replace it (either with a new one or get one made up) so I've left it with them.

 

Chap gave me a lift home in my car, and we both picked up on the slightly noisy front wheel bearing. Seems more obvious from the passenger seat, so I reckon it's front left. Hopefully that'll be ok for another 1200 miles.

[mercedade]

The pipe between pump and condenser is ruptured. They're going to replace it (either with a new one or get one made up) so I've left it with them.

Who are these witches? I have driven (literally) from one side of Manchester - ie the Industrial Fupping North - to the other looking for someone who is prepared to make me an aircon pipe. Every single air con specialist, hose manufacturer and machine shop has told me to get lost, but 'company XXXXX will do it no bother'.

 

No they won't.

 

Rant over - loving the 600 work. I've bailed out of buying two of these over the years and regretted it both times.

[Lacquer Peel]

I think dollywobbler's comparison on styling on his blog was perfect (sorry - I may have creeped the link via a popular soshul meeja site)...look at the Honda Accord of the time and compare it to the Rover, and bear in mind that Rover were given rather strict limitations in what they could change.

 

 

I've always found the 623GSi a more tempting prospect than the 620Ti, as it seems to have more waftage about it. Plus, full-fat dead cow.

I quite like the styling of the Accord, particularly pre-facelift but the 600 is a much nicer looking car.

It's not an Accord really, it's a European market Ascot Innova and shares little with the 'world' Accord of the time.

[dollywobbler]

I quite like the styling of the Accord, particularly pre-facelift but the 600 is a much nicer looking car.

It's not an Accord really, it's a European market Ascot Innova and shares little with the 'world' Accord of the time.

 

This is true, just as the T12 Bluebird wasn't really a Bluebird. The Japanese love to confuse the issue.

[holbeck]

I always loved the fact that the European Accord was Honda's project code FU, cue slight embarrassment amongst the Brits and someone muttering 'FU too' under their breath at the other end of the meeting table.

[xtriple]

I saw a silver one of these today parked up amongst a sea of blandness. It looked great. It is one of those cars that I have never really thought about, but I like the Honda version immensely!

[dollywobbler]

The dodgy pipe is off, and the garage are currently waiting for a place to transfer the ends to a replacement pipe. They hope.

[Bucketeer]

Like everyone else here, I think the 600s look rather pleasant but I've had much underwhelmings with the driving experience. Hard, characterless and without any feel/feedback were my impressions. It's all subjective obvs and I'm a clueless quarterwit so don't hate me for disliking them. I hope you love yours and it does you sterling service.

[dollywobbler]

Sometimes, underwhelming is fine! Certainly, the steering is not laden with feedback, but nor was it in the XM. Character is fun, but often quite tiring. The 2CV springs to mind here. BAGS of character, but bloody hard work if you want to get somewhere in a hurry. I need an antidote to 2CV/Nippa fun antics. Sure, I'd like the Rover to be a bit more cosy, but that's ok. They seem to have just resurfaced the only bad bit of road around here. RESULT!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I'm with Buckethead - splendid looks, lame driving experience is my feeling about these. However I would go egg for a 623 so I must still be a bit interested.

[Jim Bell]

Every gentleman of unpeckable taste should have a 600 at some point.

I thought mine was ace. I'd love a go in a diesel!

 

 

 

Well bought that man.

[ayrshirelad]

It should have split fold rear seat base. Just under the back window there is two pieces of what looks like cloth luggage handles. Pull them and back of seats folds down. Bit like the Montego they hid the operating levers clevelry.  I am going to look into getting a tow bar for mine. Mines is a keeper i think unless something disastor happens. Recently 3 times in one day other drivers tried to write it off. One in particluar i am sure was looking at his phone while turning left into the road i was coming out off. He had to come on to my side because of parked cars. Literally last second he realised, ohh car coming shite!. His passenger had a look of awww naw on her face quickly followed by sheer terror!. I was not a happy bunny at all. I did not return his smile and almost apologitc soz hand signal. I scowled and growled instead. I did make it home in said car with all panels on car intact.My front windows dont go up and down and me air con also not working. The one or two warm days we get can be a chore. Need to see if i can get windows at least working if not both.

[dollywobbler]

The windows do seem a particular weak point. Do the Hondas suffer the same? I understand that the front doors are pretty much identical.

 

I was out lubing my runners yesterday to try and keep mine healthy.

[ruffgeezer]

Who are these witches? I have driven (literally) from one side of Manchester - ie the Industrial Fupping North - to the other looking for someone who is prepared to make me an aircon pipe. Every single air con specialist, hose manufacturer and machine shop has told me to get lost, but 'company XXXXX will do it no bother'.

 

No they won't.

 

Rant over - loving the 600 work. I've bailed out of buying two of these over the years and regretted it both times.

 

My Father in Law used to run an aircon training firm, he showed me a bit of kit he has for repairing A/C pipes; basically a hand operated crimper with a variety of dies and pipes that could be used to sleeve or join solid A/c pipework.

 

He demonstrated it on a Smart Roadster where the port for the A/C is under the car. Rather than take the bottom panels off, he cut the a/c pipe on top of the engine and crimped a new port in there instead.

[dollywobbler]

Er, there have been issues. EXCITING!

 

Apparently, my bike is more shite than my cars. More here. Will return with more detail later! http://wp.me/p1jtbd-NF

[dollywobbler]

In short, the new pipe failed on one of the crimped connections. Bit frustrating, as the air con was working for a few seconds!

So, I'm in a courtesy car for the night and we're hoping that a better pipe can be made up and fitted in the morning. We are meant to be leaving in the morning, but at least the ferry isn't until Thursday...

[Split_Pin]

Hats off to you for going through this for working air con. I've had 2 cars with it and once it dies I just leave it be and open the windows. My Astra's system stopped working some time around 2012. Hopefully you will get that bearing sorted for not too much money either.