rover specialists nw london

[hman]

Can anyone point me in the drection of a rover specialist for my mums 220 turbo coupe, its in need of some garage attention , but our local guy is a bit perplexed about this car???

She's in Pinner so anywhere nearby, harrow, wembley, watford etc..

[MGJohn]

What needs attention? These are relatively easy cars to work on so not too specialised ~ I had a TomCat coupe turbo some years ago and we still have several Rover turbos in the family today.

Post a similar query over on Rovertech.net or MG-Rover.org if not already done so. Plenty of folks around your area who can help.

[hman]

Thermostat has gone, which on her car is fitted in the radiator top hose. Her local garage quoted her 4 hours labour to remove the water pump as they thought it was behind that - wrong!.

So due to the lack of specialist knowledge at the aformentioned garage I am hoping to find someone a little more clued up about the coupe.

I'll try those forums but if anyone has any first hand experience of rover specialist garages local to harrow/wembley/uxbridg/watford i would be very grateful to hear about it.

[MGJohn]

hman said:

Thermostat has gone, which on her car is fitted in the radiator top hose. Her local garage quoted her 4 hours labour to remove the water pump as they thought it was behind that - wrong!.

So due to the lack of specialist knowledge at the aformentioned garage I am hoping to find someone a little more clued up about the coupe.

I'll try those forums but if anyone has any first hand experience of rover specialist garages local to harrow/wembley/uxbridg/watford i would be very grateful to hear about it.

Good grief! If it's only a simple Thermostat replacement in the top rad hose that's a 30 minute job for any DIYer who knows their way about a box of spanners. No need to lose much coolant either ~ about a cup full. The Thermostat is about 14 quid as it's not the same as most cars and needs to be slipped into the top hose ~ soap helps ~ have four Rover Turbos in the family and all have AirCon with top hose thermostats. If attempting the job yourself, be careful when removing the old thermostat not to damage the hose. They are expensive. I tease them out with a thin blunt screwdriver to disturb the grip of the hose around the body of the thermostat where it's been clamped firm for years, then massage the hose and work the thermostat out ~ once it starts to move ~ soap helps ~ it's a doddle. Insert the new one again soap helps.

Mention of Water Pump could be a worry if that is worn and needs replacement. Relatively easy on non-AirCon cars ~ 30 min job. Have replaced three on AirCon Rover Turbos' water pumps over the years and that involves degassing the aircon to gain access for water pump removal ~ lets hope it's not that fiddly job ~ is car losing coolant?

[hman]

MGJohn said:

hman said:

Thermostat has gone, which on her car is fitted in the radiator top hose. Her local garage quoted her 4 hours labour to remove the water pump as they thought it was behind that - wrong!.

So due to the lack of specialist knowledge at the aformentioned garage I am hoping to find someone a little more clued up about the coupe.

I'll try those forums but if anyone has any first hand experience of rover specialist garages local to harrow/wembley/uxbridg/watford i would be very grateful to hear about it.

is car losing coolant?

yes!

The engine is def leaking coolant, where from is a mystery at the moment so I guess I'll have to weigh down some paper under the car and trace the drips. Couldnt see any duff hoses so I reckon it could well be pump.

The garage didnt know where the thermostat was so they presumed it was behind the pump, hence the shocking qoute for it. However it may still need the pump removing anyway .