Build Quality & Reliability

Build Quality & Reliability

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Discussion

ibroker

Original Poster:

658 posts

264 months

Thursday 29th January 2004
quotequote all
Guys.

I'm thinking of swapping my Noble for a T350

I've had a few TVR's in the past so I am aware of some of the issues involved in owning one.

Has the T350 any of the problems the Tuscan had when it was first released. Are there any common issues to watch out for that seem to reoccur on all cars.

Forum seems to give the car a fairly clean bill of health as I can't find many complaints

Dookie

333 posts

259 months

Thursday 29th January 2004
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Going for a Bite..............No!

fish

3,991 posts

288 months

Thursday 29th January 2004
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There pretty goog quality now....there are plenty of threads to look at in detail

simon@63

148 posts

262 months

Thursday 29th January 2004
quotequote all



In summary, from someone who is on his first TVR:
The digital display flickers so frequently it will eventually induce epilepsy, the passenger-door-trim fit/design is rubbish and will occupy 3 hours of your weekend while you take the seat out to dry the carpets, it drinks/leaks coolant at an amazing rate, the seat-belts frequently jam (almost every time I or madam get in the car) and the wipers recently met and locked mid-screen.

Those quibbles aside it appears very well put together after 7 months and 5,000 miles.




fish

3,991 posts

288 months

Thursday 29th January 2004
quotequote all
There is a problem with the design of the coolant monitoring on the T350c. Every time you check it I bet you put about a pint in. The mark is too high it chucks the excess out you measure it and refill. Get the car up to temperature and it needs refilling again. If you measure the level with a dipstick you'll find although it runs lower than the recommended level it doesn't use any.

fish

3,991 posts

288 months

Thursday 29th January 2004
quotequote all
Oh the leek on the passenger door should be easily fixed at the dealers and is most likely where the black plastic bit joins the bodywork on the top front of the door, all they normaly require is a bit more sealant to stop water channeling under the seal.

Did the wipers meet in the middle because of a loose nut on the arm??

Flickering display doesn't sound good though.

simon@63

148 posts

262 months

Thursday 29th January 2004
quotequote all

Thanks.

How far below the top of the neck are you filling to, the manual's recommended 'x' inches or..?

I will be getting the door looked at very soon, because mopping carpets is not a man's job!

Yes, the wipers did meet because of a loose nut or 2, I posted a warning here

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=76877&f=7&h=0

The flickering display has been referred to the factory at a previous visit, but, has yet to be resolved.



neil.b

6,546 posts

253 months

Friday 30th January 2004
quotequote all
I had a leak on the drivers side too. Never did find exactly where it was coming from but the little black bit that James is talking about was actually split on my car. Is now super-glued up and has extra sealant around the edges just in case.

Someone (in the know) told me that another common place for water leaks is where the bonnet release cable goes through the body shell. The run-off channel just under the top of the bonnet apparently spills onto the cable and runs down it going through to the inside of the car, collecting in the footwell. Only does it when the car is standing though (again, apparently). Seems feasible but I haven't checked it myself.


jigs

1,840 posts

256 months

Friday 30th January 2004
quotequote all
All this just confirms that TVR bits are every bit as clever as those Honda bits in the TV ads!

aaandy

737 posts

258 months

Friday 30th January 2004
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neil.b said:
Someone (in the know) told me that another common place for water leaks is where the bonnet release cable goes through the body shell. The run-off channel just under the top of the bonnet apparently spills onto the cable and runs down it going through to the inside of the car, collecting in the footwell. Only does it when the car is standing though (again, apparently



This would make sense, some Griff and Chims get water leaking into the drivers footwell and the most common cause is where holes for cables etc under the bonnet have not been sealed. You'd be surprised how much water can seep through a tiny hole if the car is left for a day or two in the rain. Easily sorted with some silicone.

t350c

46 posts

264 months

Friday 30th January 2004
quotequote all
Had my t350 for a year and no complaints really besides rattles, squeaks and excess glue most of which have been sorted. The ignition jammed up in the first week or so of ownership but otherwise no problems and mine was one of the first customer cars.

mike

deepdive

93 posts

258 months

Monday 2nd February 2004
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Keep what you have got,i had a T350 and sent it back,they are crap!!!!!!!

_dobbo_

14,617 posts

254 months

Monday 2nd February 2004
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deepdive said:
Keep what you have got,i had a T350 and sent it back,they are crap!!!!!!!


Says the man who has a Z4, and is still lurking around the T350 forum...

deepdive

93 posts

258 months

Monday 2nd February 2004
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Well at least it starts in the morning and bits dont fall off it!!
And i dont think that someone that drives a "smart" car has any right to comment on what i drive!!!

>> Edited by deepdive on Monday 2nd February 16:15

ScoobyManchester

1,163 posts

268 months

Monday 2nd February 2004
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Funny you should say that, a work colleague has one of those, left him stranded twice on the M62 within 1 month of purchase.

deepdive

93 posts

258 months

Monday 2nd February 2004
quotequote all
Tat may be so ,but BMW will do something about it when it does go wrong,thats what im saying,the way TVR treat there customers is f***ing bad,and most off the people that comment on this page dont or have never owend a 350.

Podie

46,643 posts

281 months

Monday 2nd February 2004
quotequote all
deepdive said:
Tat may be so ,but BMW will do something about it when it does go wrong,thats what im saying,the way TVR treat there customers is f***ing bad,and most off the people that comment on this page dont or have never owend a 350.


Hello mate, been a while... aside from the car stuff, how's tricks?

ScoobyManchester

1,163 posts

268 months

Monday 2nd February 2004
quotequote all
Just for your information BMW have been rather uncooperative, they don't seem to give a sh*t that his car has paintwork defects and has broken down twice within a month, but they're German so it's OK.

>> Edited by ScoobyManchester on Monday 2nd February 16:29

deepdive

93 posts

258 months

Monday 2nd February 2004
quotequote all
Not to bad,apart fromthis poxy weather,i think i can feel a dive trip coming on soon!!

_dobbo_

14,617 posts

254 months

Monday 2nd February 2004
quotequote all
deepdive said:

And i dont think that someone that drives a "smart" car has any right to comment on what i drive!!!


I think you missed my point. What is your interest in hanging around this forum like a bad smell? You insist on peddling your limited experience as an unassailable statement of fact. You had a bad T350, ergo all T350s are sh*t. You were not happy with the treatment you received from TVR, so of course they must be like that with everyone. What a ridiculoulsy blinkered attitude.

If we apply this staggeringly flawed logic to Z4s for a minute - I saw one breakdown in front of me in traffic this morning - does this make yours prone to breakdown? Of course it does not.

So please accept that not all T350s are crap. You insult anyone on here who owns one with your comments, which frankly serve no purpose other than to inflame.

Why not contribute your opinion in a useful manner, rather than make sweeping generalisations.

>> Edited by _dobbo_ on Monday 2nd February 20:42