Hi,
My girlfriends Rover 214 has always been serviced every 12,000 at the dealer from new, however i've decided to do it myself since the pigs ear they made of the last service!
As a result the car is using around a litre of oil every 2,500 miles and was wondering what oil to use. I have always specified magnatec but have no confidence that is what they used!! Is there anything that may reduce the consumption as magnatec is quite expensive to burn at that rate..
Also, is there anything specific I should pay attention to apart from the usual. BTW car is 1997 with 100,000 miles.
Thanks
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I spoke to The AA's technical department a few years ago and was informed that it is waste of time using semi synthetic oil unless it has been used right from the start. On a worn or high mileage engine, a semi synthetic oil can cause the engine to rattle. Why are you so mistrustful of your dealer? I do not profess to any expertise as regards oil choice, but on the basis of what I have learned from various mechanics,it is that semi synthetic oil may not automatically be the best choice for a car which has done a high mileage or has not used semi synthetic before. I used Castrol GTX mineral oil on a well worn engine with no ill effect and no noticeable loss in performance for many years. The choice is yours. Mikey.
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I would find out the reason why its burning so much. it could be it needs new valve seals/guides. at that mileage Highly possible..And what were the mistakes made at last service..As long as oil used is same spec as rover specify..it wont matter what you use. but isnt going to prevent the oil burning..
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Steve
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Thanks for your advice.
The last time it went in for a service the heated rear window didnt work, they fixed that but at the same time messed up the wiring loom and I drove 400 miles up the M6 and A1 with no rear lights except a stuck on high level brake light, which went out when I braked - brilliant!! Oh and they charged for it to be fixed...
A couple of months after, the engine overheated and caused the headgasket to go costing me a fortune, all down to a rusty radiator that wasnt any longer attached to the frame. The AA guy couldnt believe that they never brought it to my attention, expecially as I had mentioned the cooling fan was on a lot. I know its my responsibility but I do pay them to do something.....
Anyway since the HGF the car has burnt more oil than it did before and wondered if any certain oil may burn less quickly..
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Speaking of charging you for rectifying faults they introduced...
A Rover main dealer introduced a fault into my car a few years ago. When I complained they told me that my car had covered a lot of miles (84k at the time) and I had to expect these little niggles.
Nice.
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Speaking of your heated rear window.
My wife has a 216Si 1997, recently in this poor weather she has noticed the rear screen takes an age to even start to de mist (about 15 mins at least). Even then it does clear completely.
Can you remeber what the main dealer actually did to yours? and also how much they charged.
thanks
Mart
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I may be reading too much into Mikey Jay's response, but it seems to imply that Magnatic is semi-synth. It isn't; it's mineral oil disguised by Castrol's misleading weasel words "synthetic engineering" on the can. If that is what has been used in the past, I'd be inclined to stick to it. However, you could experiment with the lower-spec Castrol oil mentioned by Mikey -- the one for high-mileage engines -- as Castrol say that it is fully miscible (mixable) with Magnatec.
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HI,
I think the problem with the heated rear windscreen was the wiring in the top right when you lift up the hatchback had come loose from the rubber protection and got snipped when I shut the boot. Mine did work slowly - when the wires touched, but then packed up all together. They fitted a whole new wiring loom for the lights, wiper etc and protective rubber housing for about £30+Vat. However, if its not too badly damaged, you could just tape the wires up!!!
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Nice one, i'll have a look at the weekend. Mind you 30 quid doesn't sound too bad.
Cheers
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