Yawn!! They don't break down any more or less than other manufacturers. I've had numerous Rovers/MGs, covered tens of thousands of miles, without any problem. I don't say that because I'm a particular fan of the mark, but because it's a fact.
Now my VW Passat on the other hand..............
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sorry midlifecrisis didnt mean to hit a nerve,i wasnt trawling for bait,i was stating a fact
i remember it used to be ambassadors that were always in the hard shoulder
then it was montegos
then it was all the other rubbish they made (too many numbers to relate)
however i never had an acclaim break down
i reckon it was the drive a 70"s rustbucket that got my mind going
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Well I saw 2 E46 BMW's on the hard shoulder with hazards lights on separate occasions on the way back from silverstone today, one had it's bonnet up and a very bemused looking owner...
I don't see many Rovers broken down, if anything, i see far more 10 year old rover 200/400's about than Escorts/Astras of similar vintage
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^^^ if that sounds ambiguous, i mean that rovers seem to last better. they ARE reliable in most areas...
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I saw three Renaults on the hard shoulder today including a rather garish Clio 172 I think ( was in car doing 80 plus ) being winched onto a low loader.
Then again, unreliable Renaults is hardly news is it, more of the Renault culture that owners seem to accept with almost religious devotion to inferior products.
Just occurred to me that the 172 is a very quick car point to point, just so long as you have an AA truck as a back up vehicle. Maybe that should be part of the warranty package?
Bad Rovers more often than not came with bad owners who didnt look after their cars.
I was there in a service department dealing with Roverr warranty claims and im sorry but HGF was not a common warranty issue in late 90's although on older cars which werent serviced, suprisingly common. Id buy a Rover myself, but then I actually worked with them so I know what Im talking about.
Most common problems were actually minor electrical things like C/L and later on, poor initial build once they went under.
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I have to confess I've been very disappointed with my MG, it almost didn't start the other morning after I left the light on for four days without moving the car, disgraceful!
Blue
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just so long as you have an AA truck as a back up vehicle. Maybe that should be part of the warranty package?
With Rovers it WAS part of the warranty - remember AA/BL Supercover?
A Japanese manufacturer's board nearly died laughing when they heard about it. To them; the concept of expecting your car to be so unreliable as to be supplied complete with breakdown cover was unfathomable.
Their approach would be to just fix the problems - not admit that they had failed....
As far as Rover's comparative reliability; far worse than most, but better than Fiat and the French.
But who cares; they're history - all gone. I've only got one customer left that owns one - and that's got a Mustang 4.6 under the bonnet. [Still breaks down a lot though...]
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>>Then again, unreliable Renaults is hardly news is it, >>
There does seem to be more than the usual amount of carp spoken on here lately.
Small Renaults are up with the best in reliability terms, larger Renaults are often over complicated which, yes, does hinder reliability.
Our Clio has been impecible where as our friends slightly newer Yaris has left them on the harshoulder twice and seems to have a problem every few weeks, also the Toyota dealer has been carp.
>>more of the Renault culture that owners seem to accept with almost religious devotion to inferior products. >>
So what do you drive Stu, a 'Hyundry' IIRC, really cant think of any Hyundai that is superior to the equivilent Renault.
The "Renault's should be consigned to hell" crowd are almost as irritating as the " we should all bow at the altar of the might Honda" brigade !!!!!!!!!
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The "Renault's should be consigned to hell" crowd are almost as irritating as the "we should all bow at the altar of the might Honda" brigade !!!!!!!!!
Which is almost as irritating as "Mondeo TDCi's are real drivers cars and are the only answer to every motoring question raised in the BR" brigade!
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Which is almost as irritating as "Mondeo TDCi's are real drivers cars and are the only answer to every motoring question raised in the BR" brigade!
Not really worth commenting on thoiugh I will. The Mondeo has been a good car to drive since its launch in '93, a sharp chassis, crisp turn in, generally satisfying to drive (and it sems that the MkIV will continue that trend) though some people will not entertain one, they simply feel compelled to drive a Toyota (or in the past VW) because of its reputation, well I learnt my lesson long ago when ex-colleagues chose the Carina E as company car in the mid 90's because it was loaded and cheap - yes perhaps they are all still going strong with 500k miles on them as minicabs in Doncaster though they were dire to drive then and would be dire to drive now, though a mid 90's Mondeo in reasonable order would still be quite good to drive. No I didnt have a Mondeo at the time, I had a solid and relaible Cav folowed by a frail Vectra (through cracking 2.0 engine), neither as fun to drive as the Mondeo though both more charaterful than the Carina.
To get the thread back on line it seems to me that too many people have the same biggoted view of Renaults and Rovers when they dont really know anything.
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Cheddar, I drive a Suzuki - which has done 16k without issue. Thats a basic expectation to me.
I also drive a Fiat Seicento, which, touch wood, has not broken yet after 2000 miles BUT Im realistic about whether or not it will because its no Subaru. Its a second car, so its not depended on, but its proving pocket change cheap to run, so theres a trade off.
If it breaks down, Id certainly admit it because showing utter defiance just to try and claim I made the perfect car choice is an act of childishness and Im an adult.
Hyundai are generally more reliable than Renault simple as. My mums car may have had a problem, but its a freakish one unknown to Hyundai which they have bent over backwards to put right, unlike Renault with their bonnet issue which is on a biblical scale yet nobodys fault right?
I just happened to see a Clio broken down, wasnt implying that they are all rubbish - actually it was quite funny because a bright color is fine when your showing off but when you break down, you look like a bit of a plonker - its just that until the Clio starts coming in the top 5 in surveys, it aint going to better even a Fiat Panda now, which is frankly rather funny.
Where I used to work, Renaults were the boomerang used cars - they cost money to get ready for sale and still nearly always came back after they went out aswell - our Rover techs didnt wanna touch them either. Anytime I hear how bad Rover are, I just think - why just Rovers, they were still better than anything from france or italy when it came to bits breaking.
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then it was montegos
Leave Montegos alone! We had one (1990 on the H-plate) for years and years (until the HG failed at 100k and the condition of the bodywork meant it wasn't worth repairing). Never broke down (apart from a flat battery), and took some horrendous abuse in its lifetime (once covered 5k in 3 weeks around Europe without missing a beat). Wish I could say the same for the 1999 Vauxhall Vectra which replaced it.
Last time I drove on the motorway I saw 2 broken down cars - a VW and a Renault. Must say I wasn't surprised to see the Renault (after all it was an old-model Clio), but there does seem to be an alarming increase in VAG breakdowns - something which my indie mechanic told me when I was considering buying one.
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Yawn!! They don't break down any more or less than other manufacturers.
Shame the customer satisfaction surveys never really backed your statement up isn't it. Especially now, you'd be hard pushed to buy a Rover (any model) and get reliability from it. Don't ever buy a Rover if you want reliability. There are so many Rover's in the scrapyards for a reason.
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If most UK drivers bought Japanese cars (as is the case in some countries) there would be a significant loss of jobs in the motor repair sector and a significant number of repairers would go out of business. I woud therefore encourage people to buy Renaults and FIATs etc, (whilst at the same time sticking to Japanese brands myself!).
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Pendulum....at the risk of repeating myself...........yawn!!!!
Say it enough and people will think it's true!
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I think this thread just shows how any make stays alive or not.
The marketing people must love people who love or hate their cars regardless of what other people think of them, with or without any reports to aid.
I think op was just commenting on what he saw and its turned into an anti/pro car maker survey all of its own?
All makes of car breakdown. All makes have problems. Just some seem to be more than others. How else do garages/breakdown companies stay in work?
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>The marketing people must love people who love or hate their cars regardless of what other people think of them...
I'd have thought the exact opposite, YB. What is marketing if not trying to make people worry about what other people think? Why else do supermarkets put their 'value' products in lurid, striped packaging, if not to make them so conspicuous that people who can afford to choose will buy the more expensive product just to avoid looking like cheapskates? (Tesco Value cat litter is excellent, by the way.)
If all of us always bought what we actually needed, rather than what we wanted other people to see us with, a lot of former marketing people would be scanning those 'value' products through the checkouts instead.
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In the last Month I have driven approx 1000 motorway miles.
I saw no cars broken down, Not one.
what does that say?
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Poor observation TVM? Mind on higher things perhaps?
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Both possible, could be a myriad of reasons, just like, perhaps, peoples personal foibles mean they spot broken down rovers, renaults, fords etc etc.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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The ones I tend to notice are Jaguars, big Mercs and BMWs. Schadenfreude no doubt.
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Yesterday I drove less than 100miles on the M25/M26/M20.
saw lots of cars on the hard shoulder.
All on my side were English registrations so are foreign cars better serviced?
All but one had people in them or on the hard shoulder leading against the Armo.
Oh, One guy was on the other side of the hard should but he had his back to me ;-)).
There was also a coach ( sadly with all the kids on the hard shoulder) ;-((
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In the last Month I have driven approx 1000 motorway miles. I saw no cars broken down Not one. what does that say?
Too busy looking out for buses ?
;-)
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" I saw no cars broken down, Not one.
what does that say? "
If you were not on the mobile so often...
:-)
madf
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There are so many Rover's in the scrapyards for a reason.
Yes, because the company's gone bust and they're now impossible to sell. Just down the road from me there's an immaculate Rover 25 on the W-plate going for £1000 (which is still a bit optimistic!). Its owner will probably end up keeping it until it's scrapped. A similar W-reg Peugeot 306 petrol, which might not be any more reliable, will still sell for £1995.
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Some people are still trying to get top money for Rovers.
On Autotrader there's an R plate Rover Coupe 1.6 for £85,000 (I know he's replaced the alloys and it's apparently only done 1500 miles but I think he's being a little optimistic.....)
Chris
PS this post is written with my tongue firmly in my cheek :-)
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somone from nigeria will come and collect, just take this cheque and........................
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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A similar W-reg Peugeot 306 petrol which might not be any more reliable will still sell for £1995.
Pfft. And the rest.
Peugeots are one car I have never been able to get my head around when it comes to used values. Fords are perceived as good to drive, Honda/Toyota/VW are perceived as reliable, Renault stylish. But what is it about Peugeots that warrant 10 year old 306s going for £1800? They're not especially pretty, nor are they any better to drive than the competition, they're cheap inside, the build quality and reliability is average at best and above all, you can get a virtually identical equivalent Citroen for much less money. So what is it about them that attracts the punters?
And then on the other corner you have makes like Nissan -- the Primera being better to drive, better built and more reliable than the majority of its class peers, yet I pick up a good condition 70,000-miler on an X-plate for £1500 -- the same price as a same-age Accent. Madness.
And yes, at £1000 I'd be tempted by a 2000 Rover 25 if pristine.
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i'm going to stick up for Rover....i see it as kicking someone when they're down and gone..
for what they were they were quite good, generally better than the Ford/Vauxhall equivalent in style or desirability
I owned a 414 for 2 years (1995-1997) and a 620 for 5 years (1997 -2002) and the only thing to go wrong on either of them was the radiator (from road salt corrosion) and the drivers door mirror arm snapped, both on the 620...which isn't bad for 7 years of motoring
now the SD1 i had in the early 80's now that's a completely different story.....what a shed.
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But what is it about Peugeots that warrant 10 year old 306s going for £1800?
Search me! Especially as the Citroen ZX was essentially the same car with a different badge, and they're all in scrapyards now because even a late model (P/R reg?) will only be worth pennies. Agree about the Primera, a hell of a car and easy to DIY service - but can be bought for buttons. It just seems that certain models retain their value despite generally being carp, while the more car-savvy are able to get a bargain - a Primera will probably be cheaper than a Clio of the same age, and I know what I'd rather be driving! ;-)
And yes at £1000 I'd be tempted by a 2000 Rover 25 if pristine.
Me too, and I'm sure the K-series engine wouldn't blow up if it was given proper care and attention. (i.e. checked every week, serviced every 6k)
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My impression of the marque has been transformed since actually owning one, I think with the proper TLC they are much better than people make out, however, they don't stand up to neglect quite as well as something like an Escort or Focus.
I check my coolant fairly often, every time I go in the boot almost seeing as the engine's in the back :-)
Blue
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The problem is that I've known about a dozen folks who have owned 214s, and they've all had the HG go at some stage. It is a massive pity, as they are quite nice to drive, look at and the refinement is pretty good considering the age of the design, and the feedback I get is that in general they're a good solid car. Why the heck they didn't fix the coolant issues heaven alone knows -- they may even still be in business now if the problems had been fixed. I mean god knows they had the right engineering backup -- Honda and then BMW? Can you think of a better dream ticket?
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my point? rovers did do and still do break down with monotonous regularity i saw no other makes in distress during my very long sojourn
Sweeping generalisation, they are no more or less reliable than comparable cars from the other volume manufacturers. I'm now on my 5th Rover in 13 years, only one of them broke down/failed to start and that only once and was down to the age of the component at fault. All the others have performed faultlessly. The current carriage is a 2003 R45 diesel with 49K on the clock and with years of life left in it. In fact for a diesel its barely run in.
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Sweeping generalisation,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> obviously there is a few good examples out there, i think the gaydon museum managed to save one with lottery money (£4,52 pence i think?) but you have a 4 year old diesel ,that does approx 100 miles a week ,hardly a barometer of long term reliability is it?
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a 4 year old diesel that does approx 100 miles a week hardly a barometer of long term reliability is it?
Actually it's done over 40k in 30 months, nearer 300k a week, since I got it when it was 10 months old with 8k on the clock. So that is a barometer of reliability IMHO.
As you obviously have "thing" about Rovers it's pointless attempting to persuade you otherwise.
Nuff said.
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>>>obviously there is a few good examples out there
And here's another. Parted with a rover a few years ago when it was twelve years old. With the exception of an inexpensive repair to a window mechanism, it cost me no more than routine servicings in the decade that I owned it.
Clk Sec
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Well if you want sweeping generalisations:-)
I had 3 compay Rover 800s.. all had serious faults and all were largely unreliable and the quality was abysmal...
I never had another so cannot comment on later carp.
madf
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bell boy, you have a very narrow minded outlook on this subject. I have had several Rovers, covering 1000s of miles and not 1 breakdown. Infact my 75 did over 230,000 miles when I traded it in without one breakdown or none service item replaced. Does this make Rover the most reliable marque in the UK? Also had several K series engines doing over 100K that havent had their head off (1 did and that was probably because I ignored a leaky radiator for one trip too long)
I drive 40K a year up and down the A1 and I dont see hardly any Rovers in the hard shoulder - pleanty of French derived motors/ford/vauxhalls maybe. Are they all carp as well?
I think you will find that Rover/MG are pretty reliable cars and recent surveys suggest that they are actually middle of the road and above the common marques!
Why not keep non-evidenced thoughts off this site
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Why not keep non-evidenced thoughts off this site
i dont like the cock of your hat but if i want to say what i saw on the roads then i will,
ok pal
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You seem to be saying more than you see on the roads - thats the problem -
All I am trying to say is there more than the view that you hold, there are cars that I dont have a great affection for - I dont come on here and pull them down. I would hope others take a similar objective view
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Well for the record my original message header was "rover" no more no less,i wasnt putting rover down i was making an observation,its life,sorry .
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I changed the subject line to make it more apparent what your original post was about. You've made your observation and its been discussed over 43 posts with plenty of evidence to the contrary about the marque's reliability. The discussion has remained quite civilised, and I won't have it degenerate into ya- boohing. Bell boy has a view whether that is flawed or not has been the debate, both sides have made their point, continue doing so by all means but don't start getting personal. :-)
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I have owned and run 16 cars in total 12 of which were rovers. 1 vauxhall ,2 fords and 1 bmw.
4 cars left me stranded because of breakdowns.
12 cars kept me mobile. Good old rover !!!!!!
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Cor! BB stun up a hornets nest here.
I suggest anyone drives the motorways on a bank holiday Saturday afternoon (my favorite time if I have to move on a bank holiday) and does a survey of what's on the hard shoulder.
'Nuff said!
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What's on the hard shoulder on a Bank Holiday will be (i) old (ii) ill maintained and not a decent sample for a reliability survey.
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Why not keep non-evidenced thoughts off this site
That would make for a rather dull BR dontcha fink? It is a discussion forum afterall and if everyone just posted facts there would be nothing to discuss!
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I certainly see Rovers at the side of the road waiting for rescue, they can't all be out of petrol!
I also spend up to 2 hours per day walking around the village I live in with the dogs, there's probably more Rovers than any other make, all under long term ownership.
Rovers are now so cheap that they're throw away, use them, abuse them and scrap them.
So you have long term owned and maintained on the dot and the run it till it breaks type of owner, these are the ones that belboy spotted and is taking all this flack for.
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>>Rovers are now so cheap that they're throw away, use them, abuse them and scrap them
Pretty much correct but not just Rovers,plenty of cars ie bmw`s Merc`s seem to be the regular breakdowns and not just old ones i have seen several newish Mercs lately broken down,owners nowhere to be seen(probably embarrased) just recovery trucks removing them from the road....
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