Car Reviews

Honest John Reviews Rover

Rover 400 (1995 – 1999) Review

Rover 400 (1995 – 1999) At A Glance

2/5

+Rover's version of the Honda Civic. Quite well equipped and a reasonable drive in its day.

-Head gasket failure on 'K' Series engines. Front suspension bushes wear. Parts, especially some trim, are hard to get.

What do owners think of the Rover 400 (1995 – 1999)? Check out our Owners' Reviews from people who live with the car day in, day out.

Car seat chooser

Child seats that fit a Rover 400 (1995 – 1999)

Our unique Car Seat Chooser shows you which child car seats will fit this car and which seat positions that they will fit, so that you don't have to check every car seat manufacturer's website for compatibility.

Which car seat will suit you?

Satisfaction Index

Satisfaction Index What is your car like to live with?

We need your help with our latest Satisfaction Index, so that we can help others make a smarter car buying decision. What's it like to live with your car? Love it? Loath it? We want to know. Let us know about your car - it will only take a few minutes and you could be helping thousands of others.

Help us with the Honest John Satisfaction Index now

Ask Honest John

Where is the best place to sell a 90s Rover?

"I have my father-in-laws car to sell, it's a 1998 Rover 420d. He has had it for 18 years - where would be the best place to sell? I have tried Autotrader but they won't list due to its age."
You can list it on a range of enthusiasts site for free. These include Car & Classic, Classic Cars for Sale and our own site. There's no charge for uploading an advert and it's a great way to reach a lot of people. You could also try advertising it in some of the print titles like Classic Car Buyer. Social media sites like Facebook are also a good way to reach a lot of people. eBay could also be worth a go, but comes with an extra level of buyer based hassle and fees. Try to use good quality images that show the whole car (with close-ups of any damage) and as much information and service history as you can.
Answered by Keith Moody

Is the Rover 414 prone to head gasket failure?

"My girlfriend is currently between cars and her grandparents have offered her their 1994 Rover 414, with 60,000 miles. They have owned the car from new, recently it has had a full service including; radiator, thermostat, timing belt, water pump etc, all the common leaking points. The car has never overheated, which I believe. It has a full service history, however it's never had the head gasket done. The car drives lovely and will be used for local use mainly, with the odd blast on the dual carriageway. Is she asking for trouble?"
You can check for signs of a failing cylinder head gasket by looking for a mayonnaise-like substance on the dipstick (a sign that water is leaking from the cooling system and mixing with the oil). There is also likely to be white smoke coming from the exhaust plus a requirement to constantly top up the coolant - these two go hand in hand. The K-series engine isn't a bad engine - but the design of the cylinder head bolts is a weak spot which causes gaskets to fail.
Answered by Keith Moody

Rover 400 window winder problems

"The window winder on the driver's door of my Rover 400 (1997) opens correctly and closes, but when it reaches the top there is a loud bang. Could you advise what would cause this? If it is the control unit is it reasonably easy to replace?"
The anti trap switch has failed, which is supposed to stop the window rising if it meets an obstruction, such as a finger.
Answered by Honest John

Problems with Rover 400 window regulator

"I have bought a window regulator part from a scrap yard to replace the broken one that was in my wife's Rover 400. The mechanic at my local garage tried to fit it, but said there are only four wires coming out the motor for the male connector, and the female wiring block it goes into has five wires. I called the scrap yard and they claimed the wiring block it came out of had five wires. Would you know if this is the norm? Will the wire block which has the four wires fit into a female block with five wires? "
The Fuse F 6 ( 20amp) is feeding the switch. From the switch to the control module is four wires. The control module should have four numbers on the input side ( from the switch) Numbers should read 1. 5. 4. 2. The wires from the switch going into the Control module should be Green/white going to 1 Black/green going to 5 Black /.green going to 4 Blue /green going to 2 From the control module to the motor(output side) are five numbers( 1,2,3,4 ,and 6) wires from this side to the motor are Black ( earth) from number 6 Red /yellow is 1 Red/blue is 2 Black is 3 Blue is 4 Hope that this helps. If not you will need to source a wiring diagram.
Answered by Alan Ross
More Questions