Says at digiguide.co.uk that tonight the BBC's Watchdog "reveals why a major car-maker seems to be risking engine failure".
Anyone know which manufacturer this is?
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Peugeot for the 307?
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or the nissan recall announced last week ?
Bora - what Bora ?
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BBC in regurgitating yesterday's news horror. K series engines and head gaskets. (yawn)
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It was all about gasket failures in K-series engines, and why there are replacements for LandRover owners but none for MG owners (problem doesn't exist), though the engine is the same.
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Well, if you drive a Disco which the K is fitted to, well, need I say any more?
As for the veracity of the story, it's simple. A K-series engine is just the same as any other engine. You have to check the coolant and the oil at an interval according the handbook, if you don't then it's a maintenance issue. As an all-alloy engine, topping up is not a case of simply putting more water in the expansion bottle, again, that's in the handbook. There have been thousands upon thousand of K's made over the last 15 years, there will be HGF amongst them.
The replacements are 'out of warranty' replacements which there is no legal recourse except under 'unreasonable time to failure'. If the engine has been properly serviced and maintained then it's possible that it falls into this category.
HGF aren't rare and not unique to K-series engines.
Post-2000 K's had replacement dowels to locate the head to the block more accurately, a revised gasket and the stretch bolt tolerances revised. The number of failures is well down again from a low level previously.
Also, it doesn't help when Watchdog's so called expert shows the wrong gasket on the programme.
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You get the feeling that Watchdog are scaremongering as ever - 'it's the evil known as (DUMdumDUMdumDUUUUM) the K SERIES!!!'. As far as I know there have been variants of this engine around for 13 years (from the Mk3? Metro onwards) yet the recent 1.8s are the only ones where there's an unacceptably high chance of head gasket failure. It's a bit of a tar and brush situation.
I'm not at all impressed with Watchdog these days. It used to be genuinely informative and interesting, but over the last few year it's sunk to the level of the gutter press - witness the way they invite representatives of companies onto the show and then proceed to barrack them with ill-considered criticisms whilst not allowing them to get a word in edgeways. There are times when I've been on the verge of shouting 'SHUT UP, THIS AFFECTS ME, AND I WANT TO HEAR WHAT HE'S SAYING!' at the screen.
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Sorry for wandering off-topic a bit but I totally agree, Watchdog is awful.
The segment about the prams last night says it all, after the various horror stories from sub-normal retards, they tag on a little comment at the end to the effect of "local trading standards officers said that the company involved had been completely reasonable in dealing with all complaints".
SO WHAT'S THE POINT OF THE PIECE THEN?
(It seems to me that it's pretty obvious the people involved had been treating the prams badly and broken them.)
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Yeah, nice one Watchdog, lets see if we can rubbish the name of our only (volume) car manufacturer any further....
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Curiously, I saw two MGFs stuck on the hard shoulder on Monday, by the Altrincham junction of the M56, one with clouds of steam pouring from the engine bay. A colleague at work is on his third engine, MGF again, I think it's the Trophy? Seems a car prone to failure.
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The average kit car is better put together than the MGF,i cannot understand why we buy them.
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bit off cars, but in relation to watchdog.
Has anyone else noted that they have a lot of stories where companies have call centers and people complain they cant get through to them. Watchdog slate the company. Then Watchdog say 'please call us with your problems, but be aware we're very busy and it may take a bit of time to get through....'
hmm. double standards methinks.
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