Dumb new boy question...

I have been scanning for sale ads and came across a 10 registered MG TF. Um? I thought production stopped years before that? Would this be a rebuild or something along those lines? Or is it a product of the Chinese owned MG company? If so, what are they like? What engines? etc etc etc...sorry - I really am new at this.

Yes anything registered 2008-2010 is the Chinese MG. Clive has one, one of the LE500 series that was the first version they made.
They all use the 135bhp engine with modifications to 'eliminate' the Head gasket problem. It's called an 'N'series...but basically a K series 1.8 with improvements.
There were some issues with paintwork on the early ones.

Thanks David. That is great information. The Head Gasket Failure thing has me somewhat panicked but the cost of one of the Chinese models is way beyond me at the moment, so I am going to have to come to terms with the K series engine, I guess. Is there a crucial "break point" on HGF or does it just happen arbitarily? And how about timing belt issues? Seems that other cars need timing belt attention at around 60K.

David
its the same for the F /TF 60000 or 4 years ,if you hover over the Community tag near the top then select downloads there are service manuals available to download free with lots of info on them :woohoo:

Thanks Paul. I am trying to find my feet in the topic of MG TFs. The manuals should help me sort out the technical differences between the 1.6 and the 1.8, and then I am hoping to garner some individual experiences of both models. The economic case would originally point me towards the 1.6 (fuel consumption and road tax), but the 1.8 has the allure of an open road soft top which appeals. I sincerely doubt that this car, even used daily, would exceed 4000 miles per year, and maybe as little as half of that, so perhaps there is less to worry about in terms of economics. As you can tell I am a confused kid with his nose pressed up against the window of the sweetie shop right now.

Hi Dave As far as the head gasket goes if it has had a new one and it was fitted properly it will give yrs of sevice and as said cam/alternator belts 4yrs or 4k. you just have to choise which type of F or TF I would go for the TF v v c as it has more kit on it as std

Basically the original head gasket was quite fragile, and because of the complicated cooling system engine at the back & radiator at the front, it means that coolant level is critical. Lose coolant and the first place that suffers is the top of the engine...
Add to that the coolant flow through the engine was reversed from normal. Most cars the thermostat stays closed until the coolant in the engine is up to temp then opens to allow hot coolant out of the top of the engine and some cool coolant to enter the other end of the system(bottom of the engine)

In these cars, the thermostat opened and allowed cool coolant into the top of the engine. This means that the head gets hot/cool/hot/cool etc.

You can see that the head gasket area gets a lot of stress - hence the failures.
In 2004 they introduced a low coolant alarm to reduce the chance of running with air instead of coolant in the head area.
In 2005 MGRover themselves made several changes to improve the system. They uprated the head gasket (called the multi layer steel shim gasket or MLS)

They also removed the thermostat from the original position and used a remote thermostat housing( PRRT) that effectively reverses the flow of coolant to more normal, reducing thermal stresses.
All these changes really helped the problem and it is possible to retrofit the alarm, the MLS gasket and the Prr thermostat housing to all older MGFs and TFs.

These changes + some work to open up coolant channels in the head area is what the 'N'series is.

Buying a s/hand car - look for the prrt between the engine and the bulkhead to the cabin. Visible from the n/s wheel arch.
Check the Head gasket has been uprated and the cam belt changed. Normal procedure is to change the cambelt tensioner and the waterpump at the same time.
Check to see if a low coolant alarm is fitted into the expansion tank.
the underfloor coolant pipes are a weak point too, people now fit stainless steel ones. easily checked by looking under the car.

Thank you so much, Sheila. That is great information. Maybe by the time I have the money to actually buy a car, I will be able to enlist the help of someone from the Forum who lives close to where the car is for sale, to meet me at the garage and cast a more experienced eye over it than I am able to. In the meantime I guess I need to search fro any comparisons of the 1.6 vs 1.8 models...

Performance and economy wise, there's not a lot in it. Where the 1.6 suffers is extras. No remote central locking, older type door cards, Black door mirrors instead of body coloured.That sort of thing

Thanks David - that is exactly the kind of detail I am hoping to pick up and learn about. The mechanics are important, but the "look" is also a huge thing for me (call me shallow...lol) Enjoy your New Year Dinner.

Dave if you look on your profile there is a tab so you can let people know were you are in the county

I think I managed to put some more details on my profile page. Will that automatically add me to the member's map?