Guaranteed to fail?

I collect my car, a 120 stepseed mgtf, in a couple of weeks. So, obviously I'm reading up a lot on them right now. Therein lies the problem .

My question is;- Is there ever an MGF or TF that has avoided the dread problem of head gasket failure? Has a majority suffering this issue plagued the whole marque?

On the car I'm buying, the head gasket has been done and the car has 48k on the clock. Is it 'most likely' to blow again? Are the odds stacked against me? .

Should I bail and look at the opposition? Decisions decisions .

They look lovely though.

Leigh Ping wrote: I collect my car, a 120 stepseed mgtf, in a couple of weeks. So, obviously I'm reading up a lot on them right now. Therein lies the problem .

No Problem

My question is;- Is there ever an MGF or TF that has avoided the dread problem of head gasket failure? Has a majority suffering this issue plagued the whole marque?

Yes, No, Yes

On the car I'm buying, the head gasket has been done and the car has 48k on the clock. Is it 'most likely' to blow again? Are the odds stacked against me? .

No, No

Should I bail and look at the opposition? Decisions decisions .

No

They look lovely though.

Relax, follow the advice on letting the car warm up before driving with a heavy right foot, consider fitting a low coolant alarm, but most important ..



Enjoy it,

From what I have seen and read, if the HG has been replaced with a modern Land Rover MLS type odds of it failing again are low.
One advantage to our cars having this issue is that they sell for ridiculously low prices making a potential HG replacement financially viable. (And the job isn't very expensive particularly if you get one of the mobile MGF specialists to do it)

Good advice from both PQD44 and Rich. I would add that it's the OIL temp that should be up before you give the car any welly.

The head gasket went on my 2002 TF at around 62000, BUT only after I had the timing belt and water pump done - lesson learned either do it yourself so that you know its been done properly or only let someone who really knows the marque do any work on it.

All good advice so far. Thanked you all, cheers guys. What you said makes real sense and brings me back on track. This is a car that's the sum of its parts. Not just any one thing. I was just getting a little too paranoid reading about it.

It seems people tend to write about the bad things more than the good. Hence the old saying.. No news is good news.

I would just add that having been a member of Mercedes forums, any engine with an aluminium head which loses coolant stands a very good chance of HGF, this is not just a k-series problem.

TBH the incidence of HGF, judging by the topics posted on this and the Merc forums, seams to be only slightly higher with our cars.

:thumbsup: Rich and Tigger summed it up well. As long as you're not paying over the odds in this buyers market and you do all your usual checks before buying any car, you are going to get a great car that you will love driving.

Like Nike say Just do it

its also worth bearing in mind that the majority of head gasket failures are brought about by failures in the cooling system, which releases the coolant, which overheats the engine, which leads to HGF, this can happen in a very short period of time. It can also be said that poor maintenance can also lead to HGF, i.e., check the coolant pipes for cracks and signs of dried coolant at the joints, check the under floor pipes for corrosion, but most of all, enjoy :thumbsup:

...and fit a low coolant alarm! :yesnod: