MGF Maintenance Tips

[@brostelio]

Got almost 200k km on my '04 115 model (1.6 litre) and other than the usual head gasket issue that I got fixed at 60k, all has been wonderful. I have loved it every day for 17 years. A nippy lane switcher like nothing else I've driven.

[@adrianmulvey8919]

I owned one of these cars myself. Drove it both hard on the road and at the local race track. Never had any problems with the head gasket or engine reliability. Nor had any problems with the window or door seals.

[@1rua]

I've had my MGF for over 3 years now and I absolutely love it! Just get one that has been looked after, preferably with service history and isn't rusty - same as buying any car really. The head gasket had already been replaced by the previous owner on mine - it's £300-£400 to have it replaced by a mobile MG mechanic so not the end of the world! These car's are great fun to drive and open top motoring doesn't come much cheaper. It's a modern classic now, so as with any older car you will have to spend some money every now and again to look after it. Parts are generally not expensive and there is a helpful MG community and owners clubs out there that can give good advice. Classic car insurance is cheap, especially if you're in the owners club - fully comp with agreed value and 3000 miles a year for £145. A great looking, fun to drive car. Give one a try!

[@biddiblack1]

I had a MGF 1.8 vvc and it blow the head gasket , had bad tyre wear,the gas suspension leaked, , was rusty even though its was only 4 years old. but I loved it!

[@tomcole020]

"On the new MGFs" ......That's a TF mate

[@Steve-K.G.]

"Boy, do these leak water!" No, they don't from what I have heard from other owners and my certainly doesn't.

[@zahimislam6199]

Tq for d tips...been wondering to buy a 2nd one but gtf is very rare in malaysia, I bet the spare partswould extremely dear

[@forresttm]

Zahim Islam not dear if you order them from the UK. but postage is the issue (but all the decent parts places will ship worldwide)

[@decentdave4223]

This guy hasn't got a clue. I got a 2000 mgf vvc just clocked 100k! It runs like a dream. Most reliable car I have ever owned, it hasn't once broken down. Its also actually more practical than one might think. But not bad for a 20 year old k-series. Excellent car.

[@35geordielad]

Wow mot so much of a review on servicing an MGF, but more of warning people off them One the Hydroplastic suspension were designed for sports cars. Also many sports cars with soft tops of the time leaked not just the MGFs. Considering the low budget Austin Rover or The Rover Group had to develop this car. I think they did a damn good job and always wanted one, but sadly I did not. Rover fan here btw!

[@RedHunter500]

Oh dear me, this really should be replaced with something a bit more useful and a bit less "its British - everything is rubbish" I've got an MGF - its 18 years old is as much fun as a bag of puppies, costs peanuts to run and, if the head gasket ever goes, I'll replace it myself for less than many people would spend on a pair of tyres.

[@MGFMania]

Might have more credibility IF there was an MGF in the video!

[@9T9times]

Was this video designed to scare people off buying an MGTF? It certainly felt that way as I watched it. My guess is that 'Most' people who buy a MGTF have looked into it to a better degree than the presenter of this video. 2 minutes and 47 seconds of wasted time. Thank you.

[@purple_badassery8240]

I've owned 4 mg zr, an mg tf, 2 zr with 2ltr turbo conversion and an old rover 214 and the only one that had a head gasket failure was the 214 because I left it sitting all winter with no antifreeze, the head gasket thing is a myth as far as I'm concerned. I think people just drive them too hard because they are a fun punchy car.

[@decentdave4223]

What a clown. I have a 2000 mgf vvc. Admittedly my roof does have some small holes in. But it still does NOT leak even when in a monsoon. Also honest most reliable car I have ever owned. Some much fun. And who doesn't want fun??

[@countesspatsyrussell6024]

What size tyres for mgf

[@TimVogel87]

These aren't maintenance tips but just a list of complaints that aren't even true. The gas suspension is an excellent setup; asks for a bit more maintenance yes, but it's a nice sporty setup that's comfortable at the same time. Also, the k-engine is actually a really solid, powerful and especially lightweight engine compared to some of the rivals of it's time.

[@shaunlowthians7145]

The early ones never suffered with head gasket problems, I've has three.

[@cjmillsnun]

Completely disagree. The suspension in general if greased regularly is mainly trouble free. It will settle over time, but a pump up every other year avoids the problem of the hydragas running too low, as long as the correct height is maintained, then the system is on the whole trouble free. second hand parts are plentiful. As for HGF, yes it happens, but can be fixed at reasonable cost.

[@keithnewton8981]

Hydrosplastic suspension was designed for sport cars and When set up correctly is on of the finest suspension system's going not need anti roll bars. Look up the history if the suspension used in the metro and other AR bl Austin Morris cars. Problems comes from mechanics not understanding how to refill and balance the spheres properly. Yes these cars had head gasket and header tank issues and there was a modification that provided a stronger gasket and a larger coolant tank . It no more difficult than another mid or rear engine car to work on . There are modified seals for the these cars well worth the investment a new good is not that expensive and to be honest getting the head gasket done is no more expensive than any modern car.. All these people want to do is knock what was a great design it no harder to work on than an mx5 or mr2 they are not difficult the seal on the roof us not difficult, thus is a typical tv program of its time knock anytjing that cone out rover MG. No wonder our get in is such a mess never get a French man or a German running tgere products down like the British do.

[@busternorris]

One zip, 5 spring clips and 10 very small bolts to get to the engine bay, takes about 5mins Hmmmm he really doesn't know these cars, anddddd 8hrs to do the head gasket how many lunch breaks can one man take, mines a 1996 mgf and never had a single leak from the roof .....as for suspension he hasn't a clue Rolls Royce also used a similar system on their cars for comfort as nothing else was better at the time

[@mattdamon28]

Strongly disagree with this. And the coolant system is not hard to clean out - hosepipe and some dishwasher tablets followed by some radflush

[@DingoDavesAnimalHunt]

I have had my MG TF for 6 years its almost does 100,000 miles and its still got the original head gasket. The problem only occurs if you don't top up the coolant properly. This guy is a pleb.

[@stevewatts9128]

That's incorrect I'm afraid. My head gasket has gone twice and it's to do primarily with the difference in materials used in the head and the block which causes different expansion rates and hence movement, and this is exacerbated by the positioning of the thermostat because the engine was designed as a front mount not a rear/mid mount and so the distance to the radiator is "too long". My problem was eventually resolved by getting my local garage to drill "bypass" holes in the thermostat - the car takes a bit longer to warm up but it does so nice and gradually so everything moves together. Not had a problem since.

[@richardhepburn2314]

So is this lad an actual mechanic? Head Gasket? About £450-£500 if you use an MG Specialist. Mine went after 70k and took about as much time to fix as changing a set of discs and pads and a DIY solution was only a couple of hundred quid if you know what a spanner is. Never had a hood leak over about 150k on two MGTFs so cannot comment anything other than that. Tyre choice is a bigger concern than anything that he brought up.

[@knightgary3139]

If he said it was a good idea to carry a spare coolant cap he would have more credibility to his knowledge.

[@jameshone1000]

hello I have one of the older ones it has been sat for half a year in a dry garage when I came to start it would not start it turns over and there is a spark but no fuel getting in to the engine I don't no if it id the fuel pump or the valves dose any one know if the older model has hydraulic valves

[@lairdjohn]

where did this bloke learn about cars?Micky Mouse.? he hasnt got a clue.this person should not be listened to,he does not know what he talking about,disreguard anything he ever says.

[@forresttm]

What utter tosh. My mgf vvc does not need any other looking after then any other car.. There not as bad as the video makes out.

[@DehnusNorder]

Question though, how does one get to the engine to say: Replace the Spark Plugs? That is my main fear, they look stunning but I would like some advice of current day owners before I ever try to play around with it myself.

[@forresttm]

DehnusNorder you open the engine cover. its a few bolts under the hood. the whole thing folds forward.. I've actually made it sound worse then it is.. if your on Facebook join a mg page, lots of useful information and helpful people. mgf and tf enthusiasts and mgf and tf Facebook group are the two big ones. or if your not. mgrover.org has pages of information about these cars. but dont be put off by the amount of posts about cars breaking. hardly anyone posts about their cars working 100% and some of them are now over 20 years old.. they may need some work doing to them. but any car of that age will as well.

[@100davies]

Looks like his overalls have shrunk

[@hanssmeets7424]

wow! this guy doesnt know about the maintenance hatch to get at the engine to do maintenance??

[@newuk26]

List of completely unhelpful tips. My 22 year old, 100k mile MGF has none of these faults. The hood doesn’t leak, the head gaskets don’t go every 12 months, and the tyres wear no quicker than any other car. There are common faults on the MGF, and he’s ignored them. I.e. the carpets shrink for some reason, the drivers door hinge drops, and the power steering develops a left turn bias. Why didn’t he mention any of these things?

[@TheKoiboi]

What a load of tosh this bloke is spouting, i bought a 12 year old tf, orig hood did not leak, replaced it myself in 10 mins with one with a glass rear screen. 90k and still the engine works.

[@thomasmacdonagh6827]

Put a cap on the horseshit dude ! The hoods seldom give trouble .

[@Tiffx19]

I'd disagree with just about all of that.

[@grahamstandreang4047]

what this bloke knows about the mgtf you can put on the back of a postage stamp.

[@masterbateson6134]

Wildly inaccurate dis'information, most of this is scaremongering , most of the rest of it is wrong. Many cars suffer from HGF,very few can be repaired so cheaply as a MGF or TF can, especially if you have the work done by some of the mobile mechanic you can find on MG forums £350 quid for example. If the car is well maintained and especially if you have a low level alarm,your unlikely to get a HGF anyway. Sure you can pay a lot at some garages for HGF but thats more to do with rip off garages

[@fil3638]

I don't know anyone who has a leak where he says. HGF does occur, but its not terminal, and if you drive a 10 year old car like a mad person then you should expect things to break. Treat it with respect and it will be totally fine. Most wrong with the suspension either, most agree the hydragas suspension (which was revolutionary when the MGF was released) is better than the more modern TF model. Ignore this fool and do some proper research, they are fantastic cars.

[@johnjohnson7145]

what a load of rubbish head gasket done be mobile mech 350 quid, 2quid to replace rear seal on hood

[@johnsicari3071]

u talking out of your rear end

[@theheaterguyryan5052]

So basially it is rubbish, happy motoring at the end 🤣

[@inconversation5435]

A specialist MG mobile mechanic charges £300 to do a head gasket, which I claim is not "very expensive" and I ran my old MGF for 9 years before the gasket went due to a radiator leak. A water level indicator kit can avoid most HGF's since they are largely connected to water leakage. Also in those 9 years with my old metro suspension I changed to new tyres once. Also on a 16 year old car with original hood seals no sign of perishing yet. Uninformative video really.

[@naemasufi]

What a negative view, appreciate he says its a video o problems but jeesh, crappy waste of time to watch this

[@gooseholla1]

Need a HG in the next 12 months?!! Sure you'll need a HG fitted?! O...K.....

[@afoster1621]

Lol what a plum

[@DannyCutts]

lol you know nothing about cars... replace the headgasket properly once and thats it sorted :-)

[@fil3638]

What a load of tosh.

[@paulgrice3910]

Your into 8 hours to do a head gasket, are you kidding, it’s more like 3 hours, yeh very informative 👎

[@ianp6380]

Is this Muppet on day release. He knows absolutely nothing.

[@pannelman]

what a useless waste of time, no help at all. a explanation of how to avoid head gasket fail would have been advisable rather than saying it will happen regardless which is wrong.

[@MrPetenite]

What a complete muppet

[@victortsykunov]

Jesus Christ...

[@mnu20kdj28]

The best thing you can do to one of these complete piles of shit, it set it on fire.A vehicle (can't call the heap a car) with NO redeeming features.

[@grahamstandreang4047]

I have an mgtf and it is a belter I can honestly say whatever you own it will leave it standing so don't talk crap about stuff you know nothing about, you should have been on the vid with the plonker above

[@keithpearce1654]

Have you ever owned one? The most fun you can have with your pants on