Servicing

The Source of the
Resource

What puts a lot of potential owners off buying a Rover V8 engined TVR is the cost of servicing. I have paid nearly £750 for a 12-month service where nothing was wrong with my car, although not with any degree of pleasure. However, the reluctance of owners to pay this sort of money each year has encouraged some specialist garages to offer ‘fixed-price’ servicing and/or a reduced level, ie sub service schedule, of items covered. The other option is that of servicing the car yourself.

Rumours persist of the RV8 being a difficult engine to work on but this isn’t true. It has pushrods, even when the RV8 was designed these were considered old fashioned.

The Resource is intended to inform rather than direct. If you do not know what you are doing with regards to servicing a car then the Resource will not teach you.

It should be remembered that the +8, SV8, Griff and Chim were virtual supercars when they first came out and so safety checks need to be completed with care. Whilst professional mechanics make the occasional mistake, this is normally due to time pressures. There is no such excuse for you.

I have serviced my own cars for years and indeed have built two kit cars and rebuilt one but I started under the control of my father, a fastidious chap who managed to keep his Triumph 650 unit twin oil tight. He always said that if you haven’t got time to do it steadily, you haven’t got time to do it.

Each individual item in the service schedule is given two timings: every 6 months or 6000 miles (whichever comes first) or every year or every 12,000 miles (whichever comes first). Most cars of this vintage are used as second cars and do less than 6000 per annum so all the items under the 12,000 frequency should be completed every year.

A 12,000 mile service takes the best part of the day in a garage and some procedures require two mechanics and this tends to put owners off servicing the car themselves. But when doing it at home you can do a bit one day and then carry on driving and do another little bit another day. This is especially handy if you take your car off the road in winter.

Don’t be put off by the number of tasks. Some take little time.

But if you do not have the necessary knowledge then the Resource will not provide it.

If you you have the ability to service your own Chimaera or Griffith then go to RESOURCE.

Servicing

The Big Change

RV8R has changed.

The website will still contain general articles of interest to those with an interest in Rover V8 engines and TVRs in general but there will also be something aimed at Griffith and Chimaera owners.

Specifically a Resource.

This Resource is available as a free, yes FREE!, download or you can have it on disc although there will be a charge to cover costs, including postage and handling.

The download will consist of a file that is viewed in your default browser, Internet Explorer, Firefox and the like. Initially it will consist of information for those who wish to do all, a lot, some or just a little of the servicing of their cars.

The idea is that as time goes by the Resource will be enlarged, covering more and more things your average DIYer might want to try. It will also cover improvements, refurbishments and bling. And improving the dynamics, such as tuning the engine and chassis.

Go to RESOURCE to discover more and find out how to order.

And yes, it is FREE!