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Grohl's big ol' list of problems with his first car (MG ZR 105)

659 views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  lsto 
#1 ·
Hi all, proud owner of a 1.4 MG ZR here, I love it, but it's given me a LOT of grief since owning it in December '16.


I'll preface this by saying, I don't really know cars, so I do appreciate your patience if you have to re-explain something using simpler terminology. I did work on my bike and I know more or less the contents of an engine bay for a car so I'm not a total layman.


Problems are listed in order of severity:


1. Driver window started making a grinding sound when the button was pressed and it was already at the top. I had the window wound down and now it won't go up or down. Because of this.... (2.)

2. The alarm is always going off when the car is locked as the wind is activating some sensor or another. I have to leave the car unlocked.

3. Water leak and a Mechanic suspects the water pump. However I think this is a cowboy mechanic and he did it by visual inspection instead of taking anything apart. This was "diagnosed" by him noting "the engine bay around that general area looked a bit wet" Basically I had to top up the water every week as it had dropped from Max to Min, every week. This has now stopped. I'll tell you what changed, like an idiot I drove 30 miles with the expansion tank cap off (I forgot, cut me a break) the water obviously boiled away until it was almost gone. Since refilling, in over 4 months, I've had to top it up just once. I can't explain it.

4. Engine light comes on and off intermittently. Sometimes it's on for a week, other times it's on for just the journey. Sometimes it stays off for months. The dealer plugged a computer in and it gave some error message, when googling something to do with an O2 sensor?

5. Slowww oil leak. Had an experienced mate look at it and he determines it's probably the Rocker Cover Gasket as there's a lot of fresh oil in the seam where the top plate meets the engine block.

6. Passenger side door grinds when locking / unlocking. Very loudly. I did take the door card off but didn't have the glue substance to put the weather sealing back, so didn't want to take it off to investigate the motor.

7. Whistling sound on driver side door when driving over 60mph. Very annoying, I think this may be caused by a small hole in the rubber seal on the top corner of the door, there's a few small holes there actually.

8. Speaker issues - On CD changer, the left speaker is very crackly and I have to balance audio to the right. On CD player, the right speaker intermittently cuts out. Suspect re-wiring needs to be done but I am looking to replace the Stereo with one that accepts Bluetooth and/or Auxiliary input. On this front, how do I know what is and isn't compatible? Is there a size or type I need? Thanks.

9. CD player sometimes plays all songs in fast forward mode.

10. SRS light pops up intermittently. Fiddling around with the cable under the driver seat the restarting the engine fixes this.

11. Front Licence plate has a stain that is an advisory. I will get this replaced I just wanted to include it to make the list look huge and of course any recommendations on where to go?

12. Seal is coming off around the bottom of the boot door and the rear passenger side door.



I realise a lot of these solutions are stickied somewhere or another, but any general advice that can be given would be appreciated, thank you so much!
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Welcome to the forum :welcome:

It would be important to know what year your car is produced, or what kind of fob you have: oval with logo in the middle or square with two buttons?

1. This problem might be due to stuck window which ran out of runners/guides. For this it would be wise to remove door card and see what is inside. Other potential problem can be electrical nuter, but for that we do need to know what type of fob you have to know,which electrical system you have in the car.

2. Do you have ultrasonic sensor on the b-post/pillar close to roof on the driver side? I do not think that ZR 1.4 have this as standard. If not then your problem might be elswhere like in the boot wiring harness or battery backed-up alarm sounder which can have water ingress.

3. You need to establish regular checking of coolant level in order to know what is going on. Water pump might well be one of possible leak places which, if it is correct, needs to be sort soon before you might end up in bigger problems.

4. Your problem might be O2 sensor.

5. There is no gasket between camshaft cover and engine head, but oil leak might be at that place. Sealing is done with sealing compound and might be wise ro do re-sealing of that cover id that is the suspect. At least it will gove you info if that was the culprit.

6. Central door locking actuator might be the culprit,of this problem, and would be wise to replace it before it gives away completely and you end up with stuck door.

7. Sound can be produced by many factors, like door mirror not fixed properly, or door not sitting properly. It would be important to check how door is sitting when closed, as you might have gap between door and car body, or seal which is broken.

8. Speakers are not connected with CD changer so your problem might be with wiring, speakers themselves or CD changer. 5his would require inspection to find culprit.

9. CD changer might be in its way out, and connected with problem in point 8.

10. Better connector can be solution for this, but be very careful not to fiddle around SRS as it may engage if it has power. You need to have key out od ignition at least

11. I cannot help on this one, so others will need to advise

12. New seal would be good point of call
 
#3 ·
Welcome to the forum :welcome:
Thank you for the welcome and your time.

It's an 05 year, with an oval fob. The range is really short on the fob by the way, but it's not a major issue.


I think I'm going to be taking the door card off today to have a look, and at the very least get the window propped up so it stays shut so I can lock the car.

Thanks a lot again for all the help.
 
#6 ·
If the later ZR is anything like a later TF, in the electronics department that is, then you can lock the car with the key in the door lock which doesn't set the alarm.

That's what you do when you put your car on a vehicle ferry and you don't want the alarm continually sounding.
 
#8 ·
Hi all, proud owner of a 1.4 MG ZR here, I love it, but it's given me a LOT of grief since owning it in December '16.


I'll preface this by saying, I don't really know cars, so I do appreciate your patience if you have to re-explain something using simpler terminology. I did work on my bike and I know more or less the contents of an engine bay for a car so I'm not a total layman.


Problems are listed in order of severity:


1. Driver window started making a grinding sound when the button was pressed and it was already at the top. I had the window wound down and now it won't go up or down. Because of this.... (2.)

2. The alarm is always going off when the car is locked as the wind is activating some sensor or another. I have to leave the car unlocked.

3. Water leak and a Mechanic suspects the water pump. However I think this is a cowboy mechanic and he did it by visual inspection instead of taking anything apart. This was "diagnosed" by him noting "the engine bay around that general area looked a bit wet" Basically I had to top up the water every week as it had dropped from Max to Min, every week. This has now stopped. I'll tell you what changed, like an idiot I drove 30 miles with the expansion tank cap off (I forgot, cut me a break) the water obviously boiled away until it was almost gone. Since refilling, in over 4 months, I've had to top it up just once. I can't explain it.

4. Engine light comes on and off intermittently. Sometimes it's on for a week, other times it's on for just the journey. Sometimes it stays off for months. The dealer plugged a computer in and it gave some error message, when googling something to do with an O2 sensor?

5. Slowww oil leak. Had an experienced mate look at it and he determines it's probably the Rocker Cover Gasket as there's a lot of fresh oil in the seam where the top plate meets the engine block.

6. Passenger side door grinds when locking / unlocking. Very loudly. I did take the door card off but didn't have the glue substance to put the weather sealing back, so didn't want to take it off to investigate the motor.

7. Whistling sound on driver side door when driving over 60mph. Very annoying, I think this may be caused by a small hole in the rubber seal on the top corner of the door, there's a few small holes there actually.

8. Speaker issues - On CD changer, the left speaker is very crackly and I have to balance audio to the right. On CD player, the right speaker intermittently cuts out. Suspect re-wiring needs to be done but I am looking to replace the Stereo with one that accepts Bluetooth and/or Auxiliary input. On this front, how do I know what is and isn't compatible? Is there a size or type I need? Thanks.

9. CD player sometimes plays all songs in fast forward mode.

10. SRS light pops up intermittently. Fiddling around with the cable under the driver seat the restarting the engine fixes this.

11. Front Licence plate has a stain that is an advisory. I will get this replaced I just wanted to include it to make the list look huge and of course any recommendations on where to go?

12. Seal is coming off around the bottom of the boot door and the rear passenger side door.


FORGOTTEN ISSUES

13. Steering wheel sometimes vibrates and

14. Steering moves to the left when I take hands off the wheel.

15. Can't shut vents (when fan is on 0, air still comes out vents)

16. Sometimes I can hear a squeaking when I have driven fast, then slow to city-speeds, it comes from the front driver side wheel and seems to squeak out of synchronisation with the wheel


I realise a lot of these solutions are stickied somewhere or another, but any general advice that can be given would be appreciated, thank you so much!


As an update to 1. - Took the door card off and fished out the window motor from the cavity in the door. Very very messy work seeing as all the glue on the weatherproofing is like a mixture of melted mozzarella and chewing gum. Checked the connectivity using a voltmeter and there is current, took the motor apart and it had seized. Put grease in the worm bearing and that helped, then it seized again after reconnecting it all. Took the whole motor apart and greased the lot after clearing out some of the gunk, took the motor off the scissor mechanism and let it run grease around the treads 360 degrees. Put it back together and now when I press up the window goes down and vice versa. It works for a while but then makes a load grinding sound and seizes up. The motor is junked and I need to buy another, but at least now the window is up so I can lock my car.


Also how the hell do you edit your original posts?
 
#9 ·
Mozzarella and chewing gum lol. Never heard it called that before.
Every now and then I lube up all the rubbers the window goes up and down on with silicone spray, seems to help them slide better and it doesn't dry after a couple of goes like wd-40.
I know your motor has died but it may help the new one.
As for the editing posts I can't edit them on my phone either, might be a computer only thing...
 
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