new r8 owner - get me off to a good start!

[ronnie_rotten]

Howdy all. I'm new here, so be nice. Or tear strips off me to toughen me up. Your call!

Just got meself an M reg 1.4 twincam 16v, 150,000, miles half leather, nothing too smart, but nice enough for £300 quid with the tax and test.
So now I've got it, I plan to keep it for a bit. What should be the first things to go over to keep it sweet. i appreciate 150k could be on the upper limits for a k series lump, but if i can get some life out of it i'll be happy.

cambelts done 25k ago

google suggests the cooling system's my biggest worry, leading to head gasket failure, but regular coolant changes should help?

just bombard me with stuff to check, change, do. i like getting stuck into new cars.

[214cab]

Welcome to R8 ownership!

I've got a K reg 1.4 SPI cabriolet with 165000 on the clock, i'm sure a well looked after engine should be capable of many more.

Keeping an eye on the coolant system is essential, i had a hose perish that caused my head gasket to go, so if your planning on keeping it for awhile i'd probably advise draining, stripping and inspecting the coolant system for piece of mind. I'm 100% paranoid now and check the water level every couple of days.

Regular oil changes are good too. I try and do mine every 6 months / 6000 miles.

[martinsli]

welcome to the site.
like you say, coolant is your main priority. give the system a good flush it may take a few flushes to get all the crap out.
keep on top of oil and filter changes. i do mine a lot and the oil is still clean when i drop it.
also make sure any rust is sorted out. main places they go are, top of screen, bottom of rear arches/sills, and front wings.
has it had a timing belt change, at 150k i would be getting that done too.

good luck with it, they are great cars. enjoy
sorry just noticed belts have been done.

[216secoupe]

Would also join\register on the R8 owners club - model specific and always get sound advice!

http://www.rover200.org.uk/

[traineecollins]

Coolant flush I used on my Metro;

As it currently is, add half a mug of any washing powder into the coolant expansion tank. Run the car up to temp to get the powder distributed round the engine.

Drive car for about 100-150 miles [4-5 days] with a couple high revs up to 5-6k ONLY WHEN ENGINE IS UP TO TEMPERATURE. This gets the water pump going and it all flowing fast inside.

Then drain the old coolant with washing powder in.

FILL and BLEED the cooling system with plain tap water ONLY, then add another half mug of washing powder, allow engine to get up to temperature and distribute the powder. Then do as above and run for 4-5 days or 150 ish miles.

DUMP Coolant again, then after dumping it, pull the bottom and top hoses off the rad, put the hose in both ends and let it run til the water runs clean, and also put the hose in the expansion tank as well to really ensure all the pipes are cleaned out.

Then fill and bleed system will correct anti freeze etc.. which for an R8 will be the red stuff.

If you want to go the whole hog, get another expansion tank and clean it whilst you are doing this process over a few days and then swap them over. [Easier than doing it in 1 day].

FOR CLEANING THE EXPANSION TANK

1. Remove from car
2. Stuff holes with tissue other than main cap hole
3. Put about 4-5 table spoons of normal long grain rice in.
4. With the rice put in some REALLY boiling water- NOT TOO MUCH, or you will flood the rice and it won't have the abrasive effect on the gunk.
5. Put the cap on and shake like hell in all directions- be careful of the hot water inside incase any of the tissue dislodges.

I have used this method on 4 VERY dirty Rover Metro coolant tanks and they have all come up new beside the plastic stained yellow which you can't remove.


Good luck and take lots of photos!

[martinsli]

might try that myself.
also add onions, peppers, chicken, and chilli powder.

no seriously good tip. the best ways are discovered by trying different things.

[ronnie_rotten]

i'll try anything once!

[ronnie_rotten]

i don't seem to be able to start a new gallery so i can put pictures up here. my guess would be cos i'm a nooby-noob-noob, could somebody with administrator status sort it for me? or do i just need to spam out a few posts to up my count to unlock it?