MGF/TF An owners view

Introduced in 1995 the MGF was a complete departure in design from the traditional MG sports cars we had become familiar with. All that front engine, rear drive, coil ifs, live rear axle on leaf springs stuff was consigned, finall , to the bin. In its place came a transverse mid mounted 1! valve engine driving the rear wheels, suspended on Alex Moultons superb " dragas suspension s stem, interconnected front to rear. #he whole technological masterpiece clothed in a beautiful bod designed b Gerr McGovern.

Although launched at the Geneva show in March 1995, deliveries to $.% customers did not commence until &ecember of that ear. 'oad testers raved about the car, praising its engine, handling and particularl , ride (ualit . #he " dragas s stem suiting the small sports car better than an other car to which it had previousl been fitted. #here was more to come. In March 199! the ))* engine made its debut in the MG+, improving the alread ade(uate performance considerabl . It was all going so well, but unfortunatel , as with so man products from ,ongbridge it wasn-t long before it became apparent that once again the car had been released before being full developed. I remember so well test driving an earl .white 1.. standard model at m local dealer. It was, how can I put this/ awful. I couldn-t understand what all the fuss was about, and felt sure that road testers must receive speciall built cars, totall unrepresentative of what ou and I actuall bu . 0efore even getting in, a damp stain on both seats confirmed what I had alread heard. #hese hoods lea1ed. &riving off things got worse. #he speedometer didn-t wor1, the gear change was poor, there were some horrible noises coming from the suspension, and the car was badl affected b cross winds, feeling dangerousl light at the front, and needing constant correction to maintain a straight course. &on-t get me wrong, I reall did want to li1e the car, but these faults plus the fact that there was an 1! wee1 waiting list and the 21!1 list price was non negotiable sent me straight to m Ma3da dealer. 4nce there I found a 5 month old M65 1.. for 215,577, and it drove beautifull . #he deal was soon done. 8tories soon came out about the dreaded "ead Gas1et +ailure affecting earl MG+ models, and so I was pleased with m choice at that time. I still followed the development of the MG, perhaps secretl hoping to return there some time in the future. #he 9777 M: cars were introduced with improved interiors including a long awaited ad;ustable steering column to improve the driving position. <ven bigger changes were to come in 9779 with the announcement of the TF.

=ow, I must admit I have never been ver happ about so called face lifts applied to cars that have passed their first flush of outh. #he st lists generall get it right the first time and an subse(uent tin1ering usuall ma1es matters worse. It is ;ust seen as a wa of s(uee3ing a few more ears from a model whose sales have started to decline. #he MG+, to m e es at least, didn-t loo1 li1e a design that needed fixing. "owever, I have to admit the wor1 >eter 8tevens and his team did, sharpening the original shape of the MGF is an ?almost@ total success. =ot entirel happ about the grille and those huge blac1 openings front and rear, but overall, it-s a success, which is more than can be said about the other ma;or change/ the suspension. I 1now it was said at the time, the reason MG 'over ditched the " dragas s stem was because it was felt conventional coils and dampers would improve the cars handling. =o doubt it did, but along the wa it also completel obliterated the superb ride (ualit MGF had alwa s been praised forA Bust to ma1e absolutel sure ou could feel ever bump in the road, however small, the also replaced nice s(uidg rubber subframe mounts with extra hard aluminium ones. >erfectA =o, I thin1 the real reason came down to MG 'overs perennial problem, Mone . Chen the Metro went out of production, the onl car left in the range using " dragas units was the MG+. It was ;ust no longer financiall viable to produce them. <xcellent though the " dragas s stem is, in use to avoid uneven t re wear and unpredictable handling it is essential to have the correct ride height and wheel alignment. It is possible to lower the ride height of the car, but, it must be done b fitting the correct suspension lowering 1nuc1les, not b simpl reducing s stem pressure. I also test drove a MGTF, and while being suitabl impressed with the improvements made to the model over 9 ears, I could not live comfortabl or otherwise with that suspension s stem. Aftermar1et 1its are now available, ?see below@, consisting of replacement high (ualit dampers, that are said to greatl improve the ride and comfort of earlier models. +ortunatel , MG 'over finall succumbed to pressure and decided, following man adverse comments in the motoring press, that the had ta1en things ;ust a bit too far in the search for an involving drive. +or the 9775 M: changes were made to the spring rates and, at last, the rideDhandling balance was restored. M search led me to one of these final cars, easil recognisable b the glass rear screen and centrall mounted TF badge. +ollowing m initial en(uir I withdrew until the dealer reduced the price to what I considered to be an acceptable level. It was well worth the 9 ear wait. It is a fantastic little car, beautifull balanced with superb steering. #he other ma;or change F to TF being a reduction in turns loc1 to loc1 from 5.9 to 9.9. 4nl the (ualit of the trim lets it down, but that I can live with. Although it does not have the same solid feel to it ou get with an MG0, ?roll hoops help, see below@, it still loo1s, feels and, most importantl , drives li1e a real MG.

#his leaves one area of concern/ that delightful % series 1! )alve engine, with its appetite for "ead Gas1ets. <arl cars were more li1el to suffer gas1et failure, due to poor design, but despite improvements made to the engine over the ears, it still has the potential to fail and cannot be ignored.

$nfortunatel there are a number of reasons wh gas1et failure can occur. +irstl , this engine is of unusual design. Instead of the bloc1 being studded with the c linder head and gas1et being held down b nuts, it is essentiall a sandwich construction with long bolts passing through the head, gas1et, c linder bloc1, screwing down and clamping into a rail at the base of the engine. #his ma1es for a ver strong construction which actuall clamps tighter the hotter the engine gets. "owever, it does mean it is advisable to treat the engine gentl when cold, restricting revs until the temperature gauge shows normal. #his also explains wh man head gas1ets fail during winterA <arl cars were fitted with n lon dowels to locate the head but these were found to allow the head to move slightl causing gas1et failure and were subse(uentl changed to steel. Most earl cars will have had the head gas1et changed b now. If ou do have the misfortune to blow the gas1et it is well worth fitting the latest ,and 'over t pe and modified bottom rail developed b +ord, for the +reelander. It-s also wise to replace the water pump and cambelt It must be remembered that the % series was designed initiall for use in small +C& cars and re(uired to reach operating temperature as (uic1l as possible, to reduce emissions on short runs. Cith this in mind coolant capacit is low which means a regular chec1 must be made as there is ver little in reserve. #he TF is fitted with a coolant level sensor lin1ed to a dashboard warning light. #he MG+ has no such feature, but an after mar1et device is available and I would strongl recommend fitting one of these. It gives both an audible and visual warning and is certainl cheaper than an engine rebuildA 8ee contacts below. >roblems are worse for the MGF/TF as the radiator is mounted in a remote location with long coolant pipes running down the centre of the car. #his results in thermal stress across the engine as it ta1es time for the thermostat to read the engine temperature. In the TF this is overcome b relocating and using a different t pe of thermostat. It is possible to modif a MG+ to a >ressure 'elief #hermostat, ?>'#@ but not easil . #hose long coolant pipes, mentioned above, common to both cars are another problem. #he are made of mild steel exposed to the elements and therefore the corrode, another source of coolant loss. I intend to replace mine with stainless steel pipes when the coolant is due for changing. Again see contact list below. Man of these changes have of course been incorporated into the reborn TF following the companies ac(uisition b 8AI*.

Another change I have made to m own car, and can thoroughl recommend is the fitment of 'oll "oops, available from the MG+ *entre. Apart from the obvious safet advantage the offer, the fitment includes a ver substantial reinforcing beam fitted across the car, ;ust below the hoops. #his transforms the wa the car feels to drive, imparting a wonderful degree of solidit and surefootedness. &espite its problem areas, the F/TF is a great car and as time moves on it now offers exceptional value for mone as a fun used car bu .

,ion Garages, 0edlington MG4*. *ambridge, ,4,A'M 0rown and Gammons MG+ *entre )ehicle "andling 8olutions

#el. 71!E7 .9.575 'epairsD8ervice #el. 7195F 95799. >arts #el. 715.9 .59575 Cater level #el 71F!9 F977F9 >arts #el. 71979 F55177 >arts #el. 7E.E115!15E &ampers.

8tephen 'uddic1 August 9717