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 Newbie FAQs and essential Metro first advice.Moderators: Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] | |
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111Sli |
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 Transport Guru MP Moderator Posts: 4947     Location: Bromley, Kent | Hi and Welcome to Metropower, we hope you have settled in. This thread is to give you first advice on essential Metro maintenance and popular & cheap first upgrades. First of all, all upgrades and modifcatiosn should be ignored before maintenance is done. 1) Dependant on your cars history specifically then your car may need a general service. This will prolong engine life and keep it running sweet. A guide with photos can be found here. 2) Rust is a big and main Metro killer. Therefore we strongly recommend Waxoyl (which can be bought from Halfords) which kills existing rust and prevents new rust forming. There are a few prone spots you should check and treat accordingly; a - Wheelarches, especially rears but also fronts on A Series Metros (1980-90). Paint right aroudn the inside area of the wheelarches getting into all the nooks and crannies where trapped water could rust out. b - Doors. Paint the inside panels of doors with Waxoyl as sometimes the drains get blocked and water trys to rust out. Check drains and paint all areas of door, especially weld joints and small and confined areas at door edges. c - Sills. On Metros (1980-94) the bottom sill is exposed metal. This should be painted with Waxoyl or Hammerite, although Waxoyl is preferred. On Rover 100s (94-98) this sill has a plastic covering, take these off and give the bodywork underneath a coating of Waxoyl too. d - Floorpan. The front floor pan near the drivers and passenger feet tend to rot from water that enters the cabin through the fan system. Lift your carpets and check for dampness. IF damp/ wet then dry up and leave carpets to dry out, then give floor a coating. e - Sunroof. The drain holes and gutter around the Sunroof on metros and R100s tends to rot when years of leaves and other crap gets stuck, traps water and then rots. The drains get blocked and then rust also there too. Quickly but carefully take the sunroof out and check, give a coating of Waxoyl around the drain holes and weld joints. Any existing rust can have Waxoyl put on it temporarily to stop it progessing while you find time/ tools etc.. to work and repair it. Heavy or severe rust we would recommend you leave to a body shop which may require cutting and welding new metal in. This rust list list is not comprehensive and there are more locations. These, with pictures and diagrams can be found here. 3) Suspension Greasing. This is an essential part of maintenance of a Metro that often gets forgotten, sometimes even in garage servicing as no other car of the period required this. The suspension needs a grease top up every 4-6 thousand miles. You have probably seen a Metro or Rover 100 with very bad rear wheel bias, well that is due to lack of grease, which can lead to MOT failure, expensive repairs or scrap [and another Metro off roads]. Greasing is cheap & easy and only requires a grease gun and grease. Nipples are on both front and back. A guide with photos for greasing can be found here. Now here are the Popular & cheap first upgrades for Metro novices. Mainly cosmetic at first due to young drivers, engine upgrades and insurance not going well together. 1) With a K series Metro or 100 (1990-98) a great upgrade for a car that hasnt already got one, is a rear spoiler. These can be picked up on ebay and in the For Sale section as well as cars being broken, however more often than not there is 1 or more screw caps missing so to find one with all caps is a bonus. A guide for the spoiler can be be found here. 2) With 1990-94 Metros a common upgrade to make the car look slightly more odern is the conversion to Rover 100 rear lights which are a straight fit. These have modern smoked indicator lenses instead of orange. They can also be picked up on ebay, scrap yeards or in the For Sale section. A guide for rear lights can be found here. 3) For K series Metros and Rover 100s, a popular interior upgrade for cars already without one is a rev counter. These initially only came in such models as Gti, GTa and other higher specs. A guide for the rev counter can be found here. 4) Older K series Metros (1990-94) will not have the airbage steering wheel that some Rover 100s have. This is a popular upgrade, especially so as MGF and ZR/S/T wheels can be used, and of course are available in different colours. A guide for the steering wheel can be found here. I hope that is enough to keep you busy and to help keep your Metro in good condition. We have more guided for upgrades and modifcations here but remember that maintenance should be done first. What good is a car full of mods and your hard work when it fails MOT or has to be scrapped? Edited by 111Sli 10/8/2010 3:05 AM | ||
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