Troubleshooting with Steve Rothwell
MG TF REINSTATING AFTER STORAGE
Q I have just bought a 2005 MG TF 135 that has been in storage since 2007 when the owner tragically died. It has only done 6500 miles. It is virtually a brand-new car, but I will of course change the head gasket and cam belt. Underneath, the car is exceptionally clean apart from surface rust on the suspension components, especially the nuts and bolts. There are still bar code stickers on the subframes! I don’t want to dismantle anything, so what would you recommend I use to kill the surface rust and then treat the metal work to prevent it reoccurring?
Jan Taggart
A There are a few points to consider, and one of those is that due to the circumstances, the vehicle would probably not have been prepared for its long storage. With this in mind I would recommend draining the fuel tank, and I would also recommend stripping down and checking the condition and operation of the brakes. Another point to consider is that the tyres may also need to be replaced, along with the battery, and – as you intend to do – the timing belt. As you are replacing the head gasket, you will be renewing the coolant, and whilst doing this the coolant system should also be flushed.
These are all points which you may have already considered, and so to answer your original question about
