MG Rover 25 Build Blog

Due to the impending refurb of my spare set of alloys, I wanted to tidy up the brake/wheel area.

Using some Halfords Brake Cleaner I got most of the crap off the calipers, then took a wire brush to them, and finally sanded the main face. I sanded the main face ready for the white X-Power vinyl decals I acquired to go there.

I got the vinyls from a member of theMGZR.co.uk (Dazzer) who runs his own custom vinyl business, very nice chap. Got them specially made up the right size for the 1.4 calipers.

I repainted the calipers in the same Hammerite smooth red as before.

The calipers needed two coats of paint to get them looking as good as they could be, wanted to give them a good going over so they last a fair while.

Whilst I was there I noticed my new mintex discs had gone rusty in the non contact areas. This was making the wheel area look very untidy. So I painted them with black engine enamel, which not only covers up the rust but should prevent any more rusting.

All in all the wheel/brake area looks a treat now, makes it look very fresh and a bit sportier/newer.

(Note: In the pictures the before shots are of the opposite side to the finished shots as I forgot to take pictures of the process on just one side.)

Before

Painted

Applying the Vinyl

Finished

Finished - Wheels On

This service spanned a 1000 miles, from 67,000 to 68,000, due to needing the car intact for a month, meaning the discs and pads couldn't be changed in case anything went wrong. Anyhow all parts have now been changed.

Parts that have been changed:

Fuel filter - MG Rover original part - WJN 101191
Oil Filter - Halfords - HOF213
Mobil Super S - 10W-40 Semi Synthetic Oil
Castrol Differential Oil - EPX 75W-80
Mintex Brake Box - MDK0008

First thing changed was the engine oil, this went without problem as its changed regularly, as with the oil filter.

The fuel filter however was a pain to get off, one of the bolts would not budge. At almost the point of rounding the bolt gave way luckily. The old filter had some surface rust, but obviously its not possible to see the state of inside. I decided to change it because at one point it was run constantly on only £10 worth of fuel at a time, so I thought some crap might have been drawn up, and the car is now 9 years old so it was about time.

Brakes were next. The discs on the car were low, and hadnt been changed since I bought the car. On first inspection it was clear they weren't in good condition but on measuring and comparing with the trusty haynes it appeared they were below the minimum threshold. The disc was not only low but wavey on the surface, so it was now not wearing uniformly.

On a recommendation mintex discs and pads were bought to replace them. Fitting went smoothly with no problems or dodgey bolts, thankfully.

First impressions were that they need bedding in, very spongey and didnt exactly stop too well. After about a week they are as good as the previous brake set up, and also no squeaking. It might almost be a valid comment to say they are slightly better.

Whilst at the job, the brakes were bled as well, make sure there was no air in the system.

Lastly and most surprising in its results was the gear box oil change. The gearbox had become pretty problematic, not going into gear and feeling generally rough. The swap to the castrol oil cured all of this, gears now change very smoothly and is a pleasure once again to drive. It must be noted the large amount of filings on the drain bolt though, which was cleaned off as well as possible. This could have contributed to the dodgey gear changes.

Service Parts