Hi all, be interested to hear what the thinking is behind doing your own maintenance over using a dealer. On the basis that you know what you are doing and have the equipment to do it, would you foresake dealer servicing in preference to doing it yourself or do you feel that the dealer stamp in the book is critical to the resale at some later date ? I appreciate that vehicles still under warranty will be different in this respect but one of the many things that attracted me to the Morgan is its simplicity and such it lends itself to the DIY mechanic. I was getting a bit fed up at the massive servicing costs on some of my previous exotica but had to suffer it partly due to the higher technology but more so for the stamp in the book so critical on some makes.

one downside of DIY is a dealer stamp is usually required for continental breakdown cover.

Well I won't be doing any continental touring, so although I planned to get the book stamped until it was five years old, events of last year made me chose to DIY it - that was basically the dealer wanting the car for a week - plus the inconvenience of getting there & back. If you can prove the service has been done by keeping receipts, that should satisfy most people. My Mog had had four dealer stamps but they hadn't checked the gearbox oil level. I know that - as the heat insulation on the tunnel hadn't been cut to access the level plug, and the plug didn't align with the hole when I did get in there. Not very impressive.
Having said that I don't intend to sell it anyway.

I use a dealer. It takes a day but in reality I don't have the time alas.

For me, part of the fun of ownership is the DIY servicing and maintenance. You then also know, assuming you're reasonably competent in the spanner-weilding department, that things have been done and done properly.
I also find it very satisfying, interesting, and you get to know more about 'your' car. (It's not until I take the wheels off a car that I consider it really 'mine'. A bit like when you move into a new house - it's not yours until you've decorated it!)
And what does a service consist of these days? A quick oil & filter change; pump up the tyres; fill the washer bottle; and a check of a few bolts. All the electrics and fuel injection gubbins are pretty well maintenace free, so go on - get your latex gloves on and get stuck in!

Yep, I'm with the DIY'ers, its part of the owning experience and at least you know the jobs been done properly or if not you only have yourself to blame. No disrespect to the dealers but despite all the fancy PR and nice carpet, they are only as good as the mechanics they have. Can anyone recommend a good service manual that covers the 4.0 ltr Rover V8 engine ?

Try this:

e-bay ref: 300398170485
LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER V8 ENGINE OVERHAUL MANUAL B/NEW
Covers 3.5 to 4.6

Smiffmog,
don't get me wrong I love fixing it myself & have generally done all my own servicing on my "hobby" vehicles such as my MG Midget or Moto Guzzi Le Mans. But in my current job I am away all week so to stay married I have to limit that garage time to adding bits etc.

John

In about 2004/5, when I traded up from a 2001 Saab 9-3 Cabrio to a 1996 Land Rover Defender 110 Station Wagon I selected the 300Tdi engine model even though I could have afforded the newer TD5 model because I wanted to do my own servicing - and I haven't even changed the oil myself since then. Though I have fitted a few accessories!

When I decided to get a Morgan I started off thinking about £20k-plus nearly new that I no doubt would have taken to a dealer for servicing. In the end I found a less-than-£13k 20-year-old model that has already been tinkered with and thought "I could tinker too". It seems to have worked a bit this time - I've greased up the front-end already, I've got a new set of ignition components to fit (and I will fit them...soon), and I've taken out the rear seats and passenger seat to treat with Gliptone Liquid Leather.

For me, part of the fun of ownership is "tinkering" - which is one of the reasons I prefer older cars: they are easier to tinker with and it doesn't affect the re-sale value so much. Unless your older cars are Rollers or Ferraris I guess.

I would join the RAC as they recovered my Dads flat rad from Italy last summer, and the only time thats been near a dealer in the last 42 years is when I've driven it to work