Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Buying old or new

Very nice they are too.. I'll start saving for one I think as I don't know that even the current plus 4's have been modded.

I've had Webber 45's previously on a 7 and then went to Tb's and would never go back , so very glad to have Tb's on my Mog , instant power delivery from Tb's and performance , they sound great and much more driveability and fuel economy .I remember accelerating in my 7 with the webbers and always had the hesitation before the increase in speed which was unnerving !

my issues listed as "faults" and "gripes"
Faults first year
- faulty fuel gauge (sender unit).
- bonnet leak (eventually diagnosed as just the hinge screws, but any water would come in on transmission tunnel).
- side carpet falling off in footwell
- knocking suspension (5lb hammer to wing strut fixed that!)
Later
- dashboard electrics fail - no speedo, odo or fan
- slow leak tyre valve (maybe not Morgan specific, but i own over 24 wheels. It just had to be the Morgan!)

Gripes
- leather not high quality
- condensation in instrument panel (a 'quirk' of Morgan. Sorry, this is the 21st century, most Caterhams don't suffer this)
- chrome parts are cheap and age quickly
- glovebox catch mechanism is crude and ugly, not even Magnet kitchens use this type of catch anymore. It's also just broken.
small point, but it glares at me next to the lovely wood dash when i open the glove box!
- grease nipples positioned awkwardly; dealer corrected them a few degrees. As you know, you'll need to access these regularly.
- Finally, a small but telling feature: Morgan badge enamel falls out.

As i mentioned, i'm not judging the car by German mass produced standards at all. The car is cared for and stored next to the Lotus which gets driven harder yet is clearly better built for 15k less. MMC haven't had to develop much on this car in 70 years so i expected production quality to have been honed over the years and be much higher.

We're keeping the car and smiling overall! I want to enjoy it. This rant comes after the electrical fault took extra days to diagnose and i had to amend travel plans.

Dealers are fabulous. Skilled, passionate and good humoured!

What's the story with the rad? do i need to consider this?

the choice comes from the hart , not our mind... we take the defaults as forgiven, we love our cars... so do 911 drivers, even there cars are no more then flat hammered beetles.

That is why you need a cover over the spark plugs. It needs to keep the water out of the space between the cams. Water gets trapped there and leaks down past the rubber of the sparkplug caps, and leads to a conductive coating on the outside of the ceramic and corrosion.

Parisa Sorry to hear of all your problems, but my 1979 old lady doesn't have any of them. Im glad to say..,.,.Touch wood {ash}.

I'm aware about most of the faults you mention, Parisa. I only have a different view regarding the quality of the leather, I'm fine with the leather after 5 trad Mogs.. The other issues you are listing may let arise an inconvenient feel, but in my point of view it's not really very serious dramatic stuff. At least no comparison with 3W issues which are of vital significance.
I understand the mentioned issues as a part of the teething phase, which is associated with each single Mog due to her hand built status. Most things have to be sorted only once. And TBH, the ownership comes closer with every piece of badge enamel you will loose.

There is a fuse that covers those specific items. Having said that I have now burnt out 3 dash circuit boards. First was replaced under warranty, second warranty requested (we had thought the problem was dodgy installation of relays), and now the third. Being without fan, and hence aircon, in temperatures in the high 30's is no fun.

Regarding the glovebox catch and hinges: I totally agree. If ever I buy another Morgan it will be fitted with one of Borghi's dashboards.

I have had teething problems with my car - foot well carpet in pax side falling down and threadbare patches out of sight - being replaced. New speedo, leaking air from wheel spokes, condensation on instruments, cowling under steering wheel falling down, ignition barrel replaced, enamel falling out of badge. All sorted by dealer without quibble in the 3 months I have owned it.
Love driving the car but why oh why do Morgan not spend a little bit more time on each car getting them sorted rather than trying to up production numbers. It's not a cheap car and they sell on craftsmanship. The quality needs to shine through. The quality should be remembered long after the cost is forgotten. should be!
It's a great product but the teething problems should be sorted before the customer gets the vehicle.

One of the problems MMC have in my opinion, is that they buy some of their finishing parts on price only with a view that they look good on day one and will just get through the warrenty period.

An example is the wing mirrors: total rubbish and they don't even work on the near side.