Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Aero 8, 2012< Plus 8, SuperSports, Coupe & Aeromax New series 1 owner

Hi
After years of longing for an Aero 8 i am about to seal the deal on a series 1, i have read the many posts about the various problems that the cars have had but i am keeping my fingers crossed that the one i am purchasing has had all the gremlins sorted by now, it has done just under 50k miles and has a massive service and maintenance file, is there anything major that i should be looking for before i finally hand over my hard earned £'s.
Any advice most welcome

Well done

Just drive it and check that everything works inc the electric demist on screen and side glass.

If you can get one of the existing owners from the board to join you in a drive and inspection they can compare the key points.

Hi Hugo. I purchased an S1 end of June and am delighted. The 'what to look for' thread was invaluable. One thing that was important for me to understand was the 'drivetrain shunt' issue. I hadn't really fully understood what that felt and sounded like until I drove the car and now find it part of the character and a pleasant challenge to smooth clutch deliver on start and on change first to second. I can see from the file on my car that the previous owner didn't 'get' that and the noises obviously worried him! The fact that he sold makes me the beneficiary of that! If you want a chat at any stage to a new owner PM me a number and you are welcome to talk.

Ian

welcome to Aero8 ownership Hugo

Cerealsurfer's buying guide on TM is a good source of info. plus, reading through past Aero posts helps you to see the problems some others buyers have endured

Despite some of these issues,I'm betting you will soon be

James

Well Hugo, from one Lincolnshire (flat bit) S1 owner to another there are a few things you can look for, but you know most of these I am sure with your home work. So a few things that I have learnt/areas that might get overlooked.

Battery's are small and do get heated quite. A bit, so they need to be in tip top condition to start the car. So if not fitted or owned a ctek conditioner is a pretty good investment.

The electric Windows can fail, the cable gets dry in the spool and corrodes with water ingress and no use.....then snaps. slow and graunching windows are a sign and simple lube job is all it needs.

The oil filter lines can chafe as they pass through the body to the wing, have they been replaced? I would add power steering fluid lines to that as well.....mine failed recently.

Now......wheel nuts........I can not stress enought the need to regularly check that they are tight and the grub screw is located and tight. 2 of mine came loose following a service and 1 the year later after another service.....so as you collect the car, get the owner to show you how they look tight. The tell tale for me was initially a rubbery squeak at parking speed when unloading the offending wheels. For others, the wheels came off.

The engine MIL is not on, it just looks like it is

Good luck,

I love my S1, not a lot I can add to the above posts, maybe check diff for oil seal leak and look for the plastic air dam under the gearbox. Also check for smell of fuel in the boot. Otherwise, enjoy it!

Oh! And knock off the power under the bonnet when you garage it.

Hugo, welcome S1 ownership, the only thing to the above I can add is if under hard acceleration at around 4-5k revs you get hesitation, feels like fuel starvation don't panic. I had this and found the 10 bolts that hold down the inlet manifold yo the block are in fact fixed length tubes like a mushroom with a rubber washer under it that pushes down the head. The rubber washer compress and then you get air leaks especially when cold. Simple job to replace and £2.70 each from BMW.

Hugo,
Good choice, hope you enjoy your car for many years.
In my 5th year of the S1 experience and it has never been off the road. I have had irritations, like drive train shunt, clicking on starting and random tyre pressure alarms but nothing to cause a break down. Be careful with your wheels, as has been said, the grub screw must be fully housed in the slot to be safe.
Dave