Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Low Mileage Service

My 2011 3.0 litre roadster was serviced by Krazyhorse prior to my purchase last March.
Due to Covid it's only covered 600 miles😣
Need to book into Beamish Morgan for MOT.
What level of service will it need,ie would greasing and health check surfice,or is oil change etc necessary/ recommended.
Thanks again folks.

Hi,

Many years ago I had an interesting discussion with an oil man who advised oil takes in water so even low mileage oil should really be changed. Filter should be ok but drain out old oil.

I do my own servicing and, irrespective of mileage, cover everything in an annual service plus interim inspections.

Some points to consider.....
Did KH change the brake and clutch fluid? If unsure then change it.
Anti freeze.....test
Spark plugs......untighten then retighten (to correct torque) just to ensure a lack of removal doesn’t get them stuck tight.

Hope this helps.

I am not so sure about the hygroscopic properties of engine oil. But still, everybody recommends oil change once a year, regardless of mileage. Apart from that - greasing the front suspension of course. The rest depends on what was done at KH. 600 miles is not that much, so I do not think there is much to be done. But as SALMO says, the brake fluid is very important, specially if the car is not driven for a long time. Brake fluid IS hygroscopic, and needs to be changed every two years or so. Apart from that: a spanner check, thightening every loose nut you can find. There will be some, believe me. Check for chafing, check the hood, etc. A nice way of getting to know your car.

It is also worth greasing the kingpins as that can reduce/remove any slight play that the tester might pick up on.

I would say definitely change the brake & clutch fluids. Have them check the rear brake pistons for rust & lubricate if needed.
Do a spanner check & grease the king pins. I also annually grease the rear leaf springs.

Check lights & horn for function before the MOT.

Ask them to grease the prop shaft.

Gomog has a service schedule.

Hi MC

For clarity here's an extract from the oilman's email to me (sorry if my post may have confused)........

........ even at a low mileage a small amount of contamination from the combustion process is enough to start the degradation process. The engine manufacturer has a distance / time oil change interval which is based on the oil working in the engine protecting it against corrosion etc. even when it’s not being used.

An oil change maintains the properties of the oil in keeping the engine protected and lubricated ( its cheap insurance really ). I would advise against starting the engine and running for short periods, this does more harm than good as condensation is formed which can create acids in the engine – best to take the car and give it a ½ hour run to keep everything well protected and burn off any moisture that has formed in the engine over time whilst stood. Also, good idea to change the oil before laying up as that ensures the oil is clean whilst stood.

Strongly agree with above although sometime unavoidable if needing to move car in or out of garage for example.

The vintage diesel in my narrowboat has benifitted from turning engine over during the various lockdowns in the past 12 months. With decompressors set I operate the starter until oil pressure comes up once every two or three months. This also keeps the injection pump nicely primed. During lay up a smart charger is permanently connected allowing immediate re-charge of battery.

My Morgan had its oil changed June 2020 and has done about 1000 miles since. Unlike old mineral based oil, modern semi or fully synthetic oils are designed to last longer.

For example BMW oil change intervals for fully synthetic oils are up to 17,000 miles and this can be well over 12 months in time. I'm not therefore too worried in having the fully synthetic oil changed in exactly 12 months from last June given my low mileage. Id check what had been done in the last services and go through everything else though.

Thanks for your replys.
Will go through service history and arrange towards end of month.
Tax from April,hopefully not so much salt on roads here in Durham and looking forward to Covid relaxation, already 3 weeks since my jab😆
Can't wait to see you all in future.
Regards Malcolm.

Oil and filter for sure. Grease as well. Small quick jobs minimum cost.