Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing HELP

HELP

I am seriously considering the purchase of a Morgan 4/4 2 seater. I have visited the nearest dealer, had a test drive and very nearly departed with the £35,000 required to seal the deal. Only the fact that I have inherited that certain something, that people born in Yorkshire seem to have in abundance, stopped me from going ahead there and then. Call it caution, meanness, being careful or just plain awkwardness, something said ‘hang on a minute lad, this is a bit more than a fiver, further research is needed’

Having searched the pages on this website and many others on the internet, the one thing that keeps cropping up is the greasing of the front suspension/steering on the Morgan 4/4.

I have yet to find a 100% answer to this problem. The most common answer being “try it and see”. It seems that approximately every 1000 miles (the distance varies, depending whom you listen to) you have two options. You can either scramble about under the car with a hammer, screwdriver and greasegun, swear and curse a bit, swing the hammer and bob’s your uncle thirty minutes later you are ready for the next 1000 miles. The next option is to buy a “remote greasing kit” which enables you to grease the car from inside the engine bay. The only problem being you still need to lift a certain plate with the hammer and screwdriver to allow the grease to get where it is needed. Then you need to remove excess grease to stop it going onto the brakes, all of which seems to defeat the object of the kit in the first place as you still need to crawl underneath the car.

My problem is this:

I can drive cars but I do not know what makes them work, therefore I have to pay somebody to do the work for me. I estimate I would do 10,000 miles per year in the car. My nearest Morgan dealer is approximately 100 miles away which means a round trip of 200 miles every 1000 miles to get the suspension/steering greased. This means I have to do an extra 2000 miles per year just for this service. Mileage is now estimated at 12,000 miles (pay attention at the back of the class). Having just paid £35,000 for this car, I am now expected, once a month to travel 200 miles for servicing and pay £100? £150? £200? for the priviledge. On top of this the yearly service as required (quoted as £380.00 by Morgan dealer).

Is this something all Morgan owners are expected to do or am I being awkward?

I could take the car to a local Kwik Fit to do the necessary 1000 mile grease application but I have my doubts as to whether Mr. Morgan would honour the guarantee if something went wrong with the car!

I would be very grateful if somebody could come up with an answer to the problem as I would still like to buy the car. I asked the Morgan dealer who when pushed on the subject (he could see his £35000 dissappearing) said he would check with the factory and let me know. Still waiting!

Welcome to talkmorgan, if you have no mechanical knowledge then a 4/4 is an ideal way to acquire some, as long as you can take a joke and don't mind getting your hands dirty there is little to worry about.
You can sit on the fence weighing the pros and cons or do what most people on this forum do, jump in with both feet and enjoy the ride, just be prepared for the fun, fellowship and occasional frustration that is supplied free with every Morgan.

Welcome to the forum. Driving a car is infinitely more difficult than greasing the front suspension. Write the cheque out.

Buy a 4/4. Do it now, immediately. Then live with it for 6 months. Greasing the front suspension is a trivially easy job that will take you 5 minutes to learn how to do. It will increase your feeling of involvement with the car, and make you feel like a proper bloke.

If after 6 months you decide that lying on your back for 10 minutes every couple of months is too much effort, then you can sell the car for very nearly what you paid for it, possibly more!

Of course, what will actually happen is that after 3 months you will be deeply and irrevocably in love with the thing, you will have realised all the scope for buying additional man-toys in the shape of tools and equipment, you will be wondering how you ever thought that paying someone else to look after your pride and joy could ever have been a good idea, and you will be trading maintenance hints and tips with the rest of us like you've had grease under your fingernails for 30 years.

Go for it, you won't regret it!

Welcome to TalkMorgan. Like you I am mechanically inept, have never serviced my cars and always paid someone else to do it . I still get my MOG serviced annualy by a Morgan dealer but I have had fun tinkering . For the first time in my life I have used a grease gun, it's a great way to learn and I find even the simplest jobs most satisfying.

Sir Percival,
There are a few myths here. 1) the newer cars - post, I think 2006 - do not have damper blades so there are no "certain plates" to lift with any tool!! 2) 2 pumps of a medium sized grease gun through the remote greasing kit every 1000 miles is, IMHO sufficient grease for the front suspension and there is NO need to engage a mechanic for this operation.

If you don't use a remote greasing kit, it is perfectly possible for the least mechanically minded to apply grease to the grease nipples on the suspension -- it requires only a trolley jack and axle stands which can be bought in your local Halfrauds for under £50. You'll be surprised how easy it is and you'll get the satisfaction of doing something on the car yourself. If you join the local section of the MSCC one of the members will show you how it's done and will be delighted to do so.

However, this said, a Morgan is NOT a Toyota(Thank God!) and it IS necessary to check that all bolts etc under the car are tight at least once per year, and some would say twice. If you are not prepared to do this, then you could engage a local competent mechanic to do this check on the half year and it won't cost the earth (Says he with Scottish ancestry!!!)-- your dealer will do this as part of the service annually.

Therefore the front suspension should not cause you a moment's thought in practical terms and the enjoyment you'll get from your Morgan will greatly outweigh a half-yearly inspection by a local mechanic.

Go buy the car , join the MSCC and enjoy yourself!!!!

I have just brought a 4/4. I have an interest in things mechanical but little/no experience. Whilst I was waiting for the car to be be delivered I brought a grease gun (having read probably the same stuff as you).

It's simple. Insert the cartridge in to the gun, place hose over the grease nipple (they stick out so easy to see), tighten it with your finger, give a squeeze or two, undo - job done. As mentioned above really does take 5 mins.

Also as mentioned a sense of achievement once done.

I have ZERO regrets from buying mine - sure that you will not too. Made me smile first time I drove it...and still does!

Agree with everything that has been said here, greasing the front is trivial (Even for me, who was initially confused by the term "screwdriver" until I realised that that is the alternative name for a paint tin opener)

A once a year professional service should cover the important aspect of making sure all the bolts are tight.

Sir Percival.
You will have realised by the posts so far, that the most difficult part of owning a 4/4 is actually making the initial decision to buy one.
Once that decision is made and until you drive your car for the first time, you will probably suffer from the thoughts of "what have I done?"
But from that moment you get your car, the magic takes over.
You will realise you have bought a piece of English history, a vehicle that makes motoring a pleasure and every journey something you will look forward to.
The tinkering, greasing and general looking after will become a pleasure and your car will reward you over and over again.
I have owned my 4/4 for 7 years and not once regretted the decision.
A Morgan, the Morgan Factory, Morgan Drivers and the pleasure of Morgan ownership are all very special.
If you still have any doubt, get yourself a copy of the Morgan Centenary Weekend DVD.

Looking forward to seeing you on the road one day!
Keep us posted



Bud

__________
2003 - 4/4

Sir Percival, welcome to the forum.
What are you waiting for, write that cheque.
I bought my car Sept 2011. Last time I serviced or really worked on a car apart from changing bulbs and wipers myself was 1980. All sinced services done by main dealers. Based on earning more than a service would cost.

Getting less mobile as time moves on I too was concerned about getting underneath and greasing the suspension. Anyway apart from redirecting the lower right hand side nipple, I do the greasing myself and do not find the need to jack up the front of the car.
It is so simple that I have yet to fit the remote greasing kit I have bought.
Believe me greasing should not be an issue.
One tip is grease the bottom one first and then the top one so that you can be sure that the grease has flowed at the bottom and the top of the suspension.
You won't regret it.