The history of issues/problems/servicing during my ownership.

This is what it comes down,  how much does it cost to run.   Servicing, problems and issues all of that will be documented below.
 

April 2015. 
Alarm / Immobiliser got it’s knickers in a twist – when I unlocked it, it locked and the reverse when I locked it.  Alarm guys called out and problem fixed.   An annoyance given that I didn’t want to drive it just in case the immobiliser side of things got funny whilst travelling. Got the instructions so if it happens again I know what to do.

Nov 2015
t’s the first time it’s been in for a service since I took ownership of it.  minor problem occurred just prior to booking it in – the Oil Pressure warning indicator came on warning of high pressure then it would drop to normal, so it was added to the list of things to get fixed whilst it in was in getting serviced.   Also on the list was that the brakes occasionally didn’t feel like they were consistent in their braking abilities.

So this was a 6K service (Nov 2014 was a 12,000) although I don’t think it was a proper one (more on that later).

So along with the service some minor items had cropped up – the engine mounts had sagged (they all do that) so Dan replaced them with an uprated set which will probably not fail for the rest of their life or at least for a while anyway.

The oil pressure sender was replaced and it’s functioning properly now.

It seems that the brake fluid doesn’t look like it had been changed for a while (it was dark) and there was some air in there so that would explain the occasional inconsistency in braking.   Annoyingly the 12K service its previous owner seemingly had should have replaced the fluid.   Ah well it’s braking like a dream now.

Taking it home from Taylors it’s like a different car, seems to run easier and idle happier.
6000 Mile service and replaced the engine mounts.

Dec 2015
One thing that annoyed me during the summer was that the LCD dash when the sun was shining you couldn’t really read the display. So errors/alarms if any were not going to be visible.

Found out that Lee Gascoyne makes replacements which are relatively easy to retrofit as a direct replacement.  An Order was placed a few months back and it was always planned to be a job for the winter.

Instructions for replacements are here –
So much better afterwards.

Mar 2016

The Yokohama tyres that were on the car had been on since the car was effectively new.  They were date stamped for 2006 but still had plenty of tread left on them (6mm).  However I felt that the ride in the car wasn’t being helped by the lack of give on the sidewalls.  Potholes were bad and shocking to the spine, even minor bumps on the road were quite solid so it was time for them to be replaced.   We also had a European road trip involving the Autobahns coming up so I didn’t want to mess about just in case.

Three years later on I’ve an update – check for May 2019 below.

Jun 2016

Issue with cutting out whilst pulling away when the engine is hot. Earthing rewired from Lambda sensor and retuned

Aug 2016

21500 miles in.   On a short run (couple of miles) the clutch started to squeal but despite trying to get it home it failed and I lost the clutch completely.   Initial diagnosis put it as the slave cylinder but whilst we were in there it made sense to have a look at the clutch itself.   Given that it had done 21500 miles and none of the service receipts mentioned a clutch being replaced I figured it was a logical time to change it.  When it was taken out the clutch only had three fingers left and they were hanging on by a wing a prayer.

Decision made – change the clutch, replace the slave cylinder and also the bearing at the same time.

All done and back on the road feeling like new.   It seems that the average clutch goes on the Sagaris at about the 20,000 miles so mark so I don’t feel so bad changing it.

October 2016 
Steering fluid leak coming from the front right hand side of the rack.  So the rack has been removed and sent away to Birmingham to be renewed and fixed with new track rod ends etc.

January 2017 

Coming back from a recent TVR breakfast meet at the Teal Cafe it was misfiring and running as rough as a badgers arse.  It only did it when it was warm so I figured it was the coil that was playing up.   So a replacement coil and new leads were duly ordered.

It was all replaced and whilst we were there the CATs were removed from the exhaust.  Provides a much throatier noise with the occasional pop/bang.   Definitely louder on acceleration but when cruising it’s hardly noticeable.

May 2017
6000 mile service. Nothing else required.

August 2017
Whilst on the Backhome Newhome TVR organised event we’d done a round the UK trip prior to heading to Blackpool to join others for a run to TVR’s new home. Brake fluid light came on; topped it up. Next day; light came on again- no leak to be found. Decided not to run through the Welsh twisties and opted to head home instead. Since the brake and clutch share the same reservoir I didn’t know which one it was so we went for it. 190 miles to home without touching the clutch or brakes once. Not bad for M6/M1/M25/M20. Transpires that the clutch release bearing had a small leak through a scratch. Thankfully replaced under warranty.

July 2018
6000 mile service, only done 2,500 since the last one.

July 2018

Indicator side repeater on the drivers side was slack. New one ordered.

February 2019.
It seems there’s a small leak from the diff onto the exhausts, access isn’t straight forward which basically means the bottom rear of the car has to come out (body, exhausts, fuel tank).

April 2019
Diff was sent off for full repair and I took the opportunity to clean and tidy up major parts as well as getting the fuel tank bracket re-made (Mr Grinder was required due to limited access on the fixing bolts).

Factory graffiti on the fuel tank, cleaned up and restored.

Feb 2020 There still seems to be a small leak from the clutch slave area. Not a lot; but the fluid over time is going down. I play safe and get the whole thing replaced.

June 2020.

The Clutch whilst appearing good, wouldn’t let me engage gears when I went to move it from the garage. Time to get the man in again, no rush due to the various lockdowns we had during 2020.
Upon further investigation the slave is fine, looks like the master is playing up so that’s changed and whilst they were there they changed the hoses as they were slightly suspect.
Due to COVID I had sorned the car so was unable to give it a good test; it’s sat there for a few months and when I went to use it I was able to use the clutch which was a good sign. Previously I’d not been able to use it after a day or so.

Whilst the clutch was getting done, when the exhausts were off it was noticed that the hangers at the rear for the exhausts were perished and needed replacing. So they were both replaced.

October 2020
Door seals were replaced; so much better having them spring out again when the release is pushed.

April 2021
The small oil leak near the bulkhead as well as that cylinder being down a little in pressure had been annoying me for a wee while so I bit the bullet and decided whilst the engine was going to be out to fix those problems I may as well take the opportunity to give the engine a good bill of health by giving it a rebuild. Off to Powers Performance it went. There’s a whole page for that here.

August 2023
Seem to be going through tyres earlier than I expected so I get it in for a full alignment check. Yes it’s out and the adjusters are bit stuck so I order a new set of track rod ends and toe adjusters from Powers.
Once it’s adjusted to the spec it’s supposed to be running on it’s time for some new rubber.

July 2025

Remarkably quiet the past couple of years apart from the regular servicing. From Sept 2024 through to the end of July 2025 it was SORNd because I had an eye problem and didn’t feel confident enough of driving it with one good eye and one that was fairly useless (legally I was allowed to drive).

Anyway; there was a small coolant leak at the front of the vehicle whilst in the garage and whilst getting it MOTd I got the garage to check whilst it was up on the ramp. Transpires that the radiator had a small leak.

So time for a new radiator. When it came out it definitely was leaking (and had been for a while by the looks of it).

The radiator came from Powers Performance, not cheap but a quality product. Also whilst there the connectors on the twin fans were stripped and cleaned up to ensure connectivity; why TVR didn’t pick waterproof connectors for this area who knows.

August 2025

It had been fine running about local areas but it seems taking it on a European trip was too much for it, I’d been watching the temperature gauge like a hawk anyway and the temperature was getting too hot on the autobahn so we pulled off and got recovered. Transpires by the road side that the coolant was leaking from somewhere at the front as you can see from the photo.

We got recovered off the autobahn and eventually it was recovered home to the UK, cutting short our trip to the Italian alps. C’est la vie.

Sept 2025
When the car came home it was straight into finding out if the new radiator had failed (they’re not exactly easy to see where it’s leaking from). In a repeat of the previous months work, the radiator was taken out and tested; there wasn’t really any diagnosis needed. The bleed valve was loose which is bloody annoying as when the rad is installed you can’t actually reach it and when it was initially installed we never noticed it. It’s been threadlocked and reinstalled.

Current running costs are as below.