MG Car Repair: 2005- mg tf, mg sports cars, seal replacement


Question
QUESTION: there is a grinding noise coming from my gear box wen the gear box is slowing down, what can i do to fix this

ANSWER: This sounds serious.  Be prepared for a big bill.  I doubt that anything can be done without removing the entire engine and gearbox from the car.  This is not a do-it-yourself job unless you have a well-equipped garage and lots of experience.

Do not continue to drive the car. If you do, you will end up doing even more damage and make the repair more expensive.

Is the car still within warranty, or do you have some sort of guarantee?  If so, get in touch with the garage that sold the car to you.

If it is out of warranty, I would get in touch with a garage that specialises in MG sports cars.  I live in Cornwall and there is a specialist less than 10 miles away.

I have a directory of specialists in the UK, so contact me again if you need more advice.  


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: it is under warranty, i took it in and they just said it was just the gear box slowing down and that it wasnt serious

Answer
Hi Craig

The gearbox should not make a grinding noise under deceleration.  These gearboxes are extremely reliable and I have never come across a noisy one.  

I would go to a different garage (preferably an MG specialist) and ask for a second opinion.  You also need to keep a written record of when you first brought this problem to their attention.  If the gearbox fails at a later date (outside of warranty) you could argue that it started to fail within warranty so they are still liable to fix it at their expense.

I did have one other thought.  Are you sure that the gearbox has the correct amount of oil in it?  If it has ever been low on oil, that would explain the noise.  The gearbox should be bone dry on the outside.  If it is wet with oil (for example around one of the driveshaft seals), then internal damage may already have been done.  Do not be fobbed off with just an oil seal replacement. Low oil level causes internal damage, including rapid wear to the bearings.  If you have recently bought the car, this may have happened before you bought it.