BRM Buyers Guide!

Hi guys. I feel a useful guide on what to look for when buying a BRM would be helpful to people who maybe do not know what to look for. Some of the items listed maybe apparent to many, but bear in mind, not everyone has the same mechanical ability

BODYWORK

Roof gutters - Usually just the front near the windscreen, but have been known to go at the rear near the tailgate too.

Arches - All four will rust. The front wings aren't too bad as they are only held on with 6x10mm bolts, so can be easily replaced. Rear arches can be trickier and can rust toward the bumper mounts all the way round to the sill!!

Sills - These can rot too, but it tends to be just the stone guarding coming away and nothing serious.

Boot Hinges - These will be the worst to tend too. The variations are from a light rub down and paint, to chopping out the rust and welding in new metal.

Boot lock - These tend to rust, but nothing to serious and again, at worst held on by 4x10mm bolts, so easily replaceable.

Doors - These have been known to have spots here and there, although not all will show signs of rust.

Barring the above areas, just the usual checks for accident damage is required.

Sunroof - Rubber surrounds fitted to the glass have a metal strip inside which commonly rusts and bubbles under the rubber. There is a guide on how to repair this on the site or a guy in Lancashire will replace for a new one for £120!!

MECHANICAL

Good service history is a must with any K-Series. If people can't be bothered getting there car serviced, what else can't they be bothered to do?

Engine - Check oil and coolant levels and make sure all are correct and no obvious signs of HGF are visible. Brown coloured water/oil are the biggest tell tales, but not the only way listen for misfires too!!

Leaks - Oil leaks are fairly common. Check cam seals for leaks, rocker cover leaks and any leakage from the head. Rocker covers are an easy fix, but others can be very costly!!

Cambelt change? When was it done? This can be several hundred pounds to replace, so very important that it has been done recently!!

VVC Mechs - If the mechs are noisy, you will hear them. If your not mechanically minded, then stay well clear as the price of having them replaced will be more then the car cost!

Brakes - Front callipers can seize the bottom slider pins, especially on the N/S as this side sees the most puddles. However, they can be renewed with a new slide pin kit for £40/axle. But be warned, they can snap in the carriers!!

Rear callipers is every Rover owners MOT nightmare!! These are no different and can fail parking brake tests yearly!! On the plus side, new callipers are fairly cheap. On the test drive apply handbrake fully and try to reverse, sometimes you may feel one side lift and not the other, clear giveaway that one calliper isn't working as efficiently as the other!!

Suspension - Check for obvious leaks on the shockers. On the front, reach in the wheel arch and feel inside the spring cup and check for any misting. The struts on these are unique, and hard to find nowadays!!

Radiator - Check for blue/red stains where coolant has leaked from the core, these are common but are easily and cheaply replaced.

Exhaust - Main areas are the downpipe/centre/backbox although not overly expensive to replace, it's a cost nonetheless!! Downpipes are around £35 and the rest of the system around £80-90.

Wheels - The original BRM alloys have BRM centre caps. If the car your viewing has Rover caps, then the wheels are not original. Although they appear the same, the centre caps are not interchangeable, so a set of original wheels will need sourcing (£100+). Originally these where fitted with Dunlop SP tyres and these are still great tyres to have on these cars.

INTERIOR - Red, oh lovely red, well if your lucky!!! Most carpets will be pink or orange and as yet, no one has found a solution!! Most of the interior is bespoke to the BRM, so this is the place that needs to be original and tip top order!! You can find used items and switches etc are standard 200 Rover style, but heater dials, gearknob, handbrake, window switches are the nice alloy style. Check the heater works on all 4 settings, if not it will me the switch behind the glove box. Cheap fix, but still a pain!!
Clock displays are common for loosing pixels on the whole Rover range, the BRM is not exempt from this either. Can be bought and replaced, check for 4 or 6 pin plug types though

Intermittent wipers are a common failure and although there is a fix, it's easier to get a new or used motor.

If you find a BRM with none of these faults listed above......

BUY IT!!

 

A couple of questions regarding originality of parts when looking...

When it comes to O.E. optional extras, was it just Aircon, Passenger Air Bag, and CD Player (mounted under seat or in boot?)

Also the sun roof glass is tinted in our petrol 200, but clear in my diesel. Is it tinted in the BRM?

 

Optional extras where indeed limited to passenger airbag, A/C and CD changer. Sunroof glass should be tinted

 

Cheers Al. Felt it could eliminate a lot of common questions and help future buyers view with a check list. If I have missed anything, please feel free to add and I will update the guide

 

Very good info Gary, should stop a lot of the repetitive questions that are asked...... Mostly from me haha

 

If I can offer a suggestion? When the electrics in the boot hatch fail -central locking/screen wiper, it is almost always the harness in the LH umbilical that has fractured. Easy fix to just pull the umbilical free of the body and hatch and graft in a few inches of new wire. Job done!

 

What about the LHD's? They seem to have had a slightly different spec...The two I know dont have sunroofs, but do have A/C and passenger airbags. One Dutch and one Belgian. Was that the LHD spec?? I've also seen 'no sunroof' on a Spanish reg car....

 

All exported cars as I believe had no sunroof but aircon! I could have done without both!!

 

make that two Dutch and one Belgian

 

Make that 3 Dutch: mine has a/c and passenger airbag, sunroof wasn't available on the car when I bought it so I had a non-factory one fitted after delivery from the dealer (one that doesn't leak).

Also no standard radio so also a full ICE system fitted later on.

 

Good buyers guide, I will print this out when I buy one. I just need to find a decent one now.

 

Sorry, thought I'd corrected myself ages ago. The LH umbilical carries screenwash to the rear wiper. Tube is plastic, and in cold weather goes brittle, then breaks. So when the wash is used it squirts down the inside of the trim and finds its way into the spare wheel well! Dont try to pull the hose out of the hatch, you'll never get a new one in, so just use a 6 inch length of RUBBER hose to bridge the break. You find the broken hatch wires in the RH umbilical.

Another quite common (standard?) issue is 'tock tock' noise when tipping in/out. It sounds like its coming from the rh dash or even the door...Its just the engine torque reaction bar bushes being a little tired. Another easy fix.

 

Never heard that noise.

 

Can't understand why your foil-lined colander doesn't stop the alien voices reaching you.

 

He sits in it instead of wearing it

 

Hi did you find out if the sun roof is tinted?