75ZT Community

G'day Guys
I'm a newby to the site and Rover 75 ownership and have just bought a 2003 75 2.5 KV6Tourer with 37,000 kms which has had its mileage verified. While in apparently excellent condition - it was owned by an elderly couple who only used it for occasional long journeys up and down the east coast of Australia - the service history is patchy with three log book stamps, the remainder being done by a friendly diesel mechanic who merely changed the oil every 10,000 kms. I've a couple of questions for the knowledgeable blokes on here. Firstly, the belts have never been changed and a mate is advising me to have that done for piece of mind and to create a baseline of knowledge. Would you agree with his suggestion? Secondly, does the KV6 have any inherent problems that I should be aware of and if so should I be carrying out any preventable treatment now to prevent issues arising downstream. Having said all that it is one beautiful car to drive. It's now 10:50PM and past my bed time so hopefully I'll be able to read a couple of replies in the morning
Hope you can help

Welcome to the forum
The cam belts and tensioner should have been replaced at 6 years or 90 thousand miles, as your pal says for peace of mind they should be done. Another issue with these cars can be the water pump, as replacing it is a very cheap option when the car is stripped down to do the CAM belts it is generally advised to change it at the same time.
VIS (Variable Intake System) actuators can be problematic, they are not show stoppers but will affect mpg and performance. Refurbished actuators can had from member Takestock.
Cooling fan can be a problem, depending on which one is installed, 3 speed, the low speed function can fail due to worn carbon brushes, 2 speed, with uprated resistor pack are the most reliable.
Other than that just general servicing at regular intervals, (book says 15 thousand miles).

Sounds like you have bought a really good one with exceptionally low mileage for it's age. Happy motoring.

Well done on your purchase and welcome to the 'friendly' club. The advice from Mick is good. If you look at my book (the 'Companion'), on here as a free PDF Download under the 'Know How' Forum, you will get a good general idea of the Rover 75. In the same section, you will find 'The Complete Buyers Guide', which will give you all the fine detail.

Ask as many questions as you like, and look at some of the mods and improvements available here in the UK.

Roverite.

welcome along, as others have said belts etc. check your water level daily though the first few weeks of ownership, then weekly should do

Only thing I haven't seen mentioned, though Dave's suggestion alludes to it, is that the thermostat housings can leak. Slow water loss (spotted by checking the water level) could be the thermostat housing leaking into the vee between the banks.

The cam sensors can also start to fail when hot. If the car starts great when cold, but refuses to start when the engine is running, it may need a new cam sensor. It's a horrible feeling when it first happens, that the car won't start just after it's been running. Not an expensive fix, and easy if you know about it!

I'd like to suggest popping in to a Nanomeet (see my signature) but I reckon the fuel bill would be a bit steep for a V6.

Thermostat housing is also a weak spot on these engines, so for peace of mind, I would also change that as well!

Very many thanks for all your prompt insightful replies and advice which I'll certainly follow. Once again many thanks