Takeover of Rover

[Deleted]

Does anyone know what the Chinese takeover means to parts supply and copyright of the manuals?

[dorsetflyer]

Craig, I'm only guessing, but as far as our cars are concerned, I doubt if it will have any detrimental effect to us. It might be a different story for the modern day so called Rover though.

[Jimbob]

Apart from now driving a 'LAND LOVER' or a 'LANGE LOVER' or even a 'LOVER P5B', I will still eat 'FLIED LICE'.
;D

[Smallfry]

I think you will find that they will not be obliged to do anything.............

The company is a dead duck and been closed down, and thats the end of it.

If they decide not to supply any parts for cars that have gone before it will be their perogative.

I dont think it affect us at all, unless you are "fortunate" enough to have a modern apology for a Rover.

[Phil Nottingham]

I think MG-Rover had already sold off their parts operation in 2004 so owners of the modern cars will be covered. As these cars are not real Rovers in P5 sense it will make no difference to the supply of spares for ours as they dried up in BAE ownership days

[dorsetflyer]

I think I'm right in saying that when MG-Rover sold off their spares side of the business it was to a company called 'Caterpiller'. This being independant, there should be no problem for spares for the non-existant Rovers.

[Smallfry]

Caterpiller ? The bulldozer company ?

It seems a strange move to me As the parts operation in any company is where the money is made !

Makes me wonder if they knew something was coming ?

[Deleted]

Thanks all. Out of curosity, have any of you ever had to use an engineering firm re-manufacture parts from scratch; or has it not gotten to that point yet

[Deleted]

Jon Wadhams does this as its only really viable if you can do more than one-offs

[dorsetflyer]

I see it has been announced that Rimmer Bros are taking over all the spares which cover 1980's onwards Rover cars. That will of course include the SD1, Maestro, Montego, Metro, and probably the Rover badged Honda 216's etc.
Good news for them.

[Smallfry]

Not so good for the rest of us though..........

That means parts will be expensive ! Rimmers are well known for that. Service is better than most though !

[Geoff Arthur]

Austin Rover never had the main profit from parts supply as that was given to Unipart in the seventies. MG Rover took this back a couple of years ago then sold it on to Caterpillar for £100,000,000 to try and finance new models / keep the place going. Spares for the more modern cars mostly dried up for about 6 months whilst this happened and that was another nail in their coffin as many owners lost confidence in a car for which they could not get spares. Some Rover 75s were off the road for up to 3 months waiting for warranty spare parts. This is all part of the mess up of the last 5 years that has devalued the brand name.

[DanielSheard]

There's a big article in this months MG owners club magazine about the caterpillar spare parts palce. The article makes it sound quite swish and a Good Thing. Comes down to a matter of spin, I suppose.

Daniel

[Geoff Arthur]

Here is an update of the Rover / MG situation. Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation pulled out of their deal to keep Rover going in April and the company finally collapsed on 8th of April. SAIC were still intending to buy Powertrain (the engine company) but not much else as they already had rights to make the 25 & 75 for which they paid £67,000,000. Nanjiing Automotive managed to outbid them for the whole of the remains of MG Rover including Powertrain on 22nd July so a company that make 30,000 cars a year now own one that had sunk to making only 100,000. Nanjing are working with Uk entrepreneurs to get Longbridge back to work and they will launch a new MG Midget, MG TF, MG ZR, MG ZS, MG ZT, Rover 25, Rover 45 & Rover 75 from 2006 onwards. The 25 & 45 will come from China. They intend to build 300,000 cars a year in China and 85,000 in the UK by 2009. Watch this space. It just wont lie down and die!!! ;D

[Phil Nottingham]

Well no doubt a further chunk of tax payers money will end up being sunk into this - already ading to that paid so far this year?

[Geoff Arthur]

Well Phil, I share your cynical approach and no doubt we will all contribute something but it is alleged that the Chinese and private finance will fund most of it. I am always hopeful that I could buy an MG or Rover car again having sold my last modernish Rover (1989 827 Vitesse) in January this year on the basis that there was nothing left I would want to run. I hope the brand will not devalue even further. We will see!!!