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  • New owner!

    Hello, I'm Max.

    I'm 21 years old and recently purchased an Austin Maestro Special to use as a daily runner, I wanted a unique car that I would easily be able to work on as well as something that I would be able to lightly restore and take to car shows! An A-series car seemed like a safe bet and I've always been fond of Austin Rover. Overall the car is in excellent condition with only minor issues. I'll try and post some pictures for you later!

    I have a couple quick questions (apologies if i should be asking them on a different board)

    1, The brakes are mildly terrifying, I don't believe they've ever been replaced as the car is only sitting around 34k miles. I'm assuming due to it being a 1.3 it has solid disks on the front? I haven't really had a proper chance to get the car up and check yet. If so would it be possible for me to swap to vented disks (with new calipers) and keep the original wheels? I believe the hubs are the same as what you'd find on Montegos and early MGFs, could these be swapped directly over? If not are there any other upgrades I can make to the breaks, other than replacing the disks and pads?

    2, The front passenger wing is 90% filler and easily the worse part of the car, Its a terrible repair job that doesn't colour match nor follow the lines of the arch correctly. I believe panels are bolted on and can be replaced? If I were to do this and spray a new panel is there anywhere I would be able to find the "Maestro Special" decals that sit below the indicator?

    3, Finally just any recommendations on car maintenance from those that have owned them would be appreciated! I'm currently hunting for a car cover and aim to keep the car in good condition!

    Thanks for you time, I hope to speak with you all soon!
    Last edited by MaxOwers; 9th October 2019, 14:08.

  • #2
    grab the relevant Haynes manual if you dont have one and if you dont have a service history start working your way thru it. If brake fluid looks brown just flush it thru with something like a "gunson easibleed" as soon as you can - that might help your braking with fresh fluid.
    Silver MG Maestro - C555, needs some anti rust love

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    • #3
      The easiest way to get hold of a special decal is to get a sign making place to copy your original one. If the brakes are poor from the first application, then fitting ventilated discs won't help, they are just less likely to fade after prolonged hard use. I would just do as suggested above and check that everything is working as it should, as long as nobody has fitted 'performance' pads the brakes are usually pretty good.

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      • #4
        Hi Max, welcome to the Maestro & Montego Owners Club - Do you have any pics of your car that you would share with us? I would love to feature you on social media. It is great to see the younger generation owning these great cars! Regards, Matt.
        1985 Austin Montego 1.6HL Estate 'Uncle Monty'
        1994 Rover Montego Countryman 2.0D 'Colin' - L-Series in progress
        1994 Rover Montego Countryman 2.0D 'Nessy'
        1994 Rover Montego Countryman 2.0D - L-Series Converted

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        • #5
          Hi Max

          The good news on front wings is they are bolt on and fairly easy to get hold of. Ebay would be the best place, mainly secondhand, but new ones do come up evey now and then.

          The brakes on the Maestro are normally ok. Not sure you need to or even should try changing the set up. You could get a MOT garage to test the brakes to see which wheels are causing the problem. If the car has been unloved for a time, then pads and shoes could be glazed over, even if they look fine. The rear shoes should auto adjust, but could be stuck. A rear wheel cylinder could be leaking. Obviously changing the fuild itself and bleeding the system is a priority. Less likley, but tricker problems could be the master cylinder leaking or a fault with the servo. Front calipers can seize up, but you should be able to see this when changing the pads and bleeding the brakes.


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          • #6
            Somthing important I forgot to mention. Older cars like yours are a magnet for car thevies. In the past, just to get a toe rag home after a Saturday night out. However, as the valvue of older cars increase, cars are also stolen for parts. I strongly suggest getting at least a steering wheel lock and using it ALL the time. Do not think an old Maestro will not be a target! It will!

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            • #7
              Originally posted by C333GWC View Post
              Hi Max, welcome to the Maestro & Montego Owners Club - Do you have any pics of your car that you would share with us? I would love to feature you on social media. It is great to see the younger generation owning these great cars! Regards, Matt.
              Last edited by MaxOwers; 24th October 2019, 13:44.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Jez View Post
                Somthing important I forgot to mention. Older cars like yours are a magnet for car thevies. In the past, just to get a toe rag home after a Saturday night out. However, as the valvue of older cars increase, cars are also stolen for parts. I strongly suggest getting at least a steering wheel lock and using it ALL the time. Do not think an old Maestro will not be a target! It will!
                A crooklock was an immediate recommendation and my first purchase for the car so don't worry, i am prepared. As for the brakes I shall continue to look into it. I believe in its last MOT (August) it was noted that the nearside rear brake was binding but it was so minor it wasn't a real issue. I plan to check out the front disks/pads and see how they're doing for wear. Depending on the state of that i'll decide on how to progress. If the fluids fine and everything appears to be good i'll check other things like the rubber brake lines which I doubt have ever been changed.

                While I have the wheels off I plan to pressure wash the inside of the arches, I'm aware they are pretty bad for trapping water. I've noticed a little bit of crustyness starting to seep into the rear arches, gonna investigate and hopefully end it before it actually gets bad as there's no bubbling yet. Hopefully some wax oil or underseal in the arches should hopefully keep it safe during the winter.

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                • #9
                  Hi Max.

                  Welcome to the forum and I hope you enjoy living with a Maestro. There are members on here with a wealth of knowledge to help keep your car healthy.

                  There's plenty of sound advice given already and from the photos the car looks pretty sound. Is that a crack free dash?

                  Ian
                  Last edited by carfix; 25th October 2019, 19:14.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by carfix View Post
                    Hi Max.

                    Welcome to the forum and I hope you enjoy living with a Maestro. There are members on here with a wealth of knowledge to help keep your car healthy.

                    There's plenty of sound advice given already and the from the photos the car looks pretty sound. Is that a crack free dash?

                    Ian
                    Ahh, I've heard dash cracking can be an issue. It's a tad warped over the top of the instrument cluster but it is totally crack free!

                    As for living with it all is well so far, my only complaint would be the 4 speed box. However it's far better than what was in the Phase 1 106 I owned prior! It's a little odd getting used to the attention the car gets when driving about though. My Dad and my Uncle have owned a fair share of head turning cars (Griffith, Tr8, Stag etc) so that attention isn't unfamiliar, just not what I expected. It's quite nice to see a car once considered mundane looked at with such fondness. I've even been invited to a local car show coming up next month!

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                    • #11
                      Definitely go to the car shows chat to other owners you'll be surprised how much you can pick up from people have owned one.
                      Silver MG Maestro - C555, needs some anti rust love

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                      • #12
                        Hi Max.
                        Welcome aboard. Looking at the pictures you posted looks like an absolute cracker, good find indeed.
                        Glad that you're enjoying the attention and even more so that it's positive!

                        Cheers,
                        Ian
                        Ian Drew
                        MG Maestro Turbo '400'
                        MG ZT V8
                        Rover 75 V6 Estate

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                        • #13
                          Update on this car:

                          Unfortunately due to a loss of garage space I've had to sell it on. Leaving it outside would've really hurt the car considering the condition it's in. The new owner is a previous Maestro owner though so it's going to a good home!

                          Don't think you've seen the last of me M&MOC. You've caught me now, from when I bought the car in August all the way to January the ownership experience has been wonderful. Its reliable, it's fun to drive, it has cool '80s styling and people love to see it!

                          Once I'm more settled again I shall be buying another. Maybe a Montego next time.... I guess I'll just have to wait and see!

                          I plan on coming to some of the meets regardless of what I'm driving so I'll be sure to say hi!

                          -Max

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                          • #14
                            That's unfortunate that you had to sell the car. Good montegos are harder to come by, but good luck with your search. There is a 1.3 montego for sale on the Facebook page, well there was but I'm not sure if it sold or not
                            1958 Ford Consul Convertible. I love this car
                            1965 Ford Zodiac Executive. Fab cruiser being restored
                            1997 Jaguar Xk8 Convertible. Such a fab car
                            2004 MGZT cdti. Great workhorse
                            2004 MGZT V8. I love this car

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Jeff Turbo View Post
                              That's unfortunate that you had to sell the car. Good montegos are harder to come by, but good luck with your search. There is a 1.3 montego for sale on the Facebook page, well there was but I'm not sure if it sold or not
                              Was that the slightly ropey beige one? I may have to check if it's still on there, I could probably get away with getting rid of my other car and dailying that without feeling too bad. It was rather crusty and had like 150k on it or something. Possibly make it a bit of a rolling resto!

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