Rover 200 & 400 Owners Club

Hello all, newbie here. Picked up an R8 216SLi earlier this week, bit of an impulse buy, so I thought I'd better join up so I can shamelessly beg for advice when something inevitably breaks.

It's an 89k car, structurally superb, mechanically sound, electrically mediocre... and cosmetically challenged. My mum had one of these when I was a kid, albeit a 216GSi on a G plate, and my dad had a 620Si. So I guess it's a bit of a nostalgia trip for me, this one. It joins my somewhat eclectic fleet of cars - I also have a long term VW Beetle resto, a scruffy but very good fun mk1 MX5, and a 2017 Skoda Fabia for daily duties. I lack money and space for existing projects, so naturally the solution was to... get another one.

Right, I'm off the scour the parts section. Meanwhile, have a picture:

You'll find the help, advice and parts you'll need here

You'll enjoy driving this too, I'm sure

Unusual to hear of a car being described as electrically mediocre! What are the symptoms?

Paul_1978_yorks wrote: ↑Fri Oct 23, 2020 5:16 pm Unusual to hear of a car being described as electrically mediocre! What are the symptoms?

It just about all works, just some of it works under protest. Passenger window is slow to rise, sunroof doesn't especially like going back - I appreciate these could be mechanical issues rather than electrical though. Also the radio only plays out of one speaker. And the fan doesn't work on speed 1 - I've read that's something to do with a resistor?

So there's no major flaws, just niggles.

The slow window could be the glass sticking to the rubber. Squirt some rubber and nylon lubricant in the guides with the window down.

montegoman wrote: ↑Fri Oct 23, 2020 6:06 pm The slow window could be the glass sticking to the rubber. Squirt some rubber and nylon lubricant in the guides with the window down.

Good shout i had the same issue and took off all the door cards to clean and lub the rubber runners , it now up and down like a brides nighty ps if you do take of door cards clean the door inside at the bottom and rust proof with wax or oil .

The non-working can will just be the resistor pack - a tenner for a new one.

A set of speakers can be anything from a few quid to lots but you'll definitely notice the difference over 25 years old paper cones. An easy change while you're fixing the lucky windows too

Welcome to the forum. Lots of advice on here.

I recently acquired a Rover 216Gsi which had all the symptoms you listed. That was an impulse buy too - possibly a man thing?. (the misses was not impressed!!!)

Nothing that can't be sorted out with a squirt of silicon spray, white grease (sunroof) and a splash of cash (fan resistor pack and speakers)
You might have to remove the door cards to get better access?

Good luck.

Welcome to you, too! - Nice colour, we’ve got 2 in the same (216 and 420 SLi’s)- and as for impulse buys - it effects both genders!- my Wife bought Hers on impulse ( and because of the no plate which happened to match the name of a dear departed cat- yes, really)...
... and my lovely 820 was barely on the transporter going to Her new owner, before I was on Ebay lining up my 420- whose no plate happened to have our Daughters birth year and initials too- so a fully “justified” purchase imho...

Anyways, this is a really good place for help, and a good bunch too, very forthcoming and generous with advice.

Even with the “niggles” the R8 is a nice drive, the 216 nippy and quite chuckable, and pretty good on fuel too, we’ve found.
Hope you enjoy!