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Hi Cobber,

I agree about 'cheap that doesn't work isn't cheap' but there are people out there who have had a positive experience with the Suplex. And as we well know there are people out there who haven't. Typically those who are dissatisfied shout loudest and while I'm sure their issues are genuine and well founded, no one seems to have a handle on the ratio of satisfied versus dissatisfied. Suplex have also developed the kit, partly I'm sure as a result of feedback, so the real issue now is 'how good is the latest version?'. As I said above, I've a working hydragas system so may just continue with that until something fails. I'm certainly not scrapping or abandoning the car.

Richard

If something at a lower price point doesn't work, then it's very expensive.............So if the Suplex kit costs you 812 quid and it doesn't work then your a damned side poorer and you still have a broken car........not a good result and a total waste of time & money..
But if, for an extra 488 quid you have a car that works.........then that strikes me as better value.

Now I know you can buy some damned awful Shitroen hatchback, some hideous Poxhall shopping trolley, or some boring a batshit Korean automotive whitegoods for less than the market value plus repair costs............but these items have no soul or character............something the MGF has in spades.
They'll also drop resale value quicker than a stone, at least one day your MGF will be worth something as a classic, none of that other crap will be.
Our cars are worth much more than the market value............They give us enjoyment, some colour in a dull grey automotive landscape, they offer us rewards beyond their going price and as such they're worth more than mere money!

Look at the Triumph TR-7, it was an orphan in the second hand market, no one would give you tuppence for one, they were stacked ten deep at the scappies.........but now they're starting to come into their own, values are nudging up, and there are already previous owners regretting, unloading or scrapping them.

Has the MGF hit the bottom of the market yet, I think it pretty well probably has, I suspect it will now sit stagnant for a while, and then start to make modest gains, slowly gathering momentum, until the penny drops with the buying public and they start elbowing each other out of the way to get one.

And then those of us who stood by our cars through the dark years will have a smug smile on our faces that couldn't be knocked of with a bloody 10lb sledge hammer!

I know I'm getting that smug felling with my TR-7!

A note of caution,guys.


When discussing tyres, you need to be aware that the F and TF are very different animals when it comes to what you can fit.

The F is much more tolerant of mixed tyres front to back, and also will perform OK on some cheaper tyres.

From the forum feedback it's clear that the TF is much more finicky about its 'boots'.

Remember that the suspension is completely different on the two cars.

Interestingly, even with Suplex suspension, the F handles well with mixed tyres front to back. Nexen N6000 front - Uniroyal rainsport 2 on the rear.

OK so Sally from RV8 Cars has confirmed that the $1400 AU is the tax free price.

UK import duty is applied to the cost of the items plus the cost of P&P + any insurance. For car parts over £135 this would appear to be 3.5%.

VAT is then applied (20%) to the total above (ie you also pay VAT on import duty!).

Using www.dutycalculator.com and putting the price in in $AU and the result in £ for $1400 AU parts and P&P of $240 AU the results are:

Import duty £29.89
VAT £176.78

Cost of parts + P&P £853.99

Total landed costs: £1060.55

On top of this of course is the cost of the GAZ dampers plus any installation costs if it's not DIY. The GAZ MGF adjustable dampers sold by the MGOC (which may not be the right ones for this application) are £69.95/corner so a rough calculation is £240 for dampers plus delivery.

So the kit cost will be around £1300 in the UK. For comparison, the Suplex kit via the MGOC is £795 plus delivery (£812 delivered to the Scottish Highlands).

Factor in the market value of the car and it is easy to see why so many are broken for parts when something major fails. I want to keep my MGF on the road but I also need to be sensible about the costs and also my own ability to do work (some jobs are beyond me and my 'workshop' - a gravel driveway!).

So for me the choice is to either run on with the hydragas which is still working OK after 15 years & 100 000 miles and hope for the best or go down the Suplex route despite all the known issues to pre-empt a displacer failure. I suppose the other option is to wait for a failure then go down the Suplex route but that could prove to be very inconvenient.

Richard

Just had this response from Sally @ RV8 cars:

Sorry I have not replied. We have had computer problems and your email must have gone astray. We are still selling the kits but we are waiting for stock. Should be approx. 4 weeks. Kits without shocks are $1400.00 (Australian Dollars) and an estimate of freight costs is $240.00 (Australian Dollars)

Thanks for your enquiry


I've gone back to ask whether the $1400 AU is the without tax price. There would be UK VAT to add plus import duty (still trying to work that one out) and the cost of shock/dampers. The $AU is around £0.52 so divided everything by 2 gives you a UK price.. It's going to be quite a bit more than a Suplex kit but Ill refine the costs and post the answer.

Richard