My ZS 180 thread

[Ricwin]

Imaginative thread title, eh?..


Thought I'd start a thread here to collate my experience owning this beast and any modifications or work done to the car (rather than starting a new thread for every little change made)


Heres the first time I cast eyes over it. Pic from the advert on MG-Rover.org.

http://thumbsnap.com/i/xPQMdyTe.png


After making an offer and driving 140 miles to have a test drive, I couldn't help but fall in love with it. Instantly I felt comfortable and confident driving it, even though it was larger than my previous car for 2 years. A testament to the quality of the design and driving position.

There was a very comprehensive service history included, which shows plenty of work done by an approved garage. Recent service with platinum spark plugs, cambelts all changed 8k ago, oil catch tank fitted, good quality tyres all round not long ago and a short shift fitted to the PG1. The car is about to reach 51k miles. And the interior is like new (blue Monaco seats)
However there are marks on the front passenger window which look like someone has been sat there with their left hand holding the handle above the window, and their watch has been scratching inside surface of the glass. Looks like it may have been caused by a regular passenger during a daily commute.
There's also a K&N Apollo induction kit on there, but lets not talk about that...

After getting it home (costing £40 in fuel lol), tried to give it a good wash and detail, but it rained every damn day for a week.
Eventually had a day off work with decent weather so out came the buckets, pressure washer, clay bar, variety of Autoglym products, a dozen microfiber cloths and various other items.

And the result of 3 hours work:
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/ZS180a-1.jpg

One clean looking silver ZS. I was surprised to find no swirl marks at all in the surface. But there are a couple of scratches and marks which must be expected in a car 10 years old. The final stages were layers of SRP and HD Wax.

Today I placed a few orders online for replacement bulbs.
Dipped and main beam will be replaced by Osram Night Breaker H7's. The sidelights and foglights will be replaced with SMD LED bulbs. Will post pics when these are fitted, with comparison between the current bulbs and nice new ones :)

As for the ICE side of things, the headunit was replaced on day one with my ever faithful Sony Xplod CDX-GT414u. It may be 5 years old and been in a dozen cars, but its never let me down and still sounds cracking.
New front speakers arrived today, set of Infinity comps. Tried to fit them, but even though they are supplied with a variety of adapters; no combination would line up with the standard mounting holes. Have ordered 165mm BMW speaker adapters.
Next will be some 13cm Infinity coaxials for the rear. And perhaps fit the sub from my old car.



Updates:
Alloys :) (http://www.themgzs.co.uk/vb/showthread.php?p=261092#post261092)
Front Speakers (http://www.themgzs.co.uk/vb/showthread.php?p=261563#post261563)
Rear Spakers (http://www.themgzs.co.uk/vb/showthread.php?p=273914#post273914)
Splitter, MG badges, Mesh (http://www.themgzs.co.uk/vb/showpost.php?p=304157&postcount=35)



Future plans:
Set of ZS 11 spokes
Front ZS 180 splitter
Clean up and paint calipers (Red) & apply heatproof Xpower stickers
Replace all front bulbs
Replace Front speakers
Replace Rear speakers / Fit a sub
Leon Cupra R splitter below ZS splitter
Stainless steel back box
Perhaps full stainless exhaust
New rear ZS & 180 badges (I have a set of MK1 and MK2 '180' badges, but leaving it debadged for now)
New MG logo badges front and rear
Replace front passenger window
Remove and paint the mesh in front bumper + bonnet grill
Some 'theMGZS.co.uk' stickers to go with the AG and Union jack stickers
Light smoke tint to rear windows perhaps
De-orange/Rover 45 headlights
Retrofit Angel Eyes/Halos
Supercharger (I wish lol)
Enjoy every minute of driving this superb machine

[ZS]

What's wrong with the viper?

[Ricwin]

What's wrong with the viper?

Nothing at all. Just not something I've ever been particularly interested in.
The previous owner supplied the original air box and everything needed to put it all back together.

My mistake, its not a Viper... its only a K&N Apollo

[big_wasa]

tidy motor. On my list would be a set of clear indicator/headlights from the rover 45.

[Ricwin]

tidy motor. On my list would be a set of clear indicator/headlights from the rover 45.

I was going to have a go de-tango'ing them myself. However, there is a low mileage 45 in my local scrap yard if I need them :P

[big_wasa]

for the cost I wouldnt bother. I sold a pair on ebay a few weeks back I think they made £15

[MG ZS STE]

Was the front bib thingy not standard on mk1 180's?

[Ricwin]

Was the front bib thingy not standard on mk1 180's?

It was.
However it was damaged by a previous owner. The chap I bought this from never got round to replacing it.

[ZS]

Nothing at all. Just not something I've ever been particularly interested in.
The previous owner supplied the original air box and everything needed to put it all back together.

My mistake, its not a Viper... its only a K&N Apollo

Hmm I'm not convinced on my apollo... I want an ITG again lol

[stamford]

Looks great and sounds like a good one from the description.

[andys1981]

does look good, and its good you have plenty planned for it aswell mate,well done

[Dan1971]

Good stuff ...

[Maxxed_Ross]

looks in great conditions for it's age... always a good start!

[Ricwin]

Purchased a set of MK2 11 spoke's today.
And the bulbs have started arriving, rest will likely be here on Monday.
Also, front splitter on its way which should be here early next week.

Edit-
Chap supplying a front splitter pulled out last minute :(

[Maxxed_Ross]

now that will set it off properly!

[Ricwin]

Fitted the MK2 11 spoke alloys this evening. Tyres aren't great, and they're slightly wider than the the ones my straights at 215/45/17. But they look so much nicer :clap2:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/IMG_20120630_201526-1.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/IMG_20120630_201535.jpg

[Sonic_160zr]

Looking good! One of the best OEM rims to have.





Cheers,
Matt

[andys1981]

yip agree always wanted a set of mk2 alloys,all you need now is a set of rover 45 lights,front bib,and extreme spoiler and its pretty much there bud!! thats just my opinion tho,you may feel different,good looking car

[Dan1971]

Great that you're pleased ..... :-D

[ian zs180]

Looking good the mk2 alloys are a fantasic rim . Gotta agree they are one of the best om rims out there

[Ricwin]

Thanks chaps. They certainly do look good, on any Zed. Straights are common as muck though. Nothing wrong with straights, but theres just so many of them out there.

This morning I am awaiting the postman with much anticipation :bounce:

[Maxxed_Ross]

and they're slightly wider than the the ones my straights at 215/45/17. But they look so much nicer :clap2:

I always thought that was the standard size? :hmmm:

[Ricwin]

As far as I am aware, standard size on 17" alloys from MG-R were 205/45/17.
Perhaps the MK2 180 came with 215 out of the factory. But they are rubbing slightly on my MK1.

[andys1981]

As far as I am aware, standard size on 17" alloys from MG-R were 205/45/17.
Perhaps the MK2 180 came with 215 out of the factory. But they are rubbing slightly on my MK1.
im pretty sure it is meant to be 205/45/17 tyres for zeds

[Ricwin]

Managed to get out there today and fit the new front speakers.
Infinity Reference 6010 component set (16.5cm mid woofer, crossover, 5.0cm tweeter)
Required the BMW Mini speaker adapter rings though. But they were only an extra £9 or so.
The tweeters are mounted to the original tweeter position inside of the door mirror, using the same bracket.
Until I devise some way to mount the crossovers safely inside the door, they are currently wrapped up to protect from water/leaks.
Wires are all hidden away inside the door where possible, and all standard wiring is still in place to return to OEM should I sell the car.


http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/ZSwoofer.png

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/ZStweeter.png

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/ZScrossover.png


With the door cards back in place, you'd never know....
...Until you turn it on!

:mbounce:

[pheelay]

I have the same components. I attached the crossovers higher up in the doors using cableties through some unused holes. No pics unfortunately.

[Ricwin]

Purchased a 5.25" set of these component speakers for the rear. Need somewhere to mount the tweeters in a hatchback, anyone got any ideas?

[pheelay]

Purchased a 5.25" set of these component speakers for the rear. Need somewhere to mount the tweeters in a hatchback, anyone got any ideas?

Do a rear electric window conversion then mount them in the door cards? :o)

There are some mounting pods included for the tweeters so they could be mounted anywhere. The nearer the main speaker the better.

Out of interest, what setup are you running for the front speakers?

[Ricwin]

Currently, the crossover's are simply wired into the OEM speaker connection in each door, then to the headunit. Considering a 4 channel amp for front + sub. But i currently have an active sub from the previous car which might be fitted.

[pheelay]

An amp for the fronts is a very worthwhile upgrade. It's not too difficult to run uprated cable into the doors if you would rather ditch the OEM cables, by drilling a new hole through the door-to-body electrical connection. I'm not convinved that it makes a big difference. The bigger problem, I found, is ridding the door of rattles. I have 6.5" Focals in the 180 mounted on 22mm MDF spacers but they rattle like crazy if the bass isn't reduced right down.

[Ricwin]

An amp for the fronts is a very worthwhile upgrade. It's not too difficult to run uprated cable into the doors if you would rather ditch the OEM cables, by drilling a new hole through the door-to-body electrical connection. I'm not convinved that it makes a big difference. The bigger problem, I found, is ridding the door of rattles. I have 6.5" Focals in the 180 mounted on 22mm MDF spacers but they rattle like crazy if the bass isn't reduced right down.

To minimize potential rattles from concentrated areas (such as inside the doors) I'm considering using a sub to disperse the deep low tones throughout the car more evenly :P
Besides, my musical preference is more long the lines of classical and rock; rather than hippety hoppety or such like. So massive amounts of bass are not a requirement. A small active sub was more than enough in my previous car.

[Ricwin]

Fitted the rear crossovers and speakers a few days ago. The speakers are slightly larger than oem rear hatchback speakers. Theres more bulk around the cone and as such they don't mount correctly, even though they are the same size (13cm/5.25")
Need to find a place to mount the rear tweeters now. Potential electric rear window conversion on the way.


And finally got round to replacing the front bulbs with new ones bought months ago. Sadly this went terribly wrong.
The LED 501 sidelight bulbs don't slide into the sidelight holder all the way, so they don't illuminate the headlight as much as a standard 501 bulb.
The LED H11 foglight bulbs were DOA. Not sure if I can get a refund on them as they were purchased a while ago.
And the previous owner had already replaced all four H7's with Osram Nighbreakers so I've wasted money there.

:wall:

[andy-81]

you could try fitting the tweeters in the C pillar trim?

[Ricwin]

Managed to replace the rear speakers with a set of Infinity Reference 5010 components. Sounds much better than the standard speakers.
And using a pair of tweeter brackets supplied with the speakers, I've found a place to mount the tweeters without making too
much of a mess of the OEM look (at least, I don't think they are noticeably out of place or ott)


http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/20120922_182638_zpsa73bbe55.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/20120922_182710_zps2b1d1eb9.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/20120922_182847_zpsda27e940.jpg



Currently applying layers of AG EGP for the coming months of bad weather. And after a quick wash this afternoon:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/20120922_170234_zpsdcc60170.jpg

[Ricwin]

Not had an update for a while, but with PoL this month I booked a week off work and got on with some jobs.

Replaced the bulbs with an Ebay special multipack from Aceparts. Four H7's, two H11's and two 501's. All with a nice crisp white light.

A few months ago I found a splitter on Ebay for £30 + P&P; £200 cheaper than Rimmer Bro's. Finally got round to sanding and spraying it just to find out its a fibreglass copy and slightly larger than standard; it protrudes into the wheel arch about 1cm each end. Fitted it to the bumper on Thursday then put that back on the car on Friday ready for PoL on Saturday. For my first real attempt at spraying anything, I think it looks ok. Its not perfect but I wasn't expecting perfect from a couple of rattle cans and 1200g wet & dry. The car looks like a 180 now though.

Replaced the front and rear MG badges with some new inserts. The originals were looking very worn and faded. The new ones are black and silver, and combined with the black mesh certainly make the front end look more striking. I bought them from MGbadges.com along with a tax disc holder.

The tailgate has been de-wipered because it was just bugging me. Its not as though the wiper was faulty, but looking at it across the rear spoiler put me in mind of a crosshair which was out of place. It had to go.
I covered the hole with a ZR favourite: Tap hole stopper, from B&Q. It was chrome effect but I've colour coded it to match the car. Its not exactly noticeable anyway, but the rear end looks tidier now without the wiper.

Heres some pictures.

First of all is the car before PoL. It was washed and 'detailed' on Monday, this pic was taken on Friday after the bumper + splitter was put back on. I'm not impressed with Zymol Glasur.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/ZSPoL0_zpsf949c858.png


The next few are at PoL. Pics taken by the MG-Rover.org Merseyside Meet Photographer :)

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/ZSPoL1_zpse94c57a9.png

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/ZSPoL3_zps31528882.png

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/ZSPoL2_zpsfca7e43b.png

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/ricwin/ZSPoL4_zps0f4370ae.png

[daytona365]

Heres my pic of your car.......you were in same field, just bit further away, nearer the factory end..

[Ricwin]

Heres my pic of your car.......you were in same field, just bit further away, nearer the factory end..


Fantastic. Did you recognize my car or did it just draw your attention as being fairly normal compared to some (like Hellkefs blue + yellow MK2?) LOL

I came in with the MG-R.org Merseyside lot, but we were quickly split up into various areas. Spotted a few from TheMGZS there, in particular was a blue MK1 180 with the perfect reg, parked in the corner near the 75/ZT area....

It was a great day all round. And PoL is getting more and more popular every year.
The organization wasn't great this year though. And one chavtastic ZR was blasting out terrible music in the same area as the ZS's lol

[daytona365]

Fantastic. Did you recognize my car or did it just draw your attention as being fairly normal compared to some (like Hellkefs blue + yellow MK2?) LOL

I came in with the MG-R.org Merseyside lot, but we were quickly split up into various areas. Spotted a few from TheMGZS there, in particular was a blue MK1 180 with the perfect reg, parked in the corner near the 75/ZT area....

It was a great day all round. And PoL is getting more and more popular every year.
The organization wasn't great this year though. And one chavtastic ZR was blasting out terrible music in the same area as the ZS's lol

They didnt have enough marshals, they were asking for extra helpers on the facebook page. I emailed Gemma, but never got a reply. Plus the chav ZR you talk about was right behind my car....Nearly burst my eardrums while I was trying to eat my lunch. If I wanted to hear that sort of noise Id go to Glastonbury lol.........

[Ricwin]

Apart from the lack of marshals, they designated the area's in the most absurd manner. They were informed that 150+ 75's and ZT's were going to turn up, yet allocated them a small area which could fit less than 70.
Heck 110 Metro's turned up in convoy lol

All of the other MG's were supposed to fit into the same field we were in: that wasn't going to happen and as we saw it didn't happen.
They should have put the 75's and ZT's where we were, moved us into 'D' field along with the majority, and moved the Austin/various older cars into the 75/ZT area.

The MG's could have had the upper half and Rovers in the lower or vice versa if they wanted to keep the marques separate, but trying to cram all of the ZR/ZS/F/TF's into our field wasn't a good plan. I did notice the miles of red tape around the field this year limiting the usable space. The BRM's couldn't have their hill this year, nor could Metropower.

It may have been a bit shambolic considering the amount of cars which turned up, but I and everyone else certainly appreciates the effort which goes into making PoL happen.

[waynester]

Fitted the rear crossovers and speakers a few days ago. The speakers are slightly larger than oem rear hatchback speakers. Theres more bulk around the cone and as such they don't mount correctly, even though they are the same size (13cm/5.25")
Need to find a place to mount the rear tweeters now. Potential electric rear window conversion on the way.


And finally got round to replacing the front bulbs with new ones bought months ago. Sadly this went terribly wrong.
The LED 501 sidelight bulbs don't slide into the sidelight holder all the way, so they don't illuminate the headlight as much as a standard 501 bulb.
The LED H11 foglight bulbs were DOA. Not sure if I can get a refund on them as they were purchased a while ago.
And the previous owner had already replaced all four H7's with Osram Nighbreakers so I've wasted money there. :wall:




I ordered some LED sidelight/front foglight bulbs, but not fitted yet as it looks like it could be a labour intensive job. Are the front fogs simple to replace?

I also bought uprated xenon style main bulbs for (hopefully) improved night vision - standard the lights really are poor. I can actually drive using full beam..& not a single flash from other drivers! Fitting the bulbs also means removing the battery just to gain access!

[Ricwin]

I found it easier to remove the front bumper in order to change the front foglight bulbs, rather than try to squeeze my hand up and an odd angle.
Its very easy to do, easier than changing the headlight bulbs infact.

[Ricwin]

Replaced the Infinity Reference 5010 woofers with a pair of Infinity 9633i 6x9's. Still got the crossovers and tweeters though.
Had these 6x9's in my last car, and put them up for sale shortly after it went. But no one wanted them :|