THE legacy of MG Rover has been to leave many car owners with an annoying series of costly repairs, according to a new study.
The UK's largest independent automotive warranty company says that the cars became progressively unreliable during their last three years of manufacture.
Most of the problems affect the electrics, which in some cases needed repairs costing more than £3,500 per vehicle.
According to Warranty Direct, a fifth of the cars manufactured during the last three years of the now-defunct British marque were plagued by faults.
Electrical problems account for almost a third of all failures.
Generally annoying rather than expensive, owners have regularly complained of illuminating warning lights and malfunctioning fans and window motors.
In one case the horn and wipers were activated every time the electric window switch was pressed.
Transmission failure accounts for a quarter of reported breakdowns. Although the average cost of repair is £280, some owners have had to pay up to £3,800 to get their cars fixed, says Warranty Direct.
Comparative figures from the claims company show that newer Rovers have suffered from six times as many faults in their fuel systems than MG Rovers aged four to six years old.
The MG Rover business collapsed in April leaving an estimated 150,000 owners without manufacturer and dealer-backed warranty protection.