ESSENTIAL CHECKS
This week, how to get into the best Austin Maestro for your hard-earned money
ASK ABOUT THE TIMING BELT
The timing belt fitted to the 1.6- and 2.0-litre engines and needs to be replaced every four years or 48,000 miles. If you don’t know when the belt was last replaced just fit a new one as a matter of course – it’s easy enough to do at home, or a garage will charge around £200 to do the job. The 1.6-litre engine isn’t an interference fit but the 2.0-litre unit is, so it’s especially important that you don’t take chances with this bigger engine.
CHECK THE ELECTRICS
Although no Maestro was over-endowed with gadgets, the switches, relays and electrical connectors often play up. Expect poor connections within the fusebox, component failure and potential chafing of the loom at various points under the bonnet. The various multi-plug connectors are especially likely to be troublesome; focus on the one behind the windscreen washer as well as the connector for the ECU. Be wary of a heater motor that doesn’t work or which works only at full speed; repairs entail removing the dashboard. The same goes for a leaky heater matrix – look for evidence of coolant in the passenger footwell.
HOW’S THE TRIM?
Early Maestro interiors were of a poor quality – they wore badly and were prone to squeaks and rattles. There was a new dash from 1986 but this cracks if left in the sun and re
