The photo actually shows the fuel filler hose from a Triumph TR6 but the same issue can happen to all cars including MGs if the painter is a little slap dash in their masking off of areas not requiring paint. Overspray here is not just a cosmetic problem but you can see that the paint is starting to flake off the hose. No prizes for figuring out where it will go to next, the gas tank, and then from there it will try and make its way through the fuel pump, filter, carburettors and into the engine……………………. Potentially creating havoc all along the way. The list of possible problems is rather long to say the least.

So a cautionary tale of thorough preparation and post painting checking, especially if you didn’t do it yourself. Issues can arise in strange places and ways, so sometimes you have to get a bit creative with ones thought processes.

I once had a front bumper painted black and couldn’t figure out why the turn signals were so dim afterwards…………. Until I removed the lenses to discover they bulbs had been sprayed along with the bumper!!!!! The reflectors needed cleaning as well. Not hard to fix, but unnecessary. At least I checked!


Steve Skegg
Technical Coordinator



Editor Note: Steve is a long-time active member of the Chicagoland MG Club and spends his days working on British cars in the Fix-it Garage in Naperville, IL. These Tech Tips are his personal favorites of things that go wrong with the cars he sees. This will be a continuing article in the coming issues of Driveline.