Kansas car collector Tyler Hoover paid $32,000 for a 1982 Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible. Another $39,000 bought him a 2011 Ghost, giving him two generations of luxury cars with problems to fix.
An October 28 upload from Hoovie’s Garage follows his attempt to fix at least one problem on each car. Mechanic Michael takes on the Corniche, while Johnny, known as the Car Ninja, handles the Ghost.
The older convertible drives, and even its folding roof works. Inside, though, the climate controls do nothing, and Hoover feels a strong pulsation when he brakes.
His newer Rolls-Royce has a check-engine light and takes so long to warm up that he has put cardboard in the grille to block some airflow through the radiator. He arrives with a suspected bad thermostat, hoping for a straightforward replacement.
Under the Gold
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With its gold paint and olive interior, the Corniche has the look Hoover wanted. Opening the hood produces an early setback: a hydraulic reservoir cap breaks as he tries to inspect the fluid.
Underneath, Michael identifies leaks around hydraulic components, along with engine oil and transmission fluid leaks. Some oily buildup looks old, but a more substantial transmission leak needs attention. Torn protective boots add to the work list, even though he finds no excessive play in the ball joints.
The problem is finishing the repairs. Michael describes how fixing one weak point in the hydraulic system can lead to another leak elsewhere. “It’s not hard to work on,” he says, before adding, “it’s just never-ending.”
Finding replacements becomes a job in itself. During their search of specialist supplier Flying Spares, a rear valve block is listed at $366 with instructions to contact the company about lead time. Other needed components are harder to locate in the catalog, so they discuss whether a rebuilder could help.
Even the hoped-for fuse fix fails to materialize. Both climate-control fuses they inspect look intact, and the blower remains silent. Michael will need to trace the fault further before Hoover gets heat or air conditioning.
A Familiar Face
At Johnny’s shop, a diagnostic scan points to the Ghost’s thermostat. Hoover says its previous owner had already spent about $30,000 on work, including replacing all four air shocks, before he bought the roughly 120,000-mile car.
The inspection finds a slight seep at an axle seal, while another patch of oil sends Hoover back through his own recent maintenance. He remembers spilling oil while topping up the engine a few days earlier. “My fault,” he says.
Once Johnny removes the thermostat, it is stuck open. The replacement sits closed, unlike the old part, and he installs it after moving the surrounding hoses and components out of the way.
By Hoover’s estimate, the job takes roughly one to two hours. Johnny finishes with coolant and the covers back in place, and the Ghost’s warning lights are cleared.