Caterham R500 Build - Progress Update or is it?

[Guest]

New post on the blog about current progress since Caterham collected the car two and a half weeks ago

 

http://www.caterhamr500.co.uk

[Martin J]

Apart from missing parts, which is annoying, there is quite a lot of work to finish your car Daniel. Also weren't you considering a gearbox change which will involve engine removal?

I fear you may miss your track day in France but be patient it will get there in the end & you will have a great car to enjoy over the Summer.

[Frying Pan]

Blimey. What a crap situation

 

Sounds like your request is not unreasonable - hope you get it sorted soon...

[Guest]

Quoting Martin Jeffrey: 

Apart from missing parts, which is annoying, there is quite a lot of work to finish your car Daniel.

Yes, but they don't have a fuel pump which seemingly has been out of stock for at least 3 months. Quoting Martin Jeffrey: 

Also weren't you considering a gearbox change which will involve engine removal?

This question has been ignored by CC.Quoting Martin Jeffrey: 

be patient it will get there in the end & you will have a great car to enjoy over the Summer.

Depends on when the fuel pump comes into stock - there's no ETA, so I could be waiting a long time.

 

Edited by - Roadracer1977 on 9 Apr 2014 21:48:26

[Mark w]

temporary solution ?

 

 

 

[DJ.]

☹️

 

I do hope Caterham get on top of this asap. Surely there must be other fuel pumps available, after all 500bhp US V8 engines use a lot more fuel than an R500!

 

The wheels and belts are unbelievable.....

 

Duncan

[Martin J]

Is the R500 fuel pump bespoke?

Mick Attree would be able to tell you, drop him a line Daniel.

I hope it is all sorted out soon.

[Alan Reeves]

Blimey when one reads that ....be annoyed

 

I had a couple of issues with the McDonald and came away from it all with a very poor view of him and his (CC) customer service Understanding ( all those with a BMW diff will remember that debacle)

 

The easiest way of diffusing is to talk,to leave it causes festering, they just bury their heads and hope the issue goes away ?

 

looking at your issues, pump apart, the sheer failure to produce seat belts that match, wheels that are good, some seats !! This is poor in the extreme and bound to surface to the outside world when there is such a vibrant forum as this.

 

But that gap in the lowered floor, how could the guy who built it not see this ?

 

The staff one deals with daily during a build are great but they suffer from the weakest point in the build chain, parts supply or more likely actually being loaded first time around, and sunk by those they are led by.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do but it looks a very nice car....

 

alan

 

 

[Klunk]

I'm sorry you are experiencing these problems but I'm afraid they appear to be all to common.

 

IMO Caterham have relied on brand desirability for too long.  Basically "If you want a genuine Seven then you have to put up with our rules".  To date this has served them well relying on mild mannered enthusiasts (beards optional) who treated a parts delay as a 'build highlight' and something to talk about over a pint.

 

That might have worked the 70's and 80's but is simply unacceptable in the current climate.  As fast as Caterham are filling their bath with new ideas someone forgot to put the plug in and when the ideas run out their business will disappear down the drain unless they get a hold of this.

 

I have lost count of the number of new owners I have spoken to who have had nothing but trouble in the same vein as you.  Poor quality/poorly designed parts, damaged parts, incomplete orders, bad engine maps - the list is endless.  The usual supportive pats on the back from Blatchat of "It'll be worth it in the end" or "TADTS", whilst well meant, are little compensation to the new owner who has just spent a significant amount of money on what may have been one of their life goals.

 

The current 'blitzkrieg' of expansion into foreign markets, whilst fantastic news for the Seven, will only exacerbate the problems you have experienced as kit sales get in the way of turn-key sales.

 

I really hope that Caterham will suddenly announce that they have a plan for resolving this otherwise I fear the brand image will be irrevocably damaged.

 

C’mon Caterham sort this man out and somebody find the plug!

 

Giles

 

Edited by - Klunk on 10 Apr 2014 12:56:33

[Martin J]

I wonder if the fact they have lost some long serving & very experienced staff recently is a factor?

Two of them now run Sevens & Classics & that seems to be doing very well.

Derek looked after you very well during the build Daniel. Are you able to speak to him & see if he can help?

They must be used to this by now. As various kits progress they must get the inevitable queries about parts shortages & technical problems. Builds are then completed & the next batch of "build virgins" start there projects. My contact seven years ago was Sean & he was very helpful.

Yours is going to take a bit longer Daniel but hang on in there, it will be worth the wait.

Shame you are Stevenage & me in Kent as I would like to see the car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[evotell]

The problem at Caterham seems to be part of the companies DNA, as it doesn't appear to matter who owns the company, the problems with shortages and curt customer service don't go away. In saying that my experience with Derek & Darren are top notch.

At the international dealers meeting in 2012 one of the European Dealers of 30 years standing was complaining bitterly about warranty parts and shortages, the conversation became very heated and the guy was told by management that: "If he didn't like she should leave" This comment caused a **** storm.

Like many people I love the car, but the company has a long way to go if it’s going to live up to TF hype. In the end fixing these problems that have existed for the past 20+ years isn't rocket science. 😳 and its mesmerising why it continues. In my opinion CC would be better not to send any car out without al parts present. In the end all they do is tell the customer, "we have a one year waiting list sir" then maybe when they have 60 incomplete cars sitting at Dartford and have run out of space they might get the message, it appears that once the car has left the premises, it’s on to the next one and Derek is left holding the baby.

It’s a joke, yet most people aren't laughing 😳

 

[Guest]

I've just received an email from Dean Francis - the dealer principal from the midlands branch and we will be having a conversation tomorrow morning.

Quoting Martin Jeffrey: 

Shame you are Stevenage & me in Kent as I would like to see the car.

It is at the factory in Dartford, so the car's a lot closer to you than it is to me right now!

[Guest]

Quoting evotell: 

it appears that once the car has left the premises, it’s on to the next one and Derek is left holding the baby.

It’s a joke, yet most people aren't laughing 😳

You're dead right, and like I've said in a number of places on my blog - without Derek's speed and efficiency they would have an even bigger mess on their hands.

[evotell]

Quoting Mark W: 

temporary solution ?

 

 

There's nothing as permanant as a temporary measure

 

[OliW]

You have my sympathy. What a joke sending out those wheels, belts etc. But for the cars themselves there is little that I like about Caterham as a company, bar a very few helpful and friendly staff. Their parts supply and stocking levels are beyond my comprehension; they are so incredibly poor for a company that tries so hard to look like the bees knees.

 

Oli

[evotell]

How CC recently won a Business Award in mesmerizing unless it was awarded by Monty Python

[SLR No.77]

I really hope Caterham are reading all this!

 

Quoting OliW: 

Their parts supply and stocking levels are beyond my comprehension; they are so incredibly poor for a company that tries so hard to look like the bees knees

Okay so just how far do we need to look for an example ...

Opening page of the online parts store ... 3rd item down is "Unavailable" So why list it! Not "out of stock" but "UNAVAILABLE"!!!

I really wish my business had an untouchable product that has no real competition and a customer base so loyal it is bordering on blind. I've had a Caterham since 1998, when Ansar Ali was in charge I felt things had improved a little but under the present regime I think it's worse than it's ever been.

 

Stu.

[evotell]

If CC are serious about customer feedback I suggest they invite a delegation from the club. Having been a CC customer for the past 40 years I wouldn't hold my breath

 

[Klunk]

Maybe they would like to know that when I built my Westfield in 2000; not only could I pick up the kit on the date I was given but I was only missing about 10 rivets for which they were very apologetic and they arrived the next morning. Added to that, I purchased several upgrade items on spec from the stores and only once was an item out of stock. That arrived a couple of days later as promised.

 

You can say what you like about the cars, but you can't knock that for service. They sell hundreds of cars a year (210 in 2013, 12000 since started) with none of the brand advantages Caterham have. The thing that should worry Caterham is I'm aware of a couple of potential high end Caterham owners who decided to buy a Westfield simply because of Caterham's lack of interest.

 

As Stu says, a business that can afford to squander it's product advantages in this financial climate doesn't deserve it's success. I love my Caterham but this kind of behaviour towards new owners sometimes leaves me feeling ashamed.

 

Count me in for the feedback delegation

 

Giles

 

 

[Ian B]

Quoting sforshaw: 

I've had a Caterham since 1998, when Ansar Ali was in charge I felt things had improved a little but under the present regime I think it's worse than it's ever been.

Sadly Stu that wasn't my experience of Ansar. He asked me to sign a confidentiality agreement not to discuss the flaking wheel paint with anyone, if they repainted my wheels.

When I asked him if he would do the same for the other 6 or so club members who had all written to me with the same problem, he wouldn't, so I didn't accept his offer and declined to sign the agreement.

 

The Dedion failures, and CC's advice to VOSA that it affected only around 30 cars, and only race cars, is in my opinion disgraceful, bordering on the dishonest.

 

FWIW I've found Graham Macdonald very approachable, interested to hear of problems, and keen to resolve them; although I do think the recent BMW Diff carrier wasn't handled very well at all.

 

 

[Mark w]

Quoting sforshaw: 

 

FWIW I've found Graham Macdonald very approachable,

 

 

agreed

 

Edited by - Mark W on 10 Apr 2014 20:15:51

[Ozzy]

Do you all think they get away with this crap, simply because they are so small, and none of this ever gets reported in the media, as no one outside the band of hard core owners really gives a toss what they do 🤔

 

Edited to add: RR1977, I can't imagine how you must be feeling, having parted with what, in excess of 40K

 

Oz.

 

Edited by - ozzy on 10 Apr 2014 20:32:59

[John Vine]

Daniel, this is a disaster for you, and I'm very sorry to see such a lack of response from CC. I've enjoyed reading your build blog immensely, but to see your efforts and reasonableness so casually undermined is nothing short of heartbreaking.

 

Unfortunately, my recent experience over a roller-barrel upgrade to my R400D simply confirms to me that, unless they get a grip fast, CC are heading for the buffers. On 20 February, I booked an appointment for 10 April for my RB upgrade. I was offered a courtesy car, and everything looked just fine. Then, on 8 April, I got an email from James Gibson to say that the RBs had not arrived, and that my upgrade appointment was off. Bear in mind that I'd made all manner of arrangements by that time, including two nights at a local B&B. All that had to be unwound. What a shambles. *thumbdown*

 

JV

[Klunk]

The first minute of

seems strangely appropriate.

[Grubbster]

Very sad to hear this is the situation you have ended up in Daniel, I've enjoyed the blog and we've been in touch a few times along the way - so I hope things can be sorted and that you get to enjoy your dream car.

 

I spent much of my Academy season last year biting my tongue rather than rocking the boat too much complaining - there were many things I wasn't happy with (shortages, incomplete/inadequate instructions, poor quality parts, some elements of how the Academy is run) and some things I believed to be dangerous (diff to dedion contact, failing master brake cylinders). On the issues I did raise the initial responses were TADTS and beyond that I just got the feeling they didn't give a toss. As I was competing in one of their series I felt I needed to just get on with it rather than burn bridges, but it played on my mind the whole time and spoiled my enjoyment considerably. Ultimately I became quite disillusioned and decided not to continue into Roadsport, I sold the car soon after the season was over. I did offer to met up and discuss with them why I wasn't happy and not continuing and for a while it looked like this might happen but it's all gone very quiet since the season ended.

 

I do not view the challenges of very poor instructions, missing or wrong parts and a general lack of care for their customers 'part of the character building' that comes by default if you choose to build a 7. Great that a couple of the CC guys there can be very helpful but that isn't the point, they shouldn't need to be, when you invest this sort of money it ought to be right and on the odd occasion when it goes wrong they should be bending over backwards to sort issues ASAP.

 

Edited by - Grubbster on 10 Apr 2014 22:10:45