CSR owners check your rear suspension mounts

[Gareth H]

I did raise the subject of inspection with George (their Eng Man), explained that mine had been visually inspected and given a clean bill of health by the supplying dealer a few weeks prior (one failed completely and the other was cracked when they were changed).

He is  looking into test procedures.

[David aka Blue7]

IMHO it is a waste of time inspecting for cracks because you could inspect and find no cracks present and then go for a drive and the brackets could develop a crack and fracture while you are driving the car so I don't see the point of taking the risk.  I suppose you could check the brackets before or after every journey, which seems to be what CC are suggesting but who wants to do that and it spoils the driving experience having a niggle in the back of your head that the suspension could fail at any moment.  CC state:

"If the inspection does not reveal any concerns, you may wish to continue using your CSR with regular checks."

CC also state:

"Mainstream road cars sometimes experience a similar issue in the form of a spring breakage and whilst unpleasant, it rarely causes a loss of control and the car can usually be limped home or to a garage for repair."

I don' think Jimmy Stew would agree with that comment when he described his experience #9 as follows:

"Interesting comments re the brackets, car was doing perhaps 60 ish, round a left hand bend, and it just let go, no collision or bump, was going backwards before I knew anything about it.  As Blue7 says, not the best of days out but fortunately car did not roll over.  The moor it ended up in was a  good 10 feet below the roadway so count myself very lucky indeed."

CC also state:

"we may build a log of all current CSR owners and contact you as soon as a solution is available"

There is only one solution for peace of mind and that is fitting the TL re-designed replacement brackets.  At least CC are publicising this matter and I hope they are bringing it to the attention of all their official and unofficial service agents with a recommendation that the brackets should be replaced on every CSR they sell or service.

Stefan Heth compiled a Register of CSRs, if he has any email addresses on a database maybe he could send out a batch email with a link to the CC "Calling All CSR Owners" page?

David

[ScottR400D]

"I did raise the subject of inspection with George (their Eng Man), explained that mine had been visually inspected and given a clean bill of health by the supplying dealer a few weeks prior (one failed completely and the other was cracked when they were changed)."

Best point made in this thread. 

Inspecting the components, even if it's possible in situ, doesn't mean they won't crack and fail soon after. 

There's a lot of circumstantial evidence to show that these parts aren't up to the job and will fail sooner or later. 

The only safe way to proceed is to change for an uprated product. IMO. 

[SamC]

Agreed.

[PlastererPete]

Has anyone got a contact email for someone at CC who is aware of the issue?

I completed the online form but would like to inform them that although I answered that they are fine, I have actually changed them premptively to avoid any such failure. 

[Gareth H]

Pete, I have messaged you.

[PlastererPete]

Thanks Gareth H & Blue7 for the DMs. I've sent an email just as a heads up saying there may be people like myself who have changed them premptively. 

[Geoff Brown]

As the saying goes 'if in doubt change it'. 

[PlastererPete]

Well, I had the afternoon free from work so drove my clevis' down to Dartford and dropped them off. Hopefully they may be of some use even though they show no signs of fatigue to my eye. 
 

Typically though, CC Dartford factory is JUST within the ULEZ zone

[David aka Blue7]

ULEZ it's an old story, even

had problems with it, scroll forward to 2.07 mins

[PlastererPete]

Just a heads up. Received an email from CC regarding a second questionnaire asking for more detail on my car after initially filling out the website form. 

[Shortshift]

Me too.  Slightly surprised that, in neither this latest questionnaire nor in the earlier one, has a question been asked about the age of the car.  I would have expected both age (or build year) of the CSR, as well as mileage covered to date, to be parameters worth capturing.

James

[PlastererPete]

Same here. I suppose they get within the ballpark with asking the mileage at uts last service, but that could still be a couple of thousand or more behind what it actually is. 

[SamC]

James, the first survey asked for chassis and reg No so they will have age from that, and the latest one asked for mileage at last service (even if it were a self service), so they should have that info?

[David aka Blue7]

That's odd, I haven't received any further communication from CC so I assume I must have provided sufficient details when I first contacted them?  What additional details have they asked you both to provide?

Edited to say I have found the CC email with second survey in my Spam folder so now completed

David

[Shortshift]

Replying to #164

Oh - did it ask for VIN?  Sorry - I must have forgotten that!  (I was thinking that many of us use personal plates on these cars, so age - of car! - wouldn't be clear).

Thanks, Sam.

James

[sjmmarsh]

[sjmmarsh]

Duplicate

[sjmmarsh]

Duplicate

[SamC]

Is that a new failure? If so, hope everyone was OK?

You can see the lug under the bolt side has been failed a while before the rest let go. Again, a feature of many of the failures.

[David aka Blue7]

Steve, as Sam asked, is that a new failure or the one you reported earlier in this thread 1st July post #24, when you hit a pot hole?  I assume and hope this is not the replacement clevis that has failed?  Have you completed the two questionaries on the CC website?

David

[sjmmarsh]

Sam and David

No - this is the same failure I experienced in June, just cleaned up so you can see the damage better and, yes, it does look like there was a pre-existing crack there which let go when I hit the pothole on the M11, but it doesn't look that old as the colour difference only showed up in the photo. It has lasted 54k miles and many trackdays and sprints, so I have been lucky compared to others. 

I have completed both questionnaires and CC advised me not to drive it (!), but I think they were expecting me to report a crack, rather than a failure. I have completed both questionnaires - the second had gone to my spam folder. 

My car is still awaiting repair - the dampers are now available again so the car is being picked up on Monday. It should be repaired in time for the winter, as it needs a rear skin and work on the 6 speed shift (rose joint seized up - I could do it myself but given everything else that is needed I have asked Nick Potter to sort this as well). It was availability of parts that has led to the long wait.

Steve
 

[Shortshift]

Does the photo at #167 represent the correct assembly of the through-bolt, spacers and collets?  I ask as it is different from images posted earlier (in the 'other' thread, by Hanns Per):

 

I know that the CSR build instructions are quite clear but I can't find those at the moment.

Anyone able to clarify?

James

[PlastererPete]

From the photos Ive got of the old one and the new one from TL that looks right. 

[SamC]

James, I think #167 and the photo in #173 are the same configuration and correct.

The small spacer under the bolt head sits inside the split spacer when it's installed. It's that that causes the hoop stress.

Sam