Jim 123

Do you not think that you need to have a frank discussion with Oakmere about the fact that they sold you a car knowing where you live? In my experience CC do not play a game of smoke and mirrors around their warranty obligations. If the selling dealer wants to eclipse their obligations on customer satisfaction with drama, why not speak with CC direct who I am sure will recognise where you live and be fully supportive.

After an 18 month lay up have you tried cleaning the wiring connectors in the various wiring connectors and cleaning off all earth fixings. What is the state of the battery and is the electrolyte topped up.

There should be a screw on the pillar stantion on each side. When removed it takes the CC supplied mounts to which you can fit the door mirror shells.

Would you consider getting the car on stands with wheels off and running the drivetrain? Obviously with appropriate care about rotating parts, but it might settle you down about the exact source of your concern. It looks like this issue is probably one that is going to be pretty impossible to define based on written exchanges.

Random thoughts that might be worth checking, some of these are long shots..... Check security of the gearbox to mounting plate fixing bolts and box properly seated into mount. Box mount the right way round. Is LH gearbox casing well clear of LH chassis lower longitudinal. Propshaft u/j's OK and fully greased. No excess play in splines gearbox to prop. Propshaft to diff flange bolts all secure and OK. Routing, clearance and security of handbrake cables. Loose hanging multi plug connectors touching rear chassis or body skins. Hood strap buckles contacting with fuel filler cover inside boot. A frame the right way up. Braided rear brake hose not touching. Inserts fitted in upper damper mounts.

The supplier is no longer on Ebay but my item was a 75 mm 15 flute. This new link looks like the same part: https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Bike-It-Motorcycle-Garage-Workshop-Oil-Filter-Wrench-74-76mm-15-Flutes-OFW76/1423189521?iid=271298525810

Given what can be heard on the video, and if you feel it sometimes through the chassis could it be driveline shunt. You may want to try the following to see if it replicates. Find a slice of road with a very gentle uphill incline, keep your foot off the clutch in 1st gear, and let the car slow down to almost a stall on a trailing throttle. Then attempt to increase speed by throttle to only just below walking pace and no more and hold that speed.

Has anybody tried asking CC for a general letter explaining the situation with their cars which can be shown shown, if needed, to an MOT tester?

Re ignition relay is there any trace of water getting into the fuse box during your deluge?

Nick whatever you try next it occurs to me that you may be best to see if you can start to dislodge the glue with sideways pressure to get in moving rather than rubbing from the top. The top surface of the glue stripes may have become sealed (and consequently solvent resistant) if the boundary micro layer of the original decals has remained stuck on the glue surface. Alternatively the seller may have tried using polish, which again may have also sealed the uppermost face of the glue and inhibit solvent penetrating. Possibly best to generally avoid applying top down pressure as this might encourage the glue into any open fibers in the matted surface beneath.

The glue could well have impregnated the porous c/f surface which would be a pity. However solar gain may just have caused the adhesive to cure solid which the raised surface implies. Any mileage out of trying a good heat gun on a discrete area for around 15 mins, and at the same time see if something like dosing with white spirit will start to dissolve the glue? With this you may find that using an old credit card as a scraper to push the raised edge of the glue sideways is safer than rubbing into the c/f.

What kind of glue, has it fully cured hard, and what was it sticking to the nose? Never used one of these but I would consider avoiding risk of heat generation which might spread the glue more. As said tar spot remover is good for tape adhesives if it hasn't impregnated the c/f. Have you a photo?

As a sanity check, have you attempted to re - pair the immobiliser to the fobs? Instructions in the Owner Manual. After ignition is on, do the oil pressure and rev counter needles flicker within a sec or two of power being connected through? Probably not related to the immediate issue, but if you have had a soaking, the barometric sensor on the top of the front LH firewall platform might have collected water. Normally the sensor aperture on the top surface is open and exposed when they come from the factory, and some owners put a length of bent rubber tube on this to ensure it breathes downwards.

When you switch on what happens with the immobiliser light, rapid flashing or does it extinguish?

When you switch on what happens with the immobiliser light, flashing or does it extinguish?

Can you replicate it in a car park holding a tight right hander to get a better clue where the noise is emanating from?

IMHO Tony knows exactly what he is doing and his work is the benchmark for all Sevens. Many other body shops have never seen a Caterham before, and either quote disproptionately high as the they do not want minor cosmetic business tying up their ovens, or alternatively they load their pricing in case they have to learn on the job.

The price you have been quoted does sound well OTT although admittedly removal of the sign thingy under the badge will add a little bit of extra cost. Would you be prepared to remove the nose badge, number plate, bonnet seal and grille, and refit these yourself? If the damage is due to front end stone chip blemishes you might also explore repaint of damage but blending into the existing nose finish towards the rear. As there is a panel gap and also angular offset between the nose and the front of the bonnet; colour variance can be quite forgiving assuming a reasonable attempt to match the original finish is the starting point. (If you look at your profile photo you might notice that the bonnet appears darker than the nose. This is probably angular variations between the 2 parts reflecting light from the metallic paint flakes at different angles. Alternatively the colours might just be a little different on each panel anyway).

The build manual for your car should have camber settings and toe in listed towards the end of the manual. Over the years the camber recommendation has moved from 1.0 negative to 1.2 from memory. I also found that the number of exposed threads thing didn't work and 1 side needed 4 threads more than the other to achieve symetry. In my experience I discovered the phone app thing was not very repeatable. I use a length of straight bar, as per Ian's suggestion, and attach a digital inclinometer with a flat magnetic base to the bar. You can get an inclinometer for around a tenner on eBay, and it can be easily set to true vertical before you start the job. Car needs to be on a level floor and wheels straight ahead, tyres properly inflated, as I guess you know.

Tom, your idea of fitting a 50 mm blind grommet and making your own hole for the column is probably a good idea as you can position the hole to accommodate the column which is likely to be off center to the bulkhead aperture. A couple of other thoughts .... For the sea dogs amongst us, nautical equipment suppliers sell "witches hat" grommets in large diameter that might do the trick. Is it worth trying a ball joint gaiter with a cable tie holding it on the column side?

I think you will find that the max outside diameter of the grommet from CC is 48mm, but in cross section there is about a 10mm recess inside the outer circumference to fix into the bulkhead hole. The challenge is that the hole for the steering column is in the center of the grommet, but usually the column does not slot through the bulkhead aperture in the middle of the bulkhead opening and some gap is hard to avoid.

John is it a trick of the light or is there a small dimple recess in the center electrode on the surface facing the camera?

Looking at the photos unless the engine was running post collision there is a chance that it is also well damaged. It is not unheard of to negotiate a cash settlement over several iterations and include the right to retain the car in the final settlement. Bear in mind that the car will be tagged at a Cat S I suspect, this will influence future sale ability. You might want to invest in a few lottery tickets as you clearly are having a run of very good luck!

In addition to Elie's suggestion, if you haven't done so, a check on the static timing with a light would be worthwhile.

If you have found that the float chambers are filling and the pump jets are squirting it sounds like pump supply should not be inhibiting at least an initial start up. Are the throttle butterflies and linkages functioning as well as opening to spec? Could mixture not be getting through to the idler needles and associated drillings?