David aka Blue7

Kelv, Bizzielizzie13 (#71) has had the JWM longer than I have but in the short time I have had it fitted it seems to turn the engine over quicker than the banner and apart from that it has no issues.  Aesthetically it looks better in the engine bay and is incredibly light.  One aspect I like about it is the digital display on the side of the battery that displays the state of charge, operated by an on/off button alongside the display.  If you have any questions just email Jack Webb, who I found very helpful, 

jackwebbmotorsport@gmail.com

David

I should perhaps mention that my Banner battery was performing well and I had no issues with it but I recently replaced my wife's golf caddy lead acid battery with a lithium battery and I was astounded at just how much lighter it was so in the true Chapman spirit I decided my next battery would be lithium.  I didn't need to change it just now but I saw a friend's lithium conversion and suddenly experienced a severe bout of upgradeitus and bought the lithium battery and it didn't end there because I continued my infection by purchasing one of Mark's carbon handbrake handles ... and my wife has consulted our Doctor's receptionist (Doctors now seem to be an enigma), and she has booked me in for a consultation with a psychiatrist.  

#71 Bizzielizzie13 did you fit the isolator switch yourself and if so how easy / difficult is it?  I don't have one fitted so I would have to just disconnect the negative lead during winter layup but this would be better / cheaper than connecting a trickle charger.

David

I have just fitted a JWM PS-12 LiFePO4 BATTERY to replace my Banner.

https://jackwebbmotorsport.co.uk/JWM-PS-12-LiFePO4-BATTERY-BUNDLE-p250876921?fbclid=IwAR3voQFKn1yrXGnxW528ShCjXMzbrzy5UlmSB-Bb0UgUTi4o0iBs_pefKps

Speaking to Jack he advises against trickle charger during winter lay up and just disconnecting the negative lead or if you have a cut off switch fitted turn power off (I don't have a cut off switch).  So far so good, it seems to turn the engine over faster but my Banner is now about 3 years old.

Fitting was straight forward apart from removal of the battery tray when to my astonishment it was held in place by 13 rivets in random positions.  I thought that maybe the guy that fitted the tray had just decided to use up all the rivets that remained in the box.  They took a bit of time to remove and I have covered the area with a sheet of carbon and fitted rivnuts to secure the new battery tray.  The battery leads are on the opposite side to the Banner but they still fit easily.

David

Before using the sticky pads and clamp to refit my interior mirror I decided to try out my backup purchase of a blue tinted suction mirror which has a sticky substance on the suction cup and cost £10.99.  It works perfectly and allows a slightly higher position which will be handy when I have a boot bag in place.  The blue tint is also pretty cool 

While  waiting for CC to confirm that I would be ordering the correct replacement water temperature sensor via 'ask an expert / phone a friend' I decided to clean up the sensor positive and earth terminals and smear them with vaseline and would you believe that this has resolved the problem and the gauge is now working again!  Golden rule ... always check the simplest possible solutions first.

David

Thanks for the quick reply Jonathan.  Great photo, my wires are identical colour.  Yes all electrics working fine but towards the end of last year the water temp readings were a bit erratic and I suspected the sender unit may be on its way out.  I have just tried loosening it and it wouldn't budge so warmed the engine up and managed to loosen it until coolant started to leak so I will wait until it has cooled down before going any further and maybe look for some coolant seal to spread on the thread.

Many thanks

David

First run of the year and water temp gauge not registering which is probably the sender unit.  Looking under the bonnet this morning I seem to recall that this is the CSR260 sender unit but would appreciate confirmation from someone who has replaced one of these units?  Circled in red in the photo below

David

I haven't heard of suction sunvisors?  I did try the strip across the top of the windscreen but it didn't really help much and even a long peak baseball cap can be ineffective,  I eventually resorted to planning my route so that I traveled southwards outgoing so the low sun is behind me when returning home. 

#28 I hope your mate Brice Lee paid for the new windscreen

CC actually sell pads at £2.08 each plus postage, I should have maybe looked there to start with but I now have the 3M VHB on order.  Reading the instructions, it would appear that compression of the pad is key because the glue only comes out when the pad is compressed and it seems to take 48 hours to fully cure so I will wait for some warmer weather and  then delicately clamp it with a G-cramp.  Meantime I have ordered a suction mirror as backup ... I liked the blue tint

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08NJZ61NN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I resurrected this thread because I just lifted the cover off my 7 to find my interior mirror on the floor.  I had to replace my mirror last year due to desilvering around the edges.  I used these pads to secure the new mirror, heating the windscreen with a hair dryer and cleaning with the supplied alcohol wipes.  It worked well all year but is obviously affected by winter conditions and maybe humidity.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01MTOF45L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The problem surface is the glass side and I find it amusing that I have never had  any problems with the Caterham original fixing ... so maybe they should use the pads they use to secure the cycle wings

I have found the ultratape on Tool Station and also on Amazon where it received a carp review so I looked at the "no more nails" product which in the small print stated not suitable for glass.  I have just found this Auto Express review which is worth adding to this thread, they test five products, 3M VHB come out on top followed by Gorilla

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product-group-tests/352468/best-car-glass-adhesive-2020

The Amazon pads have "3M" stamped on them but they are a different colour so maybe a Chinese fake?  The ones shown in the Auto Express article are red and as they state, I have seen them supplied with Go Pro camera kits.  They are available on Amazon but who knows if they are the genuine article so maybe I will buy direct from a specialist.

I have considered a suction one, I have a suction camera mount fitted in my wife's car and that hasn't fallen off. 

David

The Aston Dealer has contacted us re servicing but they just want the cash to change pollen filters and turn off the annoying "service due" warning in the display ... thank the Lord that it can't talk and nag you like those BL Maestro's could 

It is probably a different matter if the car is under warranty but the  dealer is being a tad awkward especially for 2019-20 when Garages were closed and cars were not allowed to be driven except in very exceptional circumstances.  Sounds like he isn't concerned about losing a future customer or maybe he will use it as a bargaining chip to drive down the value when it comes to any future part exchange.  A lot of dealers don't even bother re-selling traded in cars and just put them straight to auction.

I thought that dealer servicing stamps were now a thing of the past and all servicing data was stored in the on-board computer?

Looking back at your original post you say no fuel pump click and engine will not turn, which does suggest an inertia switch problem?  Before trying #5, I would bypass the inertia switch to see if it resolves the issue?  John Vine explains how to do so in #13 here

https://www.caterhamlotus7.club/forum/techtalk/what-thing-and-what-does-it-do?page=1

Some good advice above #5 is the first and easiest check and then get the geometry checked.  I have had 3 CSR's, 2008, 2012 and 2015 and steering was the same with each model and I only needed Schwarzenegger biceps when parking.

I had an interesting conversation with an Aston Martin authorised service agent last year when he mentioned the fact that many owners weren't using their cars due to covid restrictions on travel and in his opinion a gap in the service schedule would not affect residual value because it would be acknowledged that cars could not be used or serviced in that particular year.

I have had 3 new CSR's from CC, there were issues with all 3, the first two were collected by CC, issues resolved and returned, which was circa 1200 mile round trip by a great van driver so full marks to CC for after sales care.  This last CSR's issues were no tracker fitted, no paint protection film and no shift lights despite having paid for all three.  I had to arrange for a company in Perth to apply the pp film and a company in Glasgow to fit the tracker and I gave up on the shift lights but it too eventually had to be returned to the factory because of a misfire caused by a faulty ECU map.  So I have no  issues re after sales care, other than the hassle of having to return the car.

The 620 does seem to have a number of 'issues', which CC should take on board and resolve, otherwise it will not instill any confidence in their design and development expertise relating to a future EV7.  I would imagine that they are so busy building 7's to complete present orders that they have no one available to rectify the 620 issues, in which case I would just take it on the chin and pay for the PGM fix before Spring arrives so that I could enjoy the car with confidence. 

I don't see how CC can deny that there is a problem when there was a whole article in one of last years LF magazines in which CC admitted the problem and were working on a fix?

Personally, I would bite the bullet and get the PGM fix.  I don't know your location but there is a factory tour planned for March so if possible you should consider signing up for that and put your case to CC face to face?

David

I hope it isn't a private car park that issues penalty charges!

#119  Thanks Nigel, I have just had that fact pointed out to me on another "Don't Shoot Me" thread along with the assumption that CC can't divulge details of the car due to intellectual property rights of the development partner.

David

I would bet money that it is the battery, sufficient juice to crank the engine but not enough to create an adequate spark to the plugs while cranking.  It is so easy to suspect something more complicated.

My battery is ok at present but when it starts to fail I am thinking of fitting a lithium replacement as recently fitted by one of our local 7 owners, here

https://jackwebbmotorsport.co.uk/JWM-PS-12-LiFePO4...

#114 That's an interesting article on Biden's bill for a kill switch in new cars.  We seem to be heading in the same direction with our own systems which now seem to include speed limiting devices that read speed limit signs and slow the car automatically.

However, I suddenly recalled a conversation I had with a company that monitor the satellite tracking system on my wife's AM Vantage.  I am rarely allowed to drive it but I took it for a spin one day while she was playing golf.  My oversight was forgetting to take the transponder card / pad that communicates with the tracker fitted to the car so an alert was sent to the trackers Vodaphone indicating that the car was on the move without transponder and possibly being stolen.  So they phoned my wife to ask if the car was "safe" 

She phoned me and I said I was just stretching it's legs   

So I had to phone Vodaphone to confirm that the car was safe and I had just forgotten to take the transponder device.  During the course of the conversation with a very nice lady, she knew what speeds I had been traveling at and where I had been and the speed limits in those places.  She also said that they could actually kill the ignition but obviously would not do so while the car was being driven, however, once the car was at rest she could immobilise it if the owner had confirmed that the car had been stolen.  So it seems the kill switches already exist in some cars.

I had to make my own tea that night 

We have to go EV, it's a  cleaner fuel and will save the planet

#94 Sadly this is probably true.

My guess is that Market Research will confirm that there will be insufficient demand for a car with outdated design with little or no safety features, no infotainment features and probably costing close to £100k in 2030.  It would be interesting to conduct a poll here to establish who would consider buying an EV 7 and at what price.  I think we used to carry out polls on the old "yellow" Blatchat?

The other problem will be trade in, who is going to be interested in an ICE car with dwindling petrol stations but I suppose the Gov. of the day may introduce scrapage schemes ... perish the thought!

Another matter that intrigues me is that in the 2021 Webinar, Simon Lambert said he had driven an EV7 so where is it and would it be possible to see it?  I think you guys that live in the area will be attending the Caterham open day, what about asking if you can have sight of this EV7 so you can let the rest of us know what it looks like compared to an ICE 7?

David

"Does it always start eventually?  --> no. The last few times I just waited until next day while as a precaution charged the battery. Next day all was good; engine started directly."

I think that comment may indicate the problem.  I would suggest before you go delving into electrics and fuel supply that you check the condition of your battery, how old is it?  I have experienced similar problems in the past, engine turns but does not fire and eventually the battery goes flat. New battery always solved the problem.

David