From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Letter of complaint regarding severe wheel wobble and brake squeaking on a Bentley.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 89\2\ scan0077 | |
| Date | 4th February 1935 | |
| LONDON OFFICE:- BUSH HOUSE, ALDWYCH, W. C. 2. TELEGRAMS:- INLAND: "AVIATION, PHONE, FILTON." FOREIGN: "AVIATION, FILTON." CODES:- WESTERN UNION. BENTLEY'S & A.B.C. "Bristol" Aeroplanes and Aero Engines. THE BRISTOL AEROPLANE COMPANY LTD SIR G.{Mr Griffiths - Chief Accountant / Mr Gnapp} STANLEY WHITE, BT{Capt. J. S. Burt - Engineer} (MANAGING DIRECTOR.) TELEPHONE: TEMPLE BAR 7193. TELEGRAMS: "BRISTAIRCO, BUSH LONDON" TELEPHONES: OFFICES AND WORKS, 45051 (PRIVATE BRANCH EXCHANGE) FILTON HOUSE, BRISTOL, ENG. Your Ref. Our Ref. ENGINES F/HCM-1. 4th February 1935. W.A.Robotham Esq, Messrs Rolls-Royce Ltd, Derby. Dear Robotham, I used the Bentley during the week-end. For the first 50 to 60 miles, the brakes were quite all right, but after this the squeaking became progressively worse, and finally was quite as bad as ever. On Sunday it rained coming home, and the brakes got somewhat better again. There is one point I have tried two or three times, which seems to work, viz:- that if one reverses and puts the brakes on fairly sharply, the squeaking seems to improve for a time. What has very badly "shaken" me over this week-end is, that at about 30 to 35 miles an hour, over exactly the same bit of road, viz:- a bumpy bend down hill, I had the most appalling wheel wobble again, as bad as ever, and I quite lost control of the car. This is extremely disconcerting, and I simply must have something done about it, as I could not consider permanently keeping the car while it is like this. I happened to meet a man fishing over the week-end, who confirmed my views in regard to brakes squeaking on the Bentley. I realise you are up against some difficult problems on the car, and I want to be patient, and I think the better plan is for me to go on driving my car until you really have got a proper and permanent cure for the various defects on my chassis at the present time, and then you could have it back and put them all right. I take it there will be no difficulty with the body people, Park Ward, if I keep the car beyond a certain period without having it sent back to have the various body defects put right, but I do not feel that I want to have the body done, until the chassis itself is a really decent and proper job. Kind regards, Yours sincerely, A.H.R.Fedden. P. S. I am sending a copy of this letter to Mr Sidgreaves, as I promised to keep in touch with him about the performance of the car. | ||