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).
Copy of a letter to Connaught Motor & Carriage Co. Ltd. explaining a vehicle delivery delay due to rigorous final testing.
Identifier | ExFiles\Box 33\1\ Scan261 | |
Date | 17th November 1925 | |
ENCLOSURE TO BJ3/H24.11.25. COPY OF LETTER TO CONNAUGHT MOTOR & CARRIAGE CO. LTD. DATED 17th November 1925. It has been reported to me that the above car is not ready for delivery to-day as we had hoped. You have been dealing with us long enough to appreciate that our final tests are exceedingly rigorous, and whilst there are probably a number of other motor firms who would be quite willing to allow their cars to be delivered to customers before they are absolutely satisfactory, yet our policy has always been that if we cannot deliver an absolutely satisfactory car, we would sooner not deliver it at all. From years of experience we fully realise how exceedingly annoying this is to the customer, but we are glad to say that our customers have also realised that, in the long run, it is far the best policy in their interests. Those of us who have been connected with the motor trade for a number of years are able to realise that, in the final tuning up and testing of a very complicated piece of machinery it is quite possible for minor details to take some time to adjust, and during those final adjustments and tests, although we work straight ahead on them without stopping, it is impossible for us to know definitely when every point will be satisfactorily adjusted in all respects. We are glad to say that it very seldom occurs that our final tests and adjustments take more than 48 hours, and we are therefore usually able to deliver a complete car without delay, but unfortunately, however perfect a chassis may be when it leaves the Works, we cannot guarantee that when it has been standing for some months at the coachbuilders and has had a body put on it, that it will be a perfect complete car without further adjustment. Many things occur between the time the chassis is completed and the complete car is ready for delivery, as we find, for instance, that noises which could not be heard in the bare chassis can sometimes be heard when a body is fitted, and this may necessitate a change-over of certain gear wheels in the back axle or gearbox, or other parts of the mechanism; perhaps two or three sets may have to be fitted before the perfectly silent set to suit that particular car may be found. Again, loads on the chassis give quite different results when different types of body are fitted, as the springing, with body fitted, is a very delicate operation. We know how difficult it is to explain all these matters to the untechnical customer, but we also know that it / | ||