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 regarding a customer complaint about carburation failures and suspected petrol boiling on chassis 163-TA.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 18\5\ Scan063 | |
| Date | 14th August 1935 | |
| N-W Hd.{Mr Hayward/Mr Huddy} Urgent. Asj / RW re Chassis 163-TA - Verrall's [Verrall's is struck through] Br2/S. 14.8.35 The above owner has just returned from the Continent, and he makes a bitter complaint of carburation failures, which he claims completely spoilt his month's holiday. He states that whenever negotiating mountain passes or other long hills, the petrol supply appeared to fail, so that generally it was impossible to drive the car at more than about 15 M.P.H. This would happen when the engine was very hot, and mostly he formed the theory that it was due to the petrol boiling. Owing to a suggestion that it was due to an autovac failure, a new autovac was sent out to him, but he claims that he still got the trouble, even when the new autovac was fitted. The strange thing about it is that, in spite of this frequent failure on hills, he states that it was possible to drive the car perfectly at 90 miles per hour on the Autostrada in Italy, even on a hot day. We have tested the car extensively on such hills as we have available near here, and we cannot get any symptom of trouble. It therefore appears to us that it is probably due to the inferior adulterated petrol, which is frequently obtained on the Continent, and we have put forward this theory to the owner. He is not at all inclined to accept this, and he states that he goes to the Continent at least four times a year. His next visit will be in the third week of September, and he says it is ridiculous to feel that a Rolls-Royce car must be kept in England in order to obtain normal performance. Will you be good enough to take this matter up with the Experimental Department, and let us have any helpful suggestions or theories that are available. If it is agreed that it is due to petrol, as suggested above, have you any information as to which petrols should be avoided when on the Continent, and which are approved? The owner is expecting to hear from us in the course of a week, so that if any work has to be done on the car, there will still be time prior to his next tour, and if it is a question of knowing what to avoid when abroad, we are to arm him with this information. We shall be glad to hear from you on this matt quickly as possible. | ||