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).
Customer complaints and potential improvements for the Bentley model, including issues with seats, clutch, oil consumption, and brakes.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 84\1\ scan0417 | |
| Date | 4th February 1936 | |
| To Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Copy to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}E.B.Y.Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} Re Accessibility of Front Seats on the Bentley. I am in receipt of Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}2/KW.30.1.36. All the standard bodies are now fitted with Leverol fittings to the front seat with which it is very easy to slide back the driver's seat and slide it forward again when wishing to get in-and out. The Leverol fitting, as I expect you know, enables one to come back to the original position of the sliding seat without having to make any adjustment. We should be interested to see the sketch sent by Park Ward as referred to in the 4th paragraph but we do not feel that this question of egress from and ingress to the front seat is of sufficient importance to warrant our making up a special gearbox with central change speed. We feel that there are more important items which want to be dealt with on the Bentley, the principal complaints being as follows: Clutch. There is a lot of trouble with slipping clutches. We are not clear as to whether the recent alteration has an easy application - (by 'easy' we mean not too expensive) to existing cars. If not, something wants doing. Oil Consumption. We are getting many complaints of very poor oil consumption and this seems to be traceable to the introduction of aerolite pistons, i.e. before that, oil consumption on the Bentley was very good. Pinking or detonation. There seem to be more complaints under this heading than there were when the Bentley was first launched and one wonders whether this has something to do with aerolite pistons as well. Brakes. There are a good many complaints of squeaking and, judging from the complaints, they seem to get very readily out of adjustment so that they pull one way. I note you say that no new gearbox is being called for at present so that 'this section would have time to give to it' but I thought it was clear in the minds of all concerned that both the 20/25 and the Bentley are in need of second speed synchromesh. We sometimes find it | ||