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 from Joseph Lucas Ltd. regarding investigations into P.100 headlamp dipping mechanism failures and black-outs.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 61a\3\ scan0059 | |
| Date | 14th May 1935 | |
| Copy JOSEPH LUCAS LIMITED. Great King Street. Birmingham.19. X/LGT9. 14th May. 1935. Messrs. Rolls Royce Limited. 14-15 Conduit Street, London.W.1. Dear Sirs, For the attention of Mr. Honeyman. Further to your letter of the 2nd instant, your reference Hn{F. C. Honeyman - Retail orders}6/MC, on the subject of P.100 Headlamps fitted to Bentley and Rolls Models, and the modification to the dipping mechanism, we wish to inform you that we have been making very careful investigations into this matter and our findings are as follows: Our Service Depots have reported one or two cases where they have rectified dipping reflectors on P.100's which have failed to operate correctly, but in no case has this caused a complete black-out, because the action of the fuse blowing on the dipping solenoid does not in any way affect the headlamp bulbs. Regarding the cases of the cars coming in where a complete black-out has been experienced, our Mr.Woodlands of Action Service Depot states that this has not been caused by the failure of the reflector to dip correctly, but due to the positive feed to the main bulb breaking away from the tripod legs to which it is attached, and we suggest that the few cases that he has had of this type have been on lamps manufactured some long time ago, as we made modifications many months ago to this particular lead and we are sure that we eliminated the possibility of this trouble from that time. We do feel that under the circumstances we are not fully justified in incurring expensive modifications to all lamps held in stock because of the failure of a few reflectors to dip correctly, and Mr. F.G.Thacker proposes to visit you on | ||