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 complaint letter detailing severe steering wobble and issues with the petrol tank filler on a 'New Phantom' during a tour of France and Spain.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 47\1\ Scan375 | |
| Date | 12th November 1926 | |
| COPY. BEARSTED HOUSE, Telephone 8 Bearsted. NR. MAIDSTONE. Hm{Capt. W. Hallam - Head Repairs}/WW7/W11.11.26. Nov. 12th. 1926. Dear Sirs, Chassis No. 24-RC.{R. Childs} Replying to yours of yesterday, since seeing Mr. Chichester I have been on a long tour of France, and Spain last nearly seven weeks. Starting from Boulogne I finished at Gibraltar and came back with the car by the P. & O.{Mr Oldham} Line. After leaving Abbeville en route for Paris I got the world's worst front wheel wobble possible - I was doing 72 m.p.h. and do not even now know how I kept the road. The car shook like a leaf. Arriving in Paris I had your Paris Depot overhaul the steering, and they certainly improved it very much, in fact on English roads now it is very good. The fact remains however, that on rough Continental roads & Spanish roads in particular the present steering on the "New PhantomCodename for PHANTOM I" is thoroughly unsatisfactory, and was a cause of complaint with the driver of every "New PhantomCodename for PHANTOM I" I met in France and Spain! All Spanish roads are bad, most of them absolutely vile, and it is agony sometimes driving, twice did I nearly break my fingers by the steering wheel being wrenched out of my hands, and on the rebound hitting my fingers. The present steering is honestly doing your name harm on the Continent. I can't just remember how many "New PhantomCodename for PHANTOM Is" I met to speak to the owners or drivers, I think it was seven, two of whom had also had violent wheel wobble at high speed and had been to your Paris Depot! Another very unsatisfactory point, in Spain in particular, is the petrol tank filler. In Spain the pumps are of the kind (in most cases) where they deliver 5 litres with a rush without any means of controlling the flow. The result is that owing to such a small air release one can never get more than 14 gallons in the Tank without getting air locked and all the petrol pouring on the ground. In fact I have on numerous occasions "air locked" with only 12 gallons in the Tank! I am sure I must have wasted over 20 gallons on the ground! ENCLOSURE Nº 803 'JUSTSO' | ||