VERY DISSAPOINTED

[Philip Edginton]

Well I have had this Brooklands now for going on 3 years, I have cosseted it with care and lavished money to the extreme, in comparison with other vehicles that I have owned over the last 65 years.The family has a background in automobiles since before the First World war. Therefore I feel that I have a well rounded knowledge of old and new cars, this was to be my last car to enjoy in retirement, but I am so disappointed in the reliability and what seems to be a deliberate refusal to modernise or update the electrical and the lack of good service by supposedly RR/Bentley garages.
All I can say is no wonder the British motor industry died.
No I do not blame the unions fully, mainly the over structured management most of whom lacked basic skills. I thought Bentley was above all that.
Sorry chaps had to rant as the timing could not be worse.
The vehicle is up for sale. I really am disappointed, not sure what to have next.

[Nicholas Simons]

Make sure your next car is at least 50 years old.

[Philip Edginton]

Thank you for your commiserating wit, I shall miss that, yes really. I shall miss driving the old thing. But I can imagine that in the new year I could well forget that I am selling. I do use it most days as my regular transport. Maybe I expect too much.Not being very agile these days means relying on others, which does not settle well on me.
Thoughts of going Ev abound in my mind, perhaps I am a modernist.

[John Murch]

[Nicholas Simons]

John
My youngest Bentley is a 1967 T. This has never let me down. Maybe I'm lucky so I take your point and would amend my recommendation to any car from the S series backwards.

[Philip Edginton]

My other rant is about access for the driver. It appears that there is a built in disadvantage for drivers nudging the 6ft. and means a bit of a scrabble to mount. This is not good for ones back.
May I say in this post, that I am also disappointed that I still have not found out which relay controls what in the collection of 8 under the bonnet on the nearside.I have scoured the internet but to no avail. Any answers.

[DavidThompson]

Can I suggest a Continental GT?
I have had mine for coming up to 6 years, ( but only 12000 miles) and every journey has been a joy.
Completely reliable, great performance, even the seat has a massage function which gives relief to aching backs.
Avoid the last gasp Vickers cars and embrace VAG.
These cars are undoubtedly the best badged Bentley’s

[Stephen Blakey]

[Philip Edginton]

Oh dear, that is upsetting, no not the spelling mistakes,I nearly bought a DB9 but chose the Bentley.

[Paul1979T2]

[Philip Edginton]

What is also very disappointing, is that it would seem that we have no owner drivers of the SZ range that get their hands dirty, or even know anything about their vehicle, apart from the phone number of the garage.
Maybe I should have joined a club who understand that enjoyment is to be had spending time fettling and such. I think that had I bought the Bentley years earlier with my garage and tools It would have had quite a few mods and upgrades.
I am sure the majority of the electric side could be replaced with21st century equipement.
Any comments.

[John Robins]

Increasing decrepitude of both me and of the car is forcing me to the conclusion that my R-type is going to have to go.

I had been thinking about a more modern Bentley but reading through the above wonder if it would be more sensible to give up Bentleys completely and settle for something a bit more accessible. As I am currently averaging only about 3000 miles a year the running costs become irrelevant, but I absolutely must have a car that will not fail to proceed when I jump in and turn the key. Previous experience of low volume production of motors of any kind seems to suggest that design is always compromised somehow due to the small quantity over which the cost can be amortised, so it seems the answer might be a little Ford, and change it every couple of years.

[Philip Edginton]

Unfortunately I find myself agreeing with you about changing to something that I could appreciate more, even thought about an EV. However as the next vehicle will be a shared one I shall leave choice up to my co driver.So I know it will be a small car maybe a Mini again and relive my youth. Oh dear.

[Nicholas Simons]

Philip
If you are looking for technical help with SZ cars, and in fact any Bentley cars from 1931 onwards, you would be well advised to join the other club. They have a very active message board.
I'm sorry if this appears to be dis-loyal to the BDC, but as a new member I am in a good position to compare the two clubs. I hope this post doesn't result in my expulsion.

[John Robins]

Don’t worry, they haven’t expelled me yet!!

[Philip Edginton]

Nicholas
regrettably I cannot say that the other club was of much help to me either, I only asked a simple question about headlamps and relays, their volunteer technical bod was unable to give me an answer and was quite vague.
I also found that on their forum they wandered off topic more than on here.
reminded me of being involved in a who dun it escapade.

[John Murch]

Would I be correct in thinking that by the 1990’s Bentley model production exceeded Rolls-Royce?
The number of diy owners must be tiny, When in the late’70s/early 80s I had a T2, I didn’t dare touch it, (it seemed so complex), but was quite happy to strip bits of my WO.

[Christopher Carnley]

Philip,

There is another forum, RROCA, the Australian one and their modern car section is very active, so log on and try it,F.O.C.

The RREC club forum activity is among old men with pre-war cars, but all these sites come under the general heading of chat rooms.

The RR&B cars more than 3 years old can be most underwhelming!

[Nicholas Simons]

Chris is not quite correct about the RREC message board. The stats are pre-war, 1655 topics, 15510 postings. Post-war, 1712 topics, 11645 postings. So you can see that the traffic is about equal between the two categories. That said, the majority of the post-war stuff is about Mk VI and S types with less about the cars later than the T. As said here, the later cars are a bit more of a challenge for home mechanics.
It must be noted that Chris, himself, is a regular contributor to the RREC Old Man activity, and is of great benefit to all.

[John Murch]

While rummaging about on line, I came across this web site,
https://www.rrsilverspirit.com/index2.htm
He invites technical questions.

[Paul1979T2]

Perhaps I am a bit unusual in that I like to do some small DIY jobs to my cars including my T2. I find older cars easier to do DIY jobs on than say a modern car built after 2000 and in particular a car built in the last 10 years where so much is 'plug and guess'. I wouldn't do much to my 2011 A8 or worse still our new 2020 Golf which seems to need re coded if you empty the ash tray!

[Stephen Blakey]

[John Robins]

Or the look you get when turning up at BDC events in a Ford Eight.

[Philip Edginton]

Oh thank you Stephen, you made me laugh out loud .I will have a look on the down under site.

Nothing is really complicated on a car. it is just dressed up to appear so.

Just a question if I may, anyone know how long it takes to heat up the interior in one of those EV cars. I am sorely tempted, even took a look at a Kia Soul 2017 mod.

Daughter says why not cocoon the Bentley and buy one of those. But reading between the lines I consider that one gets more problems through lack of use. your comments please.

[John Robins]

I don’t think I would cocoon a modern car full of electronics. What would be the effect of a totally flat battery on all the stored “program” stuff if all the volts disappeared? The Mercédès daily driver goes to great pains to warn of impending battery exhaustion so there must be more to it than just cranking the engine.

[DavidThompson]

Philip,
My wife has had a Jaguar I Pace EV since August this year, and can say it reaches whatever heating chosen before entering the car, providing you remember to tell it when it is next required, or remember to use an App on your phone in time.
Used conventionally, it takes no longer than any other car to heat up, although I would say the ac is the noisiest part of the car before it settles down.
Performance is truly amazing with 500+ ftlbs torque instantly available throughout the rev range, and all the weight down in the floor. Just don't expect to go very far.

[Nicholas Simons]

Just for the record, David, how far can your wife's car go on a charge, with interior heating on during a cold spell, and full headlights, and how long does it take for a recharge at a motorway service station en-route to a weekend away?

[Philip Edginton]

Now now Nicholas behave, I was thinking of a small EV for my daughter that she might let me use.
But my point is that one should not neglect the green beastie.
It handles just as well as one of my old BMW's.5 series.

[DavidThompson]

No real idea about the influence of the lights, heater etc., as they look after themselves.
The most significant influence seems to be the way in which it is driven, and where it is driven. Motorways consume the most energy, probably because regenerative charging is less available and the electric motor efficiency is delivered quite differently to ic engines. Short local journeys use least.
Fully charged, 250/260 miles is shown to be available, but this has never been achieved by us. 100 actual miles uses up 120/140 "available" miles.
The car has not yet been charged up on a motorway. My wife has tried but complains it is too much faff, having to download apps, apply codes etc. The car is on a 90 mile tether unless careful planning takes place.
Having said all that, the silence, the single pedal operation, the way it delivers its amazing performance, makes everything else seem very old fashioned.

[Nicholas Simons]

Thanks, David, for your reply. Electric vehicles are a great invention, but have serious limitations for everyday driving. I also doubt that they really are as green as the activists tell us. As for single pedal driving, I am very happy with my T, which gives me all the performance I need, is quiet, is cheap to insure and tax, and doesn't depreciate, and at 53 years old it has out-lived five normal cars, all of which will have had to be scrapped, recycled and made into a new car. Which is really the greener car?

[Christopher Carnley]

Make mine a Bugatti, Type 56, 1931.

[Philip Edginton]

Very nice indeed Christopher. But it is not a car one can use as regular transport on any type of day.

[Richard Freestone]

Hi Philip,
Sorry to hear about your disappointing experiences. I have owned older Bentleys for many years and have thoroughly enjoyed them. Presently I have a 1928 4.5 and a 1953 R Type Drop Head Coupe.
In my advancing years I decided last August to treat myself to a second hand Continental GTC, a 2009 W12 model. I must say that so far I have found it to be a wonderful car in all aspects. I selected a very low mileage car, (21,500) and have been perfectly happy with it.
I am lucky that the garage owner that has serviced our everyday cars for 20 years or more, has an early GT so he does the servicing at very reasonable costs. I hear that some of the official dealers overcharge and do a mediocre job.
If you fancy something a lot older and therefore less complicated I would suggest you find the best standard R Type you can. One that has been fully restored regardless of cost. That might mean spending about £40/50,000. Later models, 1954/55 are automatic if you don't fancy manual. They drive beautifully and keep up with modern traffic.

[Philip Edginton]

Glad to hear that you are enjoying your cars Richard. I did look at the Conti but was not impressed, As this will be my last car I looked at the Mk6 and was very tempted, a cousin has one, but I picked up the Brooklands from whom I thought of as a straight bloke.£18k later I realise my error, still there can only be little more on the mechanical side that needs attention.Bodywork is great, paintwork very good, but if getting magnifying glass out will find faults.I do enjoy driving it, but getting in and out does not help my back, plus my daughter wishes to share a car with me and the Bentley is too large she says.
Driving it reminds me of some of the older cars I have had the pleasure to drive. A110 :Big Wolseley.and some of my grandfathers pre war cars back in the 50's. My uncle had a couple of car sale rooms and one just had yank cars, all chrome and fins.somewhere I have a photo of Pop with his Hispano Suiza I bet that is an eye opener.