Unclefester Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 Unbelievable! I took the SV out for a trial run, and en route noticed my rear left indicator not working, as wasn't the reversing light. As I'd disconnected all the wiring plugs at the back due to operating in the area with blowtorches, drills, impact screwdrivers and the like, I thought maybe I'd left a plug undone. Got home took it apart, and it's just the usual lousy electrical contact, not even the excuse of corrosion.....just really nasty, cheap, fell-out-of-a-cracker type rubbish! Do they really come off a 1950s caravan? Or did Caterham manage to find something even more naff and despicable source??? *eek* Blackout!!! 😬 😬here *eek* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mav Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 Fester, You seem to have slagged everything you have found so far on your 7. Did you not read these forums before you bought? If its just a bad contact why is that caterhams fault? you took it to bits recently. did you break something in the process? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonbell Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 Yes they are off a caravan............a Sprite.........which is why they are designed to be mounted the other way up and why the water collects in them if you don`t drill a hole in the bottom of the lense........... Surely you must realise a Caterham is a collection of old remnants from the Great British Car Industry 😬 Simon Bell - Caterham 7 Duratec R I`ve seen the future.....and it`s powered by duratec Check out the website here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin S. Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 Unclefester.......you seem to be missing the point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unclefester Posted October 1, 2006 Author Share Posted October 1, 2006 Mav, what else have I slagged? I mentioned the 32mm studs, which are obviously bloody ridiculous, which is probably why CC have now adopted 40mm studs. I mentioned a problem with the rear Watt link mounting bolts, and you will see a new thread I've just been obliged to post about that situation. Is it better to say nothing about percieved problems with the cars? I thought an internet forum was supposed to be about exchanging information. Just because CC use lousy rear lights doesn't alter the fact thatit's a brilliant design and a lot of fun. I'd say all my other comments were very positive in their intent, and might even help someone avoid losing a wheel, or wasting time trying to remove a rear bolt sheared off in the chassis, as I did. I'd say it's highly likely that a lot of owners with Watt link rear ends have the things mounted wrongly. I think you'll find "slagging" something is generally thought of as negative, jeering comment. I have never slagged Caterhams.....well, maybe the rear lights, and NO, I haven't broken anything on them, they are simply not a good design, IMHO You are right in your guess that I didn't read the forums before I bought the first car, though, but having spent 30 years messing with odd offshoots of the "British Car Industry" (RIP) I feel reasonably qualified to make my own mind up about anything I find not as it should be.......and doing something about rather than waiting for someone else to do so. 😳 Oh yeah, I also made a half hood type piece of canvas to test the idea of zips in hoods. It works very well, as it happens, and if Jill Judd wants to use the idea, hell, I won't see it as an infringement of intellectual property, registered design or patent, because they don't apply as far as I'm aware! . SeaView!!!! 😬 😬here *eek* Edited by - Unclefester on 1 Oct 2006 11:48:56 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Golf Juliet Tango Posted October 1, 2006 Area Representative Share Posted October 1, 2006 Uncle: I tend to agree with you: they are fabulous cars which would be made significantly more satisfying by some attention to detailed deisgn work or part selection. Much of this is, I think the increasing bias towards track use rather than road use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unclefester Posted October 1, 2006 Author Share Posted October 1, 2006 I noticed the 're-engineered' cars done in Switzerlznd by the CC dealer there, Freddy Kumquick, have different rear lights; they use small round ones, which I suppose are more reliable. I have noting against the rectangular Caterham Caravan lights in terms of appearance, but I have been plagued with crappy contacts, which seems to be inherent in the very cheap design/fabrication. Do most people find them reliable? If yes, maybe I need to take a closer look at mine, but they aren't even old, it's a 2002 car. Most of the time the reversing lights seem to not work on all of our cars..... SeaView!!!! 😬 😬here *eek* Edited by - Unclefester on 1 Oct 2006 14:54:20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alba 7 Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Fester, surely this isn't his real name Freddy Kumquick This has got to be be his porno "stage name" 😬 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unclefester Posted October 1, 2006 Author Share Posted October 1, 2006 Sorry, Alba, it seems to be a Swiss Club Annual Meet joke, his real name is Freddy Kumschick (I think that's how it's spelled) but some of the more crazed members of the UK Club have rebaptised the poor man "Freddy The Swiss Porn Star" I think personally he should sue the lot of them, specially Delbert, but of course no-one asked my opinion He does build some extraordinary Caterham variants though, such as his 300bhp+ Competition Audi engined machines. They all seem to carry trademark extra cooling holes in the nose and at the rear sides of the bonnet, and the Comp versions have the filler in the middle of the rear panel, so no spare wheel. They are seriously re-engineered, with added chassis tubes, no inner panels so you can see the spaceframe, different front stub axles, brakes, etc, chromed suspension arms, nearly everything is modded, and they are, "rather pricey" I'm told a sum not unajacent to 100K *eek* This is one we did some Pass Storming with.....here SeaView!!!! 😬 😬here *eek* Edited by - Unclefester on 1 Oct 2006 16:23:55 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Day Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Uncle The small round lights found on Freddies rear wings look the same as the front indicators. Land Rover items I believe. Have a look here for these & other options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgrigsby Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 I fitted the SVC LED lights to mine, they are lot lighter than the standard lights+lighting block and also a lot brighter. It's not a cheap option though at about £110 for two sets. Rob G www.SpeedySeven.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unclefester Posted October 1, 2006 Author Share Posted October 1, 2006 Sheeeet, that's the price of a pair of chrome on brass headlamps with xenon bulbs! I notice the rear lights on the CSR are different, anyone know what they are from? A more modern caravan maybe? SeaView!!!! 😬 😬here *eek* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheds Moderator Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 UF, yes, this and many other bits of the 7 are underengineered bodges. It doesn't stop them being great cars. You might wish to replace them with small round jobs off a Landy. - British - Lighter - Reliable - Cheap as yeaterday's chips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Perry Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 And probably equally as unreliable as the standard ones 😳 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rj Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Nag nag nag... You love the car because it is what it is, don't you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 I fitted the SVC LED lights to mine, they are lot lighter than the standard lights+lighting block and also a lot brighter. It's not a cheap option though at about £110 for two sets. Having followed Rob a couple of years back on tour, I can confirm that they are excellent light. The only thing, really, that has put me off fitting them is the cheesy faux-cf housing that you have to buy to fit them... 🙆🏻 🙆🏻 🙆🏻 🙆🏻 🙆🏻 Alcester Racing 7s Equipe™ 🙆🏻 🙆🏻 🙆🏻 🙆🏻 🙆🏻 Alcester-Racing-Sevens.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgrigsby Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Myles you can get the surround it plain black rather than fake cf if you prefer. Rob G www.SpeedySeven.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unclefester Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 I just wonder why a clean, non corroded metal to metal connection can be so unreliable. On mine, you have to fiddle with the bulb position to get the thing to light up, even with the bulb in properly and the wiring all well connected, so it's the bayonet fitting design which is just very sloppy, I reckon. I'm not mad keen on the little round lights, and I've heard they need a lot of modification too, to fit without the wires contacting the tyre.... SeaView!!!! 😬 😬here *eek* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Bowler Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 ...... Visted the Westfield factory on Saturday. I much prefer their rear light setup. Mine have failed twice - probably due to water. ...... AB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unclefester Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 *arrowup* *arrowup* AH HAH!!!!!! So it's not just my imagination......... SeaView!!!! 😬 😬here *eek* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWHomer Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 as afar as I can tell the CSR rear light housing is the normal 7 version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unclefester Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 The CSR rears I saw in Switzerland, on a UK members car, were quite different...maybe they've changed the design since you saw them? They had curved top corners and looked better sealed, I have a photo on my home pc, will dig it out. SeaView!!!! 😬 😬here *eek* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elie boone Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Hella has some round rear lights witch are flat mounted but its not everyone's taste. (trailer lights ) I wonder what the cost is of the Swiss re engeneerd Caterhams, different markets demand different aproach. You could "french " the rear light into the rear wing S3 style but this would mean that the rear wing mould needs to be modifyed and that is costing money. And as the SVA rules changed the last couple of years i don't think CC will be prepared to do it. Besides this leaves us room to modify our Sevens so that they all are different. Edited by - elie boone on 2 Oct 2006 17:44:52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willitgo Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Considering what the purchase cost is, the quality of the product leaves a lot to be desired. Whilst de-bugging the various problems over the last year -OK, I know its home built and maybe I am not the worlds best mechanic- I have not yet got around to doing something about the petrol gauge which happily indicates full regardless of the contents of the tank for example. 'They all do that guv' - same story on the differential whine......... The worst problem has been getting persistent over-heating resolved which has made me not trust the car very much. This does not detract from the thrill of driving the beast and I have learnt a lot, however, looking at the price of a CSR and considering what other sports cars you can buy for that money they are only going to sell to wealthy enthusiasts. Mind you, just been for a happy and cow pat splattered spin down the lane....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unclefester Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 Colin, The petrol tank problem is almost certainly the two wires on the sender transposed. I've had my tank out recently and wondered which way to connect the wires as the two spade connectors are the same size...so it's pure guesswork. I put mine back on and tried it and.....it read permanently full! Took the floor out (actually if you remove the side of boot carpet on the left, you can tilt the boot floor enough to reverse the wires without bothering to remove the petrol filler, tubes etc....and lo and behold you will find your guage works properly!!! 😬 Mine does, anyway. Bet your temp sender is misreading, too. Worth trying another? How's tricks in Cuckoo-clockland? SeaView!!!! 😬 😬here *eek* Edited by - Unclefester on 2 Oct 2006 19:05:12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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