GRL Woking

[Phil R]

Hi,

 

I took my 1.8 Vauxhall Beaulieu to GRL in Woking on Monday(after reading about them on Blatchat) to get the carbs re-jetted. Before this the car would just die for a second or so when I pushed the loud pedal any harder than gently and it sounded like a football rattle above 4k.

 

Got the car back last night and it is totally transformed. Much smoother and instant power at low revs.

 

Ian spent 8 hours getting it to a state where he was happy with it although he did point out that the swan necked inlet manifold was a real problem that he couldn't fix. He even insisted on keeping the car another night so that he could satisfy himself that it would run properly from a cold start.

 

Now, with the recent posts about Caterham customer service shortfalls I'd like to say that they could learn a lot from Ian Smith at GRL. I received regular updates on how work was progressing and Ian took the time to explain what was wrong and what he was doing to fix it.

 

I too was left feeling dissapointed with the "Caterham experience" for reasons I'm not prepared to discuss in a forum like this. However, my GRL experience has restored my faith in my car and customer service generally.

 

I'd recommend anyone who has a 7 with the 1.6/1.8 VX engine to book it into GRL and get it sorted once and for all.

 

Regards,

/Phil.

 

 

 

[stevefoster]

I have heard other glowing reports about Ian and GRL too.

Very thorough. Out of interest what did he charge you... 8 hours @ £XX ?

 

Steve

My racing pics here

Hants (North) and Berkshire area club site

here

 

[Phil R]

Hi Steve,

 

Ian charged me for only 4 hours, which was nice! The price he quoted was £60 per hour for the rolling road set up. I think it's money well spent.

 

/Phil.

 

[Bedazzled]

Phil,

 

I've got a 1.8 Beaulieu as well, so I'm interested to hear more about your experience with GRL (especially as I live near woking). Do they test the car and advise on what needs doing, or did you just ask them to tune the carbs? Did they mention any options for tuning a VX1.8 to get more power and if so what sort of increase could you get? And do you have a contact number for GRL?

 

Cheers!

[Phil R]

Bedazzled,

 

The phone number for GRL is 01483 725759.

 

I just asked them to get it running properly as the standard jetting is not that special!

 

I didn't ask about any other mods to give more power as I have read on this forum that there's not a lot can be done with the SOHC VX engine.

 

How does yours run? Mine was just horrible.

 

Give the man a call!

 

/Phil.

[Bedazzled]

Phil,

 

Thanks for the advice. I've just spoken to Ian and I've booked my car in. Mine runs well although there is a bit of a flat-spot when I accelerate hard so I'll be interested to see what Ian thinks when he tries it. I'm currently getting some vibration at the steering wheel so I've asked him to check the wheel alignment etc. and there's a smell of petrol when going round right hand turns (but not left). I've been really pleased with Caterham but I'm glad to have found a local garage that I can try because it will be more convenient than taking my car all the way to Dartford!

 

 

[stevefoster]

Does he do MBE inj set ups?

 

Steve

My racing pics here

Hants (North) and Berkshire area club site

here

 

[Phil R]

Steve,

 

no idea. Give him a call or even go over there and ask him. If you take the Maybury exit from the 6 crossroads go over the canal and GRL are in the industrial estate on the left. Won't take you long. The rain might just hold off long enough ;-)

 

/Phil.

 

[Gridgway]

I'll join in here! Ian does all my car work, I picked GRL out of the yellow pages many years ago as I work in Woking. He provides excellent service, can mend anything and can find any parts that are impossible to find! So I can heartily recommend him.

 

Graham

 

GRidgway