MarkHyde

Hi Everyone, My apologies to start, I know these questions will have been asked a thousand times before. I am thinking of driving my first track day at Croft in August, I have a 2010 super light R300 and would like advice on the following; 1. If I get new/used wheels/tyres what combination would be best, tyre/wheel sizes etc? I would plan to take the track day wheels/tyres and fit at the track, or should I just drive on standard 15” rims & Avon 500’s? bearing in mind I have a 2-3 hour drive home. I have read I’m sure, smaller (13” wheels) and higher profile tyres are more suited to track use? 2. Track day insurance, from whom, how much should I pay? Many thanks to all. Mark H.

Hi Ian, Many thanks and absolutely correct. Not being really mechanically minded I took the plunge, removed the pedal box cover which gives you access to the pedal pivots, sprayed them with WD40 then worked some copper grease into the bushes with a small brush. Hey presto, after working the clutch pedal several times and working in a bit more grease I now have a silent and smooth working clutch pedal. Who would have thought a dry bush could make such a noise..........and no that is not a euphemism! Thanks again Ian, Mark H.

Hi all, hope you can help. The clutch pedal on my 2010 R300 has started to creak on the way up. The car drives perfectly, no problem with gear changes and the clutch goes down smoothly and silently, it's only when the clutch pedal is on it's way up that the pedal creaks. It's not really a problem (I hope) but is really annoying and can actually be felt through your foot when engaging/changing gear. Any ideas? Many thanks, Mark H.

Hi Phillip, could not agree more and have stated so many times! I now have been contacted by Eirlys at Kenrick's in Llangollen, N Wales & James from CC, that the parts are with her. I have my car booked in for October as that is the earliest we could do it with shift work etc etc. I could not believe that CC were looking after the owners that had their cars booked in with CC first and others referred to as 'self fitters' second. Hence, as I have NOT had a reply to my latest e mail to Mr Mac Donald, I have attached it below for your information, It would seem we have the same frustrations.........how many more? PLEASE NOTE, I HAVE BEEN OFFERED A 3 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY ON MY (DAMAGED) DI DION TUBE. I DO BELIVE THAT A PRECEDENT HAS BEEN SET, GET YOUR E MAILS OFF TO MR MAC DONALD FOR THE SAME COVER. I AM STILL OF THE OPINION THAT DAMAGED DI DION'S SHOULD HAVE/SHOULD STILL BEEN REPLACED! MY E MAIL TO MR MAC DONALD DATED 9TH AUGUST Mr Mac Donald, Thank you for reply and your attention. I have now received the 'new' letter which is a copy of the one we received a few months ago asking us to book in for the work to be done from 1st July! I note that the date has been left off this letter the original of which, was actually sent out on 8th May, so we had heard nothing since this date until I contacted you, surely that's not good enough? I still feel it is completely wrong that a part that has been damaged, due to faulty design on your part, is not being replaced. However, I do appreciate the offer of the 3 year extended warranty, I assume from the date my work is carried out. BUT STILL NO OFFER OF ANY FORM OF COMPENSATION? I also note that customers who are having their work carried out at other authorised dealers, as in my case, (Kenrick's) are having to wait longer as "parts for fitting at an agent or for 'self fitting' will be available shortly". MORE BLOODY FRUSTRATION! Why can't those parts be sent out to other authorised dealers at the same time parts are delivered to CC Mids & South? We surely have the same rights? For your information, below is a post that I have just placed on the Lotus 7 club forum. This whole sorry saga has, as I say, I feel, been handled dreadfully by CC due to mainly non existent communications with their customers. I certainly hope that lessons have been learnt. LOTUS 7 CLUB FORUM POST I've had a reply from Graham MacDonald, he confirms that the Di Dion is not being replaced but based on his e mail reply he has offered me a 3 year extended warranty on the Di Dion tube, I think he has set a precedent don't you? Get your e mails off to him. I still feel the Di Dion should have been replaced no matter how small the damage; due to a design fault on CC part another part of our cars has been damaged (proven) and what other manufacturer would not replace that part? My other gripe is that they are giving precedence to owners who are having their work done at Caterham Mids & South! I am having mine done at Kenrick's along, I know, with a few others. Why should we be discriminated against because we live a distance away from them? We've waited long enough! This whole saga has been handled dreadfully by CC and I hope they have learnt something from it, but I fear not. Even though the work will hopefully be done in the next few weeks, I am still left feeling frustrated and un appreciated as a customer. TIME TO UP YOUR GAME MR Mac DONALD! END Regards, Mark Hyde.

I've had a reply from Graham MacDonald, he confirms that the Di Dion is not being replaced but based on his e mail reply he has offered me a 3 year extended warranty on the Di Dion tube, I think he has set a precedent don't you? Get your e mails off to him. I still feel the Di Dion should have been replaced no matter how small the damage; due to a design fault on CC part another part of our cars has been damaged (proven) and what other manufacturer would not replace that part? My other gripe is that they are giving precedence to owners who are having their work done at Caterham Mids & South! I am having mine done at Kenrick's along, I know, with a few others. Why should we be discriminated against because we live a distance away from them? We've waited long enough! This whole saga has been handled dreadfully by CC and I hope they have learnt something from it, but I fear not. Even though the work will hopefully be done in the next few weeks, I am still left feeling frustrated and un appreciated as a customer. TIME TO UP YOUR GAME MR MACDONALD!

Thanks Duncan, my thoughts as well. Before we left Llangollen this morning Clive Kennrick & his son Robert, got the car up on the ramp for us. They were concerned regarding the proximity of the brake line and moved it for us (free of charge!) Clive contacted Caterham whilst the car was there and they confirmed they ARE NOT replacing the Di Dion tube. Clive does not think there should be an issue with damage to the diff casing or internals, hope they're correct!

I have attempted to add photo's of the damage to the Di Dion on my car, a 2010, factory built R300. I am in Llangollen at the moment and Clive Kennrick is gettin itg up on the ramp tomorrow to have a look and tell me what he thinks. My concerns are the damage it may be causing to the Di Dion tube itself, the actual casing of the diff, the diff internals and of course the carrier. One other question, if the diff bolts weren't hitting the Di Dion tube how much further would the suspension compress, would it just 'bottom out'? If I get any news from Clive tomorrow I will let you know. I did also get a reply from Graham McDonald in response to my e mail last week. he said he treats my complaints very seriously and will look into them and get back to me, we shall see! Please let me know if this link works. Damage to Di Dion Tube PS I've checked it and it seems to work OK. Very pleased with myself! Mark H. Edited by - Mark Hyde on 21 Jul 2013 22:54:42

No news as yet. Eirlys at Kennrick's is contacting me as soon as she knows anything from Caterham. My e mail to Caterham will be going today and will not be polite! I checked my car last week (why should I be doing this every 500 miles?) and found damage to the Di Dion tube and the fact that the diff must be missing the brake line by millimetres, so I am very reluctant to drive the car! How do I upload photo's to this forum?, I have some good ones. Mark H.

Just got the same call from Eirlys at Kennrick's. As Freddy, Parrot Faced, Davis (For our younger readers!) Used to say; I AM F*****G SICK, SICK, SICK UP TO HERE. Perhaps without the expletive! We had our car booked in for 19th July and have booked 3 nights B & B to explore the Welsh roads, I don't suppose CC will be paying for our lost deposit? Seriously Caterham this is our THIRD Summer with the car from new and all have bee ruined with one problem or another. It stinks! *mad* *mad*

Hi All, thought you might like to see a reply I've just received from Callum Mc Dougall regarding the re call issues and lack of communication…again! "With regards to the recall, the man in charge is Simon Lambert (Engineering and Motorsport Director), he was away on business last week but I have managed to have a catch up with him this morning. It seems that we are about to release more information on what is happening with the recall but it is vital that everybody receives the information at the same time. He asked me to extend his apologies for the lack of communication but nobody has been forgotten and we will make sure that we correct this problem as quickly and thoroughly as possible" I've replied thanking him for his reply, I have also suggested again that I think it would be a good idea if someone from CC were to monitor this forum and make comment when appropriate. In the meantime the weather has improved and we're still waiting! Mark H.

Sounds like there's no need for witness marks!

Just a thought, what are they supplying for new builds/kits?

Hi Bill, yes I was told the same via Kenricks a couple if weeks ago, I to am having my work done there thanks to your comments. I hope they get it sorted soon, it's once again getting very frustrating.

I went with a friend to pick up an old Austin 7 chassis near Llangollen on Monday so took the opportunity to pop in and see Clive (Kendrick), never met him before but I took the advice of some of the lads at he LADS meeting a couple of weeks ago. What a great bloke, even though he was busy he took time with us and talked about his lovely collection of modern day classics with us. I am going to get my work done with him (diff carrier & brake lines). I'm sorry to say he exudes more confidence and customer service than I generally get from CC, Brett at Midlands the exception. Eily's (office manager, I think Clive's wife) at Kendrick's has taken my details, is contacting CC on my behalf and then letting me know when the parts are available. CC pay for the work to be done. My wife and I intend to make a couple of days of it and enjoy some of the N Wales roads whilst we're there. Just thought I would let you know. Kind Regards, Mark H. PS Many thanks to the LADS for being so hospitable and friendly on my first visit, so helpful, new mud flaps are being fitted this weekend.

Many thanks for all your help and advice, I now have Bill's old mud flaps which I will be attaching in the near future thanks to advice from Peter and Paul at the LADS monthly meeting on Wednesday evening.