Hi all, we are fast approaching the end of June and a deadline for SORN. Has anyone, anyone at all, got a decent guess as to when our Plus Fours & Sixs will be back on the road. As I see it, we need the replacement parts to be manufactured and delivered to our dealers, then the dealers complete the backlog of rectification. My dealership has circa 70 cars to do at probably 2 - 4 hours per car (if you include the radiator mod), so if that is 2 per day, that will be over a month to even complete the fix. And all that depends on MCC allowing us to drive to the dealership. Trailering will only add to the delay. So will anyone risk SORN before the ned of June?

Anybody’s guess but I think you have summed it up pretty well…say goodbye to July. If you don’t SORN, you may well be paying for nothing; on the other hand, if you SORN, it is most likely you will save at least a month…and even if you put it back on the road in the middle of a forthcoming month, you pay for that whole month but are no worse off financially if you had not SORNed in the first place. ( and might be better off if that turns out to be August or September!)
That of course is all very well but I guess if you have to take it to a dealer to be fixed, it needs to be taxed…but that could still be in well over a month’s time…depends where you might sit in the pecking order. As far as factory and dealers are concerned, the brand new ones awaiting delivery are crucial to cash flow so will be at the front of the queue, no doubt.
Good luck…I feel for you all!

Very difficult of course to make the call but I think a SORN for at least July is a pragmatic thing to do and as much as it pains me to say it I think realistically August will be needed as well.
That you will have to play by ear but this is big thing for MMC to organise and implement and I hope they surprise us all and I am proven wrong with the dates.

Good luck, I truly feel sorry for you owners.

Ditto I would SORN the car. They are supposed to trailer it to the dealer. I understand MMC staff are going out to dealers to also help, but I have seen no fixed timing.

We all feel for you guys.

first batch of replacements parts arriving at the factory early July, how about the next batch=???
plenty of mechanics on holiday in July&August, some shops even closing completely
2-4hours for the work: I would rather guess they can do 1 per day: you already need some time to get all the stuff together, put the car on the lift, paperwork, have tea if in UK ( ): that alone is about an hour work

I just hope to go to our wedding in my own Morgan: October, otherwise I can probably loan a 3wheeler

I suppose they will fix the plus six in first

When does the factory close for the summer holiday, could they do a big batch then?

That seems a really good idea.
Maybe UK owners involved can apply pressure via their supplying dealers?
Bud
4/4 - Stanley

Hmm, how would the guys feel about sacrificing their holiday though?

Look at the bigger picture. If they don't they may be heading for a very long holiday.

All small team of volunteers.
A sensible financial reward.
Time off in lieu and a repair production line?
Could be done,

Bud
4/4 - Stanley

I‘ve got a good news.

When I‘m right the German dealers don‘t know about the problem. So the Germans cars don‘t count. So there where more parts for the rest of world. ;-)

Greets René

There is no bottomless pit of staff capable of doing the upgrades…you might well be an excellent panel beater, paint sprayer etc but the company are not going to let you loose on something as safety critical as this. I think the logistics of handling car transportation will far out way the availability of technicians.

Possibly get the ex dealers to add to the numbers? I am sure the guaranteed cashflow would be welcome. There might be some bad feeling to overcome with some but, in the end, it is income. Would MMC have the bottle to approach them after cutting them as dealers?
One obstacle might be accreditation as suitable to do the work from a red tape aspect. Their experience and familiarity with Morgans would be a waste if not used.

I think we all feel sorry for the affected owners. Looks like that's the best of the summer time touring shot to bits....

Surely it makes more sense to have dealers inspect the CX cars and determine which cars have a problem and which are perfectly ok to drive - would spare a lot of frustration, and cost. My dealer can find no defect with the brakes of my car despite really trying!!!!

It seems that some CX owners are still driving their cars so maybe it depends on your insurance company view. It might be worth talking to your insurance company as it formally a safety recall not a do not drive recall, there is 2 tiers of recall.

my letter says STOP DRIVE as heading and DO NOT DRIVE in the text. Seems pretty clear to me

Just remember the Dealers have other cars to service! Oakmere are also Lotus dealers so they are not going to put other customers to back of queue.

Morgan themselves have a large fleet of hire vehicles grounded , I guess they would be fixed first, then any new cars ready for delivery just so they can get paid for them. I think its going to be quite a long queue.

I understood it is a casting porosity failure. That isn't easy to see even with a strip down.

Who is the manufacturer of the Master cylinder is it the same company as make the brake servo??

It should be possible to source a replacement, compatible, brake master cylinder from a reputable manufacturer, like Brembo or AP Racing and have it fitted by a competent specialist.
OK, it will cost a lot more than the FOC replacement that morgan will eventually provide, but what price the frustration of no car this summer...? It might even improve the pedal feel, which from my experience is OK, but not special.

I know the frustration, Tarka is sidelined and no one at MMC seems to be interested, probably because they have more pressing issues.

[quote=xc68anc]I‘ve got a good news.

So the Germans cars don‘t count.

Greets René
Thats not right. The German cars dont drive, i have a mail from MMC.

Marco

Peter, if I had a Morgan, I think this is the route I would go down?

Summit Racing sell new Master Brake servo's with adjustable pressure, for £300 (so the brake feel might be better than what some folk have reported?)
I do think that a proven unit would give peace of mind and what if this manufacturing defect pops up again, as per the radiator leaks?

I do feel sorry for CX owning Morgan owners though...it is a real shame and long term will 'hang about in motor folk law...like a bad smell?'

Genuine question boys and girls, has anyone with a CX received a timeframe for the rectification of the brake and radiator problems as yet ?

How do you work the logistics on something as complex as this?

Within the cohort will be those who's life mantra is me first.

Those who want compensation. Those who want everything. I wonder how major manufacturers deal with bringing cars into dealerships that can't be driven.

It's an unenviable mess. Even if one man could do three cars in a day, and there are ten men, 30 a day means 150 a week, so ten weeks.

Realistically two a day, so it all hinges on how many technicians are deployed and if the radiators are getting fixed it may be just one car a day.

I have no sympathy for MMC over the radiator fiasco, they have been failing ad nauseum since 2019 ! (reasons alluded to be other factors causing these failures).

With the Master cylinder they will put everything on hold (as they are doing) until the supplier provides and funds the solution and the logistics around implementing the same, it will not be cheap is the only concrete fact we all appreciate I think.

I feel heartily sorry for the CX owners.

The latest I heard yesterday is that the dealers were still awaiting the bits with no clear timing

Thanks John, it does seem to be dragging out a bit.

Latest now is MMC are taking some cars to the factory. Those are the cars without the rad fix. Timing is still unclear

I would be very surprised if the original supplier will fund 'associated costs' as it's like signing a supply contract with an open ended potential for the user to unlimited claims

Every sensible supplier will only sign up to replacement of the actual part (& at trade cost) in the contract

i had a phone call this morning from my dealer. They will receive new parts from the factory next week, but they dont know if those parts will go on my car . They have asked if i need the car to go in holliday ,etc.. They want to fix the brake in first place and later the radiator.
The order will be in function of the parts received because the part is different btwn the plus six and plus four , btwn auto and manual box , and depend also when the car was build . They have 57 cars to do and it needs 12 hours worktime with the radiator. For that reason
the radiator will be done later ( november). Some cars needs also to add a part for the cooling system.

Wow, I feel for all the CX owners

Thank you Thierry good to hear from a CX owner that things are promised, good luck for a permanent fix for the brakes.

Me too but I feel also sorry for the dealer!

It has been suggested to me in the past that MMC is not very obliging when it comes to complaints from dealers. I fear that this action will also be partly at the expense of the dealers...

But perhaps am also I somewhat biased, as a supplier abroad has just refused me a warranty on defective parts, as I only sold the parts and did not install them...

Hi Rich
In response to your earlier question re timing I was contacted on Thursday last week by the dealer who said that as my car has had the radiator issue (and fix applied) the factory will be doing the brake repair and fixing a new radiator at the same time. A car transporter company are expected to make contact within 10 days to arrange transport to MMC and the car likely to be there for 7 to 14 days. I am not sure of course how soon the car transporter will be free to take Belle to the doctors.
Fortunately having been in Venice and Lezzeno (Lake Como) (so relaxing and beautiful for first trip abroad in 3 years) for a week in late June and latterly Silverstone for the whole F1 weekend (wow oh wow what a full on time as usual- unbelievable atmosphere) I haven’t suffered as much as some with the lack of a Mog to drive….
Nonetheless I won’t lie it has been tiresome with all the various issues over the last 18 months or so…
HB

Hi HB,

Thanks for the update it's really good they have given you a time frame that you can plan around.
Having read your travels and entertainment though I imagine you are catching your breath together - wonderful stuff

Sure it's annoying but not a bad wait all things considered and fingers crossed that will be a line under it all

I had a update from Berrybrook today. No replacement brake master cylinders received to date, some sort of mods on the new items are required at the factory?
From the discussion, as I understand, some replacement radiators, fitting of a swirl pot and brake cylinder replacement is to be carried out at the factory… just the swirl pot and brake cylinder replacement to be completed at the dealers…. Still sounds a bit up in the air and a long process.
Berrybrook are to take on an extra mechanic to help with the increased workload, fingers x.

Contrary to Richard’s view on being given a “time frame”…it looks to me that all that is promised is a call from a transport company in the next 10 days! The critical bit is establishing exactly when they are going to collect….it could be weeks down the line…who knows, until they call!
What a debacle (a more polite word than shambles)

Interesting to read the various inputs from owners supplying dealers. I spoke to my supplying dealer this morning (they have 50 cars to deal with) and they told me that the complete fix for the brakes has not been fully defined to them by the factory.

They were very clear that no promise can be given on timescales as they have received nothing from the MMC with respect to timing. They also told me that owners who have holidays booked involving use of their cars will likely be prioritised.

MMC have managed customer expectations very poorly. It would not have been difficult to keep owners informed in detail with timeline expectations. When I ran a business, had we not done this when encountering issues and problems, our customer base would have evaporated. As the old Barclays ad went, 'Forgotten customers are like Unicorns, they don't exist'!

When Porsche issue recalls the dealers have the required parts in stock and are geared up ready to go, that's my experience anyway, looks like MCC goes another route and puts the cart before the horse.
Why issue a do not drive notice anyway? Have there been any accidents relating to the BMC?

Unless you happened to buy a 991.1 GT3 in which case you were instructed not to drive due to a fire risk, wait six months for a complete replacement engine, drive car for a month or two & then have a second stop notice & wait again for a third engine.
In the usual Porsche fashion it was expected that if you owned such a car, you would have a small fleet at your disposal & not need them to provide alternative transport.

Throwing stones from glass houses is perhaps best avoided, and on your first post too Mikemog6, though if you are one of those affected by the unfortunate brake issues I can well understand your frustration... The number of recalls from the motor industry seems to grow and grow...

I believe there have been 2 accidents but I might be wrong

Looks like two issues.
Supply of new parts and dealer capacity.
Is someone at MMC tasked with overseeing the fix? Are they hammering the door of the parts supplier? Are they looking to get ex dealers on side to boost the actual fix of parts?
Brakes......is there an alternative suppliers to increase parts availability and provide a second/third source? Put your eggs in more than one basket! Same for radiators. There are many small volume manufacturers in the rad business. It is pretty easy to make pattern rads. The factory I worked in did it regularly.
Workshops.......factory, dealers is a limited resource. There are ex dealers with good reputations to call in to speed up fitting once parts are available.
I hope MMC ups its game both in the current recall fix and a strategic look at the future.
I was tempted with a CX a while ago but held off, waiting for problems to be found and fixes/upgrades made. There seems to be a recurring of this with new models. What is waiting in the wings for the new M3W?
A bit of anegative post but seems to be valid?

You make a good point AndyMog57 Through out my career in Merchant Banking and Derivatives Brokering I always had to consider that question - are we managing our clients expectations.....?