Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 This really bothers me...

OK...I've bitten my tongue up to now, but this issue has really been bothering me.

I have yet to take delivery of my car, but I'll be an owner of a M3W in the next few weeks, so you should take everything I say with a grain of salt, as I have yet to experience my car in the flesh...it will in all likelihood be a great car with many flaws, as can only be expected from a low volume "toy".

However, I have read about the "bump steer" issues here at TM for a while. A few members of this forum have been very vocal about the poor design of the M3W front suspension...to the point that certain posts have been deleted regarding this issue...

Please read this post...

http://www.fatcatmotorsports.com/Morgan_response_to_bumpsteer_emails_8_29_13.pdf

So it seems that MMC plans to offer a "fix" through Aero Racing to fix the "bump steer issue"...

Am I the only one who feels cheated?

If this issue merits a fix, shouldn't it be offered to all concerned M3W owners, free of charge? As opposed to it being offered as a "performance upgrade" through Aero Racing?

I realize that the factory never meant for the above quoted correspondences to be be made public, frankly the factory was probably too forthcoming in their reply regarding the bump steer issue, as documented in the above post - to their credit, and I'm sympathetic to the fact that MMC is a small niche manufacturer with limited resources...

Nevertheless, it's becoming increasingly clear that the M3W has a suboptimal front suspension design, a fact that the factory has obliquely acknowledged - as they aparantly plan to offer a "fix"...

The cat is out of the bag now, the truth is that for owners who have serious issues regarding bump steer, their only recourse is to shell out more money for a factory "fix" - or to pay for an aftermarket fix.

For concerned owners in the UK, this is probably not a huge deal, as it means dropping their car off at their local dealer and paying for an "upgrade"...

What about those of us overseas who don't have access to a "local" dealer? The cost for me to ship my car to the closest dealer (agent?) will be about $500-$800 USD - not really chump change, and that's exclusive of the cost of the factory "fix".

I think MMC can do better...

Again, I may never care about, or experience, "bump steer" once I take delivery of my car, but the word is out...the first time I hit a pothole (and we have a fair number of those here in Texas) and have the wheel wrenched from my hand, I'm going to be annoyed...especially considering that it seems that it's an issue that can, and has been, fixed.

It remains to be seen, for me, as to whether "bump steer" is a serious flaw or simply a "feature" of a small volume niche car...

I really hope this post isn't deleted, as I've referenced a discussion that the factory had expected to keep private. I've tried to be balanced in voicing my concerns, but I really haven't heard lot of honest discussion regarding this issue here at TM, and I can't think of a better forum for discussion of such.

Cheers!

I also hope this thread isn't deleted and I hope MMC will address the bump steer "fix" asap as well as the bevel box noise solution mentioned here http://www.talkmorgan.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/155365/1/Bevel_box_noise_solution.

These are the only two outstanding issues preventing me from ordering my M3W. I was ready to pull the trigger and place my order Thursday, but luckily I came across Kevin's open letter and decided to wait to see what MMC's official response will be. I'm patient and can wait as long as it takes for Morgan to resolve these issues.

I suspect that other potential buyers are lurking here and waiting for an official response from MMC on these "fixes" before purchasing too.

Well in my opinion you are in strong position as you are yet to take delivery. Ask in writing for your concerns to be addressed prior to delivery or under warranty at no cost to you. Or don't take delivery until you are happy.

Crowbar.

Not intending to detract from your comments but in terms of protection of privacy and email bots etc it would be polite to remove the personal details from the bottom of the letter you have posted the link to. I know I would not be happy if all my details were posted on the web. Also your email details show in the base of your document, I would remove those as they can be used to identify you for hacking etc.

It pays to be careful on the web.

LOL, me too!

Edit:
On second thought, they will either ignore it completely or pretend they never were opposed to alteration in the first place.

Thanks crowbar, that is indeed 'interesting ' .
It is reassuring that the factory have acknowledged that those of us who have been concerned about this have a point.

Here's my ten cents worth on the subject...

These cars are highly specialised, low volume, hand crafted vehicles and they are principly designed around vintage car engineering principles. They are not supposed to drive like a modern vehicle. If they did, many more people would asking the question why bother driving a 'fake' vintage car.
That said, these cars are far more modern to drive than their vintage counterparts because the moving parts are new. There is more power on tap. The tyres are modern etc...
My 2009 4/4 sport has all sorts of handling issues if you want to be critical about it (and in the main the motoring press do just that), but these quirks are part of the reason why you have a car like this. You learn to drive it 'properly' over time.
Yes, you can modify it....iron out the quirks. Squeeze out the originality of the vehicle, if you like.

I have driven the M3W and it's an both an aquired taste and a challenge to drive at speed...not because it drives or handles badly, or because it's built wrongly. It drives with a feel of authenticity....of the era that it has supposed to come from.

I enjoyed my drive immensely. I thought it drove really nicely (an early 2012 build).

Just enjoy the car as it is. If it breaks down under warranty, you know what to do. It is a new model. It is hand made....these things happen.

Don't worry, enjoy !

As I've not driven a five speeder, I'm staying out of the "should Morgan fit the mod for free" argument, but the letter does clearly explain to me why Morgan don't like Mr Revett's modification - so for that, thanks, I like to understand things!

I too would suggest the document is replaced with another with the personal details removed. In the UK, only elected representatives (MPs, councillors etc) have the expectation others may publish anything they say, for anyone else, one should always ask permission.

NorthernMogman,
Let's not start the 'its part of the character' argument again ! Especially as your opinion seems to be based on one test drive.
They do handle well most of the time, but on rough roads or worse on a smooth road with an unavoidable pot hole you can suddenly be deflected by several feet in a potentially dangerous way. If an inexperienced driver had this happen they might not be able to cope with it . I have had a couple of near misses myself .
If there wasn't an issue Morgan wouldn't be working on a solution .
BTW, I do enjoy the car , more than any other I've owned

"Honest discussion", as you've called it, has been live on this site for about one week: thread about 'Bump Steer' ;furthermore, the link you posted is on that thread and available for all to peruse.

Without wishing to state the obvious, the thread you reference was deleted because it went against the terms of use of the site. Discussion is the raison d'être of the forum and will never be removed unless it breaks the terms of use.