Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Simmonds Hood

You might be able to get the car without a hood but may find you have to pay for it anyway!

You had better believe it

This is about the only forum that I have not posted this story on. It still irritates me after 7 years.

When I ordered my +8 (traditional pram hood in those days) I specified no hood or hood fittings as I intended to fit a Simmonds from the outset. I tried to negotiate a discount for the hood. No joy. So I asked for the hood and all the fittings so at least I could give them away to my new Mog friends. Still no joy. When I pushed the issue I was told "We will not charge you extra for delivering the car without a Hood"

I was met with shocked incredulity when asking, very politely, why the +4 cost so much more than a 4/4. Their sales guy asked if I was having the audacity to question the pricing policy of The Morgan Motor Company (said like there should have been a celestial choir and ethereal trumpets in the background). I replied that yes, I was, and gave him my estimated breakdown of the cost/differences between the two models. He responded with a ‘take it or leave it’.

Now I know what it feels like to be the subject of a Bateman cartoon - http://www.hmbateman.com/gallery.htm - “The man who asked Morgan for a discount”

The Morgan salesman's incredulity reminds me of three years ago when I suggested that the Mercedes salesman would "give me a good deal as it's a couple of days before Christmas". I don't remeber his exact words, but I've never been told to s*d off so politely!

Steve L.

When I considered buying my first Morgan, I expected to buy it from a nice old gent in a flat cap, a real gentleman enthusiast, working from an old dealership that was more 1950s shabby than glass and chrome BMW-style mega-dealership; and, herein lies the rub.

It is my opinion that because we hold these cars in such high esteem, we expect the dealer network to be bathed in the same aura of 'specialness'; however, in my experience, this isn't always the case.

As with all car dealers, there are great ones, average ones and awful ones; Morgan dealers are no different.

I would say that there are some very enthusiastic dealers/sales people within the Morgan network - probably as a percentage more than in any other network - however, there are also salespeople who are in it primarily for the money (which if we're honest, isn't necessarily a negative (we all have to make a living) as long as they make their income by giving exemplary customer service).

What I personally find an affront is poor customer service (in any industry) and shoddy product knowledge. Morgans aren't a product that changes drastically and yet some of the product knowledge within the dealer network is poor at best.

That said, there are some very good dealerships and their names seem to come up time and time again when it comes to customer focus, product knowledge and delivery on promises made. Most have been named on this forum time and time again.

My advice is to ask around - Morgan owners tend to all have stories that share similarities regarding positive and negative experiences.

(this is a bit of a ramble - I need a coffee - but I'm sure you get my point)

I agree wholeheartedly with the comments Simon makes. In my case, I came back to Morgan ownership in the sense that my father always ran one but my background is much more in other marques.

Like many others, I guess I'm lucky in that my garage is very much in the 'enthusiast himself' mould and it has certainly allowed me to avoid/ shortcut problems- not least in finding out what really does work and what doesn't in terms of upgrades, mods etc. I went to him because virtually everybody I talked to had nothing but good things to say about him

It's a really pleasant change after the 'service' I got from a so-called 'main dealer ' for a certain German manufacturer!

Cheers

I should explain that my conversation was directly with the factory, not the dealership (BHM) who have been excellent throughout - including getting another cooling problem resolved at the last minute prior to our run to Beaulieu.

I've found a definite 'take it or leave it' approach at one Dealer, and the Dealer who originally supplied my Roadster didn't reply to an e-mail I sent which very politely asked for any 'history' that they may still hold.
The 'take it or leave it' aspect resulted in me doing the recent service myself, which in hindsight I should have done anyway, since I learned loads about the lubrication side, as was evident in the posting. I will also be doing my own kinpins when the time is right. When I find time, I will have a Saturday morning run to Allon White's to Suss things out there, and maybe Techniques. Rutters is at the edge of reasonable travelling limit for me, and BHM would be a major trip out.

In terms of the hood discount, I very much doubt that the factory could accurately cost the raw materials and labour down to a single car unit, and if a discount were achievable, I suspect that it would be as insulting as a refusal. So the clear answer is to take the hood and frame, then sell it on.

While it might seem obvious and simple to sell without the hood fitted I would bet that there is probably some legislative reason why they cannot actually do it. The car is type approved and has to leave the factory matching the type approval(which probably includes the hood). After its left you can do what you want with it but then taking the hood off will take time and therefore money. Lets all just blame Brussels

Andy,
I was a consultant for one of the legal desks of the EU Commission for five years, so I'm very happy to blame Brussels ( or even more to blame the fact that the UK really has never made the most of EU Directives.) On the other hand, while the whole set up is so labyrynthine that I don't claim to know every bit of it, I'm pretty sure that once type approval has been given, then while to purchase a car with a hood which didn't meet that approval would be a problem, to purchase a car without a non- structural element which did ( such as the hood) would not.

Rant now over! Cheers.