Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms ARP4 Hand Brake

Its not what should happen with a new car but it shouldnt surprise you given the comments you all make about Morgan build quality.

Its not a safety critical issue and it doesnt impact on the cars driveability. Something the driver can get round easily whilst Morgan work out a solution, rather than mount the high horse as some seem to want to do.

Well, it probably is 'Safety Critical' but in essence what Howard says is what I have been trying to say. Get on and drive the car, drive around the handbrake issue, and enjoy the car for what it is, I'm sure Morgan are working on a fix for the handbrake, even as we talk.

"It's not a safety critical issue" I think at MOT it would be

I'm sure holding that Cossie engine on the clutch whilst at a standstill on a hill must be great fun without an effective handbrake. All part of the Morgan Experience and a snip at £60k

Shouldn't surprise you? Agree entirely....previous debacles provide evidence....and this is where the enthusiasm to drive the cars overcomes the rationale that ought to be applied (and would be to other marques).

High horse? Doesn't impact on the car's driveability? I have to disagree. If the vehicle would fail an MOT then it is not considered roadworthy.....so whether it cost 1k or 100k it doesn't matter....customers have a right to expect to receive a roadworthy car from a manufacturer/dealer that complies with current legislation....and for 60k of hard earned cash I think it is the least I should expect.

And has been mentioned in an earlier separate post: if you knowingly drive a vehicle that you believe to be faulty on the road it will invalidate your insurance. Clearly, you can use your driving skills to try and minimise the impact that the fault has, but the fault is still there; so the risk is yours to take, as indeed are the consequences.

I think the new owners are caught between a rock and an hard place: wanting to use their shiny new toys but with faults (and implications) versus waiting (impatiently) for a resolution from MMC (who, from what has been said on here, appear to have known about the issue for some time - and if true, just rubs salt into the wound).

Hello all ARP4 owners.
I wrote to Stuart Eckersley of Krazyhorse, the supplier of my ARP4 complaining about the non-effective handbrake about 10 days ago.
Stuart said he would take up with Morgan and advise me of the outcome.
I had a E Mail from Stuart today advising me that Morgan is aware of the problem and it effects all ARP4's and are working on a solution.
They will contact Stuart of Krazyhorse tomorrow with some news of the actions they intend to take to cure this problem.

No it doesnt impact on the cars driveability unless you are fond of handbrake turns and the MoT is not needed for three years. Nobody is suggesting that the car should be delivered with a faulty handbrake but IMO the issue of snow blowing into the car ( or rain blowing onto a drivers lap)is a much more serious safety issue and one that wouldnt come up in an MoT. How distracting is it likely to be to have a snowstorm inside the car?

I doubt the insurance argument. The question would only come up if the handbrake quality lead to an accident. Despite people's prejudices, you dont get insurance companies hunting all over a crashed vehicle to find some irrelevant fault on which to refuse a claim.

I agree the handbrake should perform better.

IMO, the handbrake issue is not critical, nor is safety really compromised. MOTs are 3 years away, so plenty of time for a fix to be developed

the car is roadworthy; and I really don't see how the poor handbrake functioning makes it dangerous.

as discussed at length on other threads, there are ways to improve handbrake response (press foot brake first), and it is possible to drive around the handbrake issue. And don't park on an incline if you can possibly avoid it.

to me, it's an issue, but not so serious as to make me unhappy or very concerned.

I am not much bothered about this issue as it has no material impact of my enjoyment of the car; which truly is wonderful.

my car is still at the factory lets hope they find a solution before delivery

The MOT is just a basic safety check and all cars should be maintained in such condition so that they should always pass what is a basic safety test.

The handbrake is also the secondary brake and of course should come up to spec. The MOT pass/fail criteria for parking brake performance is a low bar - any car should pass with ease unless the brakes are defective.

Its serious in my view as a full time tester that new cars could be delivered with this design fault. Not good enough Morgan.

I do hope Malvern get this sorted without delay and before a lovely ARP4 runs away on a hill.

Let's hope that the insurance side of life is never tested then.....and clearly your experience in this area is different to mine.....sad to say that in my (albeit limited, compared to some) experience the first thing insurers do nowadays is 'reserve liability'.....and if there is any hint that a fault was present - whether or not it materially effected the incident - they will decline to pay out faster than you can say 'is that ARP4 slowly slipping down the hill'. Even more so if an owner has attempted a homegrown fix.

In my wildest and most colourful dreams I can imagine a situation where a thief steals an ARP4 (heaven forbid of course) has an accident because he can't do a hill start (probably in the rain or snow to add to his woes) without a handbrake....injures him/herself in the process and then sues the car owner for failing to maintain a car in a legally roadworthy state...... If burglars can do it, why not car thieves?

Still, it sounds like MMC are now on the case and I hope that the fault is rectified quickly and painlessly for the owners - and maybe MMC will address the snow and rain issue at the same time? Assuming that the wet lap is a result of snow or rain and not something altogether more sinister....

Not sure about the rationale of living with the fault/having time to find a solution as an MOT is not required for three years though.....maybe we could apply the same to the emissions argument.....or put our hands over our eyes and say 'you can't see me!'