Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Plus Four, Supersport & Plus Six (CX & CXV Generation Vehicles) Morgan Radiator issues — Again!!!!!!!!!!

I also see a problem in the fact that the whole world wants to reduce CO2, but every new spare part of the increasingly complex systems has emitted more CO2 in its manufacture than you could drive many thousands of kilometers for. In the end, it's a zero-sum game or worse still, the CO2 footprint is increased immensely by many replacement parts. Not to mention the footprint of EVs in their production.

Agreed. We are in danger of not seeing the wood for the trees.

In my design career, all be it in construction, the main criteria for safety or commercially critical elements was ‘Keep it Simple’.

The KISS Principle.
Keep
It
Simple
Stupid
Was a small poster I had in my office.

Yesterday i went to my dealer only to look at the new cars in the garage and at some seconds hand cars . My radiator was changed in august 2022 in the same time with the brake cylinder. The software update was made in june 2023. I didnt have any leak but he ask me to look at the radiator . And there is a small leak , as the warranty when the radiator has been changed seems to be 24 months he has ordered a new one. As i said before i had run 9 months without the software update. That maybe the reason why the leak didnt increase from june 2023 when the update was made.

The simple fact is that adding complexity adds unreliability, because there's more to go wrong and the consequences are likely to be more expensive.

And obviously saving the planet by creating demand for new cars isn't the way either. The motor industry need to come to terms with a shrinking market, and face up to the fact that building complex cars will inevitably reduce demand. Cautious buyers won't engage...as in current "disappointing" sales of EVs, and anyone who buys and gets burnt fingers will think twice before engaging again..

Reminds me of a humorous/sarcastic joke made by an engineering in the printer industry years ago.

People ask for two figures on the big heavy duty cycle printers, MTBF and MTTR.

They all focus on MTBF (mean time between failures) which is a bit like russian roulette. Failure could happen at any time given the environment, use, power quality because the MTBF is a paper calculation based on the components in most cases. So they are making the decision based on this as the most important value. If I want to improve this I simply take anything good but not critically necessary out of the system. Less components means less elements to go wrong. Smoothing components, protection, fuses, test points, not making it better but getting a better number. I have a great MTBF but a nasty bit of kit which is more likely to pop it's clogs if under duress.

The MTTR (mean time to repair) is much more interesting. Do you have to dismantle the entire thing to fix one part. In truth the more reflective of good value. If one bit breaks the entire system around it is stopped, so the sooner it is fixed the sooner your entire investment is resolved and making money again. People never pay attention to the MTTR.

I am starting to get the feeling that legislation, whilst well intended, is producing a third measure.TCTW or too complex to work. How high up the TCTW scale are products becoming.

My experience is that drivers have begun to understand that EVs are not the universal solution to new car needs and that options are changing..
Why is this?
I don't believe EV range is, in itself, the reason people are not flocking to buy. It is anxiety about the availability of rapid chargers and associated freedom to go where and when you choose.
There are concerns about insurance: NFU doesn't want to insure EVs, other insurers are pulling out of the market.
When an EV is damaged repair times can be lengthy, because of a shortage of competent body-shops and poor parts availability.
MY experience of the Tesla didn't burn me, but it did dissapoint.
i doubt that I'll ever buy a new car again and I feel that I'm not alone. Dealers are already discounting new EVs that are in stock quite heavily through "deposit support" contributions. I suspect that we will see subsidised insurance next.

In parallel with this owners are finally realising that you don't have to buy a new car every 3 years, there are excellent used cars on the market. COVID changed the car buying dynamic, so buying a used car no longer involves going round a series of local dealers, instead browsing a website or two, looking nationally, and then buying online with home delivery. I bought a 2016 car in 2022, it might have been new from the condition, the recorded mileage was trivial. I saved £30k (yes, £30k) on buying the same car, new and didn't have to wait 6 months. It came with a 2 year manufacturers warranty which I can extend up to when the car is 15, provided that the car is correctly serviced by a main dealer. This is shrinking the market for new cars and keeping the price of good used cars firm.

We live in interesting times, indeed....

YES. I am afraid so. Early on, after my purchase of my first Morgan, I would try every new gadget that was proposed. I am very fortunate not to have a budget for my Morgans. But after a few trips (250,000 miles and counting), almost all on multi-month trips, all 100s hundreds of miles from any Morgan help, I learned HFS and even PM were right. HFS believed that maximum excitement was produced by power-to-weight. PM learned that using different, non-simple, components constituted a grave risk for a small manufacturer with a tiny network, even in the UK. When he allowed (was forced to) innovation, it never turned out well until the costly transition ended, or the model was cancelled.

HOWVER, technology is used today to replace labor and expand markets both by reducing the skills needed to make and use products properly. This has consequences for our species..mainly for the young, though sociologists speculate that the internet is the primary culprit. Even now we can see the possibility of buying sports cars that drive themselves, much better than we can. Not much of "sport". Sports cars began as does any sport, an expression of the subject's driving expertise and mechanical skill. That fit the MMC business reality perfectly.


Right again, at least IMHO. Lost cause. But what else can they do? They have all that capital tied up serving a dead reality.

When I was a youngster, the automobile heroes were winning racers. Morgan certainly had its share of those! Now the heroes are owners who can name complex technology they don't understand and their Morgans don't need. It reminds me of the 1980s when young men used to brag about their car's stereo system. It was very cute.

Considering when we were born, we here are a very lucky bunch.

gmg

Quick update: Visit to the factory for service and MOT, unfortunately my coolant loss was due to a leaky radiator. Surprised the service centre didn’t have any spare rads in stock….. looks like I am in a queue for a replacement and another trip to Malvern (hopefully soon).

Keep the faith Mike, call in for a cuppa....Em