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Clarkson gets his money back...
donut - 4/7/05 at 04:20 PM

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,12529-1677058,00.html

MkIndy7 - 4/7/05 at 05:01 PM

How sad, Imagine a childhood dream being wrecked in such a pathetic way.

He doesn't seem to have much luck really I seem to remember his F355 being a nightmare as well, always breaking down etc.

I know there exclusive n all but for a £100k+car to have anything wrong with it is crazy!

donut - 4/7/05 at 05:07 PM

He keeps wetting himself over the DB9...i think he should get one of those!

mookaloid - 4/7/05 at 05:12 PM

I would take it back, have it fixed properly by a specialist and send Ford the bill.

DavidM - 4/7/05 at 06:19 PM

I'll swap him my '97 Mondeo for it. I know it would be hard but I think I'd just about manage to put up with the alarm.

JoelP - 4/7/05 at 07:15 PM

they gave him a focus diesel as a courtesy car! shocking, i though it was bad enough when my mates M3 got swapped for a 318, or another mates maserati went for an astra!

Hellfire - 4/7/05 at 09:38 PM

Should have got an Audi....

When my A4 went for service I got an A6... service beyond the call of duty!

Simon - 4/7/05 at 10:48 PM

This is the bloke who had a poo italian car, then a poo german car, now a poo american car.

Apparently he knows what he's talking about.

I'm sure the car's great when it works, but for him, I couldn't give a monkey's.

ATB

Simon

phelpsa - 4/7/05 at 10:58 PM

quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
they gave him a focus diesel as a courtesy car! shocking, i though it was bad enough when my mates M3 got swapped for a 318, or another mates maserati went for an astra!


Impreza WRX went in for an engine replacement, we had a newer model WRX STi as a courtesy car!!

donut - 5/7/05 at 08:14 AM

Last time my VW Sharan (Huge 7 seater) was serviced they gave me a Lupo.....now that was a tight squeeze!!

[Edited on 5/7/05 by donut]

NS Dev - 5/7/05 at 09:25 AM

what a load of old shite this really is.

If he's that peed off then he should just get a bloody focus diesel!!!!!

That won't break down, he can smake all the fags he likes in it and even get his poncey hairdo inside it.

what a complete and utter twat

Limited production car = limited reliability, even if it is a Ford.

Fact - the new GT40 is THE best looking car that money can buy since the F40.

He should shut his big fat useless twatty gob and drive something nice and reliable like a Toyota avensis or something.

Scotty - 5/7/05 at 09:46 AM

quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev
what a load of old shite this really is.

If he's that peed off then he should just get a bloody focus diesel!!!!!

That won't break down, he can smake all the fags he likes in it and even get his poncey hairdo inside it.

what a complete and utter twat

Limited production car = limited reliability, even if it is a Ford.

Fact - the new GT40 is THE best looking car that money can buy since the F40.

He should shut his big fat useless twatty gob and drive something nice and reliable like a Toyota avensis or something.


Wow! thats a bit over the top !
we all drive different cars, partly by what we can or can not afford, if i had the money then i would do the same, and would expect it to be reliable, if not it should be made reliable
certainly these cars have querks but should be sorted
not everyone like clarkson, i think he a bit of a laugh

Ian Pearson - 5/7/05 at 10:36 AM

Oops, sounds like all the toys got thrown out of the pram!!

quote:

Limited production car = limited reliability, even if it is a Ford.


Why should anyone expect limited reliability from a limited production run??

omega 24 v6 - 5/7/05 at 11:21 AM

I deduce logically that Ns Dev does not care fondly for Mr Clarkson.
What thinks you Watson

DaveFJ - 5/7/05 at 11:35 AM

quote:
Originally posted by donut
He keeps wetting himself over the DB9...i think he should get one of those!


Ford have now loaned him a DB9 while he considers his options - hwe still allowed to 'buy it back' from ford if he wants......

And sorry to be controversial but the Aston is a much better looking car .... IMNSHO

[Edited on 5/7/05 by DaveFJ]

NS Dev - 5/7/05 at 12:28 PM

quote:
Originally posted by omega 24 v6
I deduce logically that Ns Dev does not care fondly for Mr Clarkson.
What thinks you Watson


I used to like him, and still think he is funny to some extent, but his daft ramblings are getting excessive now, and he does the car industry in general no favours at all now.

Re the looks of various cars, on my trip to le mans in a car which attracted a LOT of attention, I got to have a look at / play with a variety of cars, incl a DB9, GT40 and many others.

The GT40 simply looks AWESOME, and as for reliability, come out of cloud cuckoo land, name me one reliable limited production car......................................... they don't exist, simply because manufacturers cannot justify the expenditure of massive testing budgets on a car which they are selling at or below cost (there is no way the GT40 was a profit making entity for Ford)

A friend of mine jointly owns/runs a leading sportscar/kit manufacturer, and is the first to say that although their cars are relatively simple and use "bulletproof" technology (generally overengineering) they still have occasional failures, which result from their suppliers not offering a "3 parts per million" failure rate, as they would offer to a volume buyer like Ford. It is very simple, volume production means purchasing power, which gives reliability on a budget. The only other way to do it is to expend vast sums on design and inspection, to aircraft type standards, and then the car becomes priced out of the market.

The number of people that do not understand this basic fact of automotive production astounds me!!

Hmmmmmmm, Aston Martin reliability.....now let me see.!!!!!

NS Dev - 5/7/05 at 12:31 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Ian Pearson
Oops, sounds like all the toys got thrown out of the pram!!

quote:

Limited production car = limited reliability, even if it is a Ford.


Why should anyone expect limited reliability from a limited production run??


please read my post above. If you want a reliable limited production run car then I have now actually thought of ONE!!

get a McLaren F1, very simple I suppose.

Then look at the price..........that is the price of reliability on a limited production run. (and still made no profit)

Alan B - 5/7/05 at 01:10 PM

quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev

.....Fact - the new GT40 is THE best looking car that money can buy since the F40.......


Absolutely NOT a fact at all...just your opinion. I certainly disagree....IMO

Ian Pearson - 5/7/05 at 01:23 PM

quote:

It is very simple; volume production means purchasing power, which gives reliability on a budget. The only other way to do it is to expend vast sums on design and inspection, to aircraft type standards, and then the car becomes priced out of the market.


A part does not have to be expensive or have to have been part of a production run of millions in order to be reliable and safe. There are countless homebuilt aircraft flying safely and reliably in the UK that are testament to that.

If you make a product, it should work regardless of how limited the production run is. If it is designed to work once, fine. I suspect that the GT40 was not a one use only design.

andyps - 5/7/05 at 02:48 PM

I think his problem is all down to the alarm/immobiliser/tracker fitted as aftermarket items for the UK - obviously not done well so that is the problem he has. As already suggested, get it fixed by someone who knows how, and give Ford the bill.

I don't think Damon Hill has had the same problem with the one owned by his P1 club - Autocar used it for their 0-100-0 test last week.

NS Dev - 5/7/05 at 02:48 PM

Yup, I agree about the one use design bit!

Don't want to upset anybody, that's not the intention, but what you say about amateur built aircraft has hit the nail on the head! If Ford built the GT 40 out of parts tested to aircraft standards it would certainly cost over 3 times what they charge for it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also we amateur builders thrive on the fact that we make so few parts that the statistical probability of one failing is very small. The big car mnaufacturers have the benefit of a statistical "guarantee" due to the vast number of parts they buy. (believe me, I work in a company that supplies volume parts into the automotive transmission sector, we carry the can for the big manufacturers!!!!!) the in betweeners in terms of volume are the losers. They have neither the big buying power and statistical guarantees of the big hitters or the ability to pay the huge price premiums of the niche market players.

I know this is well off track now but it took me some time to grasp these figures when I started to work where I do now...................... we used to supply a part into the Peugeot plant north of Basel on the French/German border. They make......wait for it..........4000 transmissions a DAY there, and that was just the basic 5 speed manual Pug gearbox. In each of those gearboxes there were 4 synchro sleeves that were produced from the same blank part. That's 16,000 blanks per day supply to the plant. 5 days a week was 80,000 parts per week, 45 weeks per year was 3,600,000 parts per annum.

Our acceptable parts failure level was 10 parts per annum........................................................................ When a locostbuilder has produced 3.6 million locosts and only 10 have gone wrong (even something as small as a scratch!) then I will stand corrected...

NS Dev - 5/7/05 at 02:52 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Alan B
quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev

.....Fact - the new GT40 is THE best looking car that money can buy since the F40.......


Absolutely NOT a fact at all...just your opinion. I certainly disagree....IMO


Sorry, will edit thay then..........Fact - the new GT40 is THE best looking car that anybody with decent sense of taste and the money can buy since the F40.......

I do love a wind up!!!!

britishtrident - 5/7/05 at 03:03 PM

I wouldn't say no to one --- but I would rather have the real thing, a MK2 :-)

At least it isn't a pastiche like the BMW Mini, or some of those Jap horrors.

Alan B - 5/7/05 at 08:40 PM

quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev
quote:
Originally posted by Alan B
quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev

.....Fact - the new GT40 is THE best looking car that money can buy since the F40.......


Absolutely NOT a fact at all...just your opinion. I certainly disagree....IMO


Sorry, will edit thay then..........Fact - the new GT40 is THE best looking car that anybody with decent sense of taste and the money can buy since the F40.......

I do love a wind up!!!!



Yeah, whatever...not biting..

(does this count as biting?.....personally I think most Ferraris, Lambos and Astons are better looking...not saying the GT is awful, just others are better...IMO)

Ian Pearson - 5/7/05 at 11:00 PM

quote:

If Ford built the GT 40 out of parts tested to aircraft standards it would certainly cost over 3 times what they charge for it!!!!!!!!!!!!


Lots of different standards when it comes to aircraft parts. Some are certified, some aren't, not all cost the earth.

Think I might try hot air ballooning.

greggors84 - 27/10/05 at 05:59 PM

"How to build an hot air balloon for less than £250, and race it!"

Maybe...

I think Clarkson is well within reason to complain about a new car that has gone wrong mutiple times in the first month.
Is anyone saying they wouldnt get pissed off with any car that kept on not starting or calling you to say it had been stolen?? I would imagine the alarm system isnt bespoke to the GT either. Surely it will an out sourced item than has been tested and tried by the manufacturer?

[Edited on 27/10/05 by greggors84]

steve_gus - 27/10/05 at 07:25 PM

I think he should keep the car and get someone else to put the problems right with the permission of Ford, so it doesnt compromise the warranty.

As an aside, its nice that some people can have the cars of their dreams, even if I cant. Although I cant, im not massively jealous, or predudiced against other nations that can actually make cars. Taking a pop at clarkson just cos he has a better car than we can afford, or its not a shitty rover, is just sour grapes.

I posted a message a few months back about my boss joining a supercar club

http://www.p1international.com/


and that got at least one jealous person on this forum taking a pop at my boss just cos he could afford such things.

(However, as a result of his membership I got a really neat trip out in a Lambo Guilardo which goes like crap and hit 140 before you could blink. Apparently they blow up all the time too, but id absolutley love one).

I will never have a lambo, but at least im not posting my jealousy or hate of other non british manufacturers on here as a result.

atb

steve