You think Westfield is bad with delivery times

[mikew123]

Was at a family do yesterday and Jane's brother told us he has just ordered a Caterham Seven 160 kit.

Delivery expected in September.

Given that long a lead time, will it actually happen.

 

[Thrustyjust]

But arent Caterhams painted and mostly fitted out , even as kits ? Dont Caterham race their products, so have race teams to keep chassis and parts going  ? Also have a larger sales and more recognised product ? I suppose you will potentially get all the kit and not dribs and drabs , but keep us informed on how it goes , will be interesting.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Nope, they've had huge parts issues in the past, just like many of the other small manufacturers.

The fuel pump for R500D's was a classic one a few years ago, with them back ordered for months and months, preventing completion of customer cars and supply of spares for existing cars.

Then there was the big BMW modified diff assembly delay. Plus all the standard things like AP a Racing master cylinders and such.

[Thrustyjust]

Saying that Dave about small manufacturers, a guy on Pistonheads has a Mondeo diesel and under warranty as a 16 plate had to wait 4 weeks for a new fuel pump !!

[DonPeffers]

Oct 2015    http://skiddmark.com/2015/10/caterhams-new-owners-must-get-a-grip-on-its-ailing-business/   alleged  "Customers are naturally concerned. It can now take up to 9 months from order to delivery (of a kit). This is way too long."  This is in the fifth paragraph of the article and I cannot say if the allegation was accurate in Oct 2015 or how the delivery timescales might have altered since.

 

[mikew123]

I'm going to get involved in this build and will be very interested in what is missing when the kit is delivered.

The chassis will be paneled with brake and fuel lines fitted, plus the loom will have been test fitted along with the body work.

But then it will be interesting to see how much engineering/fettling will be needed to complete the car.

I was once told that you assemble a Caterham, but you build a Westfield.

Lets see if this is true, but if it is, and Westfield's sometimes challenging approach to customer service means we find different routes to complete a job means we are now better and more competent car builders, means that the extra hassle/stress is well worth it.

Time will tell, and it seems that there will be a lot of it.

So 'till September...................

[Thrustyjust]

A guy just built a Caterham on Pistonheads and does look great, but there was hardly any build, as such. Not in anyway the same as our cars and if I built it, would have been disappointed in a way that most of the proper construction was already done for me. I suppose its Caterhams way of keeping build quality up, by not letting joe public start cutting holes, running brakes, wiring and anything else which could be a risk on the road. But to me thats the point of a kit car. Start with a climbing frame, end with an IVA certificate. 

[SootySport]

Given that there is 9 month wait,  take a day to assemble,  isn't that how long it takes to build a Westfield?    more or less.

[stephenh]

The son of a friend of mine has recently completed building a Caterham, and he certainly had issues with components missing or wrong, although nothing like what I had with my XI. More silly things like a bolt missing, then when it arrived it was the wrong size or the wrong thread.

[DonPeffers]

Thread revival.

Calling mikew123 to check if you have an update on the (anticipated September) delivery of your brother-in-laws Caterham Seven 160 kit following your initial post on 09 April?