Rolls Royce maintenance costs

Hey, guys, I have a question for you (especially Doc and Silvercloud)--well, several questions, actually.

Over on the Spridget forum there was a comment about running costs, you should budget $100/mth for spridget repairs, they say. Then it was mentioned that a Rolls budgets $750/mth. Say Whaaa? :shocked:

I've admired the marque for a long time, and seen many a Camargue and Shadow tick by on Ebay for less than ten grand. WAY less. Now, I am no closer to buying a Rolls of <span style="font-style: italic">any </span>vintage than I am to getting a condo on the Moon, but the curiosity got the better of me. Why so much? They're machined to last forever and built like tanks; not the kind of car that breaks down regularly, I thought. I can make a brake line for my Midget with a flare tool and five bucks worth of copper pipe. What makes a Rolls brake line worth $1000?

I realize <span style="font-style: italic">any </span>electronical wizardry jacks up the price. What then of the ancient Clouds, with no on board computer gizmos? Is this factoring in that Royce owners don't like to get their hands dirty? :wink: Are bushings of gold, and castings of platinum? When it comes right down to it, parts is parts...right? Is the markup <span style="font-style: italic">that </span>extreme "just" because it's The World's Best Motorcar?

And what of the ol' Austin Princess R? Same dealy-o 'cuz of the engine?

Fill me in on The Big Secret. I don't want my dream to die.

I once knew a guy who picked up a Silver Shadow for a song (one that appeared to be in good condition), by the time it was certified for road use he had doubled the purchase price...

I don't know if that is the norm, but I've heard similar stories from other people.

Well, Bill, there's a "yes" and a "no" here.

Brake/suspension hydraulics on a Rollie are "different". Mineral oil under a MUCH higher pressure than what ya think to be "normal" and require more and different lines. Think: THOUSANDS of pounds per square inch in some cases, with "accumulators" that look like a bathyscaphe. Two pumps aboard to supply same.

Most of the parts are proprietary and therefore Rolls gets whatever they decide to charge for 'em, usually a LOT more than equivalent "standard" bits. There are a lot of parts which are VERY common BMC/BLMC bits and interchange, too.
But ya gotta KNOW the cars to do that...

If you have a chance, try and look under and behind the facia of a Rolls. They're closer to aircraft wiring than to automobiles.

BE AWARE: I ain't tryin' to ~justify~ what it costs to run one. I'd likely have an old Shadow if I thought I could afford the *spares*. They really ARE a special kind of vehicle. It's just a different beast than we're accustomed to. I dunno if I agree to the $750/mo. number but WILL say the ~learning curve~ to maintain one is kinda steeper than the average LBC... Rolling complexity.


Remember, these are the guys who furnished Merlin engines to P-51, Mosquito and Spitfire constructors...
Plenty of FW-190 and ME-109's were at the receiving end of all that R&D.

Bill -

RR still owns the rights to make most parts for the RR. Any new part with RR written on it MUST be purchased from RR direct or through an approved dealer.

In addition, because the cars were made in small quantities typically, aftermarket people have not bothered with making panels and trim... so they can only be purchased in the same manner.

The car's systems share some off the shelf LBC parts, but much of it is custom for RR, and with good reason as the cars are usually pretty big, heavy and sophisticated. That means, again, you have to go to RR specialists for the parts.

Even if you wanted to buy used, because new is so expensive, it makes used parts expensive too.

So when I got the family limo, I went with a Jag saloon instead! Plus it's better looking anyway.

Thanks, guys. So, it boils down to: Proprietary technology, proprietary bits, and no aftermarket. I guess that makes sense. I assumed "Rolls is better than everything else" meant basically the same technology to a higher spec. Not <span style="font-style: italic">Totally Different </span>technology. It seems like we're not comparing apples to oranges, as much as comparing a Granny Smith to a Patek Phillipe.

Greasy Joe down at the corner garage might as well be looking at the space shuttle. Advance Auto won't have its water pump in stock. Thinking about it logically, R-R is such a universally known icon, I tend to forget they didn't make a <span style="font-style: italic">whole lot </span>of them. You wouldn't expect to find a Lagonda CRT at NAPA, or a ring-and-pinion for a Quattroporte, right? Somehow, Rolls seems more...accessible, which in retrospect is foolish. Ah well. I used to think it was just snobbery, that old saying, "If you can't afford to keep a Rolls in perfect condition, you can't afford to keep one." I s'pose it makes sense, and why you never see a beater Roller on the street.

Sigh...I guess even a <span style="font-style: italic">used </span>Rolls is a game for the wealthy. But hey, if my Midget has taught me one thing, it's the beauty of simplicity. :thumbsup:

Somewhat related story: there's a classic car show on the HD Net channel that is produced in the U.K.. Last week the guy went to an auction somewhere in Bedfordshire. A classic car auction with a difference. It's outside, and many of the cars are inoperable.

For example (and to my point). There was a Rolls Royce Corniche convertible. Beautiful car, except, it had been in a pretty major front end shunt, so you'd have to replace at least one wing, grille, etc. Winning bid was over £15,000. And that's before he buys parts! Call me a CABCO, but Yikes!

Colin

OH MY GOD YOU'RE THE STIG!

You ~just~ noticed that, Alan?

*sheesh*

Another good aspect about RR's. Is that you do not encounter the 10 year old, no more parts made rule. If you have an older RR and need a part for it. You can get it. May take a while, but it will be made for you...

Yup. Once got a gearset for a 1906 40/50 trans rebuild. Took a WHILE but we got it!

Doc, 1906?? You lucky SOB!!!! What did it have for a body? Or did you only have the trans?

Whole thing, Pete. It was white. Not sure where it went. This was YEARS ago. Late '80's. It was a client.

Wood spoke wheels!!!

There is a guy in the UK who breaks RRs. That's all he does. Drives the factory nuts, but there is not much they can do about it. Used spares from him are reasonable, and with the dollar being at 1.37 against the pound right now that's not a bad rate.

Doc, where were you at that time? Not too many Ghosts of that vintage around. Chances are I'd know or know of the owner. And not too many who would know the designation 40/50.

Steve, when you say breaks, I presume you mean salvages? At first I thought you meant that there is a guy in the UK who breaks them as in makes them "fail to procede"!

T'was here in Florida. Tampa area.

Of course the 40/50 was otherwise known as the Silver Ghost, and R-R carried on making that for years, finally ceasing production in 1925. And, if I'm not mistaken, either the following 20 or the Phantom 1 40/50 shared some transmission components.
Rolls-Royce never changed anything just for the sake of change. Body styles changed due to fashion, but mechanicals only if there was a better engineering solution.

Silverghost said:

Doc, where were you at that time? Not too many Ghosts of that vintage around. Chances are I'd know or know of the owner. And not too many who would know the designation 40/50.

Click to expand...

Did I ever show you this - Ancaster, ON part of the 100th celebrations last year

https://tinyurl.com/create.php

was a nice morning

Try the URL again, J-P. Goes to a make it short site.

Some say he lives in a tree drinking rain water.

Yes, The Stig.

If I recall correctly, there are some Rolls/Bentley breakers advertising in the Rolls Royce parts section in Hemmings.

There's nothing more expensive than a cheap Rolls.

Colin