Why Do Some Constantly Complain About Our Cars????

[PAUL161]

Yup, we all have at one time or another. Isn't it amazing that we think we can drag a 30 to 40 year little old car out of a barn, out of the weeds, out of the chicken coup or whatever, that hasn't ran for 10/20 years and expect to throw a battery in it, dump some gas in the tank and wonder why it doesn't want to start. If it does fire, we get overjoyed and shout out, I got a winner! But, it slightly runs on three cylinders, has no lights, of course that's due to Mr. Lucas's bad wiring and electronics. The fuel pump quits in the first couple of minutes or doesn't work at all, I guess it's because those point operated SU pumps were always junk to start with. Can't get it to run smooth, I guess those gummed up 30 year old junky SU carbs, one of the best carbs ever invented, should be replaced with some after market whatever.
Get the picture here! Were talking about a 35/40 year old car.
Now, lets get real. Go to your local car dealer, it doesn't matter what make. Buy one, drive it for a couple weeks, or take the one you have now, park it out in the barn or behind the barn and then come back in----------lets say,10, 20 or 35 years, put a battery in it, dump some gas in it and see if it will run. Ten to one says it won't. The Chinese computers are shot due to moisture invasion. Ah so, Mr. Rukas fault? The lights don't work, I guess because the wiring and connectors are bad and Mr. Lucas's past reputation had some influence with GM, Ford, Chrysler etc. That $600.00 fuel pump in the gummed up tank doesn't work, gee I wonder why, was it made by SU? I forgot to mention that when you tried to open the doors, they fell on the ground because of the tissue paper metal used during manufacture and we complain about a little tiny crack in the door and call it "THE CRACK OF DOOM"! Get the drift? Our LBcs are great little cars that will still give us years of enjoyment if it's taken care of properly. Don't expect it to take care of it's self and then complain about it.
Sorry, just venting off a bothersome frustration. Don't mean to hurt anyones feelings. So, have one of these on me.

I'm all better now.

 

[martx-5]

Must be an MG thing. We don't have these problems over in the Triumph forum...

 

[vagt6]

Our emotion clouds judgment when we purchase an LBC.

They're sexy, different cars for the most part. Exciting to imagine oneself flying down the highway in a TR/MG/LBC. To many, it's more than exiciting because we spent the best part of our youth in the seat of an LBC. Many happy memories of the best of times . . .

So later in life (much later for some), we purchase an LBC that needs a little "fixing", maybe to recapure that feeling, that thrill we had many moons ago. Can't afford to buy a well-sorted one. Thus, we have a car that has new parts working against old, worn-out parts. Stuff breaks, car is unreliable. And in most cases, frustrating and expensive.

If in some dream world, all of us initially purchased a perfectly restored example of our beloved LBC, we'd have pretty good cars. I purchased two brand new LBCs in the day and they were really great cars. No significant problems with either. Ran like tops and I drove the dickens out of them, raced/autocrossed, flogged.

That's where the rub is: old cars; new parts, poorly restored.

Utopia is to have a car in which all the parts are relatively new and the restoration is complete: all the parts working in harmony.

But, there's no utopia, right?

 

[tomshobby]

These LBC's are relatively simple cars to work on. True they have a few special nuances, but most cars do. I think that may be part of the problem if there is a problem. It seems that people buy one of these cars and think they can just begin "fixing them up". Never mind if they have ever used a wrench before. Then the process of replacing parts begins.
I think the ones that have fewer problems are more inclined to find the cause of a problem and fix it. Others seem to see the symptom of a problem and fix that. Then have the problem reoccur.
I have driven at least 150,000 miles in Triumphs and my opinion is that they are DLC's (dependable little cars).

 

[Steve]

That was well-said, I agree with you 100%.

 

[TR6oldtimer]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:] Why Do Some Constantly Complain About Our Cars???? [/QUOTE]
Because they cannot complain about their spouse.

 

[judow]

:banana: Venting is good for the soul! I for one don't expect my LBC to perform 100% of the time. I haven't had many problems but then I have a great mechanic/restorer, a knowledgable husband and my trusty cellphone. When I have had a problem and all has failed to rescue me, 1-800-Hagerty was there. I recall breaking down only three times in 5 years and I think that's pretty darn good. As a plus to breaking down, I've met some very nice people. I wouldn't trade my LBC for the finest, most dependable modern day car there is. Agatha and I have bonded! :banana:

 

[DrEntropy]

The whole thing ruffs my fur. I've driven LBC's (and Alfas) all my life. I've not owned any other cars. The engineering is sound, the cars are stout. MUCH more ruggedly built than contemporary examples. It's the care (or lack thereof) to blame for any reliability issues.

We're quite lucky they were built in the numbers they were, as that now makes it marginally possible/profitable to continue supplying spares. The things are infinitely renewable. Can't say that about a Ghibli.

My "Member's Articles" thingie about perception sums up my take on it by example. The cars were generally mistreated and disrespected in the first decades of their lives. The ones surviving now have a chance in that they've filtered into the hands of (mostly) folks like us who own 'em on purpose, not whim.


...I'll go back to th' corner now....

 

[jessebogan]

It IS weird to not have an actual LBC in my possesion these days. ( The Jag does not really count. It is an order of magnitude different than a B, say. I bought my 73 BGT from the first owner, a chap named Roy Mason. (He designed the "house of the future" that is or was near Disney in Fla. When I bought it it had just over 100K miles on it.I put the next 100K plus on it, and never once did it leave me walking. I had the silld done, bought the last pair of NOS quarters that BL had in the US. I rode that car hard, but always took care of it. I sold it to a customer in 1990 or so, in a fit of monumental stupidity.I still can't explain it, other than a decade is a really long time for ME to own a car.

I have owned over 100 cars so far. I have had Sprigets, Spitfires Rover 2000s, 1 TR3 briefly, a mini clubman, and a bunch of Jags. They are great cars. Simple and robust, interactive, and a great pleasure to drive. What more could you want?? I bitch about cars too, but I fix them ALL and scarcely get to drive the finished product.My corvair project is kinda like an LBC. It has been rode hard and put away wet for most of its life. It, like many LBCs was out of the mainstream cheap transportation for the first 17 years of it's life. Since then the PO started the resto, and let it sit for almost 20 years before passing it on to me. Someday, soon enough I hope, it will be another cherished car going down the road, long after most of it's comtemporarys have returned to the rust that they came from. Is it a perfect car?? No, probably not. But it has charm, and evokes memories in just about everyone that sees it,Just like our LBCs do. I cannot imagine ever being without an "interesting" car at my disposal. Just not gonna happen.
Just my 10 cent sworth, I will get off the soapbox now....

 

[Tinster]

Jesse, my Corvair Monza was one of my favorite cars.
Always carry two fan belts and a 9/16 wrench.

d

 

[PAUL161]

Re: Why Do Some Constantly Complain About Our Cars

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:] Why Do Some Constantly Complain About Our Cars????

Because they cannot complain about their spouse. [/QUOTE]

I knew there had to be a specific reason. Now I know! I think I better not say any more. Some of the ladies might be listening in.

 

[tony barnhill]

That was well-said, I agree with you 100%.

& some people should never own one of our little cars! Plus, most problems can be tracked directly back to poor operator maintenance....wonder how many owners take the time to read the owners manual & then stick by the maintenance schedules religiously? Maybe, if we're lucky, 5% - IMHO!

 

[weewillie]

Why Do Some Constantly Complain About Our Cars????


methinks it's jealousy and or envy

 

[JamesWilson]

I reckon I've got to say SOMETHING....

Besides I DO complain about my spouse... it's how I get to spend so much time in the garage...

 

[terriphill]

Jesse,
Its not that we ALWAYS complain about our cars. When they are running we drive them. When they are broke, we come here to vent, ask questions, and complain. In our case, its not the car that's the problem...its the DPO who has rigged, wired, changed and poorly repaired it over the last 15 years and then parked it out back for another 5 before his wife threw down and made him sell it.
Now, we get to unrig, rewire and repair his work which is frustrating and time consuming. Without the BCF....I'm sure we would never be able to do this.
I will try in the future to limit the arrrrgh posts or at least offset them occasionally with the :thumbsup: Woo-Hoos!!!

 

[jessebogan]

Yeah, but don't you feel a sense of triumph ( or MG as it were) every time you overcome some DPO disaster? I love that part. It means that the problem, no matter what it was, has now been correcty identified, and repaired. That is the Proper way to go about things...

 

[JamesWilson]

Remember the LBC Ownership Axioms:


1 My British car is not running and hasn't done so in quite some time.

2 I ought to sell it, but its not worth much if it isn't running so... I need to get it running to sell it...

3 Ah, it so much fun to drive the car again... I really can't sell it now, its running so well...

4 It quit working, I really should sell it, but its not worth much when its not running. I ought to get it running again....

5 return to 1

 

[Brooklands]

That was well-said, I agree with you 100%.

& some people should never own one of our little cars! Plus, most problems can be tracked directly back to poor operator maintenance....wonder how many owners take the time to read the owners manual & then stick by the maintenance schedules religiously? Maybe, if we're lucky, 5% - IMHO!

Is there an owners manual for a TR3B?

 

[terriphill]

Yeah, but don't you feel a sense of triumph ( or MG as it were) every time you overcome some DPO disaster? I love that part. It means that the problem, no matter what it was, has now been correctly identified, and repaired. That is the Proper way to go about things...

Ah, there's the rub! There is nothing I know of that feels quite as wonderful as the satisfaction I get when one of our cars purrs to life. All those firsts.. 1st start, 1st drive....ooh here comes the UPS guy with new seats, new carbs, new top, new paint,new wheels,.......Is there a direct correlation between the level of frustration and the # of UPS deliveries?

 

[AngliaGT]

I equate it to someone calling your sister ugly.
If they're outside of the family - the shoulders come
up immediatley.If they're part of the family,the response
is normaly - "Yeah - she is!".
I'm relating this to people who blame everything that
goes wrong to Lucas,& people who think that it's "cute" to
make Lucas jokes - even though they've never owned a British
Car.I'm tired of hearing peety complaints about every time
someone's British Car has a problem.
Would you expect to buy a 36 year old American car,& have
no problems with it?I bought a Datsun 510 that had more electricle
problems than ANY car I've ever owned!

- Doug