Triumph TR6
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Sir,
As an Englishman living in Belgium I try to wave the flag a bit, so accordingly I drive an English car. The car is a Triumph TR6 assembled here in Belgium at Mecheleu.
The car broke down the day it was delivered after driving 5 miles, I was towed back to the garage and after having a beverage to bring back my confidence I was informed everything was in order, so off I went, the car broke down after 5 miles. During the 1st week of ownership I had to hire a car (at my expense). To list all the problems I have had would fill your admirable magazine for two weeks, so I shall give a brief résumé.
The fuel injection has never worked properly in 24 years of ownership, the first time I used the horn the whole assembly fell out of the steering wheel, the gearbox has been out twice, the engine had to be rebuilt after 25,000 miles, the universal joint on the steering cracked (which luckily for me was spotted before it broke entirely), the wiring caught fire, the fuel pumps have been sent to Lucas (which cost another week’s car hire), the body is rusting generally, the chassis member which retains the right hand side front wheel assembly broke off at the weld (which failed to kill me), the alternator had to be replaced, the car was fitted with the wrong type of tyres etc., etc., etc.
At the moment of writing the car is sitting in the garage with a smashed piston after a valve dropped.
I have spent some £700 in 32,000 miles of motoring, British Leyland have inspected the car on two occasions and their so-called experts promised some action but nothing happened. After the latest catastrophe I went to the assembly plant with a fistful of bills. They will once again inspect the car and when the total damage is assessed we shall come to an agreement about costs, which indicates that at the best I will be saddled with probably 50% of the bill.
When the car is repaired I shall sell it immediately for obviously nobody wishes to drive wondering “is that universal joint on the steering OK?” is a chassis member likely to fall off? etc.
Thank you for your magazine, at least by reading it I see that some people have troubefree motoring.
My next car will be a BMW 2002.
B. Lovick – Bruxelles.
[A member of the staff could tell a similar tale of TR6 woe. A pity, for hairy British sports cars are few and far between.—Ed.]