Buying
    a
    "Pre-owned"
    Rolls-Royce or Bentley

      The time has come!You've saved up your hard earned cash and are ready to part with it for the car of your dreams....But wait....everyone
      is eager to get their hands on their new car, and it always seems so
      much better than the last one, we've all done it, parted with the cash
      to the ever so eager seller, only to get a few miles down the road to realise that we should have checked the car over first. Rolls-Royce
      and Bentley seem even better if you have never driven one before
      You only have to sit behind the wheel in the sumptuous leather seats looking out at the Spirit of Ecstacy in front of you, and you can't wait
      to part with your money. Rolls-Royce are the "best cars in the world"
      but there are many around that have had careless owners who didn't worry about regular servicing or maintenance and buying a car like
      this can cost, in some cases, as much as another car to put right.

    Here are a few things to look for when buying a Pre-owned
    Rolls-Royce or Bentley.
           

      The first thing to ask for is the Service Historyand check that the
      majority of it is in order.
      Check that it has not been altered or tampered with in any way, if you
      think this could be the case, check with the garage that is stamped in
      the
      book and ask them if they can tell you anything about the vehicle, an
      authorised Rolls-Royce service agent will be only too pleased to help you, after all you will probably become aregular customeronce you have purchased your car.
      Next check the Registration Document. Check to see how long
      the last owner had the car, if it was only a matter of weeks be very wary.
      If you are buying privately, see if the name and addressof the person you are buying the car from appears in the registration document,
      there are many dealers who work from home and will pretend to be private sellers, (in England you have certain rights when buying from a dealer, but none when buying from a private individual), if you are viewing this in another country, the same may apply...please check!
      Having said this, it does not mean that all dealers that work from home are selling bad cars, I know many who are very good and take a pride in the cars that they sell.

    Problem areas when buying particular models

    The Silver Shadow 
      The early Shadows had numerous teething troubles, as would be expected from a totally new design of unusual complexity Early brake pad wear and water pump failure were not uncommon. There were some cases of oil pump drive fracture which caused instant loss of oil pressure with costly damage. The Shadow was fitted with warning lights, but on early models the heat indicator sensor was set too high; when it finally went on, the engine was within danger of immediate, serious overheating.
      The rubber universal coupling on the upper steering column required watching.

      A more fundermental weakness was in the rear suspension which was
      anchored to the body by a transverse box-member of sheet steel. Under
      abuse and/or corrosion, the crossmember would tear away from the body, which would instantly cause the half shaft underneath to uncouple from the trunnion. Under worse cases, the whole rear end would become detached.
      Though the factory eventually strengthend this lateral box member, there
      are still many early production cars that may be vunerable to this problem.

      A more curious symtom suggested the devilish complexity of the hydraulic system.
      When the left front door was opened, the brakes could be applied and could remain dragging as the car pulled away, even with the door
      closed. This odd result was caused by a leaking hydraulic valve connected to the door height switch which indirectly affected the
      brakes. Mechanics could be forgiven for not readily diagnosing this problem! RR363 brake fluid was essential for proper performance
      and the use of silicone fluids was prohibited. Ventilated discs in the
      early seventies were a great improvement for braking.

      The rubber mounted front suspension of the early cars gave a smooth ride but could cause severe tyre wear and difficulty in tracking. Any
      rear axle whine, fortunately rare, can be expensive.

      It should be remembered that early Silver Shadows and Bentley T's
      can be brought up to late specifications much more easily than other models.
      Maintenance history is also very important, especially in the hydraulic
      system.

      The Silver Shadow and Bentley T were gradually debugged and reliability steadily improved. As is the case with all cars, continued production inevitably made a better product.

      Wheel arches always rust away, you will find most have been repaired at some time, but check that they been replaced with metal ones and
      not filled with plastic filler.
      Take a magnet to them and check. If filler is used, the repair will last only a matter of weeks before the rust starts to come through again.

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