faulty/dangerous parts supplied by marlin

[ian papworth]

I purchased a 2001 bmw sportster as a part-build and after joining the club have been made aware of the faulty lower wishbone and mudguard stays.Marlin have no interest in replacing the parts which I find totally unacceptable.Have any other Sportster builders had problems with Marlin? I am seeking legal advise. The club have been notified.Are we really expected to recommend Marlin to other potential kit car builders?

[Patrick]

Re: faulty/dangerous parts supplied by marlin

I don't really want to comment on this, but I recommend you read this thread:

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1694

[Patrick]

Re: faulty/dangerous parts supplied by marlin

and this one: http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1463

[martinclan]

Re: faulty/dangerous parts supplied by marlin

Not all of the lower wishbones and wing stays were faulty.

The wing stays that were faulty were made from hollow tube (as opposed to solid bar) You should be able to tell these by just lifting them - the hollow ones were fairly light.

The wishbones that were faulty appeared after Marlin changed the design to use a Metro part as the lower ball joint. I understand that the earlier Ford based wishbones and the earlier BMW based wishbones (that used the BMW joint)didn't have the problem.

The builders that had the problems (including me) all had kits that are now around 5 years old. Marlin replaced the parts FOC (albeit after some - err - discussion)

To see if your parts are some of those that appear to be faulty take a look at the Sportster forum on the Madabout Kit Cars web site. There are plenty of pictures there that will help you identify them.

Robin

[danny_nelson]

Re: faulty/dangerous parts supplied by marlin

Just an observation, It would appear that the person you bought this part built kit from should have had these parts put right by Marlin when they called all the wishbones in for inspection.
Regards Danny.

[ian papworth]

Re: faulty/dangerous parts supplied by marlin

Thanks for the advice guys. I have calmed down a bit but the parts are of the faulty design and Mark Matthews is quite clear in his recall notice that they will replace faulty items.If it was an off the shelf item I would not worry, but such a critical and purpose built component MUST be safe.I will pursue the matter with some vigour with Marlin Ian

[ian papworth]

Re: faulty/dangerous parts supplied by marlin

Just to follow up, I contacted the previous owner and he received no recall notice from Marlin. How many other owners are out there driving on dangerous parts ? What efforts did Marlin take to ensure that all faulty parts were exchanged ? I will continue to pursue these issues with Marlin. Regards Ian.

[Peterx]

Re: faulty/dangerous parts supplied by marlin

Marlin advised all their customers by an email from Terry Matthews on the 15/5/2008 which included a request to pass on the details if the recipient was no longer the original owner. The previous owner of your kit should have received this email from Terry so long as they had kept Marlin informed of any changes to their address. Terry also posted the notice on madaboutkitcars.com forum which I also posted on the pistonheads kitcar forum. It also had full visibility on this forum as Patrick, who's car had the failure, posted an update on this forum when it happened.
Are you able to post a picture of one of your wishbones as as Robin has pointed out yours may be OK?
I'm also sure if you approach Marlin the right way you will get the right response, albeit at a small cost to cover their expenses, etc. The fact that they posted the recall notice on a public internet forum shows that they do have the right intent and don't want anyone to be driving an unsafe car.

[ian papworth]

Re: faulty/dangerous parts supplied by marlin

Thanks for the details ref the recall. I contacted the previous owner,but as he had lost interest in the car then it is likely he took no interest? I have no problem paying something for replacement parts , the problem being that Terry says they are not making any -what happens when they sell a kit? I will be at Stoneleigh next week so I am sure that all these issues can be resolved. I will bring some photos.

[Peterx]

Re: faulty/dangerous parts supplied by marlin

There's quite a few Sportster builders attending on Sunday so come and say hello!

[Patrick]

Re: faulty/dangerous parts supplied by marlin

Ian, email me here:

p [a t] trickshort [d ot] com

I'll send you that stuff over we talked about yesterday

Thanks, Patrick