Phantom Ownership One Month On
Discussion
I have had a Phantom Drophead since 2009. I bought it second hand with 700 miles on the clock so did not experience the new car purchasing experience. The car has now done 20,000 miles and a good percentage of those were in France. My ownership experience with H R Owen in London and with the factory has been rather good. The only material issue I have had developed post-warranty with the SATNAV losing signal for extended periods. The fault proved very difficult to pinpoint but in the end the car had a new rear wiring harness fitted earlier this year at the factory's expense.
Most owners use the complimentary collection and delivery service and very few see the service side of things in person. That means that whilst there is a comfortable enough reception area shared with Lamborghini it is not a reception area with the facilities of, say, MINI Battersea where owners will deliver their cars personally and in most case wait while the work is done.
I continue to enjoy the car and have no inclination to sell it. Most of my cars are classics and there is real pleasure in being able to 'waft' from time to time. Aside from the SAT NAV issue the car has had one door sensor replaced and occasionally throws a false tyre pressure warning but has otherwise been perfect. Good car.
Most owners use the complimentary collection and delivery service and very few see the service side of things in person. That means that whilst there is a comfortable enough reception area shared with Lamborghini it is not a reception area with the facilities of, say, MINI Battersea where owners will deliver their cars personally and in most case wait while the work is done.
I continue to enjoy the car and have no inclination to sell it. Most of my cars are classics and there is real pleasure in being able to 'waft' from time to time. Aside from the SAT NAV issue the car has had one door sensor replaced and occasionally throws a false tyre pressure warning but has otherwise been perfect. Good car.
dazzalse said:
Yes we did, I had a Mulsanne on loan from the factory for over a week, and they tried really hard to sell us the car, we had a evening at Highgrove for dinner and the service was 2nd to none and we probably would have bought it but my wife swayed more to the Phantom, in all honesty its one thing Bentley Motors are very good at looking after there customers, not only at a dealer level but also from the factory. We are probably going to get a Bentley GTC for next summer.
In terms of service from RR, it is always you chasing them, they don't return calls, don't do as they say they are gonna do and really dont want to go out of there way to help, when we collected the car I had asked for it to be delivered but they couldnt agree with me a suitable time that was suitable for them, I then went up on the train to collect it but instead of meeting me at the station that was suitable for me, was asked to change at the main terminus and take a another train to arrive at a station closer to the dealership as it was out of the way for them, various little things that one should not expect.
I'm surprised they even asked but I'm surprised you agreed to change to suit their requirements , I'm sure as he'll I wouldn't of.In terms of service from RR, it is always you chasing them, they don't return calls, don't do as they say they are gonna do and really dont want to go out of there way to help, when we collected the car I had asked for it to be delivered but they couldnt agree with me a suitable time that was suitable for them, I then went up on the train to collect it but instead of meeting me at the station that was suitable for me, was asked to change at the main terminus and take a another train to arrive at a station closer to the dealership as it was out of the way for them, various little things that one should not expect.
The dealership I use are generally very good. The only major issue we have had is with the bodyshop they use for warranty work. I have used HRO for Lambo servicing before and didn't like much of what I saw. Therefore the Phantom doesn't go there. Bentley have been hit and miss in my experience and let us down badly recently when the suspension collapsed on our Spur.
Great stuff. But talking with a few chaps that own such pieces of kit. They are far removed from the old cars. Starlight headlining at £8K would buy you a half decent Turbo R. I know it is different strokes for different folks but in a year of my Turbo R ownership I have no idea what the radio sounds like. I've never used it. TPM. Whatever car I choose to drive I always cast an eye over the tyres before driving. I do not need TPM to tell me I have a puncture. I either see it before I drive the car or feel it through the chassis, thankfully few and far between.
Whilst no doubt they are technically brilliant. I am sure it is not a place I would choose to sit.
Whilst no doubt they are technically brilliant. I am sure it is not a place I would choose to sit.
graemel said:
Great stuff. But talking with a few chaps that own such pieces of kit. They are far removed from the old cars. Starlight headlining at £8K would buy you a half decent Turbo R. I know it is different strokes for different folks but in a year of my Turbo R ownership I have no idea what the radio sounds like. I've never used it. TPM. Whatever car I choose to drive I always cast an eye over the tyres before driving. I do not need TPM to tell me I have a puncture. I either see it before I drive the car or feel it through the chassis, thankfully few and far between.
Whilst no doubt they are technically brilliant. I am sure it is not a place I would choose to sit.
They are far removed from the previous gen cars, an all aluminium bodyshell structure to start with. The quality of the woodwork is in a different league too. Whilst no doubt they are technically brilliant. I am sure it is not a place I would choose to sit.
It's threads like this which allows me to still love PH!
And to top it off, as if any evidence was ever needed to show you can have an seriously amazing car without any respect of grammar (I doubt there's many people in the Grammar Police forum driving around in a Phantom!)...
dazzalse said:
we had a evening at Highgrove for dinner....
And to prove (if any is needed) that Dazzalse is a true petrolhead...dazzalse said:
I then went up on the train to collect it
Seriously, at this money if it wasn't a) Hand delivered, b) a car coming to pick me up, c) helicopter landing in my back garden I'd be wondering what the f*** I'd just spent the money on.And to top it off, as if any evidence was ever needed to show you can have an seriously amazing car without any respect of grammar (I doubt there's many people in the Grammar Police forum driving around in a Phantom!)...
dazzalse said:
dont want to go out of there way to help
You're my new PH hero - enjoy the car and hopefully keep us posted 
Petrus1983 said:
It's threads like this which allows me to still love PH!
And to top it off, as if any evidence was ever needed to show you can have an seriously amazing car without any respect of grammar (I doubt there's many people in the Grammar Police forum driving around in a Phantom!)...
Ummm grammer, not my strongest point but then I went to a state school in the East End and never went to college or university, but I've made my own way in life and done okdazzalse said:
we had a evening at Highgrove for dinner....
And to prove (if any is needed) that Dazzalse is a true petrolhead...dazzalse said:
I then went up on the train to collect it
Seriously, at this money if it wasn't a) Hand delivered, b) a car coming to pick me up, c) helicopter landing in my back garden I'd be wondering what the f*** I'd just spent the money on.And to top it off, as if any evidence was ever needed to show you can have an seriously amazing car without any respect of grammar (I doubt there's many people in the Grammar Police forum driving around in a Phantom!)...
dazzalse said:
dont want to go out of there way to help
You're my new PH hero - enjoy the car and hopefully keep us posted dazzalse said:
9six4 said:
Thanks for the update - car looks fantastic....
I personally prefer the Phantom, but did you consider a Mulsanne as an alternative, especially given the dealership experience seems to be better?
Andy
Yes we did, I had a Mulsanne on loan from the factory for over a week, and they tried really hard to sell us the car, we had a evening at Highgrove for dinner and the service was 2nd to none and we probably would have bought it but my wife swayed more to the Phantom, in all honesty its one thing Bentley Motors are very good at looking after there customers, not only at a dealer level but also from the factory. We are probably going to get a Bentley GTC for next summer. I personally prefer the Phantom, but did you consider a Mulsanne as an alternative, especially given the dealership experience seems to be better?
Andy
In terms of service from RR, it is always you chasing them, they don't return calls, don't do as they say they are gonna do and really dont want to go out of there way to help, when we collected the car I had asked for it to be delivered but they couldnt agree with me a suitable time that was suitable for them, I then went up on the train to collect it but instead of meeting me at the station that was suitable for me, was asked to change at the main terminus and take a another train to arrive at a station closer to the dealership as it was out of the way for them, various little things that one should not expect.
9six4 said:
My cars are rather older, but I have had generally great service from Bentley Cheltenham (formerly Broughtons) and Specialist Cars South West who look after them.
Likewise (although it is a long time since I last used Broughtons). For SCSW, nothing is too much trouble: they will drop everything and take a look at my car if it is urgent and usually fix it on the spot. They always do what they say they are going to do when they say they are going to do it and always offer to collect / deliver / run me home. Paul Snr. is a fount of knowledge on post-war R-R / Bentleys. I cannot praise / recommend them highly enough.outandabout said:
Can we have an update?
Not used it for the last 2 months, its been sitting in the garage on battery charger! We last used it on New Years Eve. It was however collected last week to have a few things attended too, namely the 2 rear vanity mirrors had started to corrode slightly and have been on order for 4 months, a bespoke item because of the leather colour, the auto dipped/main beam has stopped working, the key still rattles in the ignition and the spirit of ecstasy has become rather noisy !
It was with the dealer for about 3 weeks late October having various issues resolved, i wonder if the main beam problem is related to the nearside headlamp unit they replaced back in October, it had not stopped working but was playing havoc with he check control giving warning messages of failure.
Not great service back in October, they lost the list that i'd given them with a number of items to attend to and I'd not made a copy!
I also heard from the sales manager last week ( first time since buying the car!) i can only imagine thats in relation to RR ringing me last week too ask if I'd answer a questionnaire on the dealer, they really have it so wrong when it comes to customer service
I have told them to have the car back next week as we are hosting a party here for 250 people and there will be a number of people to collect from the station/airport so it will be a busy weekend for the car, I know I've said this before but Bentley Motors really do have them when it comes to customer service, even down to small things like getting a christmas card from the factory, would cost Bentley next to nothing but its the small things that are remembered next time you buy a car…….
Thanks for the update
Currently running a project in Mayfair and spoken to owners and drivers over the last 5 months.
We had 16 Rolls Royce cars in the street one Sunday most with chauffeur but not all.
We have even seen some Mansory Phantoms O’dear!
It’s no coincidence on silly problems some are complimentary about the product some not but i have always ask what it’s like to drive and they have all said the same thing nothing compares.
Look forward to future updates and hope your experience improves.
Personally I will own a Phantom one day!
dazzalse said:
Not great service back in October, they lost the list that i'd given them with a number of items to attend to and I'd not made a copy!
I also heard from the sales manager last week ( first time since buying the car!) i can only imagine thats in relation to RR ringing me last week too ask if I'd answer a questionnaire on the dealer, they really have it so wrong when it comes to customer service
Just wondering if you had thought of a Maybach instead of the Phantom? I don't know what their customer service is like but, with the financial power you have, I would have thought you would be able to take your custom anywhere you wantedI also heard from the sales manager last week ( first time since buying the car!) i can only imagine thats in relation to RR ringing me last week too ask if I'd answer a questionnaire on the dealer, they really have it so wrong when it comes to customer service
I've got to say that I've found Maybach service top notch. My car has now done 36000 miles from new, mainly because of repeated drives down to the Alps. It hasn't missed a beat. Only fault was a paint defect on the roof corner (apparently not uncommon and due to poor bonding of the layers).
If we do get a breakdown, we have the SOS button in the armrest. Almost worth the breakdown just so we can try it.
Maybach has attracted quite a lot of criticism and Mercedes over enthusiastic budget forecasts on sales were badly judged however as an ultra comfortable long distance cruiser, so far it has proved superb.
If we do get a breakdown, we have the SOS button in the armrest. Almost worth the breakdown just so we can try it.
Maybach has attracted quite a lot of criticism and Mercedes over enthusiastic budget forecasts on sales were badly judged however as an ultra comfortable long distance cruiser, so far it has proved superb.
matt5791 said:
No it's not - More complex, yes, in some cases, but not better quality.
Totally agree matt5791.You only have to watch that recent daft UK TV programme where R-R set up the master jeweller to fail insetting diamonds into the veneered cross piece on an export car. They knew damned well they could never do it so looked to place blame elsewhere.
What made it worse was that the "expert" R-R guy, with the Scottish accent, went straight for the details he knew were never achievable in the first place but then went on to humiliate a real craftsman they set up to work totally outside his field of expertise.
The jeweller is, I am sure, an expert in precious stones and has craftsman to fashion the simple precious stone mounts and set them that would last generations. So, why on Earth would a company who know unstable veneered substrates are difficult to work with not simply "spec" the mounts, "drill a few holes" and "affix" items produced to less than 1/1000th" (or less) to their own woodwork?
The simple fact is that once the clear finish is penetrated the bond to the veneer will be weakened.
Edited by Byteme on Thursday 19th March 02:38
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