I have been asked about why the plaque numbers on the last few months of production do not sometimes seem to match the order of registration and was it cars being used for display or simply a lack of customers that meant that there were still cars registered in 2006 when production ended in July 2005?
Actually the factory had a problem which caused a huge blockage of deliveries in the last few months of production.
At some point in Spring 2005 in the last 6 months of production they had to change the supplier of the adhesive glue that was used to wrap the covering around the outer engine cover. Simple you would think but what quickly became apparent was that once the cars were parked outside in the sun and heat the cover, started to bubble until it looked like the surface of the moon!
Thankfully.... it happened relatively quickly before any cars were delivered to customers I believe.
So now the factory had complete cars but with no engine covers so while a new type of adhesive was being tested they had to keep building them then store them in a warehouse on site at Dieppe.
The problem though was compounded by the fact that as production was nearing the end, component suppliers had been given final order estimates so having spoiled quite a few engine covers they had to wait months while the supplier made more.
So the decision was made to priortise any cars that were private customers as opposed to cars being used by Renault.
So for example I had ordered my Vee company car early in 2005 only for it to suffer from "moon crater cover". When i went to visit Dieppe in June 2005 I was taken to see my lovely Liquid Yellow V6 but told they had no idea when it would be deliverd as it had no engine cover. You can imagine my disappointment!
So any RUK car whether it was a display car or company car that did have a good cover had it removed to put into a customer's car which may explain why some cars were registered in 2006 like the 56 plate #314 LY (even though it was used as a display vehicle it was probably missing an engine cover towards the end! ) that was not sent to a dealer until May 2006.
Luckily for me I was found another car in September 05 which had been used for display over the summer (#321). :race:
My original order that I had seen at the factory in June 2005 was actually UK number #305 which then became Jeremy T second company car (HY06 YHD) but not until March 2006, 10 months later. Likewise Sally's Moonlight blue #354 HY06 YLR also had to wait until March 2006 before she got it delivered
I hope non of you have ever suffered from moon crater cover? on your Vee that is
Actually the factory had a problem which caused a huge blockage of deliveries in the last few months of production.
At some point in Spring 2005 in the last 6 months of production they had to change the supplier of the adhesive glue that was used to wrap the covering around the outer engine cover. Simple you would think but what quickly became apparent was that once the cars were parked outside in the sun and heat the cover, started to bubble until it looked like the surface of the moon!
Thankfully.... it happened relatively quickly before any cars were delivered to customers I believe.
So now the factory had complete cars but with no engine covers so while a new type of adhesive was being tested they had to keep building them then store them in a warehouse on site at Dieppe.
The problem though was compounded by the fact that as production was nearing the end, component suppliers had been given final order estimates so having spoiled quite a few engine covers they had to wait months while the supplier made more.
So the decision was made to priortise any cars that were private customers as opposed to cars being used by Renault.
So for example I had ordered my Vee company car early in 2005 only for it to suffer from "moon crater cover". When i went to visit Dieppe in June 2005 I was taken to see my lovely Liquid Yellow V6 but told they had no idea when it would be deliverd as it had no engine cover. You can imagine my disappointment!
So any RUK car whether it was a display car or company car that did have a good cover had it removed to put into a customer's car which may explain why some cars were registered in 2006 like the 56 plate #314 LY (even though it was used as a display vehicle it was probably missing an engine cover towards the end! ) that was not sent to a dealer until May 2006.
Luckily for me I was found another car in September 05 which had been used for display over the summer (#321). :race:
My original order that I had seen at the factory in June 2005 was actually UK number #305 which then became Jeremy T second company car (HY06 YHD) but not until March 2006, 10 months later. Likewise Sally's Moonlight blue #354 HY06 YLR also had to wait until March 2006 before she got it delivered
I hope non of you have ever suffered from moon crater cover? on your Vee that is
