Manganese bronze in trouble

[sooey]

Most people won't have heard of this company but they make the traditional london taxis.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19927400
It seems they introduced a new steering box into their cabs in january, now problems have come to light which means all the cabs sold since then have been recalled.
It seems like they haven't got the money to sort things out and that's before they get the compo claims off all the drivers who can't go to work in their brand new "unsafe" cabs.
I bet the old steering box suppliers are chuckling about that one.

 

[joe-90]

What's wrong with these steering boxes is that they can't travel in a straight line - they have to go 'round and round the houses'.

 

[joinerjohn]

What's wrong with these steering boxes is that they can't travel in a straight line - they have to go 'round and round the houses'.

Nah, the problem with the steering boxes , is that they take customers to their destination by the shortest route. That's why the cabbies don't like them.

 

[sooey]

There must be a lot of very unhappy cab drivers around.
There's no way they'll be able to go to work in those cabs now they've had a safety recall. And most cabs have two drivers, a day man and a night man. That's a lot of people out of work for the foreseeable future.

 

[Whitespirit66]

Most people won't have heard of this company but they make the traditional london taxis.

Traditional 'style', but not the proper London cab. That was the FX4, produced by Austin, then Carbodies before changing to LTI Ltd. Production ceased in 1997.

The manganese is a young pretender. Still better than a plastic Metrocab.

>>>ANORAK ALERT!<<<

 

[sooey]

The fx4 was also produced by manganese bronze (they owned LTI and carbodies unless I'm much mistaken).
The fx4 used to have a rover engine in it but that was changed to a more reliable nissan and became the Fairway. The Tx4 is just a modernised version, and is just as traditional as the fx4 was to the model before that the fx3.

 

[Whitespirit66]

The Tx4 is just a modernised version,

Bit more than modernised. And the rear doors are hung the wrong way.

 

[sooey]

The old fx4s that were still in use had to have a lot of money spent on them to change the doors for wheelchair access when the new laws came into force.

 

[Nige F]

Steering Box like on a model T - haven`t they discovered rack+pinion

 

[sooey]

The London Taxi Company is recalling 413 TX4s, which may have a fault that could potentially lead to an unexpected loss of steering control. The action is being taken to minimise the risk to passengers, drivers and the public.

Drivers with vehicles within our specific VIN list should stop using their vehicles with immediate effect.

To find out whether your vehicle is affected, please enter your VIN number into the field below.

If your vehicle is affected, you will be redirected to a data capture form.
Please complete the form fully and a member of our team will contact you.

To read the full Steering Box Recall statement, click here

Lots of vehicles still use steering boxes nige, I think in the case of the taxis they can get a better turning circle than with a rack and pinion.
Also taxi's do a lot more mileage than your average car, steering boxes are more durable than steering racks.

 

[EddieM]

All london cabbies are vampires, they cannot cross running water.

 

[joinerjohn]

Latest news for Manganese Bronze.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20031436

Not looking good.

 

[sooey]

I suppose the company will survive in one form or another, someone'll put the money in. Black cabs are just too iconic to disappear altogether.
I wonder how all the drivers who bought the new ones and can't work them until some solution for the steering box turns up are going to get on.