Production to restart on Enhanced TX4 with VM Engine

With production due to re-start at the Coventry production facility at the end of the summer, The London Taxi Company can confirm that it will continue to build enhanced TX4 Style and Elegance with engines from its current supplier, VM Motori. 
The company is aware of some customer concerns regarding the 2.5l engine, so has been working closely with the Italian engine manufacturer and a number of partners across the trade, investigating methods to improve the engine’s efficiency and effectiveness.

Three important principles have been identified which, when correctly combined and applied, have led to dramatic improvements in performance and reliability, as well as reduced risk of possible engine failure.

COOLANT: Getting the right mix.

If any vehicle does not have its coolant concentration maintained at a 50% coolant and 50% water mix at all times – regardless of the season – oxidisation of aluminium components can occur which causes particles to slowly build up within both the heater and radiator matrices. This in turn triggers a sequence of events which can lead to blockages in the oil gallery, rising engine temperatures and eventually, engine failure. It is therefore vital that drivers understand the importance of maintaining a 50/50 coolant/water mix ALL YEAR ROUND.

OIL: Getting the right specification.

Gone are the days when you could use any 20w/50 specification oil in your vehicle. It is now vital that you use a fully-synthetic, low SAPS (Sulphated Ash and Phosphorus-Sulphur), 10w40 specification oil in your engine. Failure to use the right oil can result in a number of issues, including bore glazing, bore polishing and, specific to Euro 5 vehicles, blockages in the Diesel Particulate Filter. As well as ensuring that an engine runs smoothly, the right oil will also keep your engine clean and free from contaminants.

SERVICING: Getting the right maintenance.

Ensuring that your TX4 is serviced correctly and in line with manufacturer’s servicing schedule is vital in order to protect the integrity of your engine. Servicing your vehicle correctly dramatically improves vehicle and engine life expectancy; it acts as a preventative measure, as it provides an opportunity for mechanics to diagnose potential failures early and, therefore reduce or eliminate maintenance and parts costs.

The company has launched a campaign in order to drive home these fundamental principals of engine maintenance to new and existing customers, which will be supported by their Approved Service Dealer network.  It will also be raising awareness of its range of oils (£5.95 for 1litre) and coolant (£4.45 for 1litre), created by Morris Lubricants, which are available from any London Taxi Company dealership or Approved Service Dealers.

So there you have it, buy with Confidence, if it breaks down, its your fault.

Freedom of Information Request

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/taxi_private_hire_offenses#incoming-412472

The above request has been released to a Manchester Hackney Driver (and the rest of the World) It shows the performance of the Licensing Compliance team. It is not awe inspiring.

1. Plying for Hire          16 offences, 14 convicted.

2. Insurance offences  16 Offences, 14 convicted.

3. Unlicesed PH           3 offences

4. Act or Default           1 offence

5. Bye law, HC.           1 Conviction

6. Unlicensed driver     1 conviction

7. Fraud offence          1 conviction.

It would appear obvious the first two collections of offences are one and the same, 14 convictions of multiple charges. i.e. Plying for hire coupled with no insurance.

Item 3, unlicensed PH was probably connected as well. If we take that as true, we have just 18 seperate convictions, in the one year period.

The External Auditor tells us that the Compliance team cost us £168704 per year.

Divide the £168 grand by 18 and you get the sum of £9372. Nearly £10 grand per conviction. That cannot be considered good value for money by any standards.

I believe the forthcoming Law Commission report should recommend that enforcement should be removed from the hands of the local authority and placed in the hands of the Police.

Vito Pressure Group

This came by Email today. It appears to be from a group of Cabbies having difficulties with the KPM Vito.

"All problems with the Mercedes Vito Taxi resolved", you wish!!

We’re definitely not there yet and there is still a very long way to go to achieve that goal. Our club will not rest until all issues regarding our taxis are resolved and members compensated. There is however some good news from Mercedes.

Parts availability

Following our efforts to get Mercedes to stock all the additional parts that go into the Vito Taxi at their distribution centre in Milton Keynes, we are delighted to announce that Mercedes will have all parts in stock in a couple of weeks . There has been a holdup because of legal issues We will soon have a guaranteed 24 hour delivery to all dealerships in the UK. We are told that if a part is ordered at 4pm , it will be delivered by 8am next morning . The final details are being sorted out this week , no one can say MB rushes into anything . Dealerships will no longer have to go back to KPM or Penso for parts, so next time you get a dealership that tells you they can’t get the parts, ask again, and if they refuse, go to another dealership for your work.

Over the next few weeks, Mike and I will be visiting the dealerships around London and we hope to get some feedback for you as to who is giving the best and worst service to our club members.

Parts availability is of course a major factor in the running and maintenance of our vehicle, but its only one part of the puzzle. Turn around times on warranty claims and repairs are still as much of an issue as they were before. We in the cab trade have had amazing service from small independent garages who were able to repair cabs almost immediately, often within a hour or two. Other trades and the ordinary car owner have not had this luxury. Repair times are often quoted in terms of weeks, not hours or days. Mercedes garages have generally been in this category. If Mercedes wish to stay in the London cab market they have to change and do so rapidly, particularly as other makes of cab will soon be available in London.

A major bone of contention from our members is the requirement to return to KPM for warranty work when it is patently clear that their workshops are unable to cope with the volume of work coming in. They have also recently announced that they are going into the hire cab market. This can only exacerbate their poor performance as we’re sure they will be putting their own cabs first.

Hopefully now that taxi specific parts are readily available to all dealerships, repair times will come down at KPM and across the board.

Rear steering.

While replacement actuators are hopefully no longer an issue, and repair times come down, this does not however alter the fact that the problems with the steering has not changed. Work on resolving this problem is still ongoing at Penso and we hope to get some feedback soon.  Our members cabs are still breaking down on a daily basis and owners out of warranty are having to fork out thousands of pounds to replace faulty components with yet another faulty component. This cannot be expectable and its an issue that if left unresolved can only end up in a court battle. This is a course of action that we hope to avoid but will not shy away from if no progress can be achieved in the coming few months. We at the club remain steadfast in our opinion that its morally and possibly legally wrong for these vehicle (new or secondhand) to be sold with a known unresolved component issue that is arguably dangerous.

Loan cabs.

Any warranty repairer worth their salt, whether it be a car, van or taxi should  provide a loan vehicle for you to use as a courtesy when your vehicle is in repair. You wouldn’t use a garage for your car if they didn’t offer this service, you’d find a garage that did.  The cab trade more than any other business requires this facility so why is it not being offered to us by the dealerships?

We know MB are encouraging dealerships to accept loan cabs and have set up an arrangement with KPM to supply them . It is up to the dealerships to take up this offer . Mike and I will be looking into this matter further when we meet the dealerships and will recommend the ones that do to you.

Warranty issues.

As we told you last time, replacement components that fail after the Mercedes three year warranty period expires, will only be considered for free replacement for up to six months after that date and then only if there has been a history of that part breaking down. If you remove the fuse on the rear steering and only address the problem at the time of your annual inspection then there will be little or no record of it breaking down and it will be unlikely that Mercedes will offer any additional help. This advice also applies to the side steps.

We are still trying to get an extended warranty deal for our members and a couple of underwriters are looking at it. We will keep you informed of any developments.

At our last meeting with Mercedes, it was agreed that an inventory/invoice would be issued by the dealerships for work carried out on your taxi, whether warranty or paid. This will enable you to have a complete record of your servicing, repairs and modifications to your vehicle. Please ask for this if it not automatically given to you. You can also ask for a full print out of the work previously carried out.

On the subject of warranties, a serious issue is raising its ugly head regarding the purchasing or leasing of second hand Vito Taxis from KPM. They are offering a very attractive two or three year leasing deal with a two year warranty. What seems at first to be a good deal is already proving to be a less than ideal for some owners. Their two year warranty has nothing to do with Mercedes and is only valid at KPM. Drivers who are having component failures under this warranty can only use KPM who are regularly offering ridiculous repair times of three to six weeks into the future. We at the club recommend that if you are thinking of purchasing one of these deals, you wait until the situation at KPM has improved.

We are also having many complaints from drivers who have bought three year old cabs from KPM with a warranty that the owners say does not cover some very expensive parts. If anyone is thinking about one of these deals, they need to check the terms of the warranty very carefully, but be warned, its not easily understood.

Membership.

Unfortunately we are gaining new members every day. I say unfortunately because this type of pressure group should not be necessary in this day and age. New vehicles are still experiencing the same component failures as the first ones sold four years ago and the new owners are still facing the same delays on warranty work. Admittedly, new taxis are a little better than the first ones produced but are still a long way from perfect.

If you are reading this email then I have your correct address. Unfortunately some of the email I send out bounce back which means that something is wrong with that address. If you speak to one of our members that have not received this update, please ask them to email me on:- vitotaxiclub@gmail.com so that I can update my record or call : Mike Canty 07973 739576 or myself, Irving Lomon 07973 393614.

Lastly, please let us know of any ongoing issues you have or even if you have something useful to pass on to other members.

   

Pre Action Protocol Letter.

It is my understanding that the above letter has been sent to the Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, Today July 23.

I will keep you posted, as and when.

How to Catch Pirates

Manchester is infected with Pirate vehicles from all over the Country. Every weekend hundreds work the City centre, some from as far away as London itself.

A reasonable request from Seapake for the Manchester Compliance team to take some action is refused. It is refused on 'Health and Safety' grounds. In effect the Compliance team, which cost us £168 grand a year, choose to do nothing, except draw the wages of course.

Peterborough a much smaller Town with a relatively smaller problem, show everybody how easy it is to do.

Manchester Audit Committee July 11.

This is Item 5 from that agenda. The pencilled area of page 7 looks relevant.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7nou5rnnw2prm5p/5__Audit_Committee_update.pdf

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Audit Update July 10.

The letter of Intent has been completed. It has been sent to London to our Q.C. for his final approval. This letter has to be spot on. The results of this matter are being watched all over the Country. The ramifications are considerable. The letter is expected to be delivered to MCR's Chief Exec within the next 7 days.

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 MCR Licensing Audit

You all know by now that, The National Private Hire Association, at the request of the Manchester trade, has been locked in an audit of the MCR Licensing accounts for the year ended 2012.

This process ended on 18 June, after 15 months.

The auditor agreed with the Association, that several aspects of the Council accounts revealed unlawful charges. The Auditor however refused to go to Court and obtain a public interest certificate.This means we have to go to the High Court to obtain a judgment and to ask for recovery of any monies wrongly charged.

If successful, what would it mean to you, a Manchester Hackney proprietor ??

1.  The £170 per licence, charged for the ‘Taxi Marshalls’ would have to be refunded, this could be back dated, by up to six years.  That would mean anybody who owns a Hackney plate now, or in the last 7 years could receive over a Grand.

2.  Any re test fee’s, currently £35 each, which have been paid unlawfully in the last 7 years would have to be refunded.

3.  A further £69171 error has been found in accounts, only 30% of this is ours, the other 70% is charged to PH vehicles. That is still another £19 per plate for up to 7 years (6 years up to 2012, and this year 2013).

In total we have identified over £800,000 of unlawful charges for year ended 2012 alone.

To get this money back, we have to go to the High Court, we have engaged a Q.C., we have pro bono solicitors. We need your cash. Please start to collect £50 per plate. We can do it easily, if everybody chips in.

Remember what happened when the last whip round failed. All fears of Arrow Cars abuse of the Law, assisted by the Council, came true.

The abuse of the Hackney trade rose again at the recent Concerts held in the City, where the law was broken several times, with the assistance of the Authority you pay.

 Quote from Irish History

“If you do not stand for something”

“You fall for everything”

Do not fall for anymore, chip in now and stop this abuse.

High Court Rules (Administrative) no 3.2, require that we issue a letter of Intent

That letter is being prepared now by our Legal team. It will be arriving on the Chief Execs desk very soon.

  3.2 Before making your claim for judicial review, you should send a letter to the

defendant. The purpose of this letter is to identify the issues in dispute and establish

whether litigation can be avoided.

 The letter should contain the date and details of the decision, act or omission being challenged and a clear summary of the facts on which the claim is based.

 It should also contain the details of any relevant information that the claimant is seeking and an explanation of why this is considered relevant.

 A claim should not normally be made until the proposed reply date given in the letter before claim has passed, unless the circumstances of the case require more immediate action to be taken. 

To donate;

The National Private Hire Association.

0161 280 2800 between 10am and 3 pm, Mon to Fri

Ask for Karen and have your card ready.

If you prefer, pay by direct transfer to:

National Private Hire Legal Services LTD (NPHLS Ltd.)

Bank sort Code ;  30-91-48

Account Number; 01011017

Your ref ; MCRHV xxxx (your plate number).