Transmission leak at 49,000 miles.
Replaced rear brake pads; front and rear at 49,000 miles.
Replaced parking brake pads at 49,000 miles.
Replaced rear struts at 49,000 miles.
Replaced front strut ball joints at 49,000 miles.
Universal joint, drive shaft couplers cracked: replaced at 49,000 miles.
Compliance mount torn, replaced mounts at 49,000 miles.
Replaced top and bottom coolant system hoses. @ 49K miles.
Hydraulic accumulators not holding pressure, replaced accumulators @ 49K miles.
Inoperative warning flashers replaced @ 49K miles.
Air conditioner compressor replaced @ 51 K miles.
Master cylinder leaking @ 5l K. mile.
Side view mirror fell off in summer heat. Replaced @ 51 K. mile.
Windhield wipers move exceedingly slowly; need to replace the motor.
@ 5l K. miles. Parking pall is broken, meaning the car slips out of "park".
Will require extensive work to replace.
The retaining springs on the the side view mirrors are worn, causing the mrrors to vibrate excessively when driving at highway speeds. Replacement spring retainers are unavailable (or not sold individually).
As an example of the inadequate design and engineering of this car, the sun visor, when lowered, strikes the rear view mirror, knocking it out of focus. The gear shift lever is located so close to steering wheel that one's knuckles frequently knock the car out of gear when turning the wheel. Similarly, the brake pedal is located very close to the gas pedal, inviting disaster.
The frequency of repair and the excessive cost thereof, is testimony to the poor engineering, quality control, design and assembly of this super expensive unit. This gives credence to truth that Rolls Royce reliability is limited to Rolls Royce advertising and the mythology of excellence accepted by Rolls Royce enthusiasts.
For goodness sake. Brake pads front and rear replaced? How does this fall into the category of "things that have gone wrong with the car"? It's called wear and tear, like changing tyres or replacing blown bulbs. Consider that a Rolls-Royce tips the scales at three metric tonnes, and you should see why it's widely known to be heavy on brake pads, brake discs, auto transmission and steering joints.
You also have to expect major service costs on a large, complicated, hand-built automobile when it clocks round more than 50,000 miles, especially if it hasn't been maintained by a franchised dealer. Rolls-Royce cars are not put together by robots with hydraulics but by humans with hands. If you didn't realise that any product of this ilk requires the same day to day care as when it was originally assembled, you should really think about changing down to an S-Class or perhaps a 7-Series BMW. The charm and road presence will be lost in an instant, but at least they're a no-brainer to drive and to own.
Owning a Rolls Royce is, but for the priviliged few. Remember, these cars were designed and built for millionaires. The cost of upkeep is commensurate with the size and complexity of these vehicles. They are expensive to purchase and to run, but hey the joy of ownership and the pure pleasure of driving one cannot be measured in monetary terms. Just look at the expressions on peoples faces as you glide along and that is priceless. Fix the car and enjoy the rare thrill of ownership - you are honoured to be lucky enough to be an owner - very few ever get the chance.
Why complain about minor details like sunvisors, pedals, and the gear selector? Let your Chauffeur worry about that! After all, this car was probably built with the passenger more in mind than the driver.
Remember, a Rolls Royce was not designed to be practical for budget minded consumers, but are designed for people who are willing to invest in a vehicle of distinction. The hand craftmenship and quality on inside and out side trim is beyond any car in the world. The weight of the car puts extra wear and tear on the brakes and suspension. You can't compare this car in terms of service intervals with a vehicle half the weight and mass. If you want economy, buy a typical production car with a smaller engine that your local gargage can work on. If you want to be the boss, you have to pay the price somewhere down the line.
I purchased a Rolls-Royce in July, 2002, and I have been extremely happy with it. The hand-built quality of this piece of automotive history, coupled with the pure enjoyment of driving a work of art, outweighs any petty quirks. For the rest of my life, I will NEVER be "Rollsless".
I don't know about you people, but an 84 silver spur can be bought for less than $25,000 in decent shape. that's not really all that rich million nair kinda price tag.
Hell you can buy a 98 spur on ebay for $39,000.
If a million dollar car can't make f*#$% mirrors right, pedals or even just the interior in general decent, forget it. its like a ferrari enzo, yer $20,000 brakes are all done by 5,000 miles. wow and I'm still on $25 drum brakes. hell sounds like my old 4 banger daytona has more reliability than the spur.
You claim all this went out at 49000 miles, but your data sheet says your bought it at 50000 miles. sounds like it is not stuff that went wrong, but maybe you had an abused or neglected car. if you don't fix anything on a car for 50000 miles, you will of course have a huge list of things to fix. it is always cheaper to fix a problem when it occurs, than try to fix 20 problems all at once. you should have bought a better maintained example and it would have been cheaper in the long run.
The 1984 Silver Spur is not a prime example of a Rolls Royce. You want to buy a 1988 Silver Spur I or you should buy a 1994-95 Silver Spur III. These are the best and most reliable Rolls Royces built. You must do extensive research before purchasing a Rolls. Service, service, service, is very important. I bought a 1988 with only 11,000 miles and learned the hard way that the car sat for over 10 years. That cost me $20,000 in repairs to bring the car to proper order. I have put over 30,000 miles in one year on the car and it is as reliable as the sun rise. I bought a 1994 Silver Spur III and invested $5,000 in service. I have put 14,000 miles in one year on this car. If you service a Rolls every 6500 miles by a Rolls Royce mechanic you can easily get 500,000 miles out of a Rolls Royce engine before it needs to be rebuilt. The English built Rolls Royces are the best cars in the world. You have to own a proper Rolls to appreciate its engineering and beauty. Remember, if you buy a neglected, abused car, it will be your worst nightmare!!
Sir with all due respect there is a clause known as "buyer beware",as a used car purchaser you should have been aware of it. All the items listed would have been noticed by a competent mechanic. By the way the rear view mirror can move sideways also and can be set out of the way.
I congratulate you on getting a REAL car and not a substitute of one.
Better luck on your next Rolls, you deserve the best.
That was a 20 year old car, what do you expect?,all other 20 year old cars come "Flat Packed".
These cars depreciate like mad.
Once they are over 10 years old they can be bought by anybody who can afford a new "normal" production car.
Trouble is, they cost even more to maintain when they are over that age than they did when younger.
Old RR's appeal mainly to people who can't really afford to maintain them. Hence the complaints of our reviewer.
The wealthy first-time buyers soon trade up for a new one so as to continue to demonstrate their great wealth to the rest of the world.
They are not even very good cars.
But they do get noticed.
I wonder why the parking brake pads were replaced.
They should never wear out if they are applied only for parking! Yes? No?
Regarding the BMW and Merc S-class comments, I've owned an S-Class and several BMW 7 series cars.
The BMW750iL is absolutely wonderful and hard to fault.
Trouble is, in Europe, no one gives a second glance at these cars anymore.
If you want to be noticed, to show off, a Rolls-Royce Silver Spur does the job. But it's otherwise in no way superior to the BMW & Merc.
In England, you're regarded as a bit of a plonker for driving an old RR.
I have heard from a reliable source that there are two kinds of Royces out there in the world... The good ones and the bad ones. I've had both.
I had a completely bulletproof Silver Cloud, and a constantly broken Bentley Turbo R. Every time I turned around something was going wrong with that car, and within one year I dropped $17000 on repairs. It was, however, a poorly maintained and neglected car, but I've heard that some are like that from the day they come out.
Rolls Royces are, to me, a lot like vintage jaguars. The engines are bulletproof and will run forever. The weak point on these cars is the crappy lucas electrical system, which I believe was replaced with Bosch in the later models.
Rolls Royces are much like Ferraris when I comes to buying one. There are good ones and bad ones. If you get a good one, you'll never love a car more. If you get a bad one, You'll curse the day and go broke trying to get it up to snuff. That's why the pre purchase inspection is so very important and worth the money.
I drove an 87 rolls spur 11 46 limo for a client of mine for many years. I am a professional driver for hire. I oversaw the repairs on this vehicle. I think the issues mentioned above were mainly from lack of maintenance and poor driving habits.
These cars need more work during routine service. and that is something most owners don't have performed. Anyone can afford the car, especially used, most can't afford the repair, That is why they are a car for the rich:)
These cars were NOT designed to be driven like a turbo R sedan. 2000 lbs of extra weight means they need to be driven with just that in mind. A feat left only to the experienced chauffeur. Cleaning the many relay and fuse connections and coating them with proper grease assured no oxidation on contact points and made the car most reliable where many fail. Constant proper maintenance is the key to reliability. this includes checking for leaks and tightening loose clamps etc. It's a lot of work, but in my opinion... well worth the ride! I love to tinker so I was in heaven while being responsible for this ride.
In 80,000 miles, I never had 1/2 the above issues. I found the car handled and responded quite proper.
BEST RIDE AND DRIVE EVER MADE IN MY OPINION:) Not to mention the ONLY coach work!!! Cheers to the people that created such a beautiful work of rolling masterpiece. The new models are great in their own right, but can't touch the craftsmanship of these older hand made saloons!
Stepping into one of these cars is like stepping into a fine older home filled with magnificent antiques. You won't find this pleasure in a new saloon! My heart races every time I open the door of one. Just the smell of the leather and wood and steel actually makes my heart race!
To the workers that slaved in the creation of these rolling gems on wheels. Cheers to you all wherever you be :) LOL, and thanks for creating such a fine example of what a top end chauffeur driven luxury automobile should be! The likes of which we will never see again!
With sincere thanks, and a tip of my cap to you:)
Fred Halliwell NY / CT USA. FEH777@AOL.com
About nine months ago I purchased a 20,000 chassis Silver Spur I for my limousine business. It had sat in the dealers for nearly a year beforehand, having only been switched on to keep the battery charged. The price was more than right, it was an absolute bargain, but I fully expected and budgeted for another $25,000 to $30,000 AUD to get it back up to what I considered Rolls Royce standards. So far, in nine months, I have had to fit a new a/c compressor, I have given the car a general service, including new brake rotors, and have just had the rear shock mounts and gas springs replaced. Total cost - $4,300. The vehicle is now %100 mechanically perfect, and I have been given the drum by my mechanic - service it when it needs it, and it will never die.
To anybody considering owning or driving a Royce, the key is always maintenance. My vehicle came with a full service history which I was able to check with just a couple of phone calls. A trusted friend who owns some vintage Royces also checked it out and gave it the all clear. There are always certain easy things to look for in these cars, i.e. cracked or worn dash tops, heavily worn driver's seat and armrest leather, window micro-switches not working, all indicating deeper problems from neglect.
Like any car, there are good ones and bad ones (I think this point has all ready been made several times), and both examples are usually the fault of the owners. A digital Seiko watch will keep time far more accurately than a hand-made Rolex or Patek Phillipe, so why do so many people lust after the latter?