hyper7 Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 I'm looking to add a half-hood to my recently completed (pretty much) Caterham SV and the general consensus is either Soft bits or Thunder sport...thing is, the links for thundersport seem to not work....https://www.thundersport.co.uk/ returns a "site cannot be reached" and general googling is returning nothing. Is softbits my only option now? or is there another vendor (or other spinoff of oxted trimming)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 From what I've been told, Oxted's agreement to provide the OEM parts to Caterham now prevents them from selling those same parts directly to the consumer. Those purchases must be made through Caterham or their dealers. I suspect this is why the website is no longer active. The exception is custom work. I was able to use this angle when I purchased my half hood from them last year. They made a third-brake light cutout to my supplied dimensions. Although I can understand the direct-to-consumer restriction from Caterham's perspective, it's a shame given the difference in customer service between the two companies. Jo at Oxted has always been very responsive and helpful, whereas Caterham can best be described as hit or miss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyper7 Posted October 23 Author Share Posted October 23 Ok, thanks for the details, looks like I'll go the softbits route... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 If you want the Thundersports half hood, you can order it from Caterham. One other angle you might be able to try with Oxted if you are trying to avoid purchasing from Caterham; they gave me an option of using either vinyl or mohair, however, I don't see the later on Caterham's site. That material might be considered a custom order and one Oxted would be willing to do. Can't hurt to email Jo and ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyper7 Posted October 23 Author Share Posted October 23 I'm just avoiding the months long delay that's coming with the couple things I have ordered directly through Caterham. 🥱 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 Speaking from recent experience, softbits isn't much better. I received notification yesterday that my order placed with them on 7/19 is finally shipping. That despite receiving an auto-generated email on 9/17 informing that product was back in stock, and two subsequent emails from me pointing this out and asking for an update. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBuff Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 I ran into the same dilemma when I was looking for my 1/2 hood last year. I ended up going with soft bits. They were relatively quick and communicative (I was still waiting on the car at that point). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vovchandr Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 For what its worth I'm happy with multiple SoftBits orders but in regards to ordering anything ever for Cats from overseas almost nobody is ever very responsive although I've had good luck. Just a warning, there's no "shortcut" to a great supplier of anything, you just chose the one you want and be willing to wait and deal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyper7 Posted October 24 Author Share Posted October 24 I went ahead and ordered through softbits - the email tells me it's an 8 week lead time, which is fine, I won't be driving much over the next 5+ months anyway I assume - Ohio winters can be rough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marek Posted October 25 Share Posted October 25 Any preferences on ordering a half-hood or storm cap for a non-Caterham Seven from either Softbits or Oxted? The dimensions on my car are all wrong for using something off the shelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBuff Posted October 25 Share Posted October 25 Tristan at soft bits could assist. If your car is something in their database they might be able to pull dimensions. If not they can help with what measurements are needed. You may need to self attach poppers if yours are already installed on the body (as this is hard to measure) juddltd@gmail.com Tristans email. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now