As part of the Complete Knock Down (CKD or kit) option, Caterham offer self-builders a Post-Build Check (PBC) in which the vehicle is fully inspected and a health check report is provided. The check itself if free, but any work to correct issues is of course charged.
The check is very comprehensive (42 points checked) and is broken down into three sections:
Before removing the bonnet & nosecone
Removing the bonnet & nosecone
Raising the vehicle
The results of my PBC were really encouraging, but I will reference a couple of areas that needed to be changed. I will also reference this page from the relevant area of the build blog.
The findings:
Nearside Rear light cluster in wrong orientation.
Engine earth near a high heat source - will eventually break down.
Differential oil level requires topping up.
Speed sensor loom likely to pick up damage.
No secondary locking nut on speed sensor - likely to move over time.
Lambda sensor wiring too close to primaries and prone to damage.
Nearside Rear Light.
The new LED rear light clusters are embossed with "Top" on the lens - however, there is no Left and Right version. Additionally, the rear fog lamp within the cluster is set off to one side. This means that if the nearside and offside light assemblies are both mounted on the wing with the embossed "Top" positioned uppermost, one of the enclosed Fog lights will be on the outside of the car whereas the other one will be on the inside.
Unfortunately in this photo, it's not possible to see both rear light clusters at the same time, but the fog lamps are both on the left hand side of each cluster - the left one has to be turned upside down so both fog lamps are on the inboard side.
Engine Earth
I had routed the Engine Earth cable from the Battery down the right hand side and connected it to an accessible stud on the Bellhousing. This positions the cable too close to the Primaries and Caterham advised that the radiated heat would eventually damage the cable and cause connectivity problems. The preferred routing is down the left side of the Engine Bay and connected directly to the Starter Motor stud.
Differential Oil Level.
During the build I was careful to pour exactly 800ml of oil into the Differential having read about experiences of oil seeping out of seals if it is overfilled. I believe this is still the recommendation. However, the Caterham Engineer explained that as a new Diff first rotates in can draw up quite a bit of oil which should then be topped up - so the recommendation is to fill it initially with 800ml, let it settle for a while and then top up to be just level with the fill plug.
Speed Sensor Loom.
I had routed the loom on the lower chassis bar but it is recommended to take it over the Radius Arm and as high into the chassis as possible by adding a P-Clip to one of the Wing mounting bolts. This will avoid it being damaged by road debris.
Speed Sensor Locking Nut.
There should be two nuts applied to the Speed Sensor forward of the mounting bracket, and the single plastic one behind the bracket. The second nut allows the Speed Sensor position to be locked off, and prevents it from vibrating loose over time.
Location of the second locking nut on the Speed Sensor
Lambda Sensor Loom
I had routed the Lambda Sensor cable from the Catalytic Converter under the chassis and then secured it to the outside chassis rail. Similarly to the Earth Cable comments, this routing would leave it vulnerable to damage by heat from the Primaries. The recommended routing is to take it in-board along the right-to-left chassis member so as to avoid the radiated heat.
Pointing to the preferred location of the Lambda Sensor cable routing