In the world of luxury automobiles, there’s no denying that Roll-Royce has always been in a class of its own. This is a company with a lasting legacy of engineering brilliance. In fact, it has managed to set some incredible records since its beginnings in 1904.
During this time, Frederick Henry Royce and Charles Stewart Rolls decided to form a lasting partnership. Royce, who has had a mechanical and electrical business since 1884, had just created his first car that year. According to the company, “An agreement was reached that Royce Limited would manufacture a range of cars to be exclusively sold by CS Rolls & Co – they were to bear the name Rolls-Royce.” Just a couple of years later, in 1906, the Rolls-Royce company was officially formed. And around this time, it came out with a legendary six-cylinder Silver Ghost. It was declared ‘the best car in the world.’
Needless to say, Rolls-Royce kept on growing and evolving. It pushed for further aeronautic development. At the same time, it also continued with its development of luxury vehicles. However, there would be several transfers of ownership.
Today, Rolls-Royce Motors is famous for a number of car models. These include the Phantom, Wraith Ghost, Dawn, and its SUV, Cullinan. To own a Rolls-Royce car is to drive and ride a vehicle that stands above the rest. And because of this, there are certain rules that Rolls-Royce owners are expected to follow. Discover what these are, along with rules that employees must follow themselves.
19OWNERS: BE PREPARED TO PAY AROUND $3,900 OR MORE ANNUALLY FOR MAINTENANCE
There are many who say that practically every Rolls-Royce car that rolls off the assembly line is a one-off. That’s because these luxury cars are typically customized down to the last detail per the client’s preferences. And for any luxury custom job, you can certainly expect to pay a hefty price for the upkeep.
Just to give you a better idea, the website Auto Influence estimates the annual maintenance of a Phantom to be around $3,900. Meanwhile, the cost of an oil change alone is around $650. And in case your car needs a change in door parts, that will set you back $600, for each.
18OWNERS: NEVER TAKE THE CAR FOR AN UNAPPROVED ENHANCEMENT OR TUNING
Rolls-Royce has always taken great pride in producing highly customizable luxury cars for all its clients. And to make sure that it is able to maintain the quality of its cars, any type of unapproved tuning or enhancement is absolutely not allowed. Moreover, doing so comes with grave consequences for the owner.
According to the company, “If vehicles have undergone any form of unapproved after-market tuning or performance enhancement, any right to request services or parts under Rolls-Royce Service Inclusive ceases with immediate effect.” If you are a Rolls-Royce owner, the last thing you want is to lose maintenance support from Rolls-Royce itself.
17OWNERS: ONLY WORK WITH AUTHORIZED WORKSHOPS
When it comes to the maintenance of a Rolls-Royce, the company only allows certain authorized workshops to service its cars. Moreover, Rolls-Royce also specifies that only “Rolls-Royce Approved Technicians” can conduct any work on the car.
Meanwhile, in case you’re wondering, maintenance of a Rolls-Royce car is now more manageable because of the Rolls-Royce Service Inclusive ownership package. According to the company, this already includes a “full cover of all scheduled service items, including brake pads and discs.” Aside from this, the said package also comes with continued roadside support and the option to purchase an extension package. You just need to make sure that you only send your car to authorized affiliates.
16OWNERS: CONSIDER TURNING THE CAR BACK OVER TO ROLLS-ROYCE WHEN IT REACHES THE END
As great as any Rolls-Royce car might be, it would eventually reach its end of life. Nonetheless, that is expected to take a very long time. Just to give you an idea, one Rolls-Royce owner, M. Allen Swift, drove his 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Piccadilly Roadster for a remarkable 77 years. According to Green Car Reports, Swift received the car as a graduation gift and continued driving it just before he passed away.
As you can see, Rolls-Royce cars are built to last. However, if you think your car has reached its end, the company has a simple request, “Rolls-Royce Motor Cars recommends handing the vehicle in at a take-back point nominated by the manufacturer at the end of its life cycle.”
15OWNERS: SIGN A WAIVER FIRST TO DEACTIVATE ROLLS-ROYCE TELESERVICES
Now, if you are the type of Rolls-Royce owner who doesn’t like availing of services from Rolls-Royce, there is a way for that to be arranged. Although, we can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want continued support for your luxury car. Nonetheless, if your mind is absolutely set, the company requires you to formally waive your rights to any assistance in the future.
As stipulated by Rolls-Royce, “You may have the Services deactivated at any time at your authorized Rolls-Royce Dealer or Service Workshop by signing a waiver document.” Furthermore, the company explained, “Deactivation of the Services will also deactivate the SIM card installed in the vehicle which will also deactivate the Rolls-Royce Assist function.”
14OWNERS: BE PREPARED TO SHARE YOUR CAR DATA WITH ROLLS-ROYCE
For Rolls-Royce Motors, it is important to monitor data from your car that allows them to see if it already needs service or repair.
As explained by the luxury carmaker, “Rolls-Royce CarData provides you with an overview of the telematics data that your motor car regularly sends to Rolls-Royce as part of the Rolls-Royce Teleservice services. This includes, but is not limited to, vehicle metrics and measurements that are generated by sensors in your motor car, such as the mileage and check control messages.” The data transmitted includes your car’s tank content range, coolant temperature and more. According to Rolls-Royce, you can also send a request for the telematics data on your car.
13OWNERS: ARRANGE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT FOR YOUR CAR’S BATTERY IF YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO
Over time, a car battery eventually gets used up and worn out. And before it completely stops working, its best to get a replacement as soon as possible. Otherwise, your car might just stop in the middle of nowhere.
To avoid this scenario, Rolls-Royce actively monitors the life of your car battery. As explained in the Rolls-Royce Enhanced Ownership terms and conditions, “Teleservice Battery Guard continuously monitors the vehicle battery. If the battery condition falls below a fixed value, the vehicle’s technical data shall be transmitted to your authorized Rolls-Royce Dealer or Service Workshop. If appropriate, they
will contact you to arrange a service appointment.”
12OWNERS: GIVE YOUR LOCATION AND VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION TO REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE
As you may know by now, ownership of a Rolls-Royce car comes with access to premium maintenance and support services. This includes roadside assistance that you may require in case of an emergency.
In the event that you and your car need urgent assistance, Rolls-Royce would require you to give your location and vehicle identification. This would help them locate you faster and send the nearest support and/or emergency team your way. Furthermore, the company also explained, “The user’s request and the data required may be transmitted to service providers commissioned by us to provide the Service.” The sooner they can have your information, the sooner they can help you out.
11OWNERS: DOWNLOAD UPDATES TO KEEP YOUR MOBILE DEVICE CONNECTED TO YOUR CAR
As you can imagine, a Rolls-Royce car is one of the most technologically advanced vehicles you can ever own. Hence, it should be quite easy to sync up your iPhone and certain iPhone apps to your car.
However, Rolls-Royce is quick to remind its clients that they have to continuously download available updates if they want to enjoy uninterrupted service. This should not be much work since you can update it just like any other app on your iPhone. Aside from this, Rolls-Royce adds, “You should have a suitable mobile phone contract. In some cases, the Rolls-Royce Connect app makes intensive use of broadband services.”
10OWNERS: ANSWER AUTOMATIC SOS CALLS MADE BY THE CAR
Rolls-Royce takes pride in being able to immediately attend to a client’s needs in case of an emergency. They ensure timely response with the help of its Automatic E-Call feature. As explained by the company, “In the event of the activation of the airbag or crash sensors, the vehicle will automatically trigger a call to the nearest emergency services call center. Already aware of your location, the emergency services will then attempt to make contact with the driver or passenger and dispatch the emergency services if no response is received.”
In situations like this, it would be best to answer the SOS call if you are able to do so. This way, you can also give them further assistance in locating you and your car.
9EMPLOYEES: WEARING MAKEUP IS PROHIBITED
When you’re among the employees assigned to work on the paint of the car, there are additional regulations that you need to follow. One of which is that you are not allowed to wear any kind of makeup or even deodorant while working on the car. This is because the company is trying to minimize the risk of contaminating a new car for delivery.
According to the website This is Money, there are as many as 44,000 exterior color options available for Rolls-Royce cars. The standard selection includes the likes of Petra Gold, Dark Emerald, Belladonna Purple, Midnight Sapphire, and Iguaza Blue. Meanwhile, special order exterior colors include Arizona Sun, Velvet Orchid, Purple Silk and Duck Egg Blue.
8EMPLOYEES: USE A SPECIAL LAMP WHEN WORKING ON PAINT FINISH
For any Rolls-Royce employee, working on car’s paint finish is a true honor. In fact, this is something that they take great pride and skill in. And so, every time the Rolls-Royce team approaches a paint job, they make sure that they always have the right light. That’s exactly where their special lamp comes in.
According to This is Money, “To ensure you pick the perfect paint based on where you live, Rolls-Royce has a specially developed lamp that can be adjusted to different global light conditions to illustrate to customers how their chosen finish will look upon arriving in their home country.”
7EMPLOYEES: USE A SPECIAL DEODORANT WHEN DEALING WITH A UNIT FOR DELIVERY
As we have said earlier, Rolls-Royce Motors is very serious about avoiding any type of contamination as much as possible. Aside from prohibiting staff from wearing makeup when doing a paint job, they are also reportedly required to wear a special deodorant while working. According to This is Money, the deodorant is specially supplied to the staff by Rolls-Royce itself.
We would imagine that if such a deodorant is used, it would have to be a very neutral scent. Perhaps, it’s to make sure that you won’t get anything but a new car smell the moment your Rolls-Royce is delivered to you. Now, that is true commitment.
6EMPLOYEES: SERIOUS ATTENTION TO DETAIL
As an employee for Rolls-Royce, you are always expected to pay serious attention to detail in whatever you do. This is how they managed to come up with cars with such a high standard of craftsmanship. As Rolls-Royce has explained, “No statement is too bold and no detail too intricate for our designers and craftspeople. From expertly embroidered
headrests to customized treadplates – or a personal, hand-painted monogram integrated into the coachline.”
And when it comes to the coachline, reports indicate that only one person is entrusted with the job. His name is Mark Court and it takes him a good three hours to do a pin-stripe on each side of a Phantom.
5EMPLOYEES: BE PREPARED TO WORK WITH A CUSTOMER’S PET
At Rolls-Royce, they always aim to please their customer. This is why they are pretty much open to any type of customization that you have in mind. And to that end, the company is even willing to work with a client’s beloved pet if necessary.
According to a report from This is Money, this was exactly what happened when Rolls-Royce was developing a car for one discerning client. Apparently, a woman said that she wanted the leather interior of her Rolls-Royce to match the color of her Red Setter dog. To make this happen, the paint experts took samples of the dog’s fur and created the necessary shade.
4EMPLOYEES: BE READY TO PATENT A COLOR FOR A CUSTOMER
As we have mentioned earlier, there are more exterior color options than you can possibly imagine when it comes to Rolls-Royce cars. Nonetheless, if none of the 44,000 shades actually speak to you, there is also an option to customize your color. And that means Rolls-Royce employees are expected to assist you in patenting your very own exterior car shade, according to Car Keys.
So far, sources of inspiration for color customization have included one’s lipstick shade, rubber glove color and even the shade of a woman’s stiletto. Meanwhile, according to This is Money, one client went for a shade known as Celestial. That meant that very fine glass particles were mixed into the paint for a sparkly finish.
3EMPLOYEES: BE PREPARED TO DEAL WITH MULTIPLE CUSTOM OPTIONS
At Rolls-Royce, employees are expected to deal with customization. And when it comes to customization, the process goes beyond the exterior color. That’s because customers can readily give the car’s interior a certain look too.
Just to give you a better idea, Phantom customers are given options for picnic tables, VIN plates, and even contrast lambswool foot-mats. Aside from this, a client can also avail of rear compartment curtains, rear privacy glass, Rolls-Royce bespoke audio, rear theatre configuration, and television tuner. Meanwhile, they can also add scent bottles, cigar humidors and even a jewelry safe inside the car. In short, they can do anything.
2EMPLOYEES: REPRESENT THE COMPANY WELL, EVEN OUTSIDE THE OFFICE
Rolls-Royce employees are generally proud of the work they do and the company they represent. In fact, on the website Glassdoor, one former supply chain operations manager for the company wrote, “Rolls-Royce is an amazing company to work for. The culture is great, the people are great. the benefits are even better.”
Just like other companies, the workforce here is required to follow a strict code of conduct. One of the rules requires that employees must be ready to represent the company anytime, anywhere. According to Rolls-Royce, they must “act in a way that protects or enhances our reputation and brand at all times.”
1EMPLOYEES: NEVER DIRECTLY SUPERVISE A FAMILY MEMBER OR FRIEND
When it comes to working for Rolls-Royce, there is a critical rule that ensures no conflict of interest. In fact, you are not allowed to directly supervise anyone who is an immediate family member, friend or lover. As specified in the company’s Global Code of Conduct, you must “not place yourself in the position of hiring or supervising a family member or close personal friend, including someone with whom you are having a romantic relationship.”
This is because the company encourages you to, “avoid any relationship, influence or activity that will impair our ability to make fair and objective decisions when performing our jobs.”
Reference: Rolls-Royce, Rolls-Royce Motors, Auto Influence, Green Car Reports& Glassdoor