Those who have their Elise: problems? - Page 6 - LotusTalk

drone007 · 10-26-2005, 07:55 PM

all of these problems are nothing if you exercise some ingenuity and don't get scared by the car.

Use these rattles as an excuse to jack the car up and investigate the engine bay and the suspension. this is quality engineering here, you gotta be up close and personal!

irossfam · 10-29-2005, 01:03 PM

My problems have included:

1) wheel balance/alignment
2) steering rack
3) Faulty Air conditioner (needed charging)
4) Headlights not aimed properly
5) Driver's window would not roll up completely.

Funny thing, and maybe it's because I own an older Viper and have become used to the specific needs of speciality cars, I'd buy another lotus in a second. I love my car with all of it's, ummmm, character.

Fox Valley Motors have been great to work with!

Now if I can only get the car back out of the shop...

andykeck · 11-03-2005, 06:25 PM

I can't remember if I posted in this thread earlier and am too tired to look. So I'll add this entry:

7,500 mi, new rack.

peahee · 11-14-2005, 11:07 AM

Just got my this weekend. The only problem I had was that there was condensation in both my head lights and my trunk was damp. They had the car outside on display and water seemed to have seeped through or something...

andykeck · 11-14-2005, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peahee

Just got my this weekend. The only problem I had was that there was condensation in both my head lights and my trunk was damp. They had the car outside on display and water seemed to have seeped through or something...

The headlights aren't sealed units so that's normal. The moisture will burn off once the lights are on.

peahee · 11-14-2005, 12:38 PM

cool, thanks for the tid-bit. I was worried there for a little bit.

2m6mc2 · 12-02-2005, 06:24 AM

I now have 1300 miles on her and on the brink of a cross country from east to west and she is in for her first service. problems so far
Alarm goes off in the rain (either rain getting inside or hitting the roof (sensitive)
passenger side leaks in the rain when sitting still and drivers side leaks sometimes (window adj)
highbeams were aimed by NASA.
lowbeams to low
passenger side door panel loose velcro
passenger side roof release sticks bad
defog two center vents have low pressure resulting in fog on window in field of vision that looks like the the headlights shape
after the first 1000 miles brakes moan very loudly at low speed light braking
and the one that hurt... passenger side door rubs front quarter panel during opening making a popping noise
I know she is a low vol sport car and not a Honda but we all paid very good money for a PDI inspection. If they don't fix it I will release the dealers name.
I must say a sharp corner and 6200 plus on the tach and all is forgotten

Gocke · 12-16-2005, 10:10 AM

My acapulco radio won't keep the time.

FlyLo · 12-16-2005, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gocke

My acapulco radio won't keep the time.

Does it keep the minutes correctly? I had this problem. Turn off the feature that automatically gets the time from local radio stations. This doesn't work.

I turned off the feature and all is well.

smoseley · 12-16-2005, 10:56 AM

Shouldn't this be a check-list poll for multiple select?

turbo2nr · 12-23-2005, 02:38 AM

After an hour of peering inside the door with a small goose-neck flashlight, I stopped looking for the hole, printed out a few pages of the service manual and started looking for a similar bolt in the diagrams. About a half-hour later, I found what I was looking for. The bolt did not come from inside the door, it came from an area that was about a half-inch from my nose during most of my fruitless searching. The bold holds scissor arm pivot point fixed to the door. After finding that, it was a one minute fix. The bolt is shown in the diagram below:[/quote]

Well, I don't see the diagram in the "Quote" I tried to copy.

What are the two bottom, flat headed screws on the inside of door? Adjusting the window height? If not, then how can I adjust the height of windows?

Wheelz · 12-27-2005, 02:01 PM

My car arrived in November, 3 months ahead of schedule!!

At the time of my initial oil change, I noted the following "issues"

1) Rattle in passenger door upon closing
Fixed
2) Missing mini plug for connecting MP3 player
Added
3) Brakes groan just before completing a stop
Replaced a scored rotor
4) Can't attach rear license plate (delivered with UK mounts)
Fixed
5) Driver side mirror appers to be the UK passenger side mirror. In other words, "objects are closer than they appear" in both side mirrors.
All of the cars on their lot were delivered this way. Interesting......
6) Significant static in AM radio when braking or signaling
Common problem in '06 cars. Waiting for a new wiring harness.

All in all, a very fun car that seems to be well built. I just wish it would stop raining!!

firegabe · 12-28-2005, 11:49 PM

1. My 2005 Dodge with the Hemi engine has a nasty stall at idle, they all have it, and the dealers are clueless, I know it's anoying but you get used to turning the key at a light.

2. what scaner can I get to chek my own codes? I would perfer to work on my car my self. thanks

zanardi50 · 01-02-2006, 05:41 AM

A/C freon leaking and minor paint finish issues @ time of delivery (A/C fixed), squeaks and rattles evey now and then, speedometer broke @ 3k on the clock (NOT fixed yet). Otherwise, no major mechanical issues......at least not yet. Hopefully Lotus can learn a bit from Honda on how to build reliable sports cars.

:

turbo2nr · 01-02-2006, 09:04 AM

Did you try the reset trick in the manual? Lotus knows the speedo unit is a POS. Mine jumps around. Tim M. thinks it's great.

Yeti · 03-06-2006, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zanardi50

A/C freon leaking and minor paint finish issues @ time of delivery (A/C fixed), squeaks and rattles evey now and then, speedometer broke @ 3k on the clock (NOT fixed yet). Otherwise, no major mechanical issues......at least not yet. Hopefully Lotus can learn a bit from Honda on how to build reliable sports cars.

:

They did learn something. They used a Toyota engine instead of a Ford.

200 miles on my Exige. I'm still waiting for its character to show up. A buzzing VIN plates doesn't count. Does it?

Me&MyE · 04-29-2006, 09:05 PM

12K Miles

Tranny replaced
Clutch replaced
Both front ball joints replaced
Rear speakers loose,
Rear tail light out
Front headlamp out
Engine lid prop-stick broke
Rear suspension squeaks
Speedometer off by 7mph

...still love my car

Obsidian · 06-19-2006, 09:20 AM

Please realize that none of these issues are major mechanical ones. This car has never left me stranded on any road. I wanted to provide everyone with my ownership log of my Lotus Elise that I received in April of 2005. I have almost 13,000 miles on the car so far. Here they are in chronological order:

Rubber pad meant to keep the clutch from clicking against the aluminum fell off the first day (I’ve never found it nor cared)
Double-sided foam tape keeps oozing out of the door sills (I just rip it out when there’s enough to grab onto)
Fan adjustment knob flew off in some spirited driving (fixed it myself and tightened the others while I was there)
Headlight housing scared from sun (dealer denied it as an issue at first checkup, will bring up again in near future since it’s a lot worse now)
High beams seem to be aimed by an astrologist or a club DJ (adjusted a little bit on my own but need further tweaking)
Touring soft-top liner split apart (dealer re-glued)
Driver’s side window refused to roll all the way up (dealer fixed)
Starshield dispute with the dealer (not yet resolved to my satisfaction)
Windows rattle when down (occasionally tighten the screws in the doors)
Recall for the shifter (service not yet done)
Touring soft-top liner beginning to split apart again (I haven’t bothered taking it in yet)
Headlights were horribly inadequate (replaced them myself)
Stalled twice (stopped happening after I replaced the air filter)
Speakers sound like sub-par headphones cranked up (replacements in the garage I just need to find time to put them in)
Wheel balance is off (only really noticed it at a 3rd-party shop who were nice enough to help me when the dealer wanted my car for a week to patch a tire)
After almost 12,300 miles the rear tires need to be replaced (I’m surprised they lasted this long)
AC worked for 10-minutes the first time and stopped working the rest of that day. The next day it seemed to work for the entire 1.5-hour drive even though it was increasingly weakening (I have no idea)
Cabin re-circulation button doesn’t do anything, doesn’t even light up (will have to bring up with the dealer)
It likes to eat cleaning products (no fix available)

With any other new car I would have considered any number of the above a huge issue, but I really don’t see them as bad with this car. I love driving it so much that I can’t part with it. The Starshield issue is one I’ll have to take up with the dealership again but I admittedly just haven’t taken the time to do this.

And if you look at this list there really aren’t any terrible issues that are mechanical in nature that have happened to the vehicle. But I wanted to list ALL the memorable events where I’ve been forced to interact with systems I usually wouldn’t touch on a new car, or where I’ve felt the need to intervene even though I technically didn’t have to (headlights, speakers etc…)

I love owning this car. There’s no other vehicle like it and it’s fun to drive every day without exception. I love that fat-assed business men and women that drive the BMWs, Mercedes and Porsches on the road couldn’t get in and out of an Elise and thus will never know the joy of owning one.

I was at a car show this weekend. A guy there had a Ford GT. Beautiful car. White with blue racing stripes and he had maybe 1000 miles on it. My little Lotus Elise got more attention :P

OverRevLimiter · 08-02-2006, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surferjer

I thought it might be nice to see how ownership of the Elise has gone so far for those lucky ones who have one.

I see problems for many, but I've been trouble-free mechanically since delivery. How about you?

I have a unique problem with my '05 Elise. During track events it will pop out of 3rd gear. Anyone else encountering this problem? Total mileage is 3K. Shifter lever has been replaced.

R'elise Me · 09-18-2006, 10:18 PM

headlights adjustment - spider webs inside too

door sill tape oozing out below sill guard

lotus badge on steering wheel corroding

bubble on dash board vinyl upholstery

windsheild wiper ineffective (warranty or design flaw?)

red siren lights in rear view mirror - usually remedied with several 90 degree turns at intersections follwed by full throttle blasts.

View Poll Results: For current owners only: what has been your experience with your Elise mechanically?
I've had mechanical problems which needed dealer repair work	136	29.82%
I've had mechanical problems which needed other 3rd party repair work	5	1.10%
I've had mechanical problems which I repaired myself	45	9.87%
I have not had any mechanical problems	256	56.14%
I have had mechanical problems that I have ignored.	14	3.07%
Voters: 456. You may not vote on this poll

10-26-2005, 07:55 PM	#101 (permalink)
drone007 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: home in columbia, md Posts: 4	all of these problems are nothing if you exercise some ingenuity and don't get scared by the car. Use these rattles as an excuse to jack the car up and investigate the engine bay and the suspension. this is quality engineering here, you gotta be up close and personal! __________________ 1994 Mitsubishi 3000GT FWD 277fwhp, 13.5@105mph Twin Turbo, Twin Intercooled Limited-Slip Diff. 5 Speed

10-29-2005, 01:03 PM	#102 (permalink)
irossfam Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 27	1 month of owner ship and these problems... My problems have included: 1) wheel balance/alignment 2) steering rack 3) Faulty Air conditioner (needed charging) 4) Headlights not aimed properly 5) Driver's window would not roll up completely. Funny thing, and maybe it's because I own an older Viper and have become used to the specific needs of speciality cars, I'd buy another lotus in a second. I love my car with all of it's, ummmm, character. Fox Valley Motors have been great to work with! Now if I can only get the car back out of the shop...

11-14-2005, 11:07 AM	#104 (permalink)
peahee www.wearescumbags.com Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: The Couve, Washington Posts: 759	Just got my this weekend. The only problem I had was that there was condensation in both my head lights and my trunk was damp. They had the car outside on display and water seemed to have seeped through or something... __________________ Peahee 05 Mag Blue Elise - And Now BWR SC'ed. Larini Silenced De-cat + Exhaust with SE tip, Euro Grill, DC Header, Gut Spoiler, Reverie Front Splitter, Pheonix Gold Audio System, V1/w Concealer, LidBone, JL Stealth Box, Driving lights, Micro Mirror, 4Tress Harness Bar, 5pt Schroth Racing Harness, Seat Grommets, Front + Rear Sector111 Toe Hooks, Battery bracket, Xenon HID Kit. Personal site: www.pugsby.com

11-14-2005, 12:38 PM	#106 (permalink)
peahee www.wearescumbags.com Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: The Couve, Washington Posts: 759	cool, thanks for the tid-bit. I was worried there for a little bit. __________________ Peahee 05 Mag Blue Elise - And Now BWR SC'ed. Larini Silenced De-cat + Exhaust with SE tip, Euro Grill, DC Header, Gut Spoiler, Reverie Front Splitter, Pheonix Gold Audio System, V1/w Concealer, LidBone, JL Stealth Box, Driving lights, Micro Mirror, 4Tress Harness Bar, 5pt Schroth Racing Harness, Seat Grommets, Front + Rear Sector111 Toe Hooks, Battery bracket, Xenon HID Kit. Personal site: www.pugsby.com

11-03-2005, 06:25 PM	#103 (permalink)
andykeck Detective Join Date: May 2003 Location: Seattle Posts: 4,731 Images: 1	I can't remember if I posted in this thread earlier and am too tired to look. So I'll add this entry: 7,500 mi, new rack.

12-02-2005, 06:24 AM	#107 (permalink)
2m6mc2 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Rapid City SD Posts: 94 Images: 1	the odyssey I now have 1300 miles on her and on the brink of a cross country from east to west and she is in for her first service. problems so far Alarm goes off in the rain (either rain getting inside or hitting the roof (sensitive) passenger side leaks in the rain when sitting still and drivers side leaks sometimes (window adj) highbeams were aimed by NASA. lowbeams to low passenger side door panel loose velcro passenger side roof release sticks bad defog two center vents have low pressure resulting in fog on window in field of vision that looks like the the headlights shape after the first 1000 miles brakes moan very loudly at low speed light braking and the one that hurt... passenger side door rubs front quarter panel during opening making a popping noise I know she is a low vol sport car and not a Honda but we all paid very good money for a PDI inspection. If they don't fix it I will release the dealers name. I must say a sharp corner and 6200 plus on the tach and all is forgotten

12-16-2005, 10:10 AM	#108 (permalink)
Gocke Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 51	My acapulco radio won't keep the time.

12-16-2005, 10:56 AM	#110 (permalink)
smoseley Who Moved My Cheese? Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 12,017 Images: 8	Shouldn't this be a check-list poll for multiple select? __________________ - Steve Originally Posted by SKYVUE I'm outraged by this "idealism" growing around the world.

12-23-2005, 02:38 AM	#111 (permalink)
turbo2nr loading... Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: mecca lecca chony hoe Posts: 943	After an hour of peering inside the door with a small goose-neck flashlight, I stopped looking for the hole, printed out a few pages of the service manual and started looking for a similar bolt in the diagrams. About a half-hour later, I found what I was looking for. The bolt did not come from inside the door, it came from an area that was about a half-inch from my nose during most of my fruitless searching. The bold holds scissor arm pivot point fixed to the door. After finding that, it was a one minute fix. The bolt is shown in the diagram below:[/quote] Well, I don't see the diagram in the "Quote" I tried to copy. What are the two bottom, flat headed screws on the inside of door? Adjusting the window height? If not, then how can I adjust the height of windows? __________________ Boom Boom, shakka-lakka BOOM

12-27-2005, 02:01 PM	#112 (permalink)
Wheelz Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Maple Valley, WA Posts: 3	My car arrived in November, 3 months ahead of schedule!! At the time of my initial oil change, I noted the following "issues" 1) Rattle in passenger door upon closing Fixed 2) Missing mini plug for connecting MP3 player Added 3) Brakes groan just before completing a stop Replaced a scored rotor 4) Can't attach rear license plate (delivered with UK mounts) Fixed 5) Driver side mirror appers to be the UK passenger side mirror. In other words, "objects are closer than they appear" in both side mirrors. All of the cars on their lot were delivered this way. Interesting...... 6) Significant static in AM radio when braking or signaling Common problem in '06 cars. Waiting for a new wiring harness. All in all, a very fun car that seems to be well built. I just wish it would stop raining!! __________________ 2006 Chrome Orange Sport/Touring/Hardtop/Traction Control

12-28-2005, 11:49 PM	#113 (permalink)
firegabe Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Los Angeles CA. Posts: 9	1. My 2005 Dodge with the Hemi engine has a nasty stall at idle, they all have it, and the dealers are clueless, I know it's anoying but you get used to turning the key at a light. 2. what scaner can I get to chek my own codes? I would perfer to work on my car my self. thanks

01-02-2006, 05:41 AM	#114 (permalink)
zanardi50 It's never too light! Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 58	A/C freon leaking and minor paint finish issues @ time of delivery (A/C fixed), squeaks and rattles evey now and then, speedometer broke @ 3k on the clock (NOT fixed yet). Otherwise, no major mechanical issues......at least not yet. Hopefully Lotus can learn a bit from Honda on how to build reliable sports cars. : __________________ Diplomacy is the ability to tell a person to go to hell in such a way that he actually looks forward to enjoying the trip. Last edited by zanardi50 : 01-02-2006 at 05:47 AM.

01-02-2006, 09:04 AM	#115 (permalink)
turbo2nr loading... Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: mecca lecca chony hoe Posts: 943	Did you try the reset trick in the manual? Lotus knows the speedo unit is a POS. Mine jumps around. Tim M. thinks it's great. __________________ Boom Boom, shakka-lakka BOOM

04-29-2006, 09:05 PM	#117 (permalink)
Me&MyE Me and My Elise Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: San Jose Posts: 253	12K Miles Tranny replaced Clutch replaced Both front ball joints replaced Rear speakers loose, Rear tail light out Front headlamp out Engine lid prop-stick broke Rear suspension squeaks Speedometer off by 7mph ...still love my car

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

06-19-2006, 09:20 AM	#118 (permalink)
Obsidian Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 303	Please realize that none of these issues are major mechanical ones. This car has never left me stranded on any road. I wanted to provide everyone with my ownership log of my Lotus Elise that I received in April of 2005. I have almost 13,000 miles on the car so far. Here they are in chronological order: Rubber pad meant to keep the clutch from clicking against the aluminum fell off the first day (I’ve never found it nor cared) Double-sided foam tape keeps oozing out of the door sills (I just rip it out when there’s enough to grab onto) Fan adjustment knob flew off in some spirited driving (fixed it myself and tightened the others while I was there) Headlight housing scared from sun (dealer denied it as an issue at first checkup, will bring up again in near future since it’s a lot worse now) High beams seem to be aimed by an astrologist or a club DJ (adjusted a little bit on my own but need further tweaking) Touring soft-top liner split apart (dealer re-glued) Driver’s side window refused to roll all the way up (dealer fixed) Starshield dispute with the dealer (not yet resolved to my satisfaction) Windows rattle when down (occasionally tighten the screws in the doors) Recall for the shifter (service not yet done) Touring soft-top liner beginning to split apart again (I haven’t bothered taking it in yet) Headlights were horribly inadequate (replaced them myself) Stalled twice (stopped happening after I replaced the air filter) Speakers sound like sub-par headphones cranked up (replacements in the garage I just need to find time to put them in) Wheel balance is off (only really noticed it at a 3rd-party shop who were nice enough to help me when the dealer wanted my car for a week to patch a tire) After almost 12,300 miles the rear tires need to be replaced (I’m surprised they lasted this long) AC worked for 10-minutes the first time and stopped working the rest of that day. The next day it seemed to work for the entire 1.5-hour drive even though it was increasingly weakening (I have no idea) Cabin re-circulation button doesn’t do anything, doesn’t even light up (will have to bring up with the dealer) It likes to eat cleaning products (no fix available) With any other new car I would have considered any number of the above a huge issue, but I really don’t see them as bad with this car. I love driving it so much that I can’t part with it. The Starshield issue is one I’ll have to take up with the dealership again but I admittedly just haven’t taken the time to do this. And if you look at this list there really aren’t any terrible issues that are mechanical in nature that have happened to the vehicle. But I wanted to list ALL the memorable events where I’ve been forced to interact with systems I usually wouldn’t touch on a new car, or where I’ve felt the need to intervene even though I technically didn’t have to (headlights, speakers etc…) I love owning this car. There’s no other vehicle like it and it’s fun to drive every day without exception. I love that fat-assed business men and women that drive the BMWs, Mercedes and Porsches on the road couldn’t get in and out of an Elise and thus will never know the joy of owning one. I was at a car show this weekend. A guy there had a Ford GT. Beautiful car. White with blue racing stripes and he had maybe 1000 miles on it. My little Lotus Elise got more attention :P

09-18-2006, 10:18 PM	#120 (permalink)
R'elise Me My other car's a mtn bike Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,093	headlights adjustment - spider webs inside too door sill tape oozing out below sill guard lotus badge on steering wheel corroding bubble on dash board vinyl upholstery windsheild wiper ineffective (warranty or design flaw?) red siren lights in rear view mirror - usually remedied with several 90 degree turns at intersections follwed by full throttle blasts.