Warranty Work

[rmatos13]

Taking my car (2010) into the dealership for some warranty work. Below is the list of items they will be looking at. When I handed this list to the service department manager, prior to my appointment scheduling, he was not surprised by any of the items on the list. He mentioned that they are all well known issues. Have any other folks had this issues with their car? I want to make sure I'm aware of any other items folks are dealing with.

1. Apline radio states "regional code violation" when I try to play a dvd.
2. Dash is bubbling and deformed. 2 other evora's had come in for the same issue. He told me the dashboards are on back order.
3. Black pillars on either side of the front windshield cracked on the top corners.
4. Passenger's side door lock gets stuck and will not open. Service manager mentioned several cars did not have the lock switch plugged in from factory and it was an easy fix. Mine has worked in the past but just seems to get stuck in the door.
5. Clear coat on the hood Lotus logo chipped off
6. Driver's side door handle rubs on the back top corner. Paint has worn off.
7. Brake's have been squealing since new.
8. Clutch feels like it's skipping or not catching. Service manager said this is common and can be adjusted.

The service manager also mentioned a recall on the driver's dead pedal. They were cracking. My vehicle didn't seem to have this problem but he was going to check anyway.

[Captain]

I've had none of those problems, but most of them are known here. The squealing brakes have been described to me as "normal".
This car needs patience to get "adjusted" perfectly, but after that, it's just great. Apparently the guys from Hethel don't care about finish, but if you have a good dealer as I do, they'll know how to get things right.

[JLSELISE]

+1--no problems like this for me (except for the Alpine unit, which is apparently not fixable)
I had minor brake squeal for a few 100 miles but it is completely gone now--it's always a good idea to use the brakes hard on occasion to minimize brake dust build-up on the rotors .

[Ron Avery]

+2 -- I have not had any of these problems. As for The service manager also mentioned a recall on the driver's dead pedal. They were cracking. My vehicle didn't seem to have this problem but he was going to check anyway. Are you in Europe? I do not have a dead pedal on my 2+0, I would like one though.
Ron

[squidward]

Originally Posted by rmatos13

1. Apline radio states "regional code violation" when I try to play a dvd.

Mine does this. Not fixed yet.

3. Black pillars on either side of the front windshield cracked on the top corners.

Had this exact problem. Dealership replaced both pillar covers about 4 months back. They said it might be from getting in and out of the car and putting leverage on it, but there's no way since this is not a place you would naturally place your hand while getting into the car. Anyone getting into the car would see there's no way you would get any leverage there. It's primarily due to exposure to the heat buildup from the hot air flowing from the hood vents across the glossy trims, IMO. Or just exposure to the sun over time... The areas that cracked were in the exact same place on both sides, as well as the corner chipping off at the very top (where it meets the roof line).

4. Passenger's side door lock gets stuck and will not open. Service manager mentioned several cars did not have the lock switch plugged in from factory and it was an easy fix. Mine has worked in the past but just seems to get stuck in the door.

Happens rather often for me, more so on the passenger side. Particularly when the car is cold. Seems either the actuator is weak, or the whole mechanism needs some lubrication.

The service manager also mentioned a recall on the driver's dead pedal. They were cracking. My vehicle didn't seem to have this problem but he was going to check anyway.

Dead pedal? you have a dead pedal?? Show me what you're talking about because I don't see any space for it!


Some additional issues I need to have them look at:

- sometimes car doesn't unlock at all when pressing the lock button. Haven't figured out how to reproduce this yet, but typically it's when I'm already in the car and want to open the door for the passenger to get in, after the car has already locked itself.

-clutch rattling at idle and rubbing sound at speed (clutch plate?)

-leather shift boot came loose along the bottom. It appeared to be lightly glued along the interior of the brushed aluminum center console.

-rain leaks on driver side footwell.

-oxidization from rain drops on engine.

- handbrake sticks, extremely difficult to disengage--the disengage button barely moves when pressed. Also e-brake engages only at the very last, highest click--anywhere below the car will slip downhill.

- high-beam light button does not engage and lock high-beam (recent), so I can only use high-beam by temporarily pressing on the left steering control stick.

- bad odor from A/C. (maybe due to moldy cabin air filter from moisture collection).

- (old problem) engine jerks right around 1500rpm while slowly disengaging clutch (while sometimes slowly accelerating from a light or maintaining a low speed if a car is in front of me). Brought the car in many months ago to have this fied, however as luck would have it, it wouldn't reproduce when the tech and service advisor rode along, as well as drove the themselves. I've since learned not to hang out at 1500rpm! Spoke to Dave Simkin about it and he says it has something to do with the cruise control mechanism (regardless of whether or not it's actually enabled by the driver, the mechanism is active). Either way I'm doubtful this will be something fixable unless they can repro it.

- rear brake light bezel's chrome paint rubs off extremely easily in a car wash (be careful, it's like super thin paint).



...so far most of these problems have been extremely minor to my overall enjoyment of the car.

Anyone have these issues?

[Abe]

Most if not all these issues will be addressed in the MY12 version. Meanwhile, there's definitely a fix thru Lotus for this. Also, one thing I figured out with the unlock button, in order for it to work, the doors must be closed. If either door is open, the unlock button will not work.

[profsu]

Yesterday I found that the corner of the right A pillar cover had cracked where it meets the windshield and has chipped off (about 1/8x1/4 inch piece).

I had the car parked in the garage for a few days and I was sure there the problem wasn't there before, because I just washed and waxed the car and would have noticed it right away. It seems that the A pillar cover corner will just randomly chip? The car was in my garage the entire time and haven't used it in extreme conditions prior to parking.

[squidward]

The resin material that is used for glossy pillar is extremely brittle. It will crack under environmental stress (cold and heat cycles).

[profsu]

Originally Posted by squidward

The resin material that is used for glossy pillar is extremely brittle. It will crack under environmental stress (cold and heat cycles).

Sure, expansion and contraction rates of different materials under temp changes is a common engineering problem, especially when the materials are bonded. The glossy black A-pillar covers are only for esthetics and bonded by some sticky glue or 3M tape. What took me by surprise is that my car has had more extreme temperature cycles but all of a sudden the crack appeared in a more controlled environment.

It's only a small chip. But I wonder what damage age and UV exposure will do, as resin-based material usually gets more brittle.

[Notorious L.R.G.]

My driver side a-pillar cover cracked also. I attribute it to the fact that the glue had weakened enoughfor it to come loose, and air pressure bends it upward. In the hottest 100+ degree summer, I would stick it back down with my hand. Part was on backorder. Still have to go back.

On the headlights issue...I think your headlights are "off". That's how my highbeams behaved until I learned the differenc between lights "off" (In which the DRL turns the headlights on) and lights "on" (only difference is you can use the so-called "main" beams, or highbeams as we call them in the U.S.)

My passenger side doorlock became glued shut. Apparently, something dripped down into the mechanism. It went from sticky to immobile one day before I got that fixed.

[squidward]

Originally Posted by Notorious L.R.G.

My driver side a-pillar cover cracked also. I attribute it to the fact that the glue had weakened enoughfor it to come loose, and air pressure bends it upward. In the hottest 100+ degree summer, I would stick it back down with my hand. Part was on backorder. Still have to go back.

Definitely in very, very hot weather, the pillars will warp slightly, and may even come up off the adhesive backing. I have observed this before my A-Pillars cracked. Now, I never give the car a chance to bake in the sun.

On the headlights issue...I think your headlights are "off". That's how my highbeams behaved until I learned the differenc between lights "off" (In which the DRL turns the headlights on) and lights "on" (only difference is you can use the so-called "main" beams, or highbeams as we call them in the U.S.)

Hmm.. I'll look into it..

My passenger side doorlock became glued shut. Apparently, something dripped down into the mechanism. It went from sticky to immobile one day before I got that fixed.

Do you mean the outer lock assembly itself or the locking button/shaft along the window that pops up and down?

[TwinCam]

This type of stuff will not fly @ the $175k price level.

[squidward]

Originally Posted by TwinCam

This type of stuff will not fly @ the $175k price level.

Definitely not... I wonder if Lotus is doing anything on a larger scale to revamp their QC/testing processes and quality criteria...

Hmmm. If the new models are heavily based on the Evora platform, then maybe we Evora owners are providing free testing for Lotus

[Abe]

Originally Posted by TwinCam

This type of stuff will not fly @ the $175k price level.

You're right and it won't but you have to realize something, the Evora was built by the "old" regime if you will and the new staff inherited that car hence why we're now hearing that Lotus will be outsourcing the interior for this model. I'm confident that when and if the new cars become available, you'll see a drastic change in build quality overall beginning with MY12 Evora's.

[Notorious L.R.G.]

Originally Posted by squidward

Do you mean the outer lock assembly itself or the locking button/shaft along the window that pops up and down?

I presumed it was the locking button, when depressed, becoming glued shut. I still to this day do not knwo how they opened the door to do the work...it seamed welded shut. Bet they used a nasty pliers and replaced the button afterward. They did not exactly say.

Always seemed to me the Evora sales figures fly in the face of going further upmarket...

[squidward]

Originally Posted by Notorious L.R.G.

I presumed it was the locking button, when depressed, becoming glued shut. I still to this day do not knwo how they opened the door to do the work...it seamed welded shut. Bet they used a nasty pliers and replaced the button afterward. They did not exactly say.

Always seemed to me the Evora sales figures fly in the face of going further upmarket...

hmm. how do you figure? I have made assumptions about poor Evora sales, as is everyone else, but if you step back for a sec, is it really? I mean, Evora production targets were extremely low to begin with. How off are they actually on their target sales volume? Do we know what these targets are? Just questions I would love to see answered by somebody knowledgeable, not guesses like so many have been doing, myself included. There's a whole thread on this topic called "sales figures" which I started a few days ago.

[Notorious L.R.G.]

Originally Posted by squidward

hmm. how do you figure? I have made assumptions about poor Evora sales, as is everyone else, but if you step back for a sec, is it really? I mean, Evora production targets were extremely low to begin with. How off are they actually on their target sales volume? Do we know what these targets are? Just questions I would love to see answered by somebody knowledgeable, not guesses like so many have been doing, myself included. There's a whole thread on this topic called "sales figures" which I started a few days ago.

Sorry to step on your tentacles, Squid.

The first year of Evora has played out to a "T" the way 1991 played for the Lotus Elan M100...down to the cars on lots and reduced price too late.

Esprit only had to sell 150 cars a year in the US...
...I'll keep an eye on your other thread if we hear any real numbers.

[squidward]

getting all of those issues addressed this week, along with a clutch pressure issue that revealed itself this past Sunday... <fingers crossed>

[srwhitman]

We bought one a little over a week ago - got a great deal. It was a leftover "demo" model 2010 with about 400 miles on it. It had the leather bubbling and passenger side A-pillar crack thing - both are getting fixed this week. I'm not sure if I have the "driver's side leak" or not. I noticed some wetness on my foot the other day but it wasn't raining. Is it possible it is something else?

I notice that there was mention of a problem accelerating from a start. We are experiencing a problem I'd call 'engine shudder'. When one starts out in 1st, the engine literally feels like it is shuddering alot unless you give it a LOT of gas. It doesn't stall or anything. I'm not sure if this is the problem described and I'm pretty sure that the other car we drove in for a test drive did not have this problem. You mentioned Dave Simkin said it was the cruise - that seems awfully strange. Maybe my problem is different.

Anyway, my wife loves the car so we're going to, uh, "share" it. We didn't drive it much yet - mostly around town so I'll have to wait on first impressions after we get these few things fixed and then go back and see. It definitely feels more grown up compared to the Elise/Exige.

[squidward]

congrats on your new Evora, S.R.

Your description of the 'engine shudder' sounds identical to the one I experienced. When DS told me it may have something to do with the cruise control system, I didn't understand why. I do believe it has more to do with the clutch, given the issue has disappeared completely since my clutch was fixed. The tranny feels so smooth and easy to shift. They did a fantastic job, and I'm crossing my fingers no issues come back.

Regarding your engine shutter, I fear that it's only a matter of time before your clutch fails the same way mine did. Hopefully not, but keep a close watch on the clutch pedal for any variations.. btw also, when you experience the engine shutter, what RPM and gear is your car in when it occurs?