Holy Smokes! MATHENY SOLD THEIR LOTUS FRANCHISE! - LotusTalk

JaxJohnny · 08-19-2005, 05:19 PM

Some troubling news for north Florida owners- As of today, Matheny has sold their Lotus franchise (but apparently will keep the Jaguar and Range Rover lines) and are no longer Lotus dealers. Apparently Mr. Matheny sold the Lotus business to World Imports on Beach Boulevard. I know *nothing* of World Imports, does anybody know these guys?

I found all this out today in a phone call from one of the guys from Matheny, where I had an appointment to do my 1k mile service next wednesday. He called to tell me what was happening to the Lotus franchise and that they wouldn't be able to do the service. I about crapped myself until he told me that they sold the business to World Imports. (I really don't want to have to go to Miami or Atlanta or some other place six hours away for service, y'know?!?)

So I get on the horn with the nice folks at World Imports. Pat, I believe. I tell Pat I need to get my 1k mile service done, he says "no problem, my guy will be back from Lotus School on monday, bring it in then."

Chew on that for a sec: "My guy will be back from Lotus School on monday, bring it in then."

Y'all got chillbumps too?

Clearly, there is no possible way I want this guy working on my car the first time he's ever worked on a Lotus. This, I believe, is a Very Bad Idea. So what do I do? I'm right at 1k now, should I drive it minimally and give Bubba a chance to do his Voyage Of Discovery on someone-elses car, and just take it there in a few months? Or am I better off taking the chance on Bubba with the training fresh in his mind and go next week? Is there anything tricky about the 1k mile service anyway? While we're at it, is there anything "above and beyond" that an experienced Lotus shop would know to do as a matter of course that Bubba might not know to do?

I am *not* feeling good about this.

Holla at'cha boy-

Johnny

BTW, Pat said the guy's a Master Tech, so that's some comfort.. I mean, it's not like they're going to give the New Car Detailer guy a crack at it or something..

JaxJohnny · 08-19-2005, 05:30 PM

Just found their website:

http://www.worldimportsusa.com/

Looks like they've got Matheny's inventory, including the car I test drove way back when. (Red car, 421 miles)

Thoughts?

Cheers-

Johnny

khamai · 08-19-2005, 05:31 PM

Johnny,

Totally understand your concern, but on the plus side if you're one of his first then everything from his 2-day class is fresh. Additionally, because he's fresh, he's more likely to be extra careful. I might suggest that if you have the time ask if you can watch. Tell'em you'd like to see under the engine and the suspension and stuff.

Finally, familiarize yourself with the 1K service. It's pretty straight forward, the most difficult thing is lifting the car. Check out the article in under "Elise" in the "TECH" section of the GGLC website, it goes over what's done at 1K. If that's note enough there are a number threads here on ETalk, just do a search.

Kiyoshi

P.S. Be sure to ask them for a print out of your ECU dump. It's a fun read!

CDM · 08-19-2005, 05:49 PM

This should make all of us in Souther California thank heavens for the excellent service we get from Lotus South Bay and Don at Lotus Newport Beach. Total and absolute confidence the work will be done correctly.

FIRME · 08-19-2005, 05:52 PM

We are afterall, just talking about a toyota engine. I agree with Kiyoshi that this guy, because of his freshness out of Lotus school, will do everything by the book and other than being careful not to scratch or dirty the vehicle, everything should be fine.
I wonder why the other dealer decided to pull out of Lotus. The only reason I can think of is, it wasn't worth the trouble for them to carry that brand. I wonder if dealers that are not used to this type of market, will start to pull away from Lotus. Dealers like GM, Ford, and other high volume brands are not used to the slow moving pace of Exotics and we could start to see a trend here.

spider · 08-19-2005, 05:55 PM

Just so you know that the After Sales Service does not have be done at exactly 1,000 miles. The Maintenance Record booklet indicates it should be done between 1,000 and 1,500 miles. So, you can wait a bit for the new tech to have some experience working on other Elises, if you want.

Beanie · 08-19-2005, 06:47 PM

I'm in Jax, too. One of my concerns when I was thinking of buying an Elise (I didn't) was the fact that Matheny was it for this area. Population of Jacksonville is over 1 Million, but I guess the Lotus dealerships are pretty spread out. World Imports... they just sell used luxury cars as far as I know.

NOPE. Their site shows about 10 new Elise.

Florida Chris · 08-19-2005, 07:17 PM

I wouldn't stress too much about the mechanical prowess needed to complete the 1000 mile service. This is not rocket science. I watched my mechanic perform the service on my Lotus last week in West Palm Beach and nothing was particularly noteworthy or complex about the process.

Now swapping out the transmission or reworking some ECU issues is another matter, but I certainly wouldn’t worry about the first serve. MHOFWIW.

Joecooool · 08-19-2005, 07:50 PM

Considering the fact that our car is one of the most basic cars in existance, I'm not worried about it at all.

Hell, I've been getting my oil changed at the Toyota dealer as I'm in Orange Park and don't feel like driving across town.

Joecooool · 08-19-2005, 07:51 PM

However, I would be concerned if I had not received my car yet. Wonder if the new joint will honor the waiting list.

sholtzma · 08-21-2005, 07:00 AM

Lotus School is only 2 days???? I didn't expect them to get a four year degree, but.....

LotusLust · 08-21-2005, 07:04 AM

from day 1 i felt matheny was blowin smoke up my exhaust. that is why i retrieved my deposit from them almost a year ago

ConeFusion · 08-21-2005, 07:52 AM

I also agree with khamai. My understanding is that the first service is essentially an oil change and a checkup. That shouldn't be a problem for any mechanic. It can never hurt to introduce yourself to the mechanic, and exchange a few nice words. I'm sure that he/she (I'm feeling PC today

) will be excited to work on an Elise for the first time, and extra motivated.

peck555 · 08-21-2005, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sholtzma

Lotus School is only 2 days???? I didn't expect them to get a four year degree, but.....

these guys are already competent mechanics,they just need to be shown some of the things that are unique to the elise(or whatever car they need to learn)

xxxotic · 08-21-2005, 10:54 AM

They will probably be able to take more time on your car since they wont have too many Lotus's coming in for service.

It could be worse. I heard the Esprit mechanic at West Palm Beach left and they dont have anyone to work on them and they were telling people to bring them to other dealers for warranty work. Granted, they probably only sold about 5 or 10 of them last few years, but most people with warranty issues wouldnt want to drive an extra 75 miles to Prestige or the Collection for servicing after paying 90K for a car.

_JD_ · 08-21-2005, 01:39 PM

My salesman had warned me about the possibility of this happening. I wish a major dealership had bought the rights, but oh well. They can't be much worse than Matheny on the service front- they did'nt know their ass from a hole in the ground.

I had a great sales experience and a terrible service experience- seems like the service dept saw this coming a long time ago.

JaxJohnny · 08-24-2005, 12:51 PM

World Imports has postponed my 1k mile service, indicating that they didn't have "The Lotus Tools" yet.

"Lotus Tools"?? I adjusted my window gap today and I just used my plain old metric Snap-On stuff. Didn't know I needed special tools.

Anyway, I assume he means whatever they pull the ECU dump with? What else could he be talking about?

They said to call at the end of the week for an update. I've got 1200 miles, and the next closest dealer is 300+ miles away.

What to do?!?

I'm tempted to just go ahead and do the oil change myself, so at least my car isn't really suffering from the delay.. Then the ECU dump and warrantee punch-list can wait until WI is up to speed I guess.

Thought?

Cheers-

Johnny

LotusLust · 08-24-2005, 01:15 PM

reminds me of LOA telling me they could not realign my headlights for lack of the "special tool". hell, i think i spoke to the special tool at LOA that day!

Miguel · 08-24-2005, 01:18 PM

Lotus tools probably means the scanner for the ECU dump and the printer that goes with it. Also they have various tools specific for repairs. Anyway, if they postponed it is because they do want to do a good job following the steps stipulated by Lotus instead of finding other tools that will do the job and cutting corners in the procedures.

khamai · 08-24-2005, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaxJohnny

World Imports has postponed my 1k mile service, indicating that they didn't have "The Lotus Tools" yet.

"Lotus Tools"?? I adjusted my window gap today and I just used my plain old metric Snap-On stuff. Didn't know I needed special tools.

Anyway, I assume he means whatever they pull the ECU dump with? What else could he be talking about?

Every dealer is required to purchase a "Lotus Tool" kit and "Parts" package. As mentioned the 1K requires the a Lotus scanner to pull the ECU dump. There's a photo of the scanner in the aforementioned article on the GGLC website.

No worries putting on a few extra miles before the 1K service. I'd just avoid taking a long trip (unless it's to another dealer).

Kiyoshi

08-19-2005, 05:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
JaxJohnny Magnificent Bastard Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Jacksonville FL Posts: 147	Holy Smokes! MATHENY SOLD THEIR LOTUS FRANCHISE! Some troubling news for north Florida owners- As of today, Matheny has sold their Lotus franchise (but apparently will keep the Jaguar and Range Rover lines) and are no longer Lotus dealers. Apparently Mr. Matheny sold the Lotus business to World Imports on Beach Boulevard. I know nothing of World Imports, does anybody know these guys? I found all this out today in a phone call from one of the guys from Matheny, where I had an appointment to do my 1k mile service next wednesday. He called to tell me what was happening to the Lotus franchise and that they wouldn't be able to do the service. I about crapped myself until he told me that they sold the business to World Imports. (I really don't want to have to go to Miami or Atlanta or some other place six hours away for service, y'know?!?) So I get on the horn with the nice folks at World Imports. Pat, I believe. I tell Pat I need to get my 1k mile service done, he says "no problem, my guy will be back from Lotus School on monday, bring it in then." Chew on that for a sec: "My guy will be back from Lotus School on monday, bring it in then." Y'all got chillbumps too? Clearly, there is no possible way I want this guy working on my car the first time he's ever worked on a Lotus. This, I believe, is a Very Bad Idea. So what do I do? I'm right at 1k now, should I drive it minimally and give Bubba a chance to do his Voyage Of Discovery on someone-elses car, and just take it there in a few months? Or am I better off taking the chance on Bubba with the training fresh in his mind and go next week? Is there anything tricky about the 1k mile service anyway? While we're at it, is there anything "above and beyond" that an experienced Lotus shop would know to do as a matter of course that Bubba might not know to do? I am not feeling good about this. Holla at'cha boy- Johnny BTW, Pat said the guy's a Master Tech, so that's some comfort.. I mean, it's not like they're going to give the New Car Detailer guy a crack at it or something.. Last edited by JaxJohnny : 08-19-2005 at 05:23 PM.

08-19-2005, 05:31 PM	#3 (permalink)
khamai Plain ol' Lotus-nut Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Nor Cal Posts: 3,599	Johnny, Totally understand your concern, but on the plus side if you're one of his first then everything from his 2-day class is fresh. Additionally, because he's fresh, he's more likely to be extra careful. I might suggest that if you have the time ask if you can watch. Tell'em you'd like to see under the engine and the suspension and stuff. Finally, familiarize yourself with the 1K service. It's pretty straight forward, the most difficult thing is lifting the car. Check out the article in under "Elise" in the "TECH" section of the GGLC website, it goes over what's done at 1K. If that's note enough there are a number threads here on ETalk, just do a search. Kiyoshi P.S. Be sure to ask them for a print out of your ECU dump. It's a fun read! __________________ life is better behind the wheel of a Lotus...

08-19-2005, 05:49 PM	#4 (permalink)
CDM CDM Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Corona del Mar, CA Posts: 88	Thankful for Service in Southern Cal This should make all of us in Souther California thank heavens for the excellent service we get from Lotus South Bay and Don at Lotus Newport Beach. Total and absolute confidence the work will be done correctly.

08-19-2005, 05:52 PM	#5 (permalink)
FIRME Q'vo! Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 431	In all honesty Johnny, We are afterall, just talking about a toyota engine. I agree with Kiyoshi that this guy, because of his freshness out of Lotus school, will do everything by the book and other than being careful not to scratch or dirty the vehicle, everything should be fine. I wonder why the other dealer decided to pull out of Lotus. The only reason I can think of is, it wasn't worth the trouble for them to carry that brand. I wonder if dealers that are not used to this type of market, will start to pull away from Lotus. Dealers like GM, Ford, and other high volume brands are not used to the slow moving pace of Exotics and we could start to see a trend here.

08-19-2005, 05:55 PM	#6 (permalink)
spider Team Fiscal Irresponsible Join Date: May 2004 Location: Redondo Beach, Cali49A Posts: 808	Just so you know that the After Sales Service does not have be done at exactly 1,000 miles. The Maintenance Record booklet indicates it should be done between 1,000 and 1,500 miles. So, you can wait a bit for the new tech to have some experience working on other Elises, if you want. __________________ '05 Arctic Silver/Ruby Red - Touring/SS/HT

08-19-2005, 05:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
JaxJohnny Magnificent Bastard Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Jacksonville FL Posts: 147	Just found their website: http://www.worldimportsusa.com/ Looks like they've got Matheny's inventory, including the car I test drove way back when. (Red car, 421 miles) Thoughts? Cheers- Johnny

08-19-2005, 06:47 PM	#7 (permalink)
Beanie untitled Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 2,912	I'm in Jax, too. One of my concerns when I was thinking of buying an Elise (I didn't) was the fact that Matheny was it for this area. Population of Jacksonville is over 1 Million, but I guess the Lotus dealerships are pretty spread out. World Imports... they just sell used luxury cars as far as I know. NOPE. Their site shows about 10 new Elise. __________________ It is all about "Other". Last edited by Beanie : 08-19-2005 at 06:51 PM.

08-19-2005, 07:17 PM	#8 (permalink)
Florida Chris Deviant Nonconformist Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Gulf Stream, Florida Posts: 310	I wouldn't stress too much about the mechanical prowess needed to complete the 1000 mile service. This is not rocket science. I watched my mechanic perform the service on my Lotus last week in West Palm Beach and nothing was particularly noteworthy or complex about the process. Now swapping out the transmission or reworking some ECU issues is another matter, but I certainly wouldn’t worry about the first serve. MHOFWIW.

08-19-2005, 07:50 PM	#9 (permalink)
Joecooool Juvenile Delinquent Join Date: May 2004 Location: Jacksonville Florida Posts: 754	Considering the fact that our car is one of the most basic cars in existance, I'm not worried about it at all. Hell, I've been getting my oil changed at the Toyota dealer as I'm in Orange Park and don't feel like driving across town.

08-19-2005, 07:51 PM	#10 (permalink)
Joecooool Juvenile Delinquent Join Date: May 2004 Location: Jacksonville Florida Posts: 754	However, I would be concerned if I had not received my car yet. Wonder if the new joint will honor the waiting list.

08-21-2005, 07:00 AM	#11 (permalink)
sholtzma Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bloomington, Indiana Posts: 56	Lotus School is only 2 days???? I didn't expect them to get a four year degree, but.....

08-21-2005, 07:04 AM	#12 (permalink)
LotusLust Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: da woods of tn Posts: 3,662	from day 1 i felt matheny was blowin smoke up my exhaust. that is why i retrieved my deposit from them almost a year ago __________________ Storm Titanium, LSS, touring, hard top. my other car is a ...oh yeah i remember the other car...a spyder club111 member. i tried to buy a lower spot and become member #13 but was spurned! "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" -benjamin franklin

08-21-2005, 07:52 AM	#13 (permalink)
ConeFusion Registered User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,579	I also agree with khamai. My understanding is that the first service is essentially an oil change and a checkup. That shouldn't be a problem for any mechanic. It can never hurt to introduce yourself to the mechanic, and exchange a few nice words. I'm sure that he/she (I'm feeling PC today ) will be excited to work on an Elise for the first time, and extra motivated. __________________ Reto 2005 Lotus Elise (yellow, sport pack), #94 SS 2005 Nissan Xterra (LSV)

08-21-2005, 10:54 AM	#15 (permalink)
xxxotic Registered User Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 2,093	They will probably be able to take more time on your car since they wont have too many Lotus's coming in for service. It could be worse. I heard the Esprit mechanic at West Palm Beach left and they dont have anyone to work on them and they were telling people to bring them to other dealers for warranty work. Granted, they probably only sold about 5 or 10 of them last few years, but most people with warranty issues wouldnt want to drive an extra 75 miles to Prestige or the Collection for servicing after paying 90K for a car.

08-21-2005, 01:39 PM	#16 (permalink)
_JD_ Registered User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: SE of Georgia Posts: 2,436	My salesman had warned me about the possibility of this happening. I wish a major dealership had bought the rights, but oh well. They can't be much worse than Matheny on the service front- they did'nt know their ass from a hole in the ground. I had a great sales experience and a terrible service experience- seems like the service dept saw this coming a long time ago. __________________ Join Club 111

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08-24-2005, 12:51 PM	#17 (permalink)
JaxJohnny Magnificent Bastard Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Jacksonville FL Posts: 147	Should I be worried? World Imports has postponed my 1k mile service, indicating that they didn't have "The Lotus Tools" yet. "Lotus Tools"?? I adjusted my window gap today and I just used my plain old metric Snap-On stuff. Didn't know I needed special tools. Anyway, I assume he means whatever they pull the ECU dump with? What else could he be talking about? They said to call at the end of the week for an update. I've got 1200 miles, and the next closest dealer is 300+ miles away. What to do?!? I'm tempted to just go ahead and do the oil change myself, so at least my car isn't really suffering from the delay.. Then the ECU dump and warrantee punch-list can wait until WI is up to speed I guess. Thought? Cheers- Johnny

08-24-2005, 01:15 PM	#18 (permalink)
LotusLust Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: da woods of tn Posts: 3,662	reminds me of LOA telling me they could not realign my headlights for lack of the "special tool". hell, i think i spoke to the special tool at LOA that day! __________________ Storm Titanium, LSS, touring, hard top. my other car is a ...oh yeah i remember the other car...a spyder club111 member. i tried to buy a lower spot and become member #13 but was spurned! "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" -benjamin franklin

08-24-2005, 01:18 PM	#19 (permalink)
Miguel Finally Elise Driver! Join Date: May 2004 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 2,464	Lotus tools probably means the scanner for the ECU dump and the printer that goes with it. Also they have various tools specific for repairs. Anyway, if they postponed it is because they do want to do a good job following the steps stipulated by Lotus instead of finding other tools that will do the job and cutting corners in the procedures. __________________ 05 Elise Racing Green/Red, Touring, Hardtop, StarShield