[Doug H]

2006 with 23,000 miles seen no track time since June of 2007. Since then, 3 transmission failures, engine failure while just driving down the highway, and lot of little items. The four major repairs alone exceeded the value of the car. I have a Porsche 996tt cabriolet with 74,000 miles that only needed a navigation system replaced since I owned it and I race my 996 GT3 Cup car so the Lotus has literally been relegated to grocery getter. I rarely even went on second cam due to all the major failures and the transmission still went out again.

 

[cory1000]

Cant you use the "lemon law" to get your money back after the 3rd transmission?

 

[fitfan]

thats really the exception - something is 100% wrong there! but realistically the major repairs were under warranty right? so your not really out of pocket - i would get rid of that thing before it goes out of warranty! clearly someone has done more damage than good with the repairs...

 

[Doug H]

Cant you use the "lemon law" to get your money back after the 3rd transmission?

Only with the first year. I threatened to do so in the first year because the car would sit in the shop so long waiting for parts that were not in stock or in the US. I did a lot of business with that Porsche dealership and as a favor did not. That dealership ultimately dumped Lotus as they told me they had warranty problems with Lotus.

 

[spectre]

Wow that is horrible...Im glad you put it out there though as people need to hear if things are good, bad or ugly with these cars. I have had issues with Audi's being like that and it completely sours the experience and confidence to the point of just get rid of it.

 

[Rat27]

So you're on your 4th transmission and second engine? Were the transmissions replaced or repaired? Was all of this under warranty?

 

[Doug H]

thats really the exception - something is 100% wrong there! but realistically the major repairs were under warranty right? so your not really out of pocket - i would get rid of that thing before it goes out of warranty! clearly someone has done more damage than good with the repairs...

The transmission is not the exception. I have a buddy who went to their service rep training and my current service rep admitted they were told about second and third gear syncros being a problem in training. I know a whole lot of people and have had private messages from people on here about transmission failures. People don't post publically about it for fear that Lotus will look at there other posts for evidence of tracking and abuse.

 

[Doug H]

Wow that is horrible...Im glad you put it out there though as people need to hear if things are good, bad or ugly with these cars. I have had issues with Audi's being like that and it completely sours the experience and confidence to the point of just get rid of it.

Yeah, I had admin delete my posts about my first transmission failure after being advised not to leave it up.

 

[Brennon]

Only with the first year. I threatened to do so in the first year because the car would sit in the shop so long waiting for parts that were not in stock or in the US. I did a lot of business with that Porsche dealership and as a favor did not. That dealership ultimately dumped Lotus as they told me they had warranty problems with Lotus.

Incorrect. The repairs have to take place within the warranty period--so 3 years or 36,000 miles. One either has to prove that there was an inordinate amount of repairs needed or it was safety related.

Just sorta depends.

 

[JWA]

Only with the first year. I threatened to do so in the first year because the car would sit in the shop so long waiting for parts that were not in stock or in the US. I did a lot of business with that Porsche dealership and as a favor did not. That dealership ultimately dumped Lotus as they told me they had warranty problems with Lotus.

Most states have no specified statute of limitations on Lemon Law claims. If you met the criteria with the first year (or however long it is in your state) you should still be eligible. Whether the dealer still carries the brand is irrelevant as it has nothing to do with them, and your continued trouble with the car would only bolster your claim.

 

[Bavarian Motorist]

This is awful to read....

 

[MaineLotus]

Not a cheap solution, but is a good solution -

moremonkey.com • View topic - E153 Transmission

 

[JWA]

Incorrect. The repairs have to take place within the warranty period--so 3 years or 36,000 miles. One either has to prove that there was an inordinate amount of repairs needed or it was safety related.

Just sorta depends.

Not necessarily. Every state sets different terms and conditions, and every one that I have personally seen sets the term at one year. Some add a certain mileage to it, etc. There may be a state that sets it to the length of the warranty, but I haven't seen that.

From there they generally set a total number of days that the car was out of service, and/or a total number of repair attempts that must be exceeded.

 

[Rat27]

Thanks for sharing this information. Were the repairs covered under warranty for all 3 transmissions? Was the engine also covered under warranty? This is important information to know about. Did they replace the transmissions or just replace them? What broke in the engine? Just want to know more details.

 

[MNlotus]

?? i have the same exact amount of miles and the only problem i had was that a clip holding one of the oil cooler lines broke and went into the belt and wore a hole through causing a oil leak. other then that its been perfect.

 

[Doug H]

Thanks for sharing this information. Were the repairs covered under warranty for all 3 transmissions? Was the engine also covered under warranty? This is important information to know about. Did they replace the transmissions or just replace them? What broke in the engine? Just want to know more details.

I am at gym on iPhone. I will give details later. A lifter let go and wedged piston causing spun rod through side of the engine block. This is rare, but the transmissions failures are not. Another guy here in town has had two put in and is still having problems and he cannot afford to replace it again. The dealer went to bat for him to no avail.

I am in Tennessee and our Lemmin Law statute used to provide one year. I have no idea if it has changed since then . . .

 

[Minnis]

I ran a warr department for two manufacturer's. If you have had that many problems and it's still not fixed, regardless of the stat. limitations, you ned a lawyer. The bottom line is the problem was never fixed after three attempts. If you're in Cali then the you have a lot more power than you think as a consumer. Everytime a dealer forwarded me a lawsuit from Cali the vehicle was replaced either by the dealer, or by us. If it's still an proven issue at this point though.

 

[Doug H]

?? i have the same exact amount of miles and the only problem i had was that a clip holding one of the oil cooler lines broke and went into the belt and wore a hole through causing a oil leak. other then that its been perfect.

Yep, there are good ones and bad ones. God help you if you get a bad one or hope you have deep pockets. A GT3 cup car can be less expensive to maintain . . . Going to finish workout. I will answer questions later and tell you all what to be aware of as far as being arbitrarily screwed on your warranty. I have been clues in on their MO and it may get worse with economy and profit margins.

 

[shay2nak]

goddamn...sorry you're having problems with the car.

 

[the1sen]

There aren't many out there like this, and I'm so sorry you're having so many issues with your car.

I'm sure that there are exceptions to every rule. My dad bought a 1987 Toyota Cressida brand new and blew an engine, brake system, transmission, etc, etc and Toyota wouldn't cover the items because they said they were wear items at 13,000 miles... He didn't drive like a moron, he wasn't into racing, he wasn't particularly tough on his vehicle. He did regular maintenance on it ahead of schedule... Still, Toyota would not cover the defects as they came up.

You are fortunate to have a company stand behind their product.

I hope you get the issues resolved or a new, trouble free vehicle soon.

Good luck.