[pinmagic]

Drove the car Tuesday, and parked it in my parking lot that evening. Today (Thursday), I come home from work. It's pouring rain. It's been pouring rain off and on for the last 48 hours. I walk past the Elise, and notice -- horrors! -- the driver's door ISN'T FULLY CLOSED! -eek- Seems I closed it, but too softly, so it didn't latch. It's POURING, and my car is OPEN!!! It's FRIGGIN OPEN! :huh: There's a gap all around the door, especially at the top edge of the window, towards the back of the car. maybe a half inch gap! How could I have done that???? :wallbang:

I instinctively push the door closed, then RUN into the house to get the key, so I can see the damage. Should I wear a bathing suit when I check the car????

I open the car, and -- miracle of miracles -- see little water. The seat is dry. The sill is almost completely dry. I grab the carpeting behind the seat. It's SLIGHTLY damp -- nothing major. I grab the carpeting next to the seat -- a tiny bit of dampness. I check all around -- nothing! Amazing! :clap: Seems that the soft top overhangs the door just a bit, and that may have saved my heinie.

And, the beauty of this car, I can simply lift the affected area of the carpet, cause it's just velcroed in place. So I just pulled it up in the corner, so any moisture underneath (basically none) can evaporate. Couldn't be easier.

I can't believe it -- I dodged a bullet here! Gotta say, tho it scared the cr*p out of me, it was something of a bonding experience, cause I now feel closer to this car than ever.:bow:

Given the Elise's rep, I was worried that, fully sealed, the car would leak in a rainstorm. Instead, I discovered that, cracked open, it stayed dryer than I expected it to when sealed!

I strongly suggest, however, that you NOT try this on your car. I'm relatively sure there are better ways to bond!

 

[qball]

Hope this holds true for the few Elise's in the SW part of Florida tomorrow!

 

[zvezdah1]

silver bullet's elise was parked outside all day at his place of work day before yesterday, winds so high it set his alarm four time, we got four inches of rain, NO LEAKS!!

I've also been in torrential high wind downpour driving and parked, no leaks, this is all good stuff.

Pin, you might want to take your floor mats out completely and leave out for a few hours just to be safe.
Chris

 

[pinmagic]

Pin, you might want to take your floor mats out completely and leave out for a few hours just to be safe.
Chris

The floor mats were actually bone dry. The only part that got at all damp was the piece on the firewall, behind the driver's seat. It was easy to lift the one end near the door (where it was slightly damp), so I just pulled it up there, so it could air out a bit. I'm not sure how easily it would come out to air out -- I'll look tonight. But I suspect it'll be completely dry by then.

 

[shinoo]

The cars are pretty hardy. Seems many Brits drive 'em around in the rain without tops (their cars ). At the Donnington Show I noticed a large number of Elises arriving and in the parking lot without their tops, other than an occasional Shower-cap. I was suprised since it was a drizzly and dreary day. Seems not much rain really intrudes when the car is in motion.

 

[pinmagic]

I have an MR2 Spyder, and with the top down, in a mild rain, almost no rain gets in the car when you're driving fast. Something to do with the airflow. Pretty amusing to be driving around in a sprinkle, pretty much bone dry.

 

[shinoo]

BTW: We are experiencing the start of a thunderstorm in Southern CA at this very moment. This potentially is the first real rain we've had in many months. Too bad I don't have my Elise to do some water seal testing!

I'll just have to wait till our 'rainy season' in Jan/Feb.

 

[clrodrick]

I heard the desert regions of California are getting hammered right now with heavy rain and hail. Watch out for the flash flooding!

 

[Gromit]

I heard the desert regions of California are getting hammered right now with heavy rain and hail. Watch out for the flash flooding!

lol

 

[James A]

Every car that leaves the assembly line goes into a "rain chamber" and is tested for leaks and if any are found they are fixed. Lotus is doing a terrific job on the Elise.

 

[pinmagic]

Interestingly, tho, the owner's manual clearly states that leaks are to be expected, with the soft top or the hard top. I guess that's the old CYA!

 

[waelsie]

James A wrote "Every car that leaves the assembly line goes into a "rain chamber" and is tested for leaks and if any are found they are fixed. Lotus is doing a terrific job on the Elise."

Are you serious ? If so, this is a very new addition to Lotus. If true, I would love to see the proof.

(Not saying you are wrong James, but I just can't believe Lotus would do this and therefore would like some proof)
Giles (aka Doubting Thomas)

 

[Wingman]

People who have been on vists to the site have talked about a "rain chamber" im sure 2-3 people have said this so its go to be true imo
Wasnt there a huge new plant built for building the new Elise and Speedster. Im sure opel want the speedster tested for water..

 

[NMRJock]

I seem to remember this in a video or pictures of a factory tour posted on here.

 

[James A]

Waelise, I toured the factory the week after British GP I saw the cars going into the "rain booth" and disucssed what was done with Tony Shute, other than that I can't provide much other proof! I also saw the dyno where they run each car and check it. I think the quality coming out of Lotus is going to be very good!

 

[Andreas]

I seem to remember this in a video or pictures of a factory tour posted on here.

I'm recalling seeing it in that really long video "Best of British" (340MB). It was a full history of Lotus and showed the process of building a S2.

<a href="http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=850">Sticky: Links to Elise Videos</a>

 

[NMRJock]

I'm recalling seeing it in that really long video "Best of British" (340MB). It was a full history of Lotus and showed the process of building a S2.

<a href="http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=850">Sticky: Links to Elise Videos</a>

I have that on my HD, so that's probably where I saw it. I don't have time to watch it right now to confirm. I have a lot of writing to do if I'm going to get this PhD by the end of the fall.

 

[Eyelise]

I've got a small leak in the drivers upper corner. It was trentual downpours and otherwise fine. I'll see it is just the way I put it on or if it is reproducible.

 

[waelsie]

Thats good enough for me, James. It was just that having been to Hethel several times, including a factory tour (albeit it 2 years ago), a Driver Training Course, and 3 times to have work done on my car by the factory workshop (which included having Gavan Kershaw drive my car on the Hethel track with me as a passenger ), I had never heard of this item. My own car doesn't have a (serious) leaking problem, but I know others do, so it is always good to know that Lotus are making improvements !!!
With leaks, there are two "tricks" (and remember I am talking more about the S1 than the S2/3). 1) When you put your roof on, it is possible to "stretch" it laterally just a little before you tighten it up - this makes a BIG difference because you can just pull it outwards a little more so it covers the top of the windows better. Also 2) heavy rain when the car is standing still gets the roof material "sodden", and with the slope of the roof the water naturally "migrates" to the edges of the roof above the windows, so when you open the door, it drips/flows in. Once you are moving, no problem, but if I have to leave my car out in the rain overnight(it is usually garaged) I put my plastic shower cape over the top of the regular roof. Then, when I set off in the morning, at least I start off with a dry inside, and, as I say, once moving, I have no problem.
Just a tip to make life easier. The shower cape really is a key piece of equipment for the Elise because it is not only good for rain, but because Elise owners rarely if ever put their roofs on (mine has only been on maybe 3 times in the past year) and when you park the car, you can throw it on in 2 seconds and it is just a minor deterrant to prying eyes and fingers. Also good against bird droppings and other minor annoyances, and yet small enough that it can wedge behind a seat, or in my car with an opening bonnet, it even fits in there !!
PS James, my "handle" (or whatever you call it !) is "WAElsie" - reason for that can be seen in the attached photo !! How that came about is a WHOLE 'nother story !!
Giles.

 

[Craigy]

James A wrote "Every car that leaves the assembly line goes into a "rain chamber" and is tested for leaks and if any are found they are fixed. Lotus is doing a terrific job on the Elise."

Are you serious ? If so, this is a very new addition to Lotus. If true, I would love to see the proof.

(Not saying you are wrong James, but I just can't believe Lotus would do this and therefore would like some proof)
Giles (aka Doubting Thomas)

<sarcastic mode> So you're saying they park the finished cars outside the factory then, aren't you? </sarcastic mode>

muhaha

Craigy