[komiko]

? Something you have done or have had to do - that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy? Serpentine belt?

 

[Ziker]

for me at 6'4 anything under the dash. I got stuck between the seat and the wheel while modding the pedals. It was a near freakout trying to wiggle free. Now I remove the seat if I have to go under there.

 

[chris2869]

Thermostat is a real pita.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Changing the oil. With the undertray on the Elise I had to jack the car up on one side to drain the used oil into a pan. It was a mess.

 

[Doge]

If we are talking just "maintenance" items then yes, probably doing the belt or maybe a coolant flush cause bleeding it can be a pain. All the other maintenance things are straight forward and pretty simple (air filter, oil change, plugs).

 

[Nessal]

Timing belts and water pumps.

 

[MadMan]

for me at 6'4 anything under the dash. I got stuck between the seat and the wheel while modding the pedals. It was a near freakout trying to wiggle free. Now I remove the seat if I have to go under there.

Hey Ziker - you and I would stand eye to eye; what pedal mods did you perform? Any tips/suggestions, or things to avoid? I'm looking to maximize legroom too. THX!

 

[komiko]

for me at 6'4 anything under the dash. I got stuck between the seat and the wheel while modding the pedals. It was a near freakout trying to wiggle free. Now I remove the seat if I have to go under there.

i hear you - i'm only 5'8", and we had to call the fire department to get me out from under the dash. Pulling the seats - new task to learn...

 

[me73]

Timing belts and water pumps.

-eek- If you're doing a timing belt on your Elise, you've got a problem.

 

[me73]

Changing oil and bleeding brakes isn't hard, but the diffuser sure makes it tedious. Seems like it adds about 25% more time to both jobs.

 

[sturgeongeneral]

i hear you - i'm only 5'8", and we had to call the fire department to get me out from under the dash. Pulling the seats - new task to learn...

Ouch! Does not sound fun!

 

[komiko]

yup - that other guy who thinks a scratch in his aluminum tub is bad? He should see the marks left by the "jaws of life".
Of course i am kidding.

 

[LionZoo]

yup - that other guy who thinks a scratch in his aluminum tub is bad? He should see the marks left by the "jaws of life".
Of course i am kidding.

Pics or it didn't happen!

On a serious note, I think the Lotus has drawn more blood from me than any other car I've owned. And I've only owned the Lotus for a year!

 

[Silver_Surfer]

I haven't done it yet, but I am dreading replacing the radiator.

 

[aschen]

HVAC resistor pack. It is a maintenance item and it is comically tragic how hard it is to get to......20 hour job seriously

 

[jefrac]

I have not really found any regular maintenance items that were difficult to perform. Fluids, belt, brake pads, etc., all reasonably simple.

On the time vs reward scale, I could complain about the air filter. Its a simple thing and should take a minute, maybe two to inspect and/or change. I tend to be a little OCD about air filters and check them frequently. Its just not that way on the Elise. The bad part is that I have seen two track days make it look like I sucked an entire hoosier into the intake. Other times, maybe when I am not catching anyone, it stays clean. It would be nice to have a simpler system that could be accessed from the engine bay instead of the wheel well. Eh, not a huge deal.

Changing the thermostat was not fun, but that is not really "maintenance", more of a repair. You can kind of see it, and barely reach it, just not at the same time.

 

[jefrac]

I haven't done it yet, but I am dreading replacing the radiator.

Honestly, the radiator was not bad. If you have had the front clam off before, the radiator is not much beyond that. It was less than 4 hours start to finish since the clam went quickly. Make sure you have 8mm and 10mm ratcheting box end wrenches with swivel heads.

 

[Silver_Surfer]

Honestly, the radiator was not bad. If you have had the front clam off before, the radiator is not much beyond that. It was less than 4 hours start to finish since the clam went quickly. Make sure you have 8mm and 10mm ratcheting box end wrenches with swivel heads.

Thanks for the tips! I haven't had the front clam off yet. I guess the part I am dreading is all the time it takes, especially the bleeding.

How's replacing the clutch in these cars?

 

[turbophil]

HVAC resistor pack. It is a maintenance item and it is comically tragic how hard it is to get to......20 hour job seriously

+1. This, without a shadow of a doubt, takes the cake... doesn't matter if you have the right tools and shop or not, this is a crap job on these cars if there ever was one...

 

[GR82DRV]

Have to agree with the air filter work verses reward... PITA. It makes me want to change the whole air box just to better access the filter.

I didn't even bother with the thermostat. I had a pro do the job.