RE: Driven: Lotus Elise S

[98elise]

kambites said:

To be fair I haven't suffered from any of them (yet),

Check it isn't an mr2 with a body kit

[juansolo]

NGK210 said:

So what's the problem? Are the components all low-grade tat? Are the cars simply badly designed and engineered? Is the workforce under-paid, poorly treated and, in turn, resentful and, therefore, slapdash?

Probably a bit of the first two. Not sure what the staff are like, but some cars are definitely better than others...

The clip that holds the indicators in that break and bit that let go in my door were just plastic and weak. The resistor pack for the fan speed controller is a location/design issue. It's sat in a 'basin' under the rad exposed to the elements. It fills up with water, the pack corrodes and lets go. Not a warranty item by the way. They seem to think it's like a fuse (which is bullst). £600 to replace a £10 part as it's a clam off job. The fix so it doesn't happen again, drill some holes in the 'basin'. FBW accelerator was apparently another known problem that required a new sender and a re-map. Another £600 clam off job, but that was covered.

My issue with them is that Elises always seem to have a set of common problems (they vary from S1 to S2) and they just don't get fixed. They get bodged (fix for the indicators is to fasten it back in with some elastic...) usually with the response, they all do that sir...

All the fancy tie ins, the marketing, the rest of it is all bks if they can't sort out the quality. They have a great (but flawed) product. They need to fix their flaws.

[otolith]

To be fair, I don't think my Elise has suffered any more niggles than anything else I've owned.

[NGK210]

otolith said:

To be fair, I don't think my Elise has suffered any more niggles than anything else I've owned.

Good grief, that's one helluva statement - what else have you owned that, in reliability terms, were/are comparable to an Elise??!!

The mind boggles: an 80s Alfa, a TVR, a 90s Range Rover, current Aston...?

[NGK210]

juansolo said:

... The resistor pack for the fan speed controller is a location/design issue. It's sat in a 'basin' under the rad exposed to the elements. It fills up with water, the pack corrodes and lets go ...

juansolo said:

...Not a warranty item by the way. They seem to think it's like a fuse ...

Pretty sure Trading Standards would argue that the design is "not fit for purpose"?

[kambites]

The resistor pack is one of the few bits that Lotus actually fixed properly in later cars.

[kazino]

Looks like a great bit of kit, and for the price it will monster things costing double it, so in that respect good value too.
Hope to pick one up after depreciation has done its job

[otolith]

NGK210 said:

Good grief, that's one helluva statement - what else have you owned that, in reliability terms, were/are comparable to an Elise??!!

The mind boggles: an 80s Alfa, a TVR, a 90s Range Rover, current Aston...?

Well, let me see - it has a bit of paint blistering on the door, but that's not as bad as the rusty sills the MX-5 had. The central locking ECU failure was pretty similar to the electric window ECU failure we currently have on the 350Z. The indicator unit coming loose isn't something I've had similar on anything else, but then it hasn't needed a new wheel bearing like the Z or the Impreza, or a new fuel injector like the Civic Type-R or shat its engine innards out on the M6 like the impreza did... It's had a few niggles, but it has basically been reliable - if you read the long term tests of new cars in magazines, it's been no trouble at all compared to some.

[juansolo]

NGK210 said:

otolith said:

To be fair, I don't think my Elise has suffered any more niggles than anything else I've owned.

Good grief, that's one helluva statement - what else have you owned that, in reliability terms, were/are comparable to an Elise??!!

The mind boggles: an 80s Alfa, a TVR, a 90s Range Rover, current Aston...?

I've only owned one car worse for reliability. It was a Westfield Cosworth. Engine was a completely bespoke N/A YB. Most of the problems with that can be put down to the builder (certainly the engine letting go). When I had it rebuilt it was essentially as a race car (hard mounted engine) where it set about rattling itself to bits amongst other things. When it ran it was glorious and mentally quick... It's replacement (Zetec) was conversely one of the most solid, brilliant, cheapest to run and reliable cars I've ever owned.

I'd like another Elise as there's nothing like them. The problem is that I want one that's like the later Westy, not the earlier one. They exist, it's just a bit of a lottery.

[Si_man306]

Captain Muppet said:

Yes, maybe they should think about a range of entirely new cars, and maybe announce them two years ago.

Totally agree, unfortunately, due to the issues that Lotus are having at the moment, it seems almost certain that none of their 'new range' cars which were announced then are going to get built. If the company does go under, that will have been a huge part of the mistakes made.

The elise was one of the best automotive ideas ever IMHO, i'm just saying that they need to somehow revive the magic they had there. Even the suggested new models were way out of the price brackets of anyone who had bought an elise.

[NGK210]

otolith said:

Well, let me see ... it hasn't needed ...a new fuel injector like the Civic Type-R or shat its engine innards out on the M6 like the impreza did...

Well, there's a myth shattered - so much for bombproof Japanese engines.

[otolith]

NGK210 said:

Well, there's a myth shattered - so much for bombproof Japanese engines.

No such thing, IMO, Japanese or otherwise.