Possible buying nightmare - please help

[funkyfish]

On the second day of owning my new pride and joy (S2 Silver Elise 13.5k miles)I discovered a receipt from a bodyshop for repairs from an accident in January.

The vendor had assured me the car had no faults, hadnt been tracked and hadnt had any accidents. He has since told me that it has has a front ender but only the clamshell was damaged and replaced (but can he be trusted !)

My concern is that this accident may have been a lot more serious than claimed. It has totally spoilt my enjoyment of the car and now every noise is causing me concern.

I would be grateful if other s2 owners would confirm if the following are normal to expect;

1) Rattling / Clunking noises from passenger side Footwell or under seat.

2) Very noisy gearbox - rattling/chatter in most gears, especially when lifting off power after hard acceleration.

3) when brakes are depressed at speed in straight line there is a very noticeable dull vibration

I would be grateful for all help and opinions and would be especially glad to hear from any s2 owners in the bournemouth and poole area that would like to come and see for themselves/give me advice, take me for a spin in their car.

thanks





>>> Edited by funkyfish on Monday 17th May 23:19

[S Works]

Suggest you get on the phone to the bodyshop and find out more about the extent of the repairs that were done. That might put your mind at rest. How much was the receipt for by the way? Is it itemised?

Also maybe try and do some homework on the bodyshop itself - are they reputable, recommended by others etc.? Will give you some more info on how good a job it was. Chances are it could just have been a knock.

Did you get the car checked over by a Lotus specialist before you bought it?

P.S. don't forget, you hear a lot more knocks, rattles and hums in an Elise than a regular euro-box... if in doubt get it checked over by a specialist. As I mentioned in a previous post, Miles @ Fibreglass Services in Arundel is recommended.


>> Edited by S Works on Monday 17th May 23:11

[bogie]

2) is normal

1) and 3) dunno - youd have to drive another car to compare - after beinge without an Elise for 3 months last year and then getting back in my car, I imagined all sorts of things were not right due to squeaks/noises I was not used to - turned out they were all there before, id just forgotton about them.

Get down to a meet, or a good local dealer/specialist and ask their advice/drive some other cars

[UH-Matt]

Those noises seem pretty standard

[chuck_ster]

Have an HPI check done on your car is my advice.
Chuck

[Ruxpin]

If the seller deliberately misled you by saying the car had not been damaged when he knew it had, are you not able to claim he has sold you something different from advertised and hence under trading standards ask for your money back. (i'm certainly no expert at this but i'm sure there is some law that if you specifically ask about something they can't lie)

Aside from that - yes elises do make an awful lot of noise/crashing over bumps etc but worth getting an HPI and contacting the body shop

Good luck

[funkyfish]

hi all thanks for your comments

i did get a history check done - returned nothing !!!

as for the bodyshop, the vendor got to them first so I can trust what they say either.

car is great fun though so may be looking for some sort of recompense due to the misrepresentation

[cuzza]

Bummer - did you get it inspected?

If the recipt has 'sold as seen' on it then I don't you have much recompense (sp) as you're deemed to have accepted it unless the car is dangerous when you might be able to get something form the small claims courts**

The rattles are probably normal - the first few times you drive it, the car sounds like it's going to fall apart - think of it as feedback!!

The brakes could be warped disks, wheel bearing on the way out, build up of crap on the disks or maybe that you're used to driving a car with mushy brakes with no feel (pretty much all cars in relation to the Elise

The gearbox on the Elise isn't the best, if you get a whine on lift off then don't worry, the change is quick mechanical in feel too

How much did you pay for it??

Cheer up, get the roof off and go for a blast!!

** I am an engineer and know nothing of the legal processes in this or any other country

[rfoster]

The vehicle will only show up on HPI if the vehicle has been seriously damaged and assessed as being repairable or unrepairable, and therefore minor cosmetic accidents are not registered. So I wouldn't be too worried about that although I understand it can dampen your spirits! Rattles and squeaks are pretty much the norm on these cars, I don't think your brake vibration would be anything to do with the accident at all. If in doubt, it might be worth shelling out for a geometry check on the vehicle so make sure it's all nice & straight.
On the plus side, look out the window! It's sunny and you've got the best soft top car on the road, bar none. Enjoy!

[stoker]

funkyfish said:

I would be grateful if other s2 owners would confirm if the following are normal to expect; 1) Rattling / Clunking noises from passenger side Footwell or under seat. 2) Very noisy gearbox - rattling/chatter in most gears, especially when lifting off power after hard acceleration. 3) when brakes are depressed at speed in straight line there is a very noticeable dull vibration

1) I had this - My passenger footwell was held down with velcro, but was a bit too far forward and clunked against the chassis sometimes. Repositioned it and it's fine now.

2) Hmm - Define "very noisy" - noise on the overrun is normal so you're probably ok.

3) Not so good - sounds like a warped disk to me, but I'm no expert. You need to find out if there was a full suspension / geo check after the accident, as even a well placed pothole can knock things out of alignment... If there have been a few hundred miles since the accident then check that the tyres are wearing evenly

I'd be happy to take you out for a spin in mine, but you'd have to be in Bristol!

Stoker.

[wendyg]

funkyfish said:

3) when brakes are depressed at speed in straight line there is a very noticeable dull vibration

I found the brakes on my first Elise a bit noisy, and took it back to the dealer. They advised that I was being far too gentle with the brakes as they need to get nice and hot before they work properly. Since then I've had no trouble.

[donkeyboy]

if it was a dealer that sold this to you and has mislead you then i think that they need to be named and shamed. I live in Bournemouth and i don't want to be cought out by the same dealer. maybe try and get some free servicing from them or the like as compensation.

I hope all works out

DB

[funkyfish]

Dont worry it was a private sale.

I am awaiting official confirmation that the accident was only minor from his insurance company.