Scottish Elises

Had the last few days off on holiday, since work has been quite stressful, and went for a nice wee run in the sunshine today. Got as far as Straiton and the car pished all its coolant all over the road and overheated, like it did a couple of weeks ago.

No worries, it did this 2 weeks ago, and I just called the AA. Then I remembered I left my mobile on the kitchen worktop. Bugger! So I wander around the countryside till I find a phonebox. Bloody keypad doesn't work, but thankfully I do some kind of morse code pish and the operator comes on. Reverse charge call to Murray's to let them know what's going on.

Then I can't get back through to the operator, so I walk to a coffee shop in Straiton and use their phone to call the AA. They give me a line about wanting to send an engineer before they order a flatbed, and it takes a lot of arguing to tell them it's a repeat problem, and they eventually agree to just send a flatbed. The guy dropped me off near the house (but not so close that the neighbours could scoff like they did last time it went away).

I'm at the stage now where I just can't be bothered with the car. I think I'm just going to give Graeme a call and see if we can work out a deal to leave it with them, and settle the finance as cheaply as possible. I don't need a car to get to and from work now, so could just get the bus which takes 10mins.

It's a shame as when I was out with some of you at the weekend I had a lot of fun in the car again, but it's rattling like a barsteward underneath, keeps leaking cooland, and the steering/wishbones keep making a crappy sound. The warranty is about to expire, and I don't trust it not to start costing me a lot of money, as I've had quite a few faults in the last 6 months.

I am a bit pissed off right now, so may not be making the best decision. Any impartial advice? This intention isn't to slag off Murray's, I just want some suggestions as to what you would do if you were me.

Cheers,

ditch it and buy a S1

Mate only thing i would say is been there myself...

I sold it and got a replacement - but still getting small problems like all cars do..

Try decide if the good times outweigh the bad

They definitely do outweigh the bad, but it's doing without the car while it's getting sorted, and having to explain to people all the time what's wrong when it's gubbed that's getting me down.

I know the feeling...

Unless you are very very competent with doing your own spannering this is what Elise ownership seems to be like.

My car has something wrong with it every single time I drive it. The last one did too. I am useless with fixing stuff, so I channel my energy into hating the car instead. It doesn't help.

My car is currently very down on power (probably due to a very leaky zorst, more misfires, etc), in need of 2 tyres, unrainproof because the window glass fell out again, has about 40 noises I need to investigate, won't change gear in the cold and thats not to mention all the minor cosmetic stuff... Some days I would gladly give the effing thing away!

But, I know that most of the above can be sorted in a spare weekend. OK, I've got as many of those as I have tits, but this weekend is looking good...

My advice? Elises are the pits for reliability. Get over it. Get it fixed. Get it back on the road, and remember why you bought it!

Graeme (MMC) can't buy stock just now, so I've asked Bill about buying another year's warranty to keep me right until he's able to buy stock and we'll look at it again. While they've got it I've asked them to investigate my other issues, and keep it as long as necessary so they're sorted before it comes back.

I was just thinking how great the car looked today all clean and was beginning to enjoy it again, and it packed in. The joys of sports car motoring eh?

I'm tempted to go for an '08 Elise SC (so long as I could have that bloody spoiler ripped off), or an early Exige S but the sensible side of me keeps wondering if it would be any different an ownership prospect than the 111R I have now.

I'll be up bright and early for the bus tomorrow, ripe for a ribbing as usual then.

Shocker - I'd get Ali to have a look over your car mate - sounds like it wasn sorted properly in the first instance.

My 111r was bullet proof for 2 years then the fiasco began. But i really gave it some stick at times.

Since Ali left MMC though, there is no danger i would leave one of my cars there Graeme a great chap, but he is not supported in the way he should be by the backroom guys.

seriously... im on Scotty's side... go for an S1.
You probably think that im biased, but you know it makes sense.

Lets be honest, the S1 isnt any more reliable, but its a hell of a lot cheaper than your 06 plate. For the extra money you have left buy something to let you commute as well as the S1.
You will get to have the occasional run in the elise when you have a bad day and at the weekends.

That means you can use excuses like you fancied taking the sensible (or boring) car out to work today (dont tell them its fecked!)
It makes you appreciate how good it is when you are driving another car.
I've got a 54-plate Vectra SRI 150 CDTI and its never skipped a beat, is an excellent cheap cruiser for the money and is cheap as hell to run.

the only problem is getting rid of your current elise....

Rotten luck Gaz not sure what advice to give you - hoep it gets fixed soon.

Thats a bit crap mate.

I could have mine today, if it could have been siezed on it was. I now have boomerang shaped outer toe-links and a front wheel that wont come off (lock nut cover with a socket stuck on it)

ETA, at least the gringer came in handy

My twopenneth.


Lotus's quality control is poor, so the car you get new is not entirely finished. Your "new" car will require a number of visits over the first year to MMC for fixing of the niggles that Lotus's QC didn't pick up on, or design faults that have yet to be rectified.
AFAIK MMC charge Lotus for these visits and they are the subject of much internal wrangling, so for many reasons MMC will not always fix your car. Not deliberately, just maybe rush it or make a mistake having one eye on the meter as it were.

You will then get a couple of years of relatively stress free motoring at which point your car will need major maintenance of some description (brakes, suspension, cooling, electrics etc).


Options.

1. You want to go fast and not suffer rattles or the indignity of keep breaking down. You can't afford any more money than you spent on the Lotus. Buy a Scooby/Evo and spend the money you save on petrol. They are bullet proof cars and they are quicker. But the image is a bit dodgy and the driving experience is way too clinical for me.

2. A secondhand Porsche/BM/Audi. You will go as quick. The image sucks. Reliability is good (although not as perfect as you may have heard). The driving experience in the BM/Audi is different again and not me (but it might be you - most folk hate the Elise!). If they go wrong they will get fixed, probably first time. Big bills every now and again. Porsche is a great car but everyone will think it is your wifes. Or your boyfriends.

3. S1/ early S2. Accept you are running a classic. Lousy reliabilty compared to any of the above but tiny bills if done via this forum. Time consuming though. You can easily afford a second car, so get something cool and you mind so much not having the Elise. Or buy two S1s

4. Your current plan. Car will be reliable soon. Nag MMC until they fix it, if it is under warranty get a courtesy car. Keep taking it back until everything, rattles included, are fixed and you will be fine for a couple of years. It is a more satisfying drive than everything but option 3. It is a better status symbol than all of the above, unless you get a mint S1 (which will break).


Small scale maufacturers make the best cars because, for me, the best cars are light and nimble and the public, as a whole, don't want that. They want bling and airbags. But small scale manufacturers can't build reliable cars, they don't have the budget. BMW spent more on the design of the windows of the new 3 series than Lotus spent on the design of the entire S1. That is why your car rattles, and squeaks, and breaks.

But when the sun is shining, and you feel the tyres right on the edge of adhesion on that long, long, 70 mph corner, and you gently squeeze the throttle as you pass the apex and start to straighten the wheel, and no lights flicker on the dashboard to tell you electronics are helping ('cos there aren't any) and you know that you couldn't have got round there any quicker, then it is worth all those long November afternoons swearing down the phone at MMC...


(It's normally just after that corner that some cnut in a S/C Honda S1 screams past you but hey you know what I mean.)


P

Man...as a new Lotus owner all this chat makes me worried...so far I have to say our 111R is amazing, really feels well put together! (touch wood, etc)

Gaz - I reckon you have to just follow your heart. Pete's options above seem to ring true but I reckon that you should really pressure MMC and Lotus into resolving your issues warranty or not, I just can't see that it's right to buy something for £30,000 or so and have it break down so often in the first two years. Sounds like they should admit a major fault and replace or rebuild the engine? Or am I just being daft/optimistic?

Phraze with a brand new car nothing to worry about (usually)...

But Elises break.... (i know some on here havent)....

In the end i think the leaks, breaks, problems etc are all part and parcel of owning a Lotus and make it unique.

Will happen to everyone of us just depends if you can be bothered with it or not!

I am making sure I touch lots of wood here but... Wendy and I bought our 1st elise, an S2, from new 4 years ago and ran it for 2 years without any issues whatsoever. We traded it in for a new 111R 2 years ago and, apart from a solitary glitch with an electric window which took 15 mins to fix, it continues to run perfectly without issue. Similarly my s1 exige has been almost faultless over the past 18 months and the only issue I had with the engine was fairly easily solved after taking some advice from the forum gurus. Even the 2 Esprits I have had seem to have been built on good days since both were fairly uneventful in terms of needing fixed.

Jim
/off to hug a tree faction