Scottish Elises

...or has anyone else bought an Elise (new or otherwise, new in my case) and 6 months in been utterly, utterly ***kin' p!ssed off with it?

So far;
I've been stuck inside it (inner door release)
Been unable to listen to the radio (aerial)
Gotten wet (a few leaks)
Been unable to use the drivers window (mech)
Not been able to close either of the doors (sticking door release buttons - passengers is goosed atm)
Been deafened by the back box falling apart
Been beaten up by angry neighbours and deafened further (faulty alarm sounder due to water ingress apparently)

All within the first 6 months of a brand new car! I've wanted an Elise for the last 12 years but have ended up with other things instead. In that time I've probably had around 15 other cars which have cumulatively given less trouble!

Murray have been good at sorting out the issues but it's really starting to get to me now! Please tell me I'm not the only one and it'll come good soon...

It will all come good soon.......

That is probably a one off list with a new car, but hopefully each fault will get sorted out in turn.

tut

Its been a few years now since I have owed one I had almost forgotten all the problems these fantastic little vehicles like to throw at you. I had at approx 10 trips back to MMC over the course of 1 year to resolve a MIL light issue. MMC replaced the ECU in the end, credit to MMC for sorting it out under warranty (car was pre-owned not new). I look back at that period with the proverbial rose tinted specs i think. IMO a Lotus should be a second car. You can keep it away from bad weather, keep it looking pretty , enjoy the sunny days and always have your first cars as a backup in the event of a problem which statistically IMO is pretty likely to occur. That all said when I do have the budget for a second car again , I still cant find anything else I would prefer over an Elise/Exige

mines a 2001 and hasnt missed a beat in the 3 years ive had it.

not very helpful i know. im just gloating

Honda engine........

tut

Winter blues, mate, although it does sound like you've had more than your fair share of niggles.

It'll never be as reliable as a car made by robots in Germany. Remind yourself that your car was hand-built. You own a hand-built sports car, and that's a very cool achievement, but does mean that some of the tolerances might be a bit... leaky. It's a pain at times, but you have a warranty and you can lean on Murrays, and you'll end up with a well sorted car before summer comes around. There's a lot of help here for technical issues if you're ever struggling. The more you fix on your car, the more you learn about it. (OK, I'm really struggling to put a positive spin on this!)

I hope you've had some good drives too last year, and summer's coming so there are plenty more to come in 2015 and beyond. Ahhhh, that first day of the year where the girls are suddenly wearing short skirts again, the Oakleys come out of hibernation, and it's definitely sunny enough to get the roof off without wearing a woolly hat, and you've finished washing the car, and you're not on call, and you've definitely got nothing better to do than go for a tacky spev in your Lotus. That day is pure magic for Elise owners, and it happens every single year!

Chin up, and I hope it all gets sorted.

tut wrote:Honda engine........

tut

good point!

That does sound unlucky

I got my 1st Lotus, a Turbo Esprit, in 1995 and have had a Lotus somewhere in the garage since then.
Despite the Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious moniker, I can only remember one niggle and that was with a brand new 111R when the drivers window refused to go all the way up. Even then, it was sorted back at MMC in no time. No great consolation to you tho

I had an S1 years ago (when it was nearly new) as my daily. It never missed a beat. I have now had for quite a few years, another higher mileage S1, which does require maintenance and upkeep (show me a 15 year old car that doesn't), but has proven to be reliable.

I too would be disappointed with the experience that you have endured. However, when the sky is blue, the road is clear, you will reap the benefits of your patience in getting through the problems. I would expect that you will at some point (hopefully soon) reach the end of the niggles and have a trouble free car for years to come.

Dominic wrote:However, when the sky is blue, the road is clear, you will reap the benefits of your patience in getting through the problems.

When is that?

Kidding, agree with above. You got haven't had the chance to enjoy a good summer yet, hopefully this will be the end of issues for you.

Here's a cross post I put on Seloc commenting on Elise S thread and in it you can see my issues, most problems in first 6-8mnrhs and there after fine.

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I bought and ordered from new and took delivery in July 2013 on the 1% finance deal. I had orginally been thinking 2-3yr old Evora / Exige, once I had driven them all back to back I still loved the two seater and smaller car feel.

Anyhow, the Elise S for me it was due to extra power, fuel economy and road tax all being just right. Yes the Elise SC has slightly more revs at the top end over the newer S, but road tax was higher and slightly lower mpg.

BUT the biggest reason was buying from new for the very first time! Simply wanted to do it once in my life and I hope to own this car for a long time. Therefore I specd everything on mine that I could.

Since owning from new it has had a few issues to deal within the 1st 6 months:
- multiple broken cables (reverse gear, boot cable)
- gear change was awful until a newer set of cables were installed with different gear box oil.
- front headlamps are still due to be replaced next service as lacquer has spider cracks all over them and they look sh*t.
- driver side door and clams have had multiple realignments to solve rubbing paint issues.

Aside from those problems everything else has been awesome... My mileage is at 12,000 after 18 months of ownership.

I love the engine and power delivery, sports pack gives ideal blend for my everyday drives and my 2-3 yearly track days, Exige seats with alacatara are snug / warm in winter and comfy... And Ac sorts out those cold misted up windows.

This year it's my only daily car (wife has VW Touareg) and winter wheels / tyres have gone on which have been one of my best upgrades for winter. Coupled with the hardtop I'm genuinely enjoying using it up north.

My wife regularly drives it when she would not use the S1 being to raw and cold. Daughter loves me taking her to school and she comes along on my Sunday drives too.

Cracking all round car... My track days start again in March and the only thing I don't use is the cruise control.

I've been considering ordering the Cup R edition but cannot justify the expense. I maybe tempted by retrofitting the aero kit though

To also add my service and support from Murrys in Edinburgh has been excellent and they've always listened and dealt with my questions / problems swiftly.

Mr McGrew, we are in a similar position Hoping next time it goes in, it comes back with no new issues

Spring and dry roads are not far away.

It is disappointing when a new car has niggles , wish Lotus could get things right the first time and learn from owners feedback.

My Elise was sorted by its first owner and never missed a beat for me. The Evora has been back to MMC and has been sorted first try which is really good.

If you had got an Elise in the first place it would be sorted by now. Have had issues with new Fords and Citroen that were never ever fixed to my satisfaction, its just your luck.

Dipper wrote:

tut wrote:Honda engine........

tut

good point!

nah, its just that he NEVER uses it

We've had 2 new ones.

I don't know if this is still true but in my utterly unscientific test the problem is the new cars aren't quite finished when you get them. I mean they are NEARLY finished but they need a bit of TLC before they work properly.

After 3-6 months in they run beautifully, all you hear is the roar of the exhaust and the rush of air. And your life will be like this for the next 2 and a half years until the head gasket fails.