The classic daily!
The classic daily!
Hi Folks,
I drooled over the S1 Elise for many years and a couple of weeks ago I finally got my own to drool over! I'm absolutely the worst at buying cars and the first Elise I went to view I bought. Unfortunately I have already had some teething problems but the Garage have been nothing short of outstanding getting it sorted. I have a couple of questions and hope you kind folks can answer them for me.
- Leaking! The soft top appears to be in very good condition, almost new, but still leaks like a sieve. I purchased a elemental shower cap to help things but am I better to just bite the bullet and go for a hard top? If so what are the best options?
- The teething problems I mentioned earlier meant the car wouldn't start after all this horrendous rain we have had. Water has found its way into the spark plug tubes and the distributor cap and considering this will be a daily driver, living out side, in Scotland (oh god, what have I done!) are there any solutions?
Many thanks,
Colin.
Re: The classic daily!
Hi Colin,
Welcome along.
Roof - don't think a hardtop will make it any more watertight, but make sure the windows are adjusted properly - they can change it from a flood to a drip. S1 production tolerances being what they are, they might need re-adjusted if you do put a hardtop on it.
Plug tubes - couple of ways to do it. Pikey is to run a bead of silicone down the sides of the spark plug cover. You can try new leads as the seals will be better, or the whole hog is to get the S2 Rover cam cover, which encases it all in plastic. Silicone works fine though. If it's living outside, a full car cover isn't the worst investment for the worst of the torrential rain though.
Welcome along.
Roof - don't think a hardtop will make it any more watertight, but make sure the windows are adjusted properly - they can change it from a flood to a drip. S1 production tolerances being what they are, they might need re-adjusted if you do put a hardtop on it.
Plug tubes - couple of ways to do it. Pikey is to run a bead of silicone down the sides of the spark plug cover. You can try new leads as the seals will be better, or the whole hog is to get the S2 Rover cam cover, which encases it all in plastic. Silicone works fine though. If it's living outside, a full car cover isn't the worst investment for the worst of the torrential rain though.
2010 Honda VFR1200F
1990 Honda VFR400 NC30
2000 Honda VTR1000 SP1
2000 Kawasaki ZX-7R
1990 Honda VFR400 NC30
2000 Honda VTR1000 SP1
2000 Kawasaki ZX-7R
Re: The classic daily!
Welcome along!
What Shug said! My hard top leaks more than my soft top. Where is your soft top leaking? Around the side windows?... TADS...
What Shug said! My hard top leaks more than my soft top. Where is your soft top leaking? Around the side windows?... TADS...
- StiflerMR2
- Posts: 1791
- Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 12:53 pm
- Location: Newcastle
Re: The classic daily!
Welcome Colin!
Yup, my S1 lives outside and leaks in at the windows (near the windscreen join).
I normally adjust them (well, Mr Moncreiff does) and that improves it, until they drop again...but they all do that
Yup, my S1 lives outside and leaks in at the windows (near the windscreen join).
I normally adjust them (well, Mr Moncreiff does) and that improves it, until they drop again...but they all do that
Re: The classic daily!
Alan
S2 111S
S2 111S
Re: The classic daily!
Thanks for the reply Shug, I think the garage is going to use the Pikey technique as its a method they have used previously on TVRs that suffer the same problem. Do you know where I could find a S2 cam cover as the only ones I can see are carbon?Shug wrote:Hi Colin,
Welcome along.
Roof - don't think a hardtop will make it any more watertight, but make sure the windows are adjusted properly - they can change it from a flood to a drip. S1 production tolerances being what they are, they might need re-adjusted if you do put a hardtop on it.
Plug tubes - couple of ways to do it. Pikey is to run a bead of silicone down the sides of the spark plug cover. You can try new leads as the seals will be better, or the whole hog is to get the S2 Rover cam cover, which encases it all in plastic. Silicone works fine though. If it's living outside, a full car cover isn't the worst investment for the worst of the torrential rain though.
That is surprising and slightly disappointing. Is your hard top a OEM one? I better get used to a wet car! hahaDominic wrote:Welcome along!
What Shug said! My hard top leaks more than my soft top. Where is your soft top leaking? Around the side windows?... TADS...
I will try adjusting the windows and see if that helps.StiflerMR2 wrote:Welcome Colin!
Yup, my S1 lives outside and leaks in at the windows (near the windscreen join).
I normally adjust them (well, Mr Moncreiff does) and that improves it, until they drop again...but they all do that
Thanks AJTAJT wrote:
- mwmackenzie
- Posts: 4308
- Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:22 pm
- Location: Edinburgh
Re: The classic daily!
welcome!
My old S1 lived outside too, I fitted the S2 cover over my cam cover and it stopped any moisture issues immediately. Touching wood here but neither my S1 or S2 leaked at all, as posted above window adjustment should keep you dry unless the water is coming through the roof itself??
This was my S1 engine
My old S1 lived outside too, I fitted the S2 cover over my cam cover and it stopped any moisture issues immediately. Touching wood here but neither my S1 or S2 leaked at all, as posted above window adjustment should keep you dry unless the water is coming through the roof itself??
This was my S1 engine
Mark MacKenzie
BMW Z4 3.0si, [R14 MMK] To be Ring ready soon
Fancy Ass Merc thingy S [R4 MMK] 85% MacKenzie'd Family Spec
BMW Z4 3.0si, [R14 MMK] To be Ring ready soon
Fancy Ass Merc thingy S [R4 MMK] 85% MacKenzie'd Family Spec
Re: The classic daily!
My hard top was supplied with my car new from Lotus (was part of the Sport135 spec IIRC). My windows are not best adjusted, but as the car lives in a garage most of the the time, I have not been too bothered about it. My first S1 also had a factory hard top, which leaked a little, but the soft top was fairly water tight on that car. I used the hard top during the winter, more as a security measure as that car was my daily too, and my place of work was not in the most affluent area of Glasgow!
Re: The classic daily!
That looks like an excellent solution and will save me picking out silicon when the plugs are needing changed, do Lotus still make these or is it an Ebay job? The leaks are only from the windows as far as I can tell so hopefully an afternoon (okay, a day!) adjusting them will keep me dry.mwmackenzie wrote:welcome!
My old S1 lived outside too, I fitted the S2 cover over my cam cover and it stopped any moisture issues immediately. Touching wood here but neither my S1 or S2 leaked at all, as posted above window adjustment should keep you dry unless the water is coming through the roof itself??
This was my S1 engine
I'm also in and around Glasgow so the added security would be a nice bonus. Was there any noticeable difference in the noise with the hard top on?Dominic wrote:My hard top was supplied with my car new from Lotus (was part of the Sport135 spec IIRC). My windows are not best adjusted, but as the car lives in a garage most of the the time, I have not been too bothered about it. My first S1 also had a factory hard top, which leaked a little, but the soft top was fairly water tight on that car. I used the hard top during the winter, more as a security measure as that car was my daily too, and my place of work was not in the most affluent area of Glasgow!
Thanks,
Colin.
- mwmackenzie
- Posts: 4308
- Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:22 pm
- Location: Edinburgh
Re: The classic daily!
I picked the cover up used off a member on here who was doing a Honda conversion on his S2
Mark MacKenzie
BMW Z4 3.0si, [R14 MMK] To be Ring ready soon
Fancy Ass Merc thingy S [R4 MMK] 85% MacKenzie'd Family Spec
BMW Z4 3.0si, [R14 MMK] To be Ring ready soon
Fancy Ass Merc thingy S [R4 MMK] 85% MacKenzie'd Family Spec
Re: The classic daily!
2015 Lotus Evora
2020 Skoda Kodiaq Sportline
2020 Skoda Kodiaq Sportline
Re: The classic daily!
I don't think the hard top is any quieter. If any thing it may be noisier. Some foam ear plugs help to look after your hearing, make long journeys less tiring and most of all, make the stereo clearer to listen to.Hobu wrote:That looks like an excellent solution and will save me picking out silicon when the plugs are needing changed, do Lotus still make these or is it an Ebay job? The leaks are only from the windows as far as I can tell so hopefully an afternoon (okay, a day!) adjusting them will keep me dry.mwmackenzie wrote:welcome!
My old S1 lived outside too, I fitted the S2 cover over my cam cover and it stopped any moisture issues immediately. Touching wood here but neither my S1 or S2 leaked at all, as posted above window adjustment should keep you dry unless the water is coming through the roof itself??
This was my S1 engine
I'm also in and around Glasgow so the added security would be a nice bonus. Was there any noticeable difference in the noise with the hard top on?Dominic wrote:My hard top was supplied with my car new from Lotus (was part of the Sport135 spec IIRC). My windows are not best adjusted, but as the car lives in a garage most of the the time, I have not been too bothered about it. My first S1 also had a factory hard top, which leaked a little, but the soft top was fairly water tight on that car. I used the hard top during the winter, more as a security measure as that car was my daily too, and my place of work was not in the most affluent area of Glasgow!
Thanks,
Colin.
Whereabouts in Glasgow are you? I am based in Robroyston
Re: The classic daily!
I never thought there was much difference between the hard too and the soft top re noise levels but I think the S1 looks much better with the hard top over the soft top. If the windows are adjusted and the roof is centred right you can substantially reduce the water ingress.
2015 Lotus Evora
2020 Skoda Kodiaq Sportline
2020 Skoda Kodiaq Sportline
Re: The classic daily!
Welcome!
Hardtop is aesthetically nice for colder months.
Decent shower cap will keep the drips out the cabin, and keep the screen clear on frosty / snowy mornings
Welcome to S1 ownership. It's the biz...
Hardtop is aesthetically nice for colder months.
Decent shower cap will keep the drips out the cabin, and keep the screen clear on frosty / snowy mornings
Welcome to S1 ownership. It's the biz...
http://www.rathmhor.com | Coaching, training, consultancy
Re: The classic daily!
I don't suppose you remember how much you paid for it? I have found one for sale but its a bit more than I was expecting.mwmackenzie wrote:I picked the cover up used off a member on here who was doing a Honda conversion on his S2
Dominic wrote:I don't think the hard top is any quieter. If any thing it may be noisier. Some foam ear plugs help to look after your hearing, make long journeys less tiring and most of all, make the stereo clearer to listen to.Hobu wrote:That looks like an excellent solution and will save me picking out silicon when the plugs are needing changed, do Lotus still make these or is it an Ebay job? The leaks are only from the windows as far as I can tell so hopefully an afternoon (okay, a day!) adjusting them will keep me dry.mwmackenzie wrote:welcome!
My old S1 lived outside too, I fitted the S2 cover over my cam cover and it stopped any moisture issues immediately. Touching wood here but neither my S1 or S2 leaked at all, as posted above window adjustment should keep you dry unless the water is coming through the roof itself??
This was my S1 engine
I'm also in and around Glasgow so the added security would be a nice bonus. Was there any noticeable difference in the noise with the hard top on?Dominic wrote:My hard top was supplied with my car new from Lotus (was part of the Sport135 spec IIRC). My windows are not best adjusted, but as the car lives in a garage most of the the time, I have not been too bothered about it. My first S1 also had a factory hard top, which leaked a little, but the soft top was fairly water tight on that car. I used the hard top during the winter, more as a security measure as that car was my daily too, and my place of work was not in the most affluent area of Glasgow!
Thanks,
Colin.
Whereabouts in Glasgow are you? I am based in Robroyston
I'm actually live in Hamilton but my sister lives in Glasgow near Sauchiehall Street, I'm origionally from East Lothian so Glasgow is still strange to me haha
I will keep looking for one but they appear as rare as hen's teeth!j2 lot wrote:I never thought there was much difference between the hard too and the soft top re noise levels but I think the S1 looks much better with the hard top over the soft top. If the windows are adjusted and the roof is centred right you can substantially reduce the water ingress.
Thanks,
Colin.