Man.v.Cars
Emira Fan
So all the panels that are failing.
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Paint blistering on the Rear Quarter Panel...!!! Am I the first??
- Thread starter Yas.totti10
- Start date
Nick in Sydney
Emira Fanatic
Looks like it. I haven't heard of blistering on the front panels or the hood/bonnet. Suggests there is a manufacturing/storage/handling issue at Teijin rather than a problem with the way Lotus paints them. Also raises doubts about whether a repaint actually solves the underlying problem.So all the panels that are failing.
Man.v.Cars
Emira Fan
I spoke with the paint shop yesterday to book my car in and was informed that it was a problem with the base primer used. I would assume they would have been delivered to Lotus with a primer/sealer.
I've posted on another thread how my daily, a Toyota IQ/Scion, had a similar problem. White pearlescent painted cars of 2009 had an incorrect base primer applied that resulted in paint bubbling and lifting. The difference being it took about 7 years for it to come to light. Pics attached. Toyota US resprayed, Toyota UK said tough unless you'd always had the car serviced with them. The panels were steel not composite.
Attachments
freefall_junkie
Emira Fiend
This tallies with what we've heard from a couple of other sources. It sounds like Lotus have improved the drainage of the doors on later cars, but the root cause seems to be faulty primer/sealer. What no one seems to know, including the dealers, is whether all cars before a certain build date are affected or just some batches. No one except Lotus of course and annoying they are not doing the right thing and recalling all affected cars. I have a November 22 build car. No blisters so far but I'd really like to know either that it is not affected, or if it is that it will be fixed within the warranty period.
Nick Sticks
Emira Fan
It's been posted on this forum back in July that modified doors have been fitted since 14/06/2023. The later specification doors have a black/blue primer on the inside. If it's white primer you have the older doors.
I had a Lotus employee say this to me also in September.
The post is here:
Poll for Those with Paint Blistering / Bubbling Defect
So cars booked in 29th July, first service £430 and then getting both doors replaced for the blistering. Also had quote for the car getting paint correction and ceramic coated again and lotus have agreed to cover cost and pay invoice issued to them. Car likely be with them 1-2 weeks and been...
www.emiraforum.com
Is there any way to tell from the outside of the door ?It's been posted on this forum back in July that modified doors have been fitted since 14/06/2023. The later specification doors have a black/blue primer on the inside. If it's white primer you have the older doors.
I had a Lotus employee say this to me also in September.
The post is here:
Poll for Those with Paint Blistering / Bubbling Defect
So cars booked in 29th July, first service £430 and then getting both doors replaced for the blistering. Also had quote for the car getting paint correction and ceramic coated again and lotus have agreed to cover cost and pay invoice issued to them. Car likely be with them 1-2 weeks and been...
Nick Sticks
Emira Fan
The only way I could "easily" tell was to fully open the door and look at the drain hole at the very front bottom. By shining a light into the hole you can just about see the primer. On my 1st November 2023 build car it looks like it's the darker blue/black primer.
You may be able to see something (as the poster of that other post said) if you look down through where the glass goes but I couldn't.
Has anyone with an older build date confirmed the primer inside the drain hole has a different look than the pic above?
I thought I remembered someone saying the white primer was the “newer” version too. So much speculation…hard to know what’s true.
I thought I remembered someone saying the white primer was the “newer” version too. So much speculation…hard to know what’s true.
Nick in Sydney
Emira Fanatic
Totally agree, but there's no way it will ever happen because it would destroy Lotus financially.
There would be over 2,000 pre-June 2023 cars they'd have to recall. Presumably to do it properly they'd need to remove, replace, paint and reinstall every Teijin panel on those cars . . . MASSIVE cost. Not happening.
I fear that their strategy will be to deal with cars on a case by case basis and hope that most of the blistering issues don't occur until after the warranty period.
Thanks. I just looked at mine with a torch and mirror as far as I can see it looks black/dark inside. Mine left production 14th June 23. So perhaps just on the cusp of when new doors were fitted. But there are reports on here of blistering issues after that date anyway.The only way I could "easily" tell was to fully open the door and look at the drain hole at the very front bottom. By shining a light into the hole you can just about see the primer. On my 1st November 2023 build car it looks like it's the darker blue/black primer.
You may be able to see something (as the poster of that other post said) if you look down through where the glass goes but I couldn't.
View attachment 53190
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Man.v.Cars
Emira Fan
Youre forgetting that the fault is from the supplier, they would be liable for all costs associated with replacements.
Beardedbradley
Emira Fan
I had a car loaned to me by Lotus, V6 manual registration on 24plate build date unknown. It only had 300miles when I collected it but I had to wait as it was having its doors replaced
Man.v.Cars
Emira Fan
Warrantee for pain ?
I guess that covers anything that can go wrong...
Nick Sticks
Emira Fan
Freudian slip: "warranty pain"
Just what I was going to say!Warrantee for pain ?
freefall_junkie
Emira Fiend
Lotus CS need to get their story straight. I asked about this a couple of months back, they went away and consulted their warranty department who confirmed 'definitively' that the paint warranty is 3 years not 5. This type of inconsistency from Lotus CS is maddening. I am going to ask them again.
Nick Sticks
Emira Fan
Tomorrow I collect my car and will see if I can take a photo of the drain hole area and see if I can identify the colour on the new doors.
Man.v.Cars
Emira Fan
That email above from CS is quoting the Lotus website:
Lotus Cars Official Site
www.lotuscars.com
I went to that page to look for the info and didn't see that hence my email to Lotus CS. I'm either blind, can't read, dumb or it wasn't there when I looked..Create an account or login to comment
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