📓 Journals Diaries of the first Lotus Emira picked up from Hethel - V6 FE - yellow / ice / silver / sport

[dgrace]

Yeah, wow.. I'm done. I can overlook (and have been) so many things these past 2 years... From the dated and detuned powertrain to the mediocre reviews and their piss poor comms and them removing features originally advertised... But all that combined with constant issues being reported and their inability to properly repair them is enough for me to back out. They seem incompetent on so many levels. I'm calling my dealer tomorrow morning.

I figure we still have 7 months before cars arrive (my guess) so I’ll keep hope alive for a bit. Though I am increasingly skeptical of Lotus’s financial viability.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

Yeah, wow.. I'm done. I can overlook (and have been) so many things these past 2 years... From the dated and detuned powertrain to the mediocre reviews and their piss poor comms and them removing features originally advertised... But all that combined with constant issues being reported and their inability to properly repair them is enough for me to back out. They seem incompetent on so many levels. I'm calling my dealer tomorrow morning.

Maybe stay away from this forum for a week or two before making a decision? It can sometimes be a bit of a "negativity echo chamber".

Yes, there are unquestionably some early glitches, but they will get sorted. It's not really a massive surprise for the first few months of production of a brand-new Lotus! What matters is that the people with sorted cars seem to love them.

 

[DerTheDer]

Maybe stay away from this forum for a week or two before making a decision? It can sometimes be a bit of a "negativity echo chamber".

Yes, there are unquestionably some early glitches, but they will get sorted. It's not really a massive surprise for the first few months of production of a brand-new Lotus! What matters is that the people with sorted cars seem to love them.

Do we have any members here whom have not had issues? Serious question as I dont recall. A man can only be beaten down before throwing up the flag. Years have gone by mind you, good deals have been passed up in hopes of getting the Emira. Spirits get beaten down and broken.

I have passed up some great deals for the Emira.

 

[eriegz]

I wonder, is @NickyBuddy still on here? Haven't heard from them in a while. How's the Emira? Any issues?

 

[Eagle7]

Lol none of you guys would have made it back in the 60's. Owning a British sports car back then guaranteed two things: Lucas electrics were voodoo, and even if nothing was wrong with the car on Tuesday, you always planned on working on it on Sundays because by Sunday, something would need looking at. You carried a tool kit in the trunk, which, if you had Stromberg carburetors, your kit included a balancing tool to resynchronize the carburetors which liked to get out of sync at the most fun times.

This was any British sports car, not just a Lotus.

EVERY manufacturer has those few cars that come off the assembly line, that for whatever reason, have problems that just don't want to be sorted out. Cars are so complex today, that we're really not driving cars as they used to be. We drive computers now with wheels attached to them. It's frustrating that some of the new Emiras are having these teething problems, but they'll get it sorted out.

We're not likely to get the first cars here in the U.S. for at least another 4-6 months, so if you've waited this long, hang in there a few more to see how it goes unless you've just lost interest and want out. Geely was able to get Volvo sorted out, they'll get this sorted out too.

 

[GetawayDriving]

The Tesla folks are real nerds (myself included), and on those forums they'd track issues in a spreadsheet, along with owner cars with no issues. Gave a clearer view of how many cars were having what issues, and how many cars were simply out there driving around without issue, something that doesn't get expressed on the forums as much.

Honestly all of this is familiar.

Same thing when Tesla released - creaking suspensions, condensation in lights, badly misaligned panels, one guy had his glass roof fly off on the highway...

And with Jeep. Highway shut downs, steering box failures, bad frame welds, uconnect bugs, fuses that weren't seated properly and causing a grab-bag of electrical issues depending on which ones popped loose...

C8 forums were already mentioned.

The real test will be how Lotus and their dealers respond. Tesla generally responded very well, with many owners reporting Tesla service centers fixing all of the little issues with a smile. Personally I picked out every little nitpick with mine and there was only one that they pushed back on - a tiny bubble in the material on the dash. They told me that one was a seriously complex fix because the whole dash would have to come out, and offered me 2 years of maintenance free instead. I took it that excellent offer.

Jeep was a different story and a bit of a nightmare which I've documented elsewhere. Other owners reporting their Jeeps stuck at dealers for months, no parts, no resolutions, etc.

 

[Davebeats]

Yeah, wow.. I'm done. I can overlook (and have been) so many things these past 2 years... From the dated and detuned powertrain to the mediocre reviews and their piss poor comms and them removing features originally advertised... But all that combined with constant issues being reported and their inability to properly repair them is enough for me to back out. They seem incompetent on so many levels. I'm calling my dealer tomorrow morning.

Please let us know how the deposit refund process goes. I have a "non refundable" deposit and curious how much of a hassle the dealer will be now...

 

[CDM1855]

I know who this particular YouTuber is, and I hope that he gives a fair review

Lotus certainly won’t care about his comments

 

[Grumpy]

I was going to lend him mine, before I cancelled…

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

This isn't the 60s. Its 2023 and we have the internet.

Yes, but internet is not fixing my hangover

 

[TomAce]

I know who this particular YouTuber is, and I hope that he gives a fair review

Lotus certainly won’t care about his comments

So, who is it?

Is it JB or JayEmm?

 

[CDM1855]

I was going to lend him mine, before I cancel

So, who is it?

Is it JB or JayEmm?

I believe it’s JayEmm

Lotus’s original Internet fanboy. Seems even he didn’t get much love.

 

[CDM1855]

Could never really figure out what happened between him and Lotus, When he started that channel, it was pretty much exclusively Lotus and they couldn’t have asked for a better platform

 

[4MIR3]

Wow… talk about going off topic. Shaank, hope all is resolved with your Emira.

 

[shaank]

UPDATE

Wow, lots of chat while i've been away haha. I really hope no one has cancelled their orders based on me having my ECU replaced however. So following Friday night's update, where ECU replaced, got car back, randomly throwing up an ECS error that cleared after a battery disconnect....

Saturday 4th.

A morning (and longer) with YouTuber JayEmmOnCars. Awesome, knowledgeable and good laugh, James from JayEmmOnCars spent a good few hours with the Emira, going over it, talking about it, driving it, videoing it - I even got to use my Drone Brilliant day out, and huge thank you to James if your reading this! I'll obviously post a link once the review video is released on his channel, but go give him a subscribe in the meantime.

The car behaved, fully. No errors at all, however I was honest as I should be about the faults and repairs it has had to date. The ECS error hasn't re-appeared since the random Friday night showing, however I'm still taking it back to Lotus to be looked at.

 

[CDM1855]

He liked the car, “it’s great”

Look forward to watching his video

 

[FederGigant]

UPDATE

Wow, lots of chat while i've been away haha. I really hope no one has cancelled their orders based on me having my ECU replaced however. So following Friday night's update, where ECU replaced, got car back, randomly throwing up an ECS error that cleared after a battery disconnect....

Saturday 4th.

A morning (and longer) with YouTuber JayEmmOnCars. Awesome, knowledgeable and good laugh, James from JayEmmOnCars spent a good few hours with the Emira, going over it, talking about it, driving it, videoing it - I even got to use my Drone Brilliant day out, and huge thank you to James if your reading this! I'll obviously post a link once the review video is released on his channel, but go give him a subscribe in the meantime.

The car behaved, fully. No errors at all, however I was honest as I should be about the faults and repairs it has had to date. The ECS error hasn't re-appeared since the random Friday night showing, however I'm still taking it back to Lotus to be looked at.

Great news! Looking forward to that video!

 

[TomE]

Posts about ECU issues and "limp mode" or "reduced acceleration" warnings moved to the existing thread on this topic:

Car shows "limp mode" or "reduced acceleration" warnings (possible ECU issue)

Hi all! Received my Emira a couple of weeks ago, first proper drive and the Engine Light comes on…. “reduced acceleration” comes up if you try and put your foot down. Lotus have said they know about an issue and the solution is a software update, which apparently is now ready… BUT, the...

www.emiraforum.com

 

[JayEmm]

Could never really figure out what happened between him and Lotus, When he started that channel, it was pretty much exclusively Lotus and they couldn’t have asked for a better platform

Short version - I got treated like garbage by my dealer over a major mechanical issue with my Evora (supercharger failed, got told I "wasn't their problem" because I hadn't used them for servicing), after that sold the car and made a video explaining why.

That and another video (If I told you which you would be beyond confused) got me to the top of their most wanted list and they banned me from filming at any of their dealerships worldwide - a ban that remains in place today despite more than a few olive branches being offered by myself.

I remain utterly perplexed as to what their motive or logic was, I love the Lotus brand dearly but there are some people there that have issues with criticism, no matter how small.



As for Emira, I think it is a great car but I do worry Lotus have still not learned how to do proper QC, or look after customers. It's not an all new platform as claimed which should at least mean the tech underpinning it is mature and dependable!

Having been through what many on this forum are now experiencing, I really hope for Lotus' own sake they get it together soon. Fundamentally the product is amazing.

And - Lotus people are the best.

 

[NicolasB]

Thank you for sharing your comments @JayEmm; your videos have helped with car-purchasing decisions in the past.