Emira Issues - from final production cars

[hml_xy]

@NeilS Sad to hear your experience is spoiled by the AC issue. But it's getting interesting now. Mine was working for several months and over 3500km. Out of a sudden it stopped.

@digilotus I don't think its a gas leak. My dealer was able to bring it back to life with an error code reset after connecting their laptop. The ECU reported the AC as blocked by the onboard systems.

Unfortunately it only worked for a few hours and is back to not working again. Dealer visit coming soon when picking up the Evora...

 

[dgrace]

@NeilS Sad to hear your experience is spoiled by the AC issue. But it's getting interesting now. Mine was working for several months and over 3500km. Out of a sudden it stopped.

@digilotus I don't think its a gas leak. My dealer was able to bring it back to life with an error code reset after connecting their laptop. The ECU reported the AC as blocked by the onboard systems.

Unfortunately it only worked for a few hours and is back to not working again. Dealer visit coming soon when picking up the Evora...

Maybe Lotus is following BMW's lead and introducing A/C as a subscription option...

 

[Shahaf2911]

This is by the way exactly how I noticed the not working AC. They did a reset of the unit and it came back to life... for about one hour and then it stopped working again. I have to go back to the dealer anyhow (collecting my Evora after annual inspection and getting new CUP2s...) and will leave the Emira with them to sort this out.

Oh that’s interesting, maybe it’s a software issue ? Please keep me updated if you have any news, my car is over there until the 11th then I’ll pick it up and park it at home, I’ll only see it again on June unfortunately. I enjoyed every 750km I’ve done in those 3 days that’s for sure (driving to Monaco, not going to do that drive without an A/C lol)

 

[Shahaf2911]

@NeilS Sad to hear your experience is spoiled by the AC issue. But it's getting interesting now. Mine was working for several months and over 3500km. Out of a sudden it stopped.

@digilotus I don't think its a gas leak. My dealer was able to bring it back to life with an error code reset after connecting their laptop. The ECU reported the AC as blocked by the onboard systems.

Unfortunately it only worked for a few hours and is back to not working again. Dealer visit coming soon when picking up the Evora...

Yes my dealer also said it’s not a leak or missing gas as there is gas and still in pressure.

 

[Speedluvver]

I pick my car up next week - Will check the AC works before I leave the factory

 

[PhilCP]

This is the post we'd hoped wouldn't be needed. We collected the car from the factory last Friday and with the exception of the known wiper problem we loved the first 400 miles. Then the sun came out and it was apparent the air conditioning simply doesn't work, not even slightly. After thirteen attempts to contact Lotus they said take it to a dealer. We don't have a nearby dealer so after more arguing they agreed to send an AA technician who also confirmed the air conditioning doesn't work. Again told to take to a dealer. The factory collection was a great experience but to be charged more to collect a faulty car and then to be offered no support has somewhat ruined the experience. I wonder how many cars collected during the winter don't have functioning air conditioning.

It's disappointing that current deliveries still have the wiper problem. I'd assumed they'd resolved it for new deliveries and were just working out how to fix the older cars.

 

[Porter]

@digilotus I don't think its a gas leak. My dealer was able to bring it back to life with an error code reset after connecting their laptop. The ECU reported the AC as blocked by the onboard systems.

Unfortunately it only worked for a few hours and is back to not working again. Dealer visit coming soon when picking up the Evora...

"Blocked"? I wonder if this has anything to do with the drive modes. On many brands they disable or reduce cabin HVAC to reduce parasitic drag in Sport or Race modes. Could be some odd programming issue there, that leaves the system off after being in Race mode or something?

 

[Dougal]

Hello, new member, supposed to be getting delivery within 2 weeks...allegedly!!
Can someone provide a brief summary of all the common issues i should check for before I take it out the showroom? Thanks

 

[schorsch]

Hello, new member, supposed to be getting delivery within 2 weeks...allegedly!!
Can someone provide a brief summary of all the common issues i should check for before I take it out the showroom? Thanks

Check out the first page of this thread

 

[DaveR]

Anyone had problem with gearbox. Just lost all forward gears but can still get reverse. Maybe a small adjustment. On back of aa lorry with plenty of time to spare!!!

An update. Gearbox seized!!! Thought I would have felt or heard that. The dealer says because of a problem with the linkage two gears were selected that caused the seizure. Anyway new gearbox supplied and dealer fitting over Easter. Excellent service in getting the car recovered and fixed with no arguements (but could they argue) car recovered to home first. Then on to dealer. Not got the car back yet so my comments may be premature! It’s just very frustrating. 100 miles from home, day 2 of ownership, collected from factory day 1(well worth it) and less than 200 miles on clock. One of those things. Now two weeks in, hopefully get car back next week. For the short experience of driving, what a car!!!

 

[NicolasB]

I could understand some of these issues if this was a whole new engine and transmission setup that they had never used before, but this has been in the Evora since 2011, and has had extensive use and testing in that car and in this one. How are these major problems happening so often?!!

Sorry to hear of your troubles with the new car.

 

[Magma]

Here's what I'm wondering....I've heard mentioned a few times here by various forum members that it just appears these Emira's are having more issues than reality because people use the forum to complain about them.
It would be interesting to know what percentage of all delivered Emira's are having some type of issue. Based on the forum members who own an Emira, we're at what? 98%? 100% if we count the wiper issue?

 

[hml_xy]

@Magma I am with you on this statement to be honest and said something similar in another post before. Based on this statistic it is really not looking good for reliability.

It makes me sad I have to say this because I am a huge fan of the brand and long term evangelist. But the fact that nearly everybody who's got a car had some sort of issue is really not a good sign.

 

[JohnHoward]

Here's what I'm wondering....I've heard mentioned a few times here by various forum members that it just appears these Emira's are having more issues than reality because people use the forum to complain about them.

When I got my (now sold) Alpine A110 last year, I nearly didn't go ahead because of some of the stories I saw on social media of cars breaking down with one showing a video of an A110 abandoned in a live lane of a motorway due to fuel pump failure. There is a known issue (and a fix), but to read on social media/fourms it made you think that it was just a matter of time before your fuel pump went pop. The reality was far from this of course. I didn't post on any forum that in my ownership all I did was put petrol in and top up the windscreen washer fluid every so often, it doesn't make a very interesting post.
It has been mentioned on here and probably many other car forums for different marques that neagtive issues are much more likely to be reported and discussed than anything else.
I would imagine that the number of active posters on here who have their Emira, will represent a very small % of all owners with the rest either have no interest in posting on forums or are busy enjoying their cars.

 

[Magma]

When I got my (now sold) Alpine A110 last year, I nearly didn't go ahead because of some of the stories I saw on social media of cars breaking down with one showing a video of an A110 abandoned in a live lane of a motorway due to fuel pump failure. There is a known issue (and a fix), but to read on social media/fourms it made you think that it was just a matter of time before your fuel pump went pop. The reality was far from this of course. I didn't post on any forum that in my ownership all I did was put petrol in and top up the windscreen washer fluid every so often, it doesn't make a very interesting post.
It has been mentioned on here and probably many other car forums for different marques that neagtive issues are much more likely to be reported and discussed than anything else.
I would imagine that the number of active posters on here who have their Emira, will represent a very small % of all owners with the rest either have no interest in posting on forums or are busy enjoying their cars.

I honestly have a hard time believing this. I would bet money the majority of owners have had at least one problem or two. They may not be serious, but just some minor things.
ALL new cars have issues. That's why many avoid the first year or two so things can get sorted out. But where I am hesitant is the fact that this isn't a completely new car. There are old parts being used and even those seem to be having some issues. And #2. Lotus has never been known for reliability.

I am still hanging in there in hopes these things get resolved by the time my number comes up. However, I really don't feel like dealing with serious issues when my nearest dealer is 3+ hours away over a mountain pass. And I'm a lucky one to have a dealer in my state!

I have a Porsche with no Porsche dealers near me, but I don't give it a thought. One reason is it's out of warranty, so if something breaks, we'll most likely fix it ourselves (unless it's PDK related). But hearing about how finicky Lotus is with diy and warranty stuff, it just makes sense for them to handle it. Obviously depending on what it is. Seat belts, for example, we'd tackle ourselves.

The other issue is the wait time just to get the car fixed. Yes, please cue all of the "old time" Lotus owners to chime in about how "if you are a true Lotus fan, you'll know that this is just what you have to deal with. It's character. Blah blah blah." I can deal with some, but when you've spent a significant amount on a car, where does the balance between "enjoyment" and "frustration" start tipping to the wrong side?

 

[Concept24]

...from the Corvette forum's C8 problems section (2600+ posts):

Well, first track day with the 2023 C8 yesterday, and it appears I need a new trans according to my dealership, at a hair over 2k miles. I properly followed the break-in procedure and added the extra 2quarts of trans fluid, so hopefully this was just a defect and will not happen again. It’s a shame because I was making the car look very good relative to what the local track community has been seeing from C8’s

As a long-time moderator in a large Lexus forum, I can tell you that despite the Corvette guys thinking that these types of issues are common with most vehicle manufacturers, they are VERY rare with new Lexus buyers.
High reliability is never by chance. It has to be built into design, testing, mfg engineering, and quality control. I love drilling down to the core of problems and fixing them, whether by correcting designs, changing assembly procedures, or working with suppliers.
Unfortunately, doing this quickly within a large company can be frustratingly long.
Someone in the C8 forum compiled a 2-page list of problems that were common to new C8s. And while it's good that Tom is doing the same, here, Lotus personnel should be working overtime to get to the core of the issues and fix/retest.
GM knows that there are enough Corvette fanatics/buyers out there who will shrug off having to have their transmissions replaced, so that profits will still be plentiful. Lotus cannot have the same complacency.

 

[Ftype]

I honestly have a hard time believing this. I would bet money the majority of owners have had at least one problem or two. They may not be serious, but just some minor things.
ALL new cars have issues. That's why many avoid the first year or two so things can get sorted out. But where I am hesitant is the fact that this isn't a completely new car. There are old parts being used and even those seem to be having some issues. And #2. Lotus has never been known for reliability.

I am still hanging in there in hopes these things get resolved by the time my number comes up. However, I really don't feel like dealing with serious issues when my nearest dealer is 3+ hours away over a mountain pass. And I'm a lucky one to have a dealer in my state!

I have a Porsche with no Porsche dealers near me, but I don't give it a thought. One reason is it's out of warranty, so if something breaks, we'll most likely fix it ourselves (unless it's PDK related). But hearing about how finicky Lotus is with diy and warranty stuff, it just makes sense for them to handle it. Obviously depending on what it is. Seat belts, for example, we'd tackle ourselves.

The other issue is the wait time just to get the car fixed. Yes, please cue all of the "old time" Lotus owners to chime in about how "if you are a true Lotus fan, you'll know that this is just what you have to deal with. It's character. Blah blah blah." I can deal with some, but when you've spent a significant amount on a car, where does the balance between "enjoyment" and "frustration" start tipping to the wrong side?

I cancelled some weeks ago directly out of concern at the number and severity of faults being reported. When I shared those concerns on here I was berated by a few die hard Lotus fans and was told there was no basis for those concerns. Since then the reports of problems have continued daily even affecting cars collected directly from Lotus at Hethel. I continue to follow the thread out of interest and hope that Lotus can identify where things have gone wrong.

 

[JohnHoward]

I am still hanging in there in hopes these things get resolved by the time my number comes up. However, I really don't feel like dealing with serious issues when my nearest dealer is 3+ hours away over a mountain pass. And I'm a lucky one to have a dealer in my state!

I understand your concern, but for me, I am lucky to have my Lotus dealer about 25 minutes drive away and also the 'home' advantage of having spares (as long as available) just an overnight courier away with no customs delays etc. I did consider a Corvette briefly a while back but even without being aware of any potential issues, my main concern was there is only 1 dealer in the UK in London (in the south) with parts availability unknown and I am up in the North West of the country - and there aren't even any mountains to cross - just snarled up motorways!

 

[Magma]

I cancelled some weeks ago directly out of concern at the number and severity of faults being reported. When I shared those concerns on here I was berated by a few die hard Lotus fans and was told there was no basis for those concerns. Since then the reports of problems have continued daily even affecting cars collected directly from Lotus at Hethel. I continue to follow the thread out of interest and hope that Lotus can identify where things have gone wrong.

It's amazing the number of highs and lows we've all experienced throughout this process. Sometimes even on a daily basis I go from...I should just pull my deposit to....no I've got to wait a bit longer!

 

[Magma]

I understand your concern, but for me, I am lucky to have my Lotus dealer about 25 minutes drive away and also the 'home' advantage of having spares (as long as available) just an overnight courier away with no customs delays etc. I did consider a Corvette briefly a while back but even without being aware of any potential issues, my main concern was there is only 1 dealer in the UK in London (in the south) with parts availability unknown and I am up in the North West of the country - and there aren't even any mountains to cross - just snarled up motorways!

Lol! We're exactly flip flopped! I have a Chevy dealer about 20 min away. Logistics to make a difference.