Emira Issues - from final production cars

[TomE]

I wasn't told when in January but got the impression it was end of the month rather than early on. I believe it includes the ECU update too. Your dealer should know more about it.

 

[shaank]

Moderator note: copied from Journals sub-forum

UPDATE....

So, unfortunately a few software glitches has caused Lotus to recover the vehicle back to the nearest dealership to check it out and apply some updates to resolve.

Issues (that others have experienced too I can see)

1) Wipers when on auto mode sometimes don't go into full speed mode when needed - Harry mentions this in his video also.
2) Engine Management Light - it's come on randomly a few times with no errors at all the last few days - but car drives fine.
3) Engine Management Light - and car goes into 'Engine Reduced Acceleration' mode - effectively limp mode, max 3500rpm etc. Turning off and on sorted this, but why did it happen?
4) The car needed the battery disconnected and reconnected to do a full restart on the car's software because it wasn't starting, or fully turning off once, super weird, like it was stuck in diagnostics mode loop. Easily sorted, but could be related to software or battery issue?
5) Passenger seat belt is twisted, and keeps twisting even if you untwist it.



Hoping to have it back in next few days and I'll update on the fixes. Lotus, and Scott in particular, service has been decent, and as an early adopter I'm accepting this is just part of the experience, and can be quickly resolved with some updated software coded on.

 

[TomE]

Moderator note: copied from Journals sub-forum

Sorry to hear about the glitches. All of those have been reported by a few other people too so hopefully Lotus already have fixes defined rather than needing to diagnose - random and intermittent issues are always a pain to trace out.

I've heard some of these may be caused by an earthing issue, which causes the ECU to get confused and switch into limp mode. Some of the dealer demo cars were affected. I also know there's a software update due sometime in January to address a few things, so maybe that's what you're getting.

If you find out any details from Lotus about what has caused the issues and the nature of the fixes then that will be useful for other people if they encounter them. I'll add these to the "known issues" thread.

 

[Evotion]

This is all helping to explain why others and myself have had their car already built in December but are now waiting on a rigorous PDI check to eradicate all the known new issues.

CS almost said as much.

 

[CDM1855]

The Emira I just posted about spotted in Hong Kong looked like it definitely went into “limp mode”

 

[TomE]

This is all helping to explain why others and myself have had their car already built in December but are now waiting on a rigorous PDI check to eradicate all the known new issues.

CS almost said as much.

I suspect some cars have been held back for the software updates and other known fixes to be applied. Whilst that's frustrating for people waiting for their cars, it's good that Lotus are feeding back promptly from field reports into cars coming through production.

 

[Mh59]

The Emira I just posted about spotted in Hong Kong looked like it definitely went into “limp mode”

I had a limp mode issue on day 2. It was at very low revs while stationary, which prompted me to tap the accelerator. It immediately flashed a message on the dash (which I cannot recall what it said) and went into limp mode and sounded like a bag of spanners until I pulled over up the road. Restarting it 15 mins later presented no issues or re-occurence.

It's been in the garage with the dealership since yesterday and I assume that will be clear from the ECU what caused it. I will share with any insight if I get it to help others.

 

[Grumpy]

Went for my additional Test drive today only to arrive and find the car wouldn't start. Had to get in the engineer with his laptop to reset the car and then he managed to start it but advised not to turn it off when driving. Apparently having to do this a lot. I love the look of the car and the steering, but just too many problems for a new £80k car.

Lotus tried to release the car far earlier than sensible. VP cars not built until Jan - Feb, then said customer cars by June - was just bonkers. Should have said customer cars autumn 2023 to ensure the cars were ready. All done whilst trying to introduce a new production line and train most of the staff . Another delay email apparently on its way at the end of the week.

 

[Mh59]

Went for my additional Test drive today only to arrive and find the car wouldn't start. Had to get in the engineer with his laptop to reset the car and then he managed to start it but advised not to turn it off when driving. Apparently having to do this a lot. I love the look of the car and the steering, but just too many problems for a new £80k car.

Lotus tried to release the car far earlier than sensible. VP cars not built until Jan - Feb, then said customer cars by June - was just bonkers. Should have said customer cars autumn 2023 to ensure the cars were ready. All done whilst trying to introduce a new production line and train most of the staff . Another delay email apparently on its way at the end of the week.

I haven't even shared my full list of issues to be fixed! I will allow them to be looked at first in fairness!

As I have mentioned, I am not overly surprised by some of the issues being car recipient #49 (assumption based on my invoice number) and hope that this helps iron out issues for later purchasers.

I do of course hope that it's not a recurring theme and they are resolved within reason otherwise my enjoyment is at risk of being spoiled. Currently without my car and I am not sure when I will see it again.

 

[Jimblob]

I’m invoice 85 and the only issue I’ve had in 500 miles was my self inflicted one when I think I installed a trickle charger and think I dislodged another connector.

I’m just a voice from the otherside of the frustrated coin!

If things go wrong I’ll be sure to share!

 

[Mh59]

No engine management light permanently on? I was informed this was the same on all cars and was due to be fixed with a software update, which I am hoping is being done now.

 

[Jimblob]

No engine management light permanently on? I was informed this was the same on all cars and was due to be fixed with a software update, which I am hoping is being done now.

Nope - hasn’t flicked on once.

 

[Mh59]

Nope - hasn’t flicked on once.

Interesting. Mine was like that on arrival and has remained on after 400 miles over 3 weeks or so.

 

[TomE]

I had a limp mode issue on day 2. It was at very low revs while stationary, which prompted me to tap the accelerator. It immediately flashed a message on the dash (which I cannot recall what it said) and went into limp mode and sounded like a bag of spanners until I pulled over up the road. Restarting it 15 mins later presented no issues or re-occurence.

It's been in the garage with the dealership since yesterday and I assume that will be clear from the ECU what caused it. I will share with any insight if I get it to help others.

It'll be interesting to hear what the feedback is about the issues you've logged.

The limp mode and strange ECU-related issues like warning lights coming on may be earthing related rather than software. I'm aware of some cars where the car has switched to limp mode at very low revs or close to redline (which many won't have experienced yet while still running in) and it's been diagnosed as a poor earthing connection.

 

[JohnHoward]

It'll be interesting to hear what the feedback is about the issues you've logged.

The limp mode and strange ECU-related issues like warning lights coming on may be earthing related rather than software. I'm aware of some cars where the car has switched to limp mode at very low revs or close to redline (which many won't have experienced yet while still running in) and it's been diagnosed as a poor earthing connection.

My Evora 410 Sport had similar problems and that turned out to be the earth connection on the battery wasn't quite tight enough. A very simpe thing to fix that caused major problems with the ECU.

 

[Eagle7]

These electrical gremlins sound a lot like what happened with the Alfa Romeo Giulia when it was first out in 2017. We had all kinds of sudden limp modes, windows not wanting to work properly, random warning lights on the dash, etc. Turned out in almost every case it was the battery. The batteries coming from the factory weren't all up to snuff. Some had apparently sat too long in the factory, or in the car on the long journey from Italy to America, and had developed charge/charging issues. The solution was to replace the battery, and that fixed the problems. The car just wasn't getting either enough, or reliable enough power from the battery for various things.

I'm wondering in the long period of delays, if the batteries have sat on pallets at the factory too long. Have either the dealerships or Lotus check the batteries. On the Alfa, some batteries would test fine when tested, but under load while driving the car they weren't working properly.

 

[shaank]

Hopefully I'll be able to post a detailed update on the issues tomorrow. But it's not the battery at fault.

 

[Mh59]

I haven't even shared my full list of issues to be fixed! I will allow them to be looked at first in fairness!
As I have mentioned, I am not overly surprised by some of the issues being car recipient #49 (assumption based on my invoice number) and hope that this helps iron out issues for later purchasers.

I do of course hope that it's not a recurring theme and they are resolved within reason otherwise my enjoyment is at risk of being spoiled. Currently without my car and I am not sure when I will see it again.

Brief update. 5 days at the garage and no idea when I will get it back. Parts appear very difficult to procure, to the point I and the garage have asked Lotus to take them from the production line. Make of that what you will.

Incredibly frustrating that I’ve not had my car for 5 days and have no idea when I will be able to drive it again. “Weeks” rather than days was mentioned. At the same time, things might suddenly change but that’s the thing, nobody in the chain knows yet.

Walking in the rain and having to cobble lifts for kids footy isn’t what I had in mind when cashing in all my savings. I thought those days were gone after 18 months waiting patiently!

 

[TomE]

Really sorry to hear that. Totally unacceptable not to have aftersales support in place properly. I hope your dealer is pushing Hethel to do better. If you need contact details for an escalation let me know.

 

[Lotustoronto]

Brief update. 5 days at the garage and no idea when I will get it back. Parts appear very difficult to procure, to the point I and the garage have asked Lotus to take them from the production line. Make of that what you will.

Incredibly frustrating that I’ve not had my car for 5 days and have no idea when I will be able to drive it again. “Weeks” rather than days was mentioned. At the same time, things might suddenly change but that’s the thing, nobody in the chain knows yet.

Walking in the rain and having to cobble lifts for kids footy isn’t what I had in mind when cashing in all my savings. I thought those days were gone after 18 months waiting patiently!

Terrible - Sorry to hear about the trouble. If you don't mind me asking what was the faulty parts needing replacement. Clearly it is not just software.