Emira Issues - from final production cars

[Jbrock]

My current list of issues:

Bubbling on passenger door
Intermittent starting problem
CEL coming on randomly
Squeaky rear brakes

And now the new issue is overheating due to front fan not coming on. Now that we actually have some summery weather in the UK means that the engine doesn’t stay cool at 30mph. As a result it’s almost undrivable in SE England which is littered with cyclists on every country lane.

However, we drove it to Beaverbrook hotel for dinner yesterday and the concierge said “good evening sir. Since your car is so beautiful you can park it in front of the house”. Honestly, if it didn’t look so good and drive so well I would have said goodbye to it by now.

Which model, V6 or I4?

 

[JClem]

Which model, V6 or I4?

V6 auto.

It is now with Bell & Colvill and there isn't a definitive timeline to resolve it. I could be looking at 4 weeks of summer driving gone.

 

[Toomanyloti]

V6 auto.

It is now with Bell & Colvill and there isn't a definitive timeline to resolve it. I could be looking at 4 weeks of summer driving gone.

I can beat that mines been down now for 7 weeks as of tomorrow

I'll give a full rantorama later when i get time...

 

[Dragoon]

FYI - brake pads are on backorder with no ETA. So, my Emira is just sitting at the dealership waiting for who knows how long on one silly brake pad.

 

[Hobiedick]

I can beat that mines been down now for 7 weeks as of tomorrow

I'll give a full rantorama later when i get time...

Mine is will have been out for 9 weeks o n Thursday, absolute crap.

 

[kitkat]

FYI - brake pads are on backorder with no ETA. So, my Emira is just sitting at the dealership waiting for who knows how long on one silly brake pad.

Can Greg get you a set of EBC Redstuff faster? Honestly providing the same level of performance as OEM pads imho, just with far less dust.

 

[Dragoon]

Can Greg get you a set of EBC Redstuff faster? Honestly providing the same level of performance as OEM pads imho, just with far less dust.

I want to do that, but my Lotus dealer won't cover the installation of those pads or warranty the brakes if anything else comes up if I go that route. I only have 500 miles on the car, so I want to run it in and ensure everything is working correctly. Lotus has been very picky about warranty items that any other manufacturer would handle with no problem.

I spent an excessive amount of time just trying to get them to replace the seal between the front bumper and hood under warranty. After I got home with the car and got a good look around it, I noticed the brake issue and the hood seal was only half attached. I took pictures of the issues for a timestamp and figured I would address them during my first service. I live about 2 hours from the dealership, so instead of getting to the dealership and having them tell me to wait two weeks and return for a new seal, I ordered the part from the dealer. Because I ordered the seal before they approved the issue, they didn't want to claim it as a warranty item. After numerous emails back and forth with my service advisor showing them pictures with timestamps of the faulty seal, they said they "might" cover it under warranty. After such an ordeal over just a piece of foam strip, I can imagine that they would blame the EBC pads if anything else happened to the brake system. It doesn't sound like they will replace the rotor, so I want to make sure they do everything back to the factory in case I need to take it back in.

 

[Kimmax]

I ordered the part from the dealer. Because I ordered the seal before they approved the issue, they didn't want to claim it as a warranty item.

Sadly that's on Lotus and not on the dealer. Lotus is nuts about warranty claims and they have to escalate every single issue to HQ. They then have to pay for the items out of pocket and then can claim their money back from HQ after the issue has been resolved. If they order without prior approval they don't get the money back. They aren't even allowed to really work on the car until HQ approves.
It's not fair for us owners, but it's also not fair to the dealers. Their hands are tied and they're getting screwed left and right from Lotus, just like they do us

 

[Hell4Leather]

Sadly that's on Lotus and not on the dealer. Lotus is nuts about warranty claims and they have to escalate every single issue to HQ. They then have to pay for the items out of pocket and then can claim their money back from HQ after the issue has been resolved. If they order without prior approval they don't get the money back. They aren't even allowed to really work on the car until HQ approves.
It's not fair for us owners, but it's also not fair to the dealers. Their hands are tied and they're getting screwed left and right from Lotus, just like they do us

This is why I have a hard time justifying even a small modification, like the GRP cat delete pipe. The warranty manual says they could deny coverage.

 

[seriously]

This is why I have a hard time justifying even a small modification, like the GRP cat delete pipe. The warranty manual says they could deny coverage.

3rd Cat delete seems pretty safe. It doesn’t seem at all likely to contribute to any kind of failure (it’s emissions overkill) and it is reversible. If you are paranoid I would reverse it before taking the car back for a warranty claim.

 

[VL3X]

This is why I have a hard time justifying even a small modification, like the GRP cat delete pipe. The warranty manual says they could deny coverage.

Just ask your dealer if it's ok. My local dealer said there's no issue with a 3rd cat delete. It all depends on the claim. Some major warranty claims may need to get in-person approval from Lotus of US, but even then, they legally have to prove the 3rd cat delete (or whatever the aftermarket part in question is) was a direct cause of the failure. But if your dealer is cool, they aren't going to give you a hard time about something as minor as a cat delete pipe. There are still 2 other cats and all it does is improve the exhaust note a bit.

 

[ADC]

Just ask your dealer if it's ok. My local dealer said there's no issue with a 3rd cat delete. It all depends on the claim. Some major warranty claims may need to get in-person approval from Lotus of US, but even then, they legally have to prove the 3rd cat delete (or whatever the aftermarket part in question is) was a direct cause of the failure. But if your dealer is cool, they aren't going to give you a hard time about something as minor as a cat delete pipe. There are still 2 other cats and all it does is improve the exhaust note a bit.

I'd maybe even go further than that, and get them to install it for you if you really want to feel more secure about it. I realise a lot of people on here like to do their own wrenching, but I suspect that doesn't overlap hugely with those worried about warranty shenanigans

EDIT: to add, I think you guys in the US have way clearer protections a la Magnuson-Moss than a lot of other markets, so don't be shy! Personally, I think an exhaust mod is easier to defend than an intake mod, in terms of potential problems it could actually cause.