First Emira Breakdown?

[NeilS]

They must have some serious talent at Hethel if they can change the ratios without taking the box apart.

 

[kratedisease]

OMG, I am putting on my Flame suit and putting away any pots so that they can not be stirred.....OMG !!

This thread is EXACTLY like what was posted on the C8 Corvette forum when the first few thousand C8's were released.... Front hoods that would pop open while driving down the highway ( imagine how scary since it blocks your forward vision- a few owners posted videos), check engine lights( I had this), grabby clutches on the dual clutch transmission causing the car to lurch at low speed ( I had this )and a few other glitches like A/C drain hoses that were not connected properly and instead drained AC humidity water into the passenger cabin foot well, and even paint peeling issues, and leather stitching issues .......and there was a lot of CRYING and FEAR that the C8 was a bomb, and was never going to sell due to quality control.

Lots of BABIES crying and complaining. YET,....All the cars got sorted out......NO biggie.

Everything was checked and then corrected on the C8 Corvette assembly line quickly and the dealership service dept took care of any issues.

Let this car that broke and started this thread just go to the shop and get fixed !!

There is always teething pains on the very first lot of cars.

OMG !! shi-r-t happens, LOTUS is NOT going out of business over these minor teething pains


SUCH DRAMA here

 

[Magma]

OMG, I am putting on my Flame suit and putting away any pots so that they can not be stirred.....OMG !!

This thread is EXACTLY like what was posted on the C8 Corvette forum when the first few thousand C8's were released.... Front hoods that would pop open while driving down the highway, check engine lights( I had this), grabby clutches on the dual clutch transmission ( I had this )and a few other glitches like A/C drain hoses that were not places properly and drained AC humidity into the cabin foot well.......and there was a lot of CRYING and FEAR that the C8 was a bomb...

Lots of BABIES crying and complaining. All the cars got sorted out. NO biggie.

Everything was checked and then corrected on the assembly line quickly and the dealership service dept took care of any issues.

Let this car just go to the shop and get fixed !!

There is always teething pains on the very first lot of cars.

OMG !! shi-r-t happens, LOTUS is NOT going out of business over these minor teething pains


SUCH DRAMA here

Few things in your rant here comparing GM to Lotus.

"Let this car just go to the shop and get fixed"
How far is your local Lotus dealer? I'm lucky enough to actually have one in my state, although it is 200 miles one way, over a mountain pass.
Chevy dealer=18 miles

Lotus is based in England and gets parts from multiple sources. C8 is American made and part won't take as long for us here in the US, while it seems even UK people have waited weeks on fixes for their local cars.

On a side note, did you see the latest Savagegeese where they toured the Bowling Green Plant? Now compare that to Hethel and tell me it's fair to compare.

Great video of you haven't seen it:

 

[Green]

Seems a bit of "whatabout-ism" going on there. The had issues with the 2014 Stingray tester as well and most Corvette forum members feel the 2014 model is one of the most reliable in the C7 generation. So

Again...is comparing GM to Lotus even a thing? How many Corvettes are produced compared to the Emira? Thousands upon thousands more. The Emira has a much more intimate production line. They've been using the same engine for years.
And then people throw in the C8 issues. It's brand design inside and out and went from front to mid placement. Can we really fairly compare C8's to the Emira?

Few things in your rant here comparing GM to Lotus.

"Let this car just go to the shop and get fixed"
How far is your local Lotus dealer? I'm lucky enough to actually have one in my state, although it is 200 miles one way, over a mountain pass.
Chevy dealer=18 miles

Lotus is based in England and gets parts from multiple sources. C8 is American made and part won't take as long for us here in the US, while it seems even UK people have waited weeks on fixes for their local cars.

On a side note, did you see the latest Savagegeese where they toured the Bowling Green Plant? Now compare that to Hethel and tell me it's fair to compare.

Great video of you haven't seen it:

I think you meant American assembled. The parts are certainly not American made.

 

[Magma]

I think you meant American assembled. The parts are certainly not American made.

Most of the parts are American made, yes. It ranks as one of the highest American made vehicles today.
62% of parts in the US or Canada. And the Z06 motor is handbuilt by one person.
https://gmauthority.com/blog/2022/12/chevy-corvette-ranks-third-in-2022-made-in-america-index/amp/

***just to expand on my main point here. GM is not like Lotus. To have issues with your new C8 would absolutely be annoying and heartbreaking, but much much easier, quicker and less expensive to deal with than many of us who's nearest Lotus dealer is hundreds of miles or even states away.
If you watch the Savagegeese video I attached....when someone does the museum collection, the actual engineers talk to the customers about what they want in their cars and actually use their feedback for improvement. It was very interesting.

 

[Porter]

The behemoths like GM and Ford spend more money on the development of a single vehicle (for example, the Ford F150) than a brand like BMW spends on the entire design, engineering, product development, production tooling, parts sourcing, and manufacturing process development of their entire brand's portfolio of cars.

Now imagine scaling that disparity down to a low volume producer like Lotus.

These things cannot be compared. It's nonsensical. There are orders of magnitude difference in investment scale, staff, and resources.



The Lotus Emira is an extremely low volume, exotic, nearly-bespoke product designed for buyers who are interested in an uncompromising tool for drivers at an absurdly low cost compared to its engineering content. If a couple of early production hiccups puts you off your breakfast, then you probably aren't well-suited for this type of product, and that's ok. There's no shame in needing the certainty of a premier global brand's support network to facilitate your ownership of this type of lifestyle toy. Porsche would suit you nicely, most likely.

For those who want something that's more unusual, more uncompromising, and an expression of rather brilliant bloody-mindedness in engineering and execution, Lotus serves that market. I, for one, am looking forward to it, warts and all. And I'm ok turning a wrench myself if needed.

 

[lion shf]

You're right this isn't exclusive to Lotus its common with Porsche too, cars that are days old coming back with oil pissing out of them.

It's usually when the driver takes the car beyond its limit to early , it seems that's not the case here so strange one.

might just be unlucky.

I’m on the 718 forum daily so I call bs on this. The % of fails are way less than these Emiras. BUT I will agree the C8 trans problems are def too frequent

 

[kratedisease]

Few things in your rant here comparing GM to Lotus.

"Let this car just go to the shop and get fixed"
How far is your local Lotus dealer? I'm lucky enough to actually have one in my state, although it is 200 miles one way, over a mountain pass.
Chevy dealer=18 miles

Doesn't LOTUS provide roads assist and ( I ASSUME? ) free towing to the nearest dealer, even if that dealer is 300 miles away ? Am I mistaken ? I don't know what LOTUS policy is., possibly someone can check with their dealership to verify ?

Am I mistaken ? because my roadside assist that I buy for my cars that are out of warranty, has agreement to tow up to 150 miles from breakdown. (only $50 USD/year and it covers EVERY and ANY vehicle I own including my motorhome bus which requires a Heavy Duty commercial tow truck and all my motorcycles for roadside assist with NO LIMIT to the number of assists......amazingly!! )

 

[Lotustoronto]

718 vs Emira when considering quality is not going to be on the same page. Disregarding dealer network, the 718's have been in production for a long time and certainly the best versions are coming out at the moment. Proven parts. If the Emira was on par with Porsche quality and service I think this forum would be very very different, and a lot less threads on issues. Alas, this is a new model from a small manufacturer. This was to be expected. Let's not compare GM, Toyota or Porsche to Lotus in this regard, it will be a losing battle all around in terms of service, aftercare, parts availability and currently build QC.

** I hope they get there, just may take a little longer than planned

 

[lion shf]

718 vs Emira when considering quality is not going to be on the same page. Disregarding dealer network, the 718's have been in production for a long time and certainly the best versions are coming out at the moment. Proven parts. If the Emira was on par with Porsche quality and service I think this forum would be very very different, and a lot less threads on issues. Alas, this is a new model from a small manufacturer. This was to be expected. Let's not compare GM, Toyota or Porsche to Lotus in this regard, it will be a losing battle all around in terms of service, aftercare, parts availability and currently build QC.

** I hope they get there, just may take a little longer than planned

I accept that but this is becoming a big factor in my car search. Also interesting is the 24 C8 may be getting a new version of the base small block 6.2 with more hp

 

[DJS]

I’m on the 718 forum daily so I call bs on this. The % of fails are way less than these Emiras. BUT I will agree the C8 trans problems are def too frequent

My friend had a complete engine rebuild on a 2 year old 718, covered under warranty of course and I’ve witnessed a 992 days old coming back into Porsche with oil pissing out of it.

Diagnoses ….. abused

 

[Lotustoronto]

I accept that but this is becoming a big factor in my car search. Also interesting is the 24 C8 may be getting a new version of the base small block 6.2 with more hp

I hear ya and in reality Corvette was always going to be faster and cheaper to run. Emira will win in rarity, driving feel and design. This is the trade off, something that is special and unique vs common with a better 0-60 time and better aftercare/service. It's not an easy choice. I have always said it, the Lotus should not be a primary vehicle in North America at least. Probably not in Europe either. UK different story, much larger dealer network and independents that will work on a Lotus.

 

[Lotustoronto]

My friend had a complete engine rebuild on a 2 year old 718, covered under warranty of course and I’ve witnessed a 992 days old coming back into Porsche with oil pissing out of it.

Diagnoses ….. abused

Every vehicle can have mechanical failure. However, I talk to my Porsche service guys all the time and relatively the 718's (since very similar to 981 Cayman's) are bulletproof. It's a fairly old unit these days and the electronics/fit & finish is up there with some of the best in the industry. Of course, some will have their issues. No car is faultless.

I have faith that Lotus will get there. The powertrain coming from Japan was a big one for me. For my daily driving (SUV) I always go with Toyota/Lexus product. I've done the RR thing twice before, and regretted it. Nothing catastrophic but when your pulled over on the side of the highway and miss an important meeting, well it sucks. Never once have I been stuck anywhere in a Landcruiser/LX. Including some terrible snow falls we have had. So I keep buying them. Once Lotus gets it together with the electronics and build QC I am sure it will be a reliable unit. There isn't a lot of tech in the car which I like for a sports car. I just hope they don't cheap out on the screws to put everything together nice and tight !

 

[lion shf]

I hear ya and in reality Corvette was always going to be faster and cheaper to run. Emira will win in rarity, driving feel and design. This is the trade off, something that is special and unique vs common with a better 0-60 time and better aftercare/service. It's not an easy choice. I have always said it, the Lotus should not be a primary vehicle in North America at least. Probably not in Europe either. UK different story, much larger dealer network and independents that will work on a Lotus.

Yeah for me the main advantage of c8 over Emira is the convertible. The main draw of Emira over C8 is driving feel. If the Emira even had a targa top I’d not consider the C8 for a second.
The 718T in certified $60k form makes the most sense but my wife hates them.
My guess (or hope) is these little things resolve themselves in 24 months and I’ll live happily ever after in the Lotus fold
I’m an hour from my dealer I’ll be daily driving the Emira with a wrangler my backup

 

[Concept24]

They needed a fair amount of reflashing in the first year (especially the QV) but to their credit, they did iron out the issues. However, they were more like annoyances, not a catastrophic failure. Cars are too complex these days.

Their first few years of both models were so bad that Car & Driver writers no longer recommend them. And so few are sold in the US that Consumer Reports does not list them, due to insufficient data. I guess my point is that a disastrous couple of new model years can leave lasting impressions on consumers. This is why Lotus needs to focus on quality/reliabilty before sales. This type of priority is far better for long-term profitability.

 

[Max]

Their first few years of both models were so bad that Car & Driver writers no longer recommend them. And so few are sold in the US that Consumer Reports does not list them, due to insufficient data. I guess my point is that a disastrous couple of new model years can leave lasting impressions on consumers. This is why Lotus needs to focus on quality/reliabilty before sales. This type of priority is far better for long-term profitability.

"Their first few years of both models were so bad that Car & Driver writers no longer recommend them."

The Car &, Driver hit piece was beyond infantile and revolved around the inability of obtaining a certain replacement part. If I were FCA, I would have flown the part to the US in first class to shut them up. There were really no major subsequent issues.
The 2.0 liter Giulias are fine, and compared to the 20 page long recall lists that Audis and BMWs have, it shows the power of perception.
There was a comparison test Motor Trend did between a 3 series and a Giulia. The BMW lunched it's steering gear during the test, and had to be replaced just to complete the article. Amazingly, there was no cackling or condemnation. Imagine if the situation were reversed.

 

[brightoncorgi]

Forums make every car look like a junker. "Don't buy that Honda Accord, my Aunt had one with electrical issues..." "Toyota Corolla? My buddy's had leak." There's never stories on the car is running fine, nothing to report.

 

[VL3X]

Forums make every car look like a junker. "Don't buy that Honda Accord, my Aunt had one with electrical issues..." "Toyota Corolla? My buddy's had leak." There's never stories on the car is running fine, nothing to report.

I disagree. I've been on many car forums for over 2 decades and they're a great source for DIY repairs, modding, and other info. Sure, there are common issues with every make and model that will get discussed, but most forums are full of fun build threads, track day reports, modifications, detailing talk, car meets, etc...

This specific thread is about a breakdown, so of course it's going to have a negative tone, but these cars just started rolling out! Hopefully by this time next year, we'll have some good threads going in our Journals sub and most of these initial new car bugs (from a new factory, by new workers) will get sorted out and there will be a lot of happy owners reporting fun times.

 

[lion shf]

I disagree. I've been on many car forums for over 2 decades and they're a great source for DIY repairs, modding, and other info. Sure, there are common issues with every make and model that will get discussed, but most forums are full of fun build threads, track day reports, modifications, detailing talk, car meets, etc...

This specific thread is about a breakdown, so of course it's going to have a negative tone, but these cars just started rolling out! Hopefully by this time next year, we'll have some good threads going in our Journals sub and most of these initial new car bugs (from a new factory, by new workers) will get sorted out and there will be a lot of happy owners reporting fun times.

For example avoid 2015 GTIs amirite?
and #waterpumpsforever

 

[Hell4Leather]

Doesn't LOTUS provide roads assist and ( I ASSUME? ) free towing to the nearest dealer, even if that dealer is 300 miles away ? Am I mistaken ? I don't know what LOTUS policy is., possibly someone can check with their dealership to verify ?

Am I mistaken ? because my roadside assist that I buy for my cars that are out of warranty, has agreement to tow up to 150 miles from breakdown. (only $50 USD/year and it covers EVERY and ANY vehicle I own including my motorhome bus which requires a Heavy Duty commercial tow truck and all my motorcycles for roadside assist with NO LIMIT to the number of assists......amazingly!! )

Yup My state, TX, has 3 Lotus Dealers and two of them are Massive. With AAA and manufacturer warranty I’m set on towing. I have 2 other cars saved for my kids when they are old enough to drive so there’s a spare somewhere. Actually kinda hoping to have my kids take their road exam in a Lotus but I don’t think it’ll be here by Q2 2024.