First Emira Breakdown?

[Lots_Of_Trouble]

Pure speculation on my part but I’m wondering if this could be a consequence of the new arrangements Lotus has made with its dealers (direct selling model). If a breakdown out of warranty then the dealer would be free to charge the customer for work at their going rate. If a warranty repair or work under a Lotus maintenance plan, presumably the costs would be billed to Lotus at a pre-determined rate. If this hourly rate is less than the dealer can charge for other work then it would be in the dealers interest to de-prioritise

I'm under the impression that Silverstone are billing HQ for it as I've heard them say several times "we're waiting to confirm if they are paying for it"

Which makes perfect sense...

 

[Twin Cam]

#bulletdodged indeed! What a huge dissapointment this would be. That would suck all the fun out of my new toy! Looks like I made a smart decision getting out and possibly considering a slightly used one in a year or two!! If they get things sorted out that is...

No offence, but not really, you were miles down the queue and would of ended up with a car that didn‘t have early teething troubles. It’s the early adopters that are having a hard time

 

[Leonard]

Completely agree,this is really making me wonder if I want to keep a relationship with Lotus or not...

HQ seem concerned, Silverstone understandably have their priorities, but the difference in relationship and priorities between them both is not ideal for the customer.

Surely it's in their interest to get a brand new model/car up and running again...

Unfortunately the not unexpected outcome of a poor Lotus to Lotus dealer relationship also.
I'm suprised by Silverstones response. But there has to be some internal politics happening there between them and Lotus, with you stuck in the middle unfortunately.

You would have thought that your car at less than 150 miles old would have been on a transporter and back to Lotus HQ however within an hour of you breaking down.

Not sure why that would not be a priority for LOTUS

 

[Porter]

I'm under the impression that Silverstone are billing HQ for it as I've heard them say several times "we're waiting to confirm if they are paying for it"

Which makes perfect sense...

Waiting to confirm... whether a critical repair on a brand new (fully warrantied) car would be paid for by the manufacturer??

There has to be something more stupid at play here. Maybe someone senior at the dealer has their knickers in a twist over the agency model switch, and has been mouthing off enough for the service staff to literally no longer understand what their responsibilities are.

 

[duff]

Waiting to confirm... whether a critical repair on a brand new (fully warrantied) car would be paid for by the manufacturer??

There has to be something more stupid at play here. Maybe someone senior at the dealer has their knickers in a twist over the agency model switch, and has been mouthing off enough for the service staff to literally no longer understand what their responsibilities are.

From my experience the dealers have little or no control over what happens and no power to act on their own. The car is not their responsibility, whether they want to take responsibility for it or not, and as such they must await information/blessing from Lotus. Unfortunately their communication channels appear to be no more effective than anyone else’s.

 

[TomE]

Similar problems were seen with European cars that needed warranty work - arguments between Hethel and Lotus Europe and/or the dealer on whether it was a warranty issue and who was going to pay for it, resulting in some cars sat at dealers waiting to be fixed.

 

[Porter]

Similar problems were seen with European cars that needed warranty work - arguments between Hethel and Lotus Europe and/or the dealer on whether it was a warranty issue and who was going to pay for it, resulting in some cars sat at dealers waiting to be fixed.

The only case I can think of where this might be reasonable is a vehicle issue arising from incomplete or incorrectly performed PDI.

Any other failure scenario (other than due to outright owner error or vehicle modification) surely would be absolutely assumed to be the responsibility of the manufacturer on a brand new vehicle.

 

[Cory]

I'm under the impression that Silverstone are billing HQ for it as I've heard them say several times "we're waiting to confirm if they are paying for it"

Which makes perfect sense...

Stuff happens, that’s inevitable, but how the problem is handled is what matters. It doesn’t seem like an appropriate response, which is making me lean more out than in lately. I’m keeping my deposit in for now just because the wait list is so long and the process may improve.

 

[981KMAN]

I agree..... So much is dependent on your local Dealer. And I am counting that Lotus sorts out these 1st year manufacturing issues by the time they get to me in 2024.

 

[Cachaco131]

I agree..... So much is dependent on your local Dealer. And I am counting that Lotus sorts out these 1st year manufacturing issues by the time they get to me in 2024.

I'm sure that will be the case. We will be enjoying our cars and benefitting from all the lessons learned. Maybe the #confirmationbias folks will regret having #dodgedabullet...

 

[lion shf]

Stuff happens, that’s inevitable, but how the problem is handled is what matters. It doesn’t seem like an appropriate response, which is making me lean more out than in lately. I’m keeping my deposit in for now just because the wait list is so long and the process may improve.

I don’t embrace “stuff happens” in the case of Lotus. I wanted a new history of “lotus stuff no longer happens cause new factory”.

 

[981KMAN]

If you look at the total number of different issues being reported, it's really not that bad...

Yes, it sucks for those with these initial production issues and having troubles getting their cars fixed and returned in a timely manner. I would be very disappointed and frustrated, so I empathize with them.

Yet I only see about 8 - 9 main issues being reported, and with the feedback going to Lotus, they should fix the issues on new production in a few months......
Or am I wishful thinking?

 

[Lots_Of_Trouble]

If you look at the total number of different issues being reported, it's really not that bad...

Yes, it sucks for those with these initial production issues and having troubles getting their cars fixed and returned in a timely manner. I would be very disappointed and frustrated, so I empathize with them.

Yet I only see about 8 - 9 main issues being reported, and with the feedback going to Lotus, they should fix the issues on new production in a few months......
Or am I wishful thinking?

In all fairness, I think it's bad luck on my part,I can accept that.

The more concerning element is the service and lack of clear and consice information in between dealer and HQ.
Several times I've been told I'd get a call back with an update,never happened.
I have to chase constantly,maybe I'm too persistent ....

 

[Jimblob]

If you look at the total number of different issues being reported, it's really not that bad...

Yes, it sucks for those with these initial production issues and having troubles getting their cars fixed and returned in a timely manner. I would be very disappointed and frustrated, so I empathize with them.

Yet I only see about 8 - 9 main issues being reported, and with the feedback going to Lotus, they should fix the issues on new production in a few months......
Or am I wishful thinking?

I’m with you.

I’ve loved every one of my 900 and something miles so far.

Are the windows too noisy? Maybe but I’m not certain on that… the heater gremlins are annoying but they’ll get that fixed and it’s not stopping me having fun. I’ve had a seatbelt stick once but it solved itself quickly enough… if they do need to replace them, crack on.

All I need is my privacy glass sorted and I think something is happening on that and away I go, a happy chap piling on the miles!

 

[981KMAN]

In all fairness, I think it's bad luck on my part,I can accept that.

The more concerning element is the service and lack of clear and consice information in between dealer and HQ.
Several times I've been told I'd get a call back with an update,never happened.
I have to chase constantly,maybe I'm too persistent ....

And their lack of clear communication is what leaves the "bad taste" in your and everyone's mouth.....

Sometimes just writing a polite letter to the "management" (Matt Windle in this case), explaining my experience and issues, makes me feel better.... like I'm doing something. Plus you give the "Gift" of feedback, so they hopefully can learn and improve.

Thank you for sharing your issues and trials of your Emira journey. I really wish you will get this sorted out to your liking and start reporting all the good points of driving your Emira.

 

[Cory]

I don’t embrace “stuff happens” in the case of Lotus. I wanted a new history of “lotus stuff no longer happens cause new factory”.

I'm speaking in general. I'm pretty forgiving as long as someone owns the mistake and makes an honest effort to rectify the situation. What is not acceptable is the finger pointing and lack of progress between the manufacturer and the dealer.

 

[lion shf]

I'm speaking in general. I'm pretty forgiving as long as someone owns the mistake and makes an honest effort to rectify the situation. What is not acceptable is the finger pointing and lack of progress between the manufacturer and the dealer.

Agree I was just hoping for no teething issues. As a new lotus guy, the schit show that is Hethel is a complete surprise. My greatest hope for the Emira is can it take me cross country every summer without stranding me, say, in the middle of the dragon, or Arches Park, or Black Hills. I have 2 years to watch it unfold before I buy or bail.

 

[TomE]

If you look at the total number of different issues being reported, it's really not that bad...

Yes, it sucks for those with these initial production issues and having troubles getting their cars fixed and returned in a timely manner. I would be very disappointed and frustrated, so I empathize with them.

Yet I only see about 8 - 9 main issues being reported, and with the feedback going to Lotus, they should fix the issues on new production in a few months......
Or am I wishful thinking?

Agreed. And not just the number of different issues but also the number of occurrences of each. The seat belt jamming is ONE car, the transmission hose failure is ONE car. The “limp mode” issue is the most prevalent and is less than 10 cars. Lotus did a proactive recall replacement on steering pumps on a small VIN range after only 3 cars had been diagnosed with the fault.

Yes, it’s frustrating for the owners. Particularly the way Lotus are mis-handling “car off the road” situations - slow fixes, no courtesy car … unless you’re an Insta celebrity like shaank

When a relatively small number of cars are affected with stopper issues it’s surprising Lotus Aftersales (and PR) aren’t doing more to head off the reputational impact.

 

[dgrace]

Agreed. And not just the number of different issues but also the number of occurrences of each. The seat belt jamming is ONE car, the transmission hose failure is ONE car. The “limp mode” issue is the most prevalent and is less than 10 cars. Lotus did a proactive recall replacement on steering pumps on a small VIN range after only 3 cars had been diagnosed with the fault.

The wiper speed issue is 100% isn't it?

 

[981KMAN]

The wiper speed issue is 100% isn't it?

I think so, yet I also understand that it does not stop you from driving the car, or manually controlling the wiper speed if you disable the Rain Sensing function and only control the wipers manually.

Please correct me if I am mistaken.