Paint issues? Does Your Car Live in a Garage or Outside?

[geoffbland]

The issue here seems to be result of a metal strip fitted to the inner door skin. Water is getting trapped between this and the door skin. This, in time, causes paint to blister. Hence new doors with a modified design, are fitted to solve this problem.

The only Emira I have seen in person with the issue had blisters all over the doors not just around a metal strip and also along both sides of the rear pillars along and below the First Edition badge.

 

[John_Matrix]

Maybe. Made sense to me. More so than ‘primer’. He manages after sales at a dealer and was matter of fact about it.

 

[John_Matrix]

The only car I’ve actually seen with the issue had paint that looked like a bad respray- orange peel effect. That apparently being the precursor to micro blistering.

 

[John_Matrix]

Wonder how many people have that without actually noticing?

 

[Man.v.Cars]

Maybe. Made sense to me. More so than ‘primer’. He manages after sales at a dealer and was matter of fact about it.

Not primer, the treatment given to the finished composite panels. All the composite panels are potentially affected, I've just posted that my rear hatch has started bubbling.

The manager at the dealers paintshop stated there has been no definitive answer from Lotus and it is likely the problem lies in the panel manufacturing process itself.

 

[cwfg]

Starting to wonder if the doors are just a precursor to wider paint issues further down the line - the doors just being a weak spot due to design flaws where it’s presenting sooner than elsewhere

 

[Man.v.Cars]

Starting to wonder if the doors are just a precursor to wider paint issues further down the line - the doors just being a weak spot due to design flaws where it’s presenting sooner than elsewhere

Composite panels only ie doors, rear 1/4s and rear hatch.

 

[Biggles of Norwich]

Composite panels only ie doors, rear 1/4s and rear hatch.

Curious - so what are the other panels made of if not composite?

 

[Nick in Sydney]

Composite panels only ie doors, rear 1/4s and rear hatch.

I'm pretty sure they're also composite, but they are supplied by a different company, not Teijin. The Teijing panels have been suffering the issues with osmosis.

 

[Man.v.Cars]

I'm pretty sure they're also composite, but they are supplied by a different company, not Teijin. The Teijing panels have been suffering the issues with osmosis.

Bonnet/hood aluminium? I can only find reference to doors, tailgate and rear 1/4 panels being composite.

 

[Biggles of Norwich]

Bonnet/hood aluminium? I can only find reference to doors, tailgate and rear 1/4 panels being composite.

No, they are all composite, definitely not aluminium. Chassis is bonded aluminium if that's what you are thinking of. That's made in Norwich by Lotus, a few miles away from Hethel.