Poll for Those with Paint Blistering / Bubbling Defect

[Jenz]

My Car went in yesterday to get the blisters sorted. I originally took it in because of the trim alignment on the passenger door, and it was Lotus who spotted the blisters and informed me they'd fix them free of charge. To this day, I still haven't spotted them, so gotta say that I was pretty impressed by this, as they must be on the internal painted surfaces somewhere.

Two new doors shipped to the Lotus approved body shop here.

Mine went into Lotus Silverstone this morning to have both doors replaced.

 

[AlienPie]

Mine went into Lotus Silverstone this morning to have both doors replaced.

Anything back on yours yet? They estimated 2 weeks for mine I miss it already

 

[tankski]

Mine went into Lotus Silverstone this morning to have both doors replaced.

Anything back on yours yet? They estimated 2 weeks for mine I miss it already

What courtesy car have they provided you both? I can't imagine they have enough fleet Emiras to cover everyone getting their paint sorted. When I spoke to 'Silverstone they said it'd be "an equivalent vehicle" which is very hand-wavey.

 

[AlienPie]

What courtesy car have they provided you both? I can't imagine they have enough fleet Emiras to cover everyone getting their paint sorted. When I spoke to 'Silverstone they said it'd be "an equivalent vehicle" which is very hand-wavey.

It was provided by the Bodyshop (porters in Portadown) and is a Mercedes C22. Comfy, but I'm not used to comfy xD

Insurance was a nightmare, they charged me £150 extra to move the insurance for a month (in case it was longer in), but Lotus Customer Care contacted me later that day and offered to pay the difference.

Unsure if this is a Northern Ireland thing or what, as Lotus is Part of Charles Hurst and don't think they're actually Lotus approved repairers.

 

[Man.v.Cars]

It was provided by the Bodyshop (porters in Portadown) and is a Mercedes C22. Comfy, but I'm not used to comfy xD

Insurance was a nightmare, they charged me £150 extra to move the insurance for a month (in case it was longer in), but Lotus Customer Care contacted me later that day and offered to pay the difference.

Unsure if this is a Northern Ireland thing or what, as Lotus is Part of Charles Hurst and don't think they're actually Lotus approved repairers.

JCT600 wanted £50 to cover insurance and they couldn't say what car I'd get, other than it would be Focus size. I have a daily so luckily its alright. Courtesy cars used to be free, not any more.

 

[Jenz]

Anything back on yours yet? They estimated 2 weeks for mine I miss it already

Same two weeks estimate for me also.

 

[Jenz]

What courtesy car have they provided you both? I can't imagine they have enough fleet Emiras to cover everyone getting their paint sorted. When I spoke to 'Silverstone they said it'd be "an equivalent vehicle" which is very hand-wavey.

I didn’t take or need a replacement car myself.

 

[falafel91]

USA Jan 2024 build. Just got the car used with 400 miles last month. Got it back today from paint correction and coating and noticed this above the U on the back. Can’t tell if this is the bubbling everyone is talking about or ceramic coating related.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

Can't see why ceramic coating would cause a bubble like that?

 

[Rupes]

I don’t think the trunk lid is the same supplier as the doors, and therefore would not be related to this (but clearly a paint defect).

 

[Nick in Sydney]

I don’t think the trunk lid is the same supplier as the doors, and therefore would not be related to this (but clearly a paint defect).

It's the same supplier, though not a common area for issues compared to doors and rear quarter panels.

Teijin is providing the doors, rear quarter panels, and the inner, outer and lower shells of the tailgate.

 

[kitkat]

The bumper is made of ABS — not a glass reinforced plastic like the bubbling substrate panels issue. This is just a different type of problem.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

The bumper is made of ABS — not a glass reinforced plastic like the bubbling substrate panels issue. This is just a different type of problem.

You're right, falafel91 mistakenly described the blister as being "on the trunk lid" but looking more closely it's on the rear panel. The rear panel/bumper is not made by Teijin.

 

[falafel91]

You're right, falafel91 mistakenly described the blister as being "on the trunk lid" but looking more closely it's on the rear panel. The rear panel/bumper is not made by Teijin.

Yes you are right. Not trunk lid sorry but the rear panel about the lotus emblems

 

[SteveFromNY]

Have no idea of the manufacture date. I don’t think the Japan cars have a sticker indicating like the other markets (or maybe I haven’t looked hard enough to find it). Could possibly be a 2023 make as I think the majority of cars were already shipped to Japan summer of 23 but PDI capacity was limited to 1 car/day, who knows, car could have been sitting outside for over a year waiting inspection.

Dealer has come back that they will repaint under warranty, however reading over the thread I guess the repaint won’t be a permanent fix and so need to go in and discuss next steps a little more in detail.

Your door sill should have the manufacturer date. Can you check?

 

[Nick in Sydney]

Your door sill should have the manufacturer date. Can you check?

I think that's a USA only sticker

 

[shin73]

I think that's a USA only sticker

Correct, unfortunately nothing present in the Japan models.

 

[R35_J]

I seem to have found bubbling on my passenger door. April 2024 build date.

 

[Foxy87]

This is really holding me back from buying any used Emira. Its pretty fu€&% up to be honest

 

[Gooner]

The good news is that they are all being replaced under warranty, with no questions asked (in the UK at least).

The issue is, how long can they realistically afford to do this at £5k+ per car, and will the replacement doors actually solve the issue or just kick the issue into a post warranty time period.