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Lotus in the Peak |
| 28th - 30th June 2024 |
Technical Talk
Technical posts about Lotus car ownership only
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5,606 topics in this forum
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- 3 followers
- 30 replies
- 862 views
I went to see a ‘new’ Lotus today. It was bloody lovely. It’s a 15 plate so around 8-9 years old. Fitted to it were Yoko Advans AD07 front and rear. The front ones were 175/55R16 which you can’t get anymore (195/50R16 seems to be the option for fronts). Either way, by my man-maths, the tyres must be as old as the car. The date stamp on one of the fronts and one of the rears was 4814 so made end of Nov ‘14. The previous owner tracked it a lot so I’m assuming he used a 2nd set of wheels/tyres and these ones clearly hardly ever got used as there is loads of tread left. I my mind, all 4 need replacing by the seller as the rubber will be well past it’s best. Am I r…
Last reply by Guido, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 310 views
Hi, recently bought an S2 Exige but the emissions seem to be a bit north of where I need them to be for a mot! I don’t suppose anyone has a friendly tester or a cat I could borrow for a day? Happy to leave a deposit and beer tokens 🥰🥰🥰etc etc….. based in near Stoke on Trent! cheers
Last reply by Phil Hutchins, -
- 2 followers
- 228 replies
- 6.5k views
And so the winter refresh of my S1 Elise started today. Hoping to take front clam of tomorrow. However of the 4 lower bolts that hold the lower rear to the chassis, 2 are spinning and 2 won't budge despite copious amounts of penetrative oil over the last few months. The Eagle eyed will spot my Dremel tool which I'm not looking forward to using to remove 4 bolt heads that have limited access. Currently on my list are replacing the driving lights brackets, shot blast and paint the tow post, new front badge, replace all fluids, replacing leaking drivers side transmission seal, shotblast and paint the wishbones Probably change the radiator to, and fix/replace whatev…
Last reply by Guido, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 286 views
Hello everyone, It has been a while since I've made a post. It's finally that time of year that the car is coming out more frequently and for some reason I seem to have back luck with my front splitter. I was wondering if fellow or ex Elise Cup owners could shed some light onto how you manage to keep the splitter in good nick? It's a little deflating when it bottoms out or hits something and you step out the car and see the damage. Any suggestions welcome 🙂, Iowan
Last reply by Jonathan E, -
- 1 follower
- 15 replies
- 944 views
Hi A couple of weeks ago my 2008 Elise failed its MOT due to leaking rear Bilstein dampers. A look on elise parts and they were £330 incl Vat each without the springs, so I decided to look at my options and found out that Bilstein offer a rebuild service. Dropped them of at their service centre in Leicester last Monday, picked them up yesterday. £140 incl vat per damper for new seals, pistons, gas and oil plus a degrease so less than half the cost of new ones. Very good service. Before and after photos
Last reply by mattb130, -
- 5 replies
- 938 views
Since owning my Elise 240 Final Edition I've felt that the brakes weren't the best. Seemed to lack initial bite and lacked "feel" through the pedal. Over the past few weeks I've had 2 occasions when driving in the rain where I've gone to brake and found there to be very little there, had to press the pedal a few times and wondered whether I was going to stop in time - not a comfortable feeling. As I'd never been keen on the feel of the brakes I always planned to change the pads at some point anyway, so I booked it in at Central Lotus (was going for the drive belt replacement anyway as wasn't done at last service as the belts were out of stock) for them to have a chec…
Last reply by winthattt, -
- 1 follower
- 15 replies
- 1.3k views
I’ve been to see a S2 Exige today. Cosmetically, I can’t fault it. It’s a 08MY so has the twin airbag dash and a few nice upgrades (carbon bits/upgraded intercooler etc…). The major downside is it isn’t a TOURING spec car. No carpet, no driving lights, no aircon and no leather!!! IMHO the seats look awful (charcoal fabric). The centre console (gear-lever/handbrake) are not lined with leather either so internally, it all looks and feels a bit low budget. Should I move on and keep looking or try and get the price reduced to a level where I can go and get everything retrimmed properly in leather (e.g Allon White Sportscars). All thoughts welcomed.
Last reply by Guido, -
- 1 follower
- 14 replies
- 1k views
Morning everyone, does anyone know if the soft top fitted to the Elise s2 is also the same top that fits the exige 350s? I’ve been told my car was fitted with one (in the past) during the work I had carried out in my last service. Wondering if I can pick one up used, rather than pay dealership prices. Any advice would be appreciated 👍🏻
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Last reply by Daveb99, -
- 2 followers
- 23 replies
- 907 views
So, I did a Forum 'service' and 'servicing' search, but couldn't find much about the topic specifically. So thought Id kick one off instead. Servicing. Self or Garage? Lotus are renowned for the servicing required. Lots of specialists out there, and it does come at a premium. But... Changing things like oil, filters, brake/clutch fluids etc, are pretty much the same on a Lotus as on most other combustion engines. The Lotus Service Guides have the full list of things to cover too, but the garage doing it will cost. Yes, it does help having a FSH, but there are plenty of mechanically minded and able owners out their who service their own vehicles. I once…
Last reply by mattb130, -
- 2 replies
- 637 views
Hi all, I have a 16 plate Exige that has had a few dipped headlight issues: Initially one dipped headlight stopped working and I assumed it was the bulb Then a few weeks later my second dipped headlight stopped working Checked the bulbs and they were fine. Checked the fuses and they were fine Replaced the Switch Pack Module Worked fine for about 3-4 months Then one dipped headlight stopped working A few weeks later the second stopped working The connection to the bulb seem to almost get fried/melted like the attached. Does anyone have any ideas what might be causing this?
Last reply by Dave-hp, -
- 1 follower
- 4 replies
- 513 views
Hello all, just out curiosity has anybody else experienced either one of there front side indicators taking flight mid drive ? I was driving back from Whitchurch yesterday and mine decided to do exactly that. haven’t hit any pot holes, nor had I previously loosened it off around the seals etc…. Just very bizarre as I’ve never had a car like this where bits and pieces just fly off lol. also when getting a replacement as I have now ordered are there any ‘upgrades’ you can do to prevent this as I’ll be honest I’ll be driving with a bit of PTSD. Lol
Last reply by Mik127, -
- 2 followers
- 4 replies
- 451 views
The Lotus name and detailing on my engine cover is in need of some new silver paint. The cover is plastic and gets hot, so what paint is suitable for this part? Thanks for any advice.
Last reply by frank7, -
- 1 follower
- 5 replies
- 810 views
I have just fitted a 7” Joying headunit to my Elise to replace the antiquated Alpine headunit I had fitted. It’s excellent! Sounds great, gives me wireless Apple CarPlay and was a doddle to fit. If anyone was thinking about fitting one, do it, you won’t be disappointed.
Last reply by Dave-hp, -
- 5 replies
- 682 views
Hi all, first post. I've a 2006 S2 Elise 111R, that I am looking to refit the fabric on the door card. The fabric has come loose, when I take the door card off, it looks like an age thing, in which the glue and 'sponge' backing has simply perished. I dont want to purchase new cards or pay for new ones, as I am keen to keep the car OEM, retaining the original fabric. Has anyone found that their fabric cards have come loose with age? Have you refitted the fabric? The inner leather section behind the window winder is set in the card by 'fir tree' fasteners, which I am worried about busting, if they cannot be replaced from the inside. If I can get the inner card of…
Last reply by Dave-hp, -
- 1 follower
- 14 replies
- 906 views
My car went into PJS last week for a full Geo setup. It's made such a difference to the handling of the car - Money well spent!! It was pointed out to me that my front tyres were over 8 years old! Although they have plenty of tread, I was advised to change them. My current front tyres are Yokohama AD07 (175/55R16). My rears are AD08RS (225/45R17). Due the car being my daily, I was advised to look at Yokohama V105 to replace the AD07's. I would have to increase tyres to 195/50R16 though. Is the combination of front and rears a good one or would I be better replacing all 4 for V105's? Any other recommendation? I realise tyre choice is subjective but any gu…
Last reply by kayj_prod,
