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Lotus in the Peak
28th - 30th June 2024

Skip A Service?


un1eash

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The service on the 111S is due in november and so far ive only covered 500 miles this year taking the mileage to 37,475. The car has full service with it having a B service last year after only doing 600 miles, cambelt was done 4 years ago at 32,900 miles.

Technically its due a cambelt and A service but im reluctant to do it considering the mileage its covered. Do you think skipping a service will affect its value and sale ability?

This winter I was going to refresh the pads/disc along with a new set of rubber in the new year along with a possible wheel refurb.

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Calling Dr H ?

 

If you're not going to drive it much over winter, I'd be tempted with the work you plan, then A + cambelt in spring.  You don't miss the service, but postpone the cost a ittle.  The cambelt interval was originally 6yr / 54k miles, then 5yr / 45k miles, now 4yr / 36k miles.  I wouldn't be concerned at delaying it a few months.

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I would do the service in November and delay the discs and pads. I never like to see gaps in service history and I would be fearful of the cam belt snapping everytime I started the car if it were over 4 years old. Lotus changed the interval to 4 years because the belts deteriorate with time irrespective of mileage.

I would only delay it if I really didn't have the money but Gav doesn't charge much for a belt swap service.

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I plan to drive it but thats prooving harder all the time especially now I have a 10 month old. I do nursery drop offs 4 days a week so that rules out taking it to work and weekends barely see me going out on my own these days.

Maybe an Evora or Cayman would suit my current situation more.

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I would be fearful of the cam belt snapping everytime I started the car if it were over 4 years old. Lotus changed the interval to 4 years because the belts deteriorate with time irrespective of mileage.

 

Are you sure, Dean ?  I didn't think that Rover changed the service interval for K-series engines, so I'd always thought Lotus' change was down to the cars being driven differently and therefore putting more strain on the belt than your 'typical' driver of a K-series powered car.

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Calling Dr H ?

 

If you're not going to drive it much over winter, I'd be tempted with the work you plan, then A + cambelt in spring.  You don't miss the service, but postpone the cost a ittle.  The cambelt interval was originally 6yr / 54k miles, then 5yr / 45k miles, now 4yr / 36k miles.  I wouldn't be concerned at delaying it a few months.

 

laugh.png cheeky sod!

 

Mines off to Gav's on the 29th for its anual service. Probably done less miles than 600 crybaby.gif  as it's been away for a lump of this year whilst I started the Stratos build and still had the 340R.

 

But no matter what I always have it serviced every 12 months. Gav could drain my oil and sell it on as it will probably look brand new wacko.png

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Does a full and timely service log effect resale? Probably.

Do you need to change the oil and filter if the car has only done a small mileage, no. Oil is not time life limited, it is worn out by being used in the engine. From an engine life point of view it is a waste of time and money changing the oil. Cam belts may perish with the environment so they are worth changing though the risk is low for an unused belt.

 

I was in discussions with an oil company regarding oil change frequency in a track day car. I change mine quite often but their view was I was probably doing it way before it was needed. I have kept the frequency high for resale considerations.

 

The oil in jet aircraft is never changed, just topped up, and they get a much harder life than an Elise.

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Dobbo you're probably right but I fear I am one of the queer folk Scatty is referring to!

Ha ha ha,

 

I'm batting on your team Dean. Errrrmmmmm, probably not what you wanted to hear....

 

Just for a general check over by Gav would be my way of thinking even if I had only covered X amount of miles...

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If you've only done 500 miles since the last service, a missed service is irrelevant. The oil and filter won't have degraded, and Cam belts either work or they fail, so late changes of a Cam belt are irrelevant if it doesn't fail, and they don't tend to if parked in a garage. What is important is that a new owner knows when the Cam belt was last changed, so they can decide when to change it again. When you come to sell it on there will be plenty of buyers who won't be so anal about "perfect" service history.

With all the dodgy servicing out there, I don't tend to believe a service history anyway (unless you know the person who did the service).

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I'm one of those owners super obsessed with service history/all the supporting paperwork for everything but reality is there are few cars which still have a 100% perfect history after 10 years or so, particularly low milers.

 

Certainly not unusual to see a gap in the book and this would not bother me personally, wouldn't break the deal if the rest of the car ticked all the boxes.

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