Elise Newbie S2 Indicator Woes

[Izzimad]

Hi, it's my first post and it's a shame it's on the negative side.

 

I've been a '06 111R owner for just 3 weeks. Everytime I drive it I can't help but grin, the best, most exciting car I have ever owned. Unfortunately there is is but. On the day I purchase the car I noticed moisture in the front indicator. Rather than let the car dealer sort it and being eager to drive the car ASAP I decided to resolve the issue myself if required.

 

On the following day the moisture was still present. When attempting to find the clip on the indicator I found that it was non-existent as it had snapped off. I discovered that a previous owner had used adhesive to fix it in place and the unit came away pretty easily. After research on various forums I could see that this is all too common.

 

The dealer agreed to replace it under their warranty. The indicator was replaced and I was happy to get behind the wheel again. After a week of driving to work, I look out of my window this morning to see that my pride and joy has the very said replacement indicator hanging out. The clip was cracked and the new indicator therefore buggered!

 

I rang the dealer again and they said that I would have to wait a further week for a replacement. This time there was no commitment to getting this replacement under the warranty. I was told that the matter would have to be discussed with the owner on Monday.

 

The thought of another week without driving the car (don't want to risk it even with taping the indicator etc) impatience got the better of me. I rang my nearest Lotus dealer at Silverstone and they had a replacement available. My wallet £98 lighter but the Elise now drivable.

 

My question is, has anyone else on mloc had repeat occurrences of this? Was anything done to resolve it? I am concerned that it will happen again and scratch the clam. I have seen various ways of improvising a solution but I am reluctant to carry these out should it happen again. Any help out there and I would really appreciate it. It has really taken the shine of owning such a superb car. Thanks

[scatty]

Welcome to mloc.

 

I can't help with your question, but hopefully you now have it fixed and can enjoy your pride and joy. Might be worth a post on seloc as well....

[MrSimba]

To be honest its rare to see one thats not letting condensation in

 

but if the dealer replaced the part under warrantee and less than a week later that 'new' part has also failed or been incorrectly fitted by them, then its not 'fit for purpose', do not let the dealer fob you off with and tosh about the previous owner ect they sold you the car & it's their responsibility to replace the obviously faulty part they supplied under warrantee.

 

Tell them (not ask them...) that as your car is unroadworthy due to no indicator you require a courtesy Elise until they can rectify or your going to contact trading standards for advice, see how long it takes them to get a part then!

 

Also when you do a well placed rubber band over the clip will keep it under tension & stop it happening again

[Martin R]

Drill 2 small holes in the back of the indicator unit. You can then pass a cable tie through and fix it to something nearby under the arch liner. It also provides ventilation to stop it misting up. Welcome to the world of Lotus

[winthattt]

Not uncommon. You can keep fitting new incators and the clips will keep breaking. It is because the clam parts that the clips wrap around are too proud and do not let the clips go back to their unstressed position. You can either, file the clam, use a bungee or stick the indicator in. I used bathroom sealant to stick the indicator in as it can be peeled off should you ever want to remove the indicator. Mine fell out on the rumble strip at Milbrook proving gound and the dealer would not replace it under warranty. They did do a shed load of other stuff.

 

[Izzimad]

Update

 

Spoke to the dealer owner today. Now they are telling me that the part should be replaced foc as all Lotus supplied parts come with a 12 month warranty. They need the broken part back to send back to Lotus. Lotus will then need to check the part and authorise the warranty replacement. Until then I've been told I will have to wait for my refund.

 

Worth noting that if you are after a replacement indicator. Get one from a Lotus dealer as it's cheaper than some of the website prices out there. One supplier - Eliseparts.com even state that there is no warranty available on this part.

[Izzimad]

The saga continues!!!

 

Dropped off the broken indicator today at Allon White Sports Cars. Spoke to the owner and they still won't budge on reimbursing me the £98 now, and are still saying it depends on what Lotus say! When asked the question 'what would have happened had I waited for you to get one in, would you have charged me for it?'. After a bit of question dodging, and when pressed for an answer, the eventually said 'no I wouldn't have been charged'. Unbelievably they failed to see my point of view - the fact that I sourced the part rather than them should make no difference on how I'm treated as a customer. After all, my decision in going elsewhere was based on them telling me duff information, stating that there's no Lotus warranty on the part. Really awful customer service in my opinion. Please somebody tell me that not all Lotus Authorised Repairers behave like this!

 

Anyway, despite this annoyance I'm still loving the car.

[scatty]

Looking back you should have waited and let the dealer sort it all out. Easier said than done I know, when a gorgeous lotus is waiting to be driven.

 

First lesson after this is find a friendly recommended independent specialist!!!!

 

 

[Izzimad]

Probably, although they had said that Lotus don't provide any warranty for this part to begin with. They said 'what happens if it happens again, where does it end?' Leaving me to needlessly have the car off the road for another week when the local dealer 15 mins away had the part ready, if I'd had ended up paying for it anyway why bother waiting. It was 2 days after the initial call that they contradicted themselves and said that there was a warranty.

 

I ended up speaking with Lotus customer services about it. They were excellent and offered to get it all sorted for me. Within an hour or so of speaking to Lotus, Allon White rang to say that it's covered and I will get my refund. I'm not sure whether it was my call to Lotus that prompted the response or whether they had had a re-think. Either way, I'm pleased that it has been resolved.

 

Many thanks to all those that posted replies, it's much appreciated.

[Izzimad]

Guess what? Yep, the new one broke!!!!

 

Lotus Silverstone reckon they will be able to fit the replacement with no risk of it coming out. Part won't be in until Wednesday though.

 

Think I'm going to try the bungee cord trick. See

 

http://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elise/experience/maintenance/indicatorlens/indicatorlens.html

 

If it works I've always got a plan B if the new replacement ends up broken.

[Jonathan E]

The second fix on Michael sands site was one I supplied. Don't bother replacing them, they will just keep breaking. Another way to do it is to attach a small cable tie to the broken clip,then pass the cable tie through the access hole in the front clam,finally tighten the cable tie around a small piece of plastic set across said hole.....if that makes sense,

Welcome to the strange world of Lotus.... You have to adopt a particular mindset to own one,as your finding out :-)

[Izzimad]

Another update

 

Replacement (now the 3rd one) has been fitted by Lotus Silverstone. A day later and it's still in the car. They people at Silverstone do seem very good, no fuss, and at no cost. Very impressed with their professionalism so far. Also only 20 mins away which is handy.

 

I did buy some mini bungee cords just in case it happens again. I won't bother with a replacement.

 

I eventually got reimbursed by Allon White for the the cost of the indicator which was a good result.

 

Hoping for some decent dry, ice-free weather over the next few weeks to enjoy the car as much as I can before winter sets in.

[handbag]

I notice you're in Daventry. I can recommend Guglielmi Motorsport for servicing and geo setup once you're out of warranty, it's where I've taken my car for the past 2 years.

[pilk]

mine broke in the same way, so i went to chris neal sports cars and they do a repare clip that you pop rivet to the underside of the indicater, its bean ok up to now and its never come out

[Izzimad]

Update

 

The latest replacement indicator has also gone the same way. Lasted a whole week and a half which is a record for mine!

 

I have finally decided that enough is enough and managed to get hold of a pop rivet and replacement clip from Christopher Neil Sportscars as per Pilk's post. (Thanks Pilk)

 

Can anyone confirm if the way it's pictured here is correct?

 

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/470919-post26.html

 

Thanks