'lotus Scanner Check' As Part Of Service.....

[jondude]

....am I correct in presuming this is one of those fancy plug in computer checks which balances all the fuel supply chips and circuits, emissions etc? ( It is mentioned as necessary on any type of service )

 

It is not just a pre-MOT emission test, is it?

 

Reason I ask is because I am going to service my Elise myself, not just to save money but to make sure all things are done, oil filters primed and plugs gapped properly, for example. And the money saved does mean I can change the oil, plugs leads etc much, much more often. I've been burned once too often ( not by Lotus, this is my first ) to ever trust a dealer again. Haven't use one for 20 years. Apologies Lotus, it ain't gonna change!!!

 

However, if the scan is an in-depth engine tune up, then of course I'll need a helping hand.

 

Has anyone had just a Lotus scan only?

 

I'm kinda worried the dealers may be silly with the price as they will soon work out not taking the oil change with the scan has taken at least £150 off their books.

 

Any idea how much they cost alone and a dealer who will not show off at only being asked for this?

[russell]

be interested to know whether the fantastic depreciation you'll inevitably suffer by not having a stamped service history (regardless of how well you do it yourself) makes it worthwhile.....

[chorton_1]

....am I correct in presuming this is one of those fancy plug in computer checks which balances all the fuel supply chips and circuits, emissions etc? ( It is mentioned as necessary on any type of service )

 

It is not just a pre-MOT emission test, is it? 

 

Reason I ask is because I am going to service  my Elise myself,  not just to save money but to make sure all things are done, oil filters primed and plugs gapped properly, for example. And the money saved does mean I can change the oil, plugs leads etc much, much more often.  I've been burned once too often ( not by Lotus, this is my first ) to ever trust a dealer again. Haven't use one for 20 years. Apologies Lotus, it ain't gonna change!!!

 

However, if the scan is an in-depth engine tune up, then of course I'll need a helping hand.

 

Has anyone had just a Lotus scan only?

 

I'm kinda worried the dealers may be silly with the price as they will soon work out not taking the oil change with the scan has taken at least £150 off their books.

 

Any idea how much they cost alone and a dealer who will not show off at only being asked for this?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Hi Jon,

 

I have a '98 S1 I service myself. To answer the question, any Lotus using the Rover MEMs ECU (i.e. non-special edition Elises) can be read by a Rover ECU tool (either specific Rover tool or one of the generic readers garages use). The scan check doesn't do anything particularly in-depth and is not a necessary part of the service. The diagnostics on S1's are pretty rudimentary (i.e. it tells you whether sensors have gone out of range since they were last reset, allows you to perform some checks such as firing injectors etc and show graphs of sensor traces). Non-of this is particularly fundamental to engine running, servicing or emissions. It may often be done purely as a pointer towards particular problems.

 

To answer the comments about loss in value, I'm sure having done it yourself for so long you will be more than well aware of any potential loss. I don't plan to sell my car, I don't want to pay other people to do stuff I can do and I want to try to learn everything about the car. People have lost far more on newer cars then I ever will do on having serviced it myself.

 

Cheers,

 

 

Chris

[jondude]

Yup, take your point Russ.

 

My theory is that there has to be a point where Elise's cannot get much cheaper, or where a FSH only adds say a potential £500 to any value. There may well the day when it adds nothing on early models.

 

I may well be wrong, admitted.

 

I have always found too, that when I buy privately it is the owner of the car I look at just as much as the car - often moreso!

 

The amount of people who have tried to sell me cars by revving its balls off on a cold engine is amazing. No amount of FSH will stop me running to the train station on that one.

 

There are also many people who seem to think a garage service means they need not check the oil for a year, too.

 

So I'll take my chances as I know anyone buying my Elise will have a car treated to regular six monthly oil anf filter changes. Better for the engine than a yearly change, no matter what the trade says.

 

Up to me to sell that to 'em!!

[jondude]

And thanks, Chorton - just read your reply as I posted to Russell.

 

Thanks for a good explanation there, appreciated.

 

And yes, I have absolutely no plans to sell the Elise. What a car!!!

[Phil.S]

Just started servicing mine myself. Just make sure you're very patient and very flexible! Get a copy of the service manual too. Lets face it you get far better piece of mind knowing you've done it yourself, if something breaks that you have changed yourself you don't have to spend hours on the phone trying to get a garage to take responsibility for it. I reckon that alone makes it well worth losing the 500 quid FLSH bit when you come to sell the car. I reckon also someone that knows all about their car would sell far easier than someone who didn't. Sorted....

 

Well at least this is what I try and convince myself every time I have to take a spanner to the car ....

[bigguss]

I agree it does not mean so much with FSH on an early model.

 

I may well be the typical newbie Elsie customer, one who decides they want one but do not know too much about the car.

 

If I were buying a 2001 model upwards, then a F LOTUS SH would mean a lot to me. I would not consider non-Lotus SH at all.

 

This may be totally unreasonable, but once I start seeing non- Lotus stamps I 'worry' more.

 

But, if they are non-Lotus stamps on a 1997-2000 model I would not care so much - although I do agree it would be the attitude of the selling owner which would clinch the deal.

 

Going non-Lotus - rightly or wrongly - creates the impression you are willing to cut corners. I know Lotus dealers are woefully overpriced and the work may well be the same either way....but it just doesn't feel the same to a nervous buyer.

 

My major concern will always be that this means cheap(er) oil and anti-freeze. On that point, if someone like Jondude was to show me receipts for six monthly fully synthetic oil and plugs, air filters etc, I would rate that more highly than a non-Lotus service history - so long as Jondude comes across as credible.

 

In fact, a brilliant idea I saw was a bloke who had really cared for his car himself and never used a dealer for servicing. He reckoned he had saved over £4000 when it was time to sell.

 

He then got an AA inspection on his own car ( for what, £200 or so? ) and could wave that, an immediate and credible up-to-date recommendation of his car and work.

 

He got his full market value and the buyer really had bought a brilliant car.

 

Very good idea for the DIYers.

[jondude]

Phil : Thanks a real bunch for the link to a service manual. Well appreciated!

 

Good posts, too. Like I say, it is not about saving money but if the scan is indeed not a full check and re-programme of sensors, then a couple of hundred quid for a oil change and stamp? Nah, would rather treat the car to top oil and much more myself.

 

The maths is right, too, as Biggus and you say. Car values will stable for older models, yet servicing costs only go one way.

 

If you 'lose' £500, even £1,000 through lack of stamps, you have 'saved' at least, if not double, that amount through DIY.

 

Brilliant idea about a pre- sell AA inspection.

 

If anybody had done that when I was looking for an Elise, I'd have been there like a shot.

 

Thanks again!

[Jonathan E]

My car will car to the Lotus dealer for its service in Febuary (2 years old), and I must admit that when buying my first Liz a full Lotus history was top of my list due to the fact that I knew little about them mechanically speaking, However having been a Lotus/Elise owner for several years now I have a totally different opinion on this subject.

 

Firstly my car will go to the Lotus dealer for one reason and thats the fact that thier are a couple of niggles outstanding that need to be fixed under warranty and I'd be daft to pay someone or fork out myself on fixing them, that is the one and only reason it will be going to the Lotus dealer.

After its 2 year service the car will probably go to Horizon due to the many outstanding comments on this board.

Now if I sell my car in another 2 years it will be a 4 year old 111r that has been serviced by Horizon for the last couple of years, if anybody was looking to buy a 4 year old Elise 111r I really don't think that would make any difference to a potential buyer whatsoever, lets face it anybody who reads these boards would be aware of the quality of service from Horizon and the total lack of quality of service from almost all Lotus dealers.

Obviously doing the work yourself is a slightly different ball game, but again it couldn't be worse than an approved Lotus dealer and it would be up to the individual involved to make thier choice.

Personally I would be very happy to do all the work myself but sadly lack of a working area puts a stop to that.

 

A few examples of Lotus approved dealer ineptitude:

 

Broken window mechanism (was fine when leaving the car)

Wheel being replaced under warranty(didn't have a 111r wheel so they put on a 111s wheel instead which is the wrong offset)

Deep scratch approx 6inches long to the front clamshell on a car that was in for its 1k service(I must have done that was the explanation)

Two wheel bolts falling off due to not being tightened properly.

Undertray nearly falling off on the M5 after yearly service.

Front pads charged for but not replaced.

These are just a few of the things I can remember off the top of my head. OK I've owned a few Elises and I've used several dealers to date as the cars have always been under warranty, but anybody who thinks a DIY service is a problem needs to be aware of how inept Lotus dealers can be, I'd be more than happy to buy from someone wo had cared for the car themself.

hth

Regards

Jon

[m.Woody]

I must make it clear that i have never been to a lotus dealer

but i have worked in main dealers (ford, VW, audi, suzuki ,jeep,renault,chrysler)

and they ALL make big cockups, ALL main dealers are productivity driven , if the technichian can cut a corner and make a bit of bonus HE WILL

your oil will be changed by the YTS boy that has been fully trained ...in floor sweeping !

one bloke at the ford dealership was found with 200 gallons of oil in his shed and more oil filters/cam belts/plugs than you can fit in an escort van , he was just wiping the oil filter and said it had an oil change

As far as i am conserened a FSH is for decorative perposess only

I will allways go on vehicle condition

I must admit that a FSH at least shows the owner TRIED to look after it

[russell]

agree with the points made for older cars, and agree that a decent service is the key, not who does it. But many cars are sold not to enthusiasts but to the general public (probably less so with an Elise than with an Escort, I agree :-)) and for them a FLSH is useful backup. Perception, as a couple of people have mentioned, is all. But the maths for an older car does stack up, especially if selling it is not high on the priority list. But when I bought my 111r, part of the neogtiation was getting a service thrown in free, so the first one will be done by the dealer, for sure :-)

[mikdys]

Thanks for the free service manual link - top stuff