Solarshaun

Hi everyone. I used to lurk around here a few years ago with my yellow Evora. I have the lotus itch again and fancy the Exige this time. Does anyone recognise or know much about this one? Looking forward to joining you again soon! Shaun https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403257939519?fromSavedAds=true&advertising-location=at_cars&sort=relevance&postcode=ne9 5ez

Chris, are you still looking? I might have just the thing...

Nothing wrong with an "S" diffuser on an N/A: gives the back end purpose! Hope I'm not hijacking, but thinking of selling after almost 4 glorious years. I have no idea what to move to though -maybe an Exige S (Evora 400s remain too rich for my blood)..? I'm also worried about selling privately: has anyone any experience in selling a reasonably high value car privately?

Are you still looking? My car meets all the above criteria, and I'm thinking of selling. PM me if you're interested. Newcastle area. -Shaun

Perhaps a bit of clarification is in order: A warranty is a legally binding obligation by the manufacturer. It provides peace of mind to the customer to buy the product, knowing that if something goes wrong, it will be sorted without quibble. It also works as a marketing tool (just ask Kia how successful it can be). Just because this period expires, doesn't mean it's fair to assume that any and all mechanical or manufacturing failures are no longer the responsibility of the manufacturer -indeed, there's another legally binding protection here for that exact reason (Sale of Goods Act). The bottom line is, do you feel it's reasonable to be left with a £3000 bill for a clutch assembly which disintegrated (not worn out) in a modern car within 30000 miles or 4 years? The nonsense about other manufacturers not looking after their customers out of warranty doesn't wash either. And no one's "slagging" anyone. For the same reason that you think the dealer is shortsighted in your follow up post, I feel Lotus would be smart to engage with the very group that is most likely to buy its cars. Paying for parts would have cost them nothing, and a small contribution to labour costs would have left me with a much more reasonable bill. As a disclaimer, I adore my car, love the Lotus philosophy, and have been treated courteously by the service dept at Hethel and my local dealer. I just tend to be more objective about the real world, and less "cultish" about a car brand.

That's a matter of opinion

Sad times. Good luck with it. I got a measly £500 from Lotus towards costs. Hope yours is still in warranty...

A young couple walking past Him: It's a Ferrari, isn't it? Her: It's a Lotus Him: No way. Not a Lotus, it's clearly a Ferrari! Her: So how come it said "Lotus" on the back? Him: Maybe it was a Lotus...

Being brave and going against the run of opinions here, but I have a lot of sympathy for you Richard. With an unprovoked catastrophic mechanical failure, one would hope most manufacturers would step in and help out in some way -as you say, it's just not worth the poor publicity and company image to leave that sort of doubt in a customer's head. The fact that Lotus are cash poor isn't really the point either -they still seem to be able to charge the customer a hell of a lot of money for their cars. If I was their PR or Customer Services manager I would be worried about seeing this stuff out there. Perhaps there are people researching their next car right now: think they'd be reassured about joining this niche club after reading your woes...?

supportive words; very much appreciated. If anyone else is in a similar position please don't hesitate to get in touch for advice/ moral support. Shout out (again!) to the guys at Formula 1 in Newcastle for being so helpful.

Sorry I left things hanging without updating, I've been incredibly busy. The clutch friction plate seems to have come apart -one of the rivets snapped. I think this is what you're describing Arun_D?? This is nothing more than simple part failure. There's plenty of meat left on the clutch. The other rivets are intact, proving that this isn't caused by abuse (one would expect more than one rivet to snap with the twisting forces caused by eg 0-60 runs). I've got photos but can't figure out how to upload them. Lotus have asked for the part back to investigate. They've asked for engine data which I've agreed to as I've got nothing to hide from that point of view -not even track days. Having said that, the clutch itself is all the evidence required -I'll be a bit miffed if they try to use the ECU data to try to deny the obvious. AuRouge: the fact that they started by saying they would expect the clutch to wear out at 25k, and mine's done 35k and still has lots of life left in it, strengthens my case I think. I have a friend who had an Evora IPS which needed a new gearbox while in warranty. He had a long and difficult fight to get it sorted. He sold soon after, and will never touch another Lotus again. We all accept a certain degree of...customer goodwill and understanding...when buying a Lotus, but if they don't address these sorts of issues with humility they'll keep losing customers. Car's being put back together with a new clutch and fly-wheel. The car is out of warranty, but I'm in talks with Lotus Cust Serv. I'm confident they'll do the right thing...

Clutch plate broken! (No idea how) More to follow...

Taken them a full day just to get clam/ trim off and drain fluids... Car's only done 35k. No track days, no abuse.

I think the issue is the suddenness of the problem. It wasn't a wear and tear issue, rather a very sudden mechanical failure. And it's a known issue. The car's not been treated poorly, nor has it done more miles than one would expect.

Thanks for all your replies. I've already tried via the dealer- no joy. Can you suggest what I might say to them to push my case a little harder? Does anyone have a contact at lotus I could email/ write to?? £3000 is...a lot...