Arregueti

Weird. Their contact details should be easily accesible through the Net even if Lotus’ site is outdated. Hope you will be able to fix your car in due course.

Where in France are you? You can try Theobald in Nancy (apparently the biggest dealer in France now, though I have no experience with them) or Arnold Kontz in Luxembourg (they are expensive but the lead mechanic is knowledgeable) if you are close to Switzerland next week. You also have Garage Ph. Guelat in the border between CH and FR (I think they also sell and service new Lotus but don’t have direct experience with them. Some acquaintances in the French club recommend them). You also have Komotec next to Koblenz (long lead times lately but this may have changed now). There is another dealer close to Frankfurt Mainz but I have no references with them. If the problem is with sourcing parts from Lotus, it may be more complicated, though…

Me, when I go for a week or more with the car. Started doing it after I saw a group of surfers desperately looking for the only copy of their VW van’s key in a sandy beach in Northern Spain. They did look pretty stupid… …and desperate. The clue is, you don’t leave the spare copy in the car.

You don’t want to know…The hourly rate of my local dealer for mechanic work is eye-watering… Actually, I just sourced the clutch kit from Komotec this time (the car already got a new standard clutch in 2017, installed by Komotec). They could only take my car in two months’ time so I had to consider my alternatives… My car was scheduled for service anyway on a Friday with the Lotus dealer in Luxembourg and the clutch broke the evening before… It arrived for the service on a flatbed… When the local dealer told me they could not source a clutch anywhere I just called Komotec and ran… to secure the last one. Edited to add: I was charged around 28 hours of work which is consistent with the number I was charged first time by Komotec. Seems to be the “standard” time foreseen by Lotus. Maybe it can be cut down in later cars, as is the case for the Exige. The initial quote from the dealer was lower… then he called to justify the additional work… I hope this helps.

Hi Reiner, I do feel for you, as I have been there just recently (also with only 20,000 kms. on the clutch). I am not sure if it is bad luck, but Komotec told me recently they had never had an issue with the clutch for the 4xx, unlike for the standard kit for the Evora/Evora S. I got their last kit, apparently (sorry!), but maybe they can give you some headers on availability/timing. Otherwise, you could try Lotus Oostende (Thierry Verhiest) in Belgium, who has a good reputation among owners here in Luxembourg or Lotus Nancy (Theobald Lotus), which seems to be the bigger dealer in France now, so maybe they have a larger stock of parts. I don't have any affiliation or direct knowledge with either as I have never taken my car there, but I refer to what I heard from other owners around Luxembourg. I can only see this going into scarcer availability, so maybe we should try to "sponsor" some sort of badge production for our future piece of mind... Good luck with the hunt!

It is much prettier than the Tesla, though.

My woes with the car go on. The cynical in me is tempted to say that the poll should now refer to "which clutch do you change to"... My Evora's clutch has given up... Under my ownership it was changed back in 2017 to the original spec part for Evora/Evora S, according to DeRoure and part numbers, when I had to replace the fork/selector for 4/5th gear. I have done slightly above 20,000 kms. on this clutch over six years and I am not driving the car that hard... My dealer made a quote including the same part number but I am dubious to go with the same part again... What clutch would you go for as a replacement? Is the Evora 400 upgraded enough? Is it worth going for the Komotec part? Any input/experience from you would be extremely appreciated.

I do not think it is a blonde moment, Filip. You were wise to take the car out to test if it was fit for purpose before the long haul. It is learning by doing and you will know your car inside out from all this testing and "trial and error". Your check list will simply get longer over time. 🙂 Have fun and please post pictures of your adventures.

A courageous and innovative push for dynamics and design. Stealthy, understated and performance focused design, yet still an eye catcher where the best is left for those who enjoy the ride, be it at the wheel or in the well hidden rear seats. Certainly not a box, but full of details and surprises.

Nor will they experience and understand how it drives... 😉

Best parties are always in the kitchen, aren't they. Well, I can only reciprocate the invitation (not for a workshop visit, unfortunately 😁). I am sure you will already have all under control, but if there is anything you need around Luxembourg, including tips for roads, etc., please let me know.

I was wondering where you are based. That is very kind. And very close! I may well take your offer at some point! I am very envious when I read your adventures and see your pictures 😀

That looks like a great day out with friends for a good cause. I came across one yesterday in Luxembourg while doing our "tour de Luxembourg" with the local club. The driver seemed as surprised to see my car as I was of crossing him. 1974 is my year and getting closer to 50 I play with the idea of getting a car of my vintage (an Elan+2 would also be a good candidate). Your pictures got me salivating. 🙂

Happy to read about your progress, Filip. Where are the pictures of her properly shiny and clean, though? Your update is not complete without those.😁

Those seem to be wise words @Rambo I now got the car back from my local dealer. They checked a number of things (not specified) and they only found the throttle butterfly to be the potential source of the issues (loose connector? though they did not provide much explanation). They have driven the car for 100 + kms once checked with no issues and felt confident enough to give it back to me. Upon collection I took it for a spirited drive for around 100 kms. with no issues either. The tech says he suspects the car is burning oil but to me it now seems to smell "normally" and I don't seem to get so much fuel in the bumper, though it is early to say. We agreed that I will take it again after 1000 kms. to read the ecu and have a quick check. I will test the car further when I join the local Lotus club for our annual 1st of May gathering (I am helping to organise it so it would be embarrassing to pop-up in a non-Lotus!)

Thanks @Rambo I had completely missed that thread. Will definitely read through.

Thanks @Phaeton91 That is very helpful indeed. Youtube also suggested another useful video, with the work carried out on a Camry, so I see what you mean with the two set of wires and spraying from underneath. I will give it a try once things "settle" but for now I am happy with the car being at the dealer, as I prefer a technician to have a proper look before things get seriously bad. Fingers crossed for now.

Thanks @electro_boy. I realised my question was a dumb one, but preferred being safe rather than sorry. 😁 I will give it a try when I get the car back.

Thanks @Phaeton91 It does help. I don’t think it is the brake sensor either, but what do I know… My cruise control continues to work generally, but lately the traction control light does appear sometimes, resulting in no power whatsoever. It does not get to 2,000 rpm when the traction control light pops up… I was wondering how to clean the MAF sensor myself, but also assumed it would be one of the first things to be done by a dealer. Please excuse my stupid question. Do you clean the MAF sensor in place or do you have to unfix it to clean (I ask because for me it would mean unzipping and zipping back in place)? Regarding fuel, and to further feed my paranoia, my bigger problems with the car running rich and too hot started in July last year while in Austria and Italy, when I was doing the Stelvio and the Dolomites. Hopefully it was related to heat and has nothing to do with poor fuel. In any case things have not improved once back to my usual fuel suppliers… Anyway, I feared I could burn the cats or do some serious damage, so the car is now with my local dealer. Will have to wait and see.

It is a good question. In all honesty I cannot tell for sure. The car has been with Komotec three times now and they have not managed to find the solution, but I am not sure what they have checked lately and what not. We changed the battery in 2021, as stated above, and the MAF sensor was zipped/fixed to place a few years ago and it solved the issue of weird codes for some time (before the latest resurrection of codes). The brake sensor was also a source of issues a few years back. But I am not sure what they have checked recently and what not. In any case, I don’t think they replaced any sensor since 2021. The last time I left the car with them to try to address what looked to me as excessively rich mix and/or a potential leak, with fuel all over the diffuser, but they came back with no issue. Komotec has now mentioned the harness as a possible cause, but they cannot take my car until June for further checks and, anyway, they seem very busy to spend time looking at my car properly, so I am keen (desperate) to explore alternatives as I cannot use the car now. It just seems to be getting worse, as I now have codes popping up every time I start the car, so I am not keen on driving it.

Hi, @RedS4 I keep struggling to spot the root cause for this problem with my car. Since summer last year I seem to have a "too rich" engine mix and all these symptoms (codes P 2119 and P2104 quite regularly and P0507 only once so far), getting worse as time goes by, too. Now, when I start the car I don't get any reaction to the throttle. I have to disconnect the battery each time. Would you mind updating this thread on whether you found a permanent fix? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the summary @jep. Hope your Elise´s struggle is nothing serious. Can I read those two quotes together and dream?

Written in French, too.

Indeed. Not that any post from @JAWS needs confirmation, but mine is an early MY12 (ex-EU press car) with door pins and the leather gear knob.

Yes. It does push stronger and rush forward when hitting the button under throttle.