Spinney

I think it’s quite likely the film hadn’t bubbled up immediately so probably wasn’t obvious.

Yes I see your point but maybe he just didn’t notice it at the time. 🤷‍♂️

But it wasn’t more serious and it’s a bit of a leap to wonder if it might have been, causing major damage or an accident. Who among any of us can say in all truth they’ve never made a mistake at work? It happens.🤷‍♂️

Yes, indeed, I spoke to them more as a heads up in case the film doesn’t self heal. The service manager wants me to take the car back for him to have a look at it which I will do at some point. Trust me if I feel I’ve been ripped off or the victim of just plain shoddy workmanship, I’ll always be the first to lay into somebody. In this instance, it’s the first time in many years something like this has happened to me at this particular workshop. Yes it was careless and the workshop guy needs to be told about it but if the film does self heal over time, then that’s the end of it as far as I’m concerned. If it doesn’t, I am sure the service manager and company concerned will do the right thing. I have no desire to destroy an otherwise good relationship built up over very many years. Mistakes and accidents happen and so long as the guy concerned learns from it and the company do right by me if necessary, which I’m certain they will, then that’s the end of it.

that brake fluid softens and starts to dissolve paint protection film? Well neither did I until yesterday having arrived home in the Evora after a C service (the big one!) When I picked the car up, I didn't check around it assuming that as usual, all would be well so simply got in and drove off. When I arrived home and drove into the garage, my wife was standing at the far end (yes I know, I've told her before about going into my garage without asking!😉) and as I got out of the car she asked what's that all over the front of it? I went round to take a look and saw what had the appearance of a load of bubbles all over the PPF above and to the right of the o/side headlamp as you were looking at it and runs of oil from the front of the clam pooling on the bumper air intake lip, which also is covered in PPF. I dabbed a finger on it to find it was definitely of oily consistency and the smell was of brake fluid so I gently wiped it off with a damp cloth, to find wherever it had been, the PPF had softened and started to bubble up! 😡 Now I know most of us are probably aware brake fluid can ruin a cars paintwork but, oddly and thankfully, all surrounding paintwork and lacquer appears to be fine. I also noticed one of the o/side front wheel spokes was covered in it too and it was with much trepidation that I gently wiped it off, just praying it hadn't lifted the paint. It hadn't fortunately. Looking under the front hatch, there was brake fluid all around and over the master cylinder reservoir, so the guy clearly had a very poor aim as he was refilling it! Having looked very closely at the car again today and after wiping it clean yesterday, the bubbles do appear to have reduced in size and don't feel quite so soft. I washed the car down completely and hoping that after a few days, these bubbles will completely disappear, but we shall see! I thought they always covered the paintwork around the car where they were working in order to protect it, but seems not though as there were oily handprints all over the back of the car too. Must say I'm pretty peed off by it and expecting a call back from the servicing agents shortly. My aim at this time is not to point the finger at anybody but just to make them aware of the problem in case anything needs to be rectified as a result. So a heads up to anybody refilling their brake reservoir, don't spill any brake fluid onto your PPF!

Had to stop at South Mimms on the M25 last week while busting for a pee. As I hurried towards the services building a guy came towards me with a big smile on his face and asked “oh wow is that the new Emira?” Kind of a back handed compliment I guess but thought I’ll take that! Better than being asked if it’s a Ferrari or Lambo etc 😁 I quickly apologised I couldn’t hang around to discuss it and continued on my way to the much needed indoor facilities.

It’s clearly and not surprisingly taking a while to get everything in place in order to build Lotus into the brand we all want it to be. If there’s one thing that came across very strongly yesterday, it is the will, enthusiasm, determination and excitement from everybody we met at Hethel to make the company what it always deserved to be. Aside from the unbridled passion for the marque from Mr Lotus himself, Scott Walker, it is a joy to see such an obviously committed workforce who all want to go on that journey too. They will get there, of that I have no doubt.

He sure was and went on to tell me how he and his mate standing alongside him had 70 years service at Lotus between them. 😃

So I’ve been on an excellently run trackday at Hethel yesterday, organised exceptionally well, as always, by Maxine at Bell & Colvill. A couple of weeks ago I noticed the leather was coming adrift from its location on the right hand side of the driver side seat squab of my Evora. No matter how I tried, I could not see how this was retained and couldn’t get it back in, so left it loose, thinking I’d get Bell & Colvill to look at it during the next service due in a few days. So around 10.30 in the morning, a few guys from the factory were taking a break with their sandwiches and coffee and looking at all our cars assembled by the clubhouse. They were all talking with great affection to us owners about these, now, older generation cars. One guy was telling the owner of a V6 Exige parked next to my car that it was he who had made the seats. It immediately pricked my ears so I asked if he had worked in the trim shop to which he replied he had. Ah says I, could you have a quick look at my drivers seat to see if you can fix my problem please? Yes he said and immediately got down on his knees to take a look. Well, using his many years of skill, it took him no time at all to get my seat leather back in its rightful location, something I’d been completely unable to do. Just took the right skill and knowledge of how it went together to sort my problem. 😁👌 What an all round brilliant day we had, including a tour of the Emira build line given by the ever enthusiastic Scott Walker. The entire day just reminded me why I love these brilliant little cars and of the passion the guys who made them all have for the brand!😃

He’s an easy guy to listen to but still I found I was losing the will to live after after 10 minutes!☹️

Unexpectedly had about 10 minutes of pouring rain here in Hampshire at 6 o/c tonight. Outside temperature only dropped 2 deg from 38 to 36 but has since gone down to 29. I’m ever thankful that after a lifetime working in the air conditioning industry, I decided several years ago to treat myself to an a/c system integrated into the house. Bloody lovely it’s been these last couple of days too!👌

Free cash I can understand, but still can’t get my head around this strange new world!🤷‍♂️ Should I just depart the bus at the next stop?

who hasn’t the faintest idea what a non fungicidal token is or does! Received this in my inbox today:- https://www.thelotusforums.com/latest-news/lotus-cars-news/lotus-cars-and-nft-pro-announce-partnership-with-ripple-to-bring-automotive-nfts-to-the-xrp-ledger/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email WTF is it, does it have 4 wheels, a V8 engine, twin overhead cams on each bank and what possible use is it to me - or anyone else for that matter???? I’m confused and wondering how or why my beloved Lotus is involved in such nonsense!😳🤷‍♂️

Hiding from todays fierce sun😁

I’ve always carried out maintenance, servicing, repairs and mods to all my cars, having started out by rebuilding the engine in my old man’s Cortina 1200 when I was just 15. However I no longer have the physique of a racing snake and whilst I can get down on the ground, it’s a bloody struggle to get up again so I now leave it to guys much younger than me. I thought I would hate letting somebody else work on my various prides & joy but finally accepted the inevitable. The mind is still willing but the body says bugger off, no chance I’m getting under there again! 😁

Many thanks for that Bibs, it's very much appreciated. Can't afford them this month now, due to other unexpected expenses, but I'll be back in touch with you very soon!

Any news yet on the damper part nos and prices please Bibs? I’m hoping to get them changed when the car is in for its annual service at the end of the month.

A mate of mine recently sold his immaculate 355 for £87500 so I think you’re right in your assessment. It’s just typically lazy tabloid journalism.

That’s brilliant thanks Bibs. 👍Sorry I only just picked up your post as I’m out of the country (and mostly out of internet range) until 27th. Great news that’s all it involves though. Should be a relatively cheap mod just for a change. My wife will be pleased! 😁 Part nos and prices would be brilliant too thanks. 👌

Well that’s clearly where I’m going wrong, I can’t pee and run after them at the same time!😁

I’m now thinking I’ll send our 2 Maine Coons out on patrol if the cayenne doesn’t work.

Over the past 6 weeks or so I've become obsessed with foxes or to be more specific, stopping the buggers from turning our front garden into a pretty lifelike facsimile of how the Somme must have looked in 1918. We've experienced them before but never to quite the levels of destruction seen this year and, in the past, I've always managed to deter them using proprietary fox repellent granules. Not this year however! This time they laugh in the face of my efforts of sprinkling the granules all around my wife's treasured plants and continued to do a very good impression of Charles Bronson digging one of the tunnels in the film The Great Escape!!! Righto, I thought, after re-levelling the flower beds for the 20th time, I need to get a bit creative here so went online and found many so called home remedies plus a few higher tech alternatives. Well I've always loved a gadget so after reading reviews of one of the more upmarket British made devices, I decided to go for it. It arrived a couple of days later and came with either battery or mains option via a transformer so, out of convenience, I opted to use the battery for starters. This device is supposed to emit a high frequency sound that foxes can't abide when they cross the beam, so scaring them off - apparently. I excitedly got the thing set up and confirmed it worked by the LED illuminating when I crossed the beam, which it did so even an impressive 5m away. Sorted I thought and looked forward to the following morning when our flower beds would obviously still be as pristine as I'd left them the previous evening. The following morning I couldn't wait to get out to see the results of how clever I'd been but couldn't believe what I saw. The devastation was just as bad or maybe even worse than it had been all along - bollox!!! I then read the instructions for the device to discover a paragraph that said by using the mains/transformer option, the sound emitted would be several decibels louder to the fox and was the recommended option. Bugger, ah well that's obviously where I went wrong so got the mains connection set up and levelled up the beds yet again. Next morning, the only conclusion I could reach was that we were plagued by foxes that were very obviously stone bloody deaf since they had wreaked havoc yet again. Back to the drawing board! After a bit more reading I discovered a devilish concoction you could make at home, consisting of sliced garlic and chillis boiled up in a saucepan of water. When cold, filter out the solids to be left with a brown liquid to which you add white vinegar, dilute with water 50:50 and spray all around the plants where the buggers dig. It smelled absolutely foul so I was reasonably confident it would work. Luckily, I'd had the foresight to boil up this foul smelling concoction on a camping stove outdoors so, apart from driving all wildlife away over a 50m radius, it at least didn't stink the house out. I used my garden sprayer to apply it and by the time I'd finished, the garden made even a sewage plant on a hot day, smell quite sweet. The next morning I excitedly rushed downstairs to discover it had bloody well poured down during the night and very obviously washed all the smell away. Next on the list to try was a bulk purchase of chilli flakes, the idea being you sprinkle them all around where the foxes dig and, I was assured, it would do the trick since foxes apparently hate capsaicin, the active ingredient in chilli. The next morning, hoo-bloody-ray, there were far fewer holes dug, but still they hadn't been scared away. For the next few following nights, I continued sprinkling the chilli flakes, more in hope than expectation. Well would you believe it, it seems we not only have deaf foxes but the buggers have now got to like chilli too! Ok, well not defeated yet, I then decided to go to DEFCON 1 and deploy the full nuclear option of ordering a bulk buy of the hottest Cayenne pepper available, powdered this time, to hopefully get right up their noses. It arrived this morning, so before suiting up in full PPE with mask and latex gloves to scatter this weaponry, I obviously did the manly thing of sticking the tip of my little finger in the powder and dabbing it on my tongue. I stood there for a couple of seconds thinking, with some disappointment, bloody hell it isn't very hot but then..............................................what started out as a mild bit of heat, with the swiftness of a Jonny Wilkinson kick to the gonads, my mouth suddenly exploded into white heat. Christ on a bike the stuff is lethal!!!! I actually lost the power of speech for several minutes whilst my wife just stood there laughing like a bloody drain as I writhed around before running the cold tap in my mouth for several minutes. I await the outcome tomorrow with considerable interest. I hope to hear the sound of foxes running down the road screaming in agony some time around 2am tomorrow morning!

Don’t tell me, as a gesture of goodwill due to the number of their cars I’ve bought over the years, Lotus are presenting me FOC with a brand new Emira - touring spec obvs!😉😂 Anyhow, that presentation aside, many thanks as always Bibs. I wait with baited breath. 👌😁

I was very tempted by the Emira when it was first unveiled but then cooled. Since then I keep wondering if I should have dived in but my head has finally won out over my heart. Despite owning an Evora, I’ve never been totally sold on the looks and feel it has quite a few awkward viewing angles on it. The Emira looks, however, I’m completely hooked on and just think it looks so much more resolved than my Evora. As for the Emira interior, I’m not a fan of touchscreens in cars and, lack of oddments storage aside, I actually much prefer my Evora. I realise I’m probably one of the few with that particular view but I just think it’s a nice place to be, with very few distractions. I have managed to concoct some oddments storage of my own, on the outside of each seat base and netting attached to the tunnel on the passenger side, which all helps though. The area where the +2 seats are is obviously useful but not easy to access whilst driving. When all is said and done the Emira, very pretty though it is, just wouldn’t give me any significant improvement over my Evora. And as others have said, I’m sure the rarity value will play it’s part in future Evora values. I desperately want the Emira to be a huge sales success but mainly because I want Lotus, a marque I’ve loved for around 60 years, to grow and prosper. That success, though, will surely have a downward pressure on residuals won’t it?

As Harry said, your choice of suspension spec will largely depend on your type of driving, mainly road use or more track focused. I'm sure if you want to use it on track a lot, then the sport suspension compromise will be quite acceptable but for those, like me, whose use is almost entirely road, then the touring spec will be the one to go for. I'm sure some folk new to Lotus may well think the touring spec won't allow the car to handle especially well but then, they don't know/understand what Lotus is about. Harry said even Gavan Kershaw would suggest the touring spec for the majority so that's good enough for me (and Harry it seems). Just getting back to my Evora, if the spring rates are higher than the touring spec, I'll take a view on replacing those too. Probably I will just replace dampers to start, since they are the main contributor to the hard ride, and see where that takes me. I've owned more Lotus cars than I care to remember since the late 60's and the one overriding feature of them all, until getting my current car, is the compliancy built in to the suspension - beautiful handling but not at the cost of comfort. Even my previous Exige V6, which I would regard as more hardcore than the Evora, had more compliant suspension. To be fair, choosing the sport suspension was entirely my fault and I just hadn't appreciated how different the ride would feel to all my many previous Lotus. C'est la vie folks! Thanks for your update Bibs. Very much appreciated.