RichardC

Had mine done last week at National Windscreens in Sheffield. They had the car for a full day and it looks like they have done a decent job. One of the A-pillar trims cracked on removal so they are going to order me a new one from Lotus that I can either replace myself, or they will do the job next time that I am passing. They have used new top and bottom windscreen seals, but I suspect that they are something off a roll, rather than OE Lotus ones. The profile isn't the same so they are now recessed a little. Will have to wait for some rain to make sure of no leaks. The fitter mentioned that he thought that the car had had a new windscreen fitted before, which was surprising to me. I bought the car "new" from a dealer with less than 100 miles on it, so either he is mistaken or the screen got broken on a test drive at Hethel or Lotus Silverstone!

That has cracked in exactly the same place as mine did! The stone (which I still have as a souvenir) hit it just below where the wiper parks. My cracks are growing about an inch every time I drive it. My new windscreen took about 2 weeks to get delivered to National Windscreens in Sheffield from Lotus via JCT600 in Bradford. I'm due to have it fitted at the end of next week...

I’m not sure that you can fit the top and bottom seals once the glass has been bonded in. I have sent Killamarsh a list of parts, and instructions on how to do the job to factory specifications. I just need to make sure that they follow them and not be tempted to do a “bodge it with mastic” job.

UPDATE and super-lucky good news. I rang LV's windscreen claim booking line today, which put me through to Autoglass. Is was a bad line and could hardly hear what was being said, so I hung up and tried a different phone. Ringing the exact same number, this time I got put through to National Windscreens! Stroke of luck, and apparently, although they don't mention it anywhere, LV are now using both companies for claims and it is random chance which one you get allocated to. The job has been booked to National windscreens in Killamarsh and I have said that I will email them PDF copies of the relevant sections factory workshop manual on how to do the job. Hopefully the repair goes as well as it did for @mg4lotus. Thanks everyone for all the advice.

I suppose National Windscreens in Killamarsh is still an option, but it means me paying an extra £200 excess for not using "LV approved" Autoglass. Is the A-pillar trim fitting mod documented anywhere, I wonder? I was contemplating asking the windscreen fitters to remove the trims (if they get broken coming off, then they are liable and LV should pay for some new ones,) but refitting them myself, taking time to do the job right. This is if LV don't agree to having the screen replaced under supervision at a Lotus dealer. Another dilemma.

That is odd. Trying to book an appointment online with Autogalss and the only locations near to Rotherham it gives are Attercliffe Sheffield 9, Doncaster and Nottingham. No mention of them having a place in Killamarsh that I can find.

My patents live in Rotherham, so a trip to Killamarsh would be easy for me. I will book the car in there, and print out all the relevant sections from the Workshop Manual for them to read. This forum (nearly) always comes up with the solution! Thanks to everyone for the advice.

Sounds like getting this repair done properly is going to be a bit of a nightmare... Any clues as to which Lotus dealer messed it up, C8RKH? If I do involve a Lotus dealer then, based on past experiences, my preference would be Silverstone>Oakmere>JCT Bradford, which is actually the reverse order of how far I would have to travel to each one! Nowadays I try to do my own servicing, so haven't had the car in at the dealers for a couple of years now. So, what needs to be ordered is this lot (plus adhesives)? - WINDSCREEN ASSY Part Number: D132U0001F £1811.66 SEAL-WINDSCREEN UPPER Part Number: A132U0266F £13.04 SEAL-WINDSCREEN LOWER Part Number: A132U0402F £29.54 SPACER-WINDSCREEN - 6x required Part Number: A132U0346F £0.64 DOUBLE SIDED TAPE (12.7MM) -1.5m required Part Number: C075U6071V £6.24 TRIM PANEL - A PILLAR R/H Part Number: F132U4008F £66.48 TRIM PANEL - A PILLAR L/H Part Number: F132U4007F £66.48

On the way to taking my Evora 400 for its MoT test yesterday, a truck on the motorway kicked up a stone and now I have a cracked windscreen that will need replacing. My insurer is LV and there is a £190 excess for windscreen replacement, with an additional £200 to pay if you do not use their "approved" windscreen installers (Autoglass). Doing a dummy booking through Autoglass, it seems that they have only replaced 2 Evora windscreens in the past 6 months nationally, so basically there is a only a tiny chance that whoever replaces my seen will have seen the job done before. I am worried that leaving it to Autoglass could result in them not ordering all the right seals, etc. / cracked or bodged back on A-pillar trims / water leaks. Am I best getting the screen done at a Lotus dealer, who can supervise the windscreen fitters and do the dismantling and reassembly? If so, how do I persuade LV that it isn't something that Autogalass should be doing on my driveway?

As my wheels need refurbishing, one of the TPMS sensors is dead, and all the tyres will need replacing in the next 12 months, I have bought a second hand set of Evora 400 wheels with new tyres and supposedly working TPMS sensors, to get me through the MoT test next month. I am assuming that the Evora will just automatically learn the new set of sensors when I fit the new wheels and go for a drive? Or do I need to visit a Lotus dealer to get the TPMS system reset? So, what I need to do when I eventually have to replace the eight TPMS sensors on my two sets of wheels with new Autel TPMS-MX sensors, is to “clone” the existing Lotus sensors using an Autel tool? I’m still not understanding how that works. Can the tool read the code from dead sensors, or do all the sensors have the same code and you just program them all the same? We never had all these problems when you used to just kick the tyres to see if they were soft...

Thanks all. My sensors will all be all of the same age so the other 3 will probably die between my upcoming MoT and the next one. I will probably be needing new tyres by then so will replace any remaining 2017 vintage TPMS sensors when I next get the tyres done. So, if I buy four of those Autel TPMS MX-sensors, exactly what tool do I need to buy and do to make them work with my Evora 400?

One of the TPMS sensors on my 2017 Evora 400 has stopped working, presumably because the battery has run out, so will need replacing to pass the next MoT test (unless anyone knows how to disable the TPMS system, I could live without it!). I image that the other three will soon follow. My understanding is that Lotus recommend replacing both the TPMS sensor and valve stem and, for genuine Lotus parts, that would be over £108 per wheel. Is it necessary to replace both parts, or can you get away with just changing the sensor? Alternatively, has anyone got experience of using valves and sensors from other manufacturers, that are available at a much lower price? For example - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202856406304?epid=18042112323&hash=item2f3b2f1d20:g:zAcAAOSwpJJd6msR&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4FLMZgcepwtqTi4TFjTlSwaBRzx9nTjZZqjGVWnzrzlv06nLen3OrhR7pX6s7fCeo0iMoX%2B0Jp3DdAVs7la5PGJwMif4diyzoxis75aBJBJQk5wckIGchuGos8OspUbtgQrf4mY%2BsptZ2oJul%2Bgl8hg4bbdCEf58BXvsRJICilAu7qk8zoPqLAACE3884Qv%2BoaGXn%2FS4m6US87Mt223ygBOJ2RXMcOeVV2H08XQZ79DZAgwKOTPdtpI5ssQvvRNbTVpcU2f9HxIyReeRXtIGTbmYD93FOVfnKe1l7z2JPjNk|tkp%3ABk9SR-6bvfOrYw I don't want any problems with the sensors not being compatible or needing special tools to reprogram the sensors. Any advice would be gratefully appreciated. Thanks.

Well, the summer is over now. That was disappointing. Never mind. See you all at Lotus 80 in 2028, maybe?

I have an Alpine INE-W990BT in my Evora and have noticed that I haven’t been getting notifications of traffic jams and road closures recently. Most annoying. Apparently it is because, on Alpine units, the RDS traffic information (TMC) service in the UK was provided by the Trafficmaster system and this service was unexpectedly shut down in March 2023. Another company, INRIX, still transmits RDS traffic information on FM radio in the UK, so I have emailed Alpine to ask if they are planning on issuing an update to allow UK users to switch over to the INRIX system to re-enable live traffic updates on their units. Here’s hoping, but I suspect the answer will be “buy another satvav or use a smartphone app instead”. Over on the VW forums, some users having similar problems with their built in satnavs and VW haven’t been very supportive. Some have managed to hack their units to change from Trafficmaster to INRIX and solve the problem. I wonder if it is possible on the Alpine?

It is nearly the end of June and still no announcements of UK events. I was expecting a Hethel open day, like Lotus 70 in 2018. Any news or rumours?

I have no problem being given an itemised bill for the price of a car, but the price advertised on the windscreen sticker should be the price that you pay (optional extras excluded).

Recognisably a Lotus, even without looking at the badge. Sharp styling, with function - no “faff”. For the drivers, but not great for the bugs...

I used to love the accurate and easy to read Stack instruments on my old Elise and got frustrated when I changed to an Evora, especially with the speedometer, which is miles out. Not a HUD, but I went old school and installed a ScanGauge2, simply wedged between the bottom edge of the windscreen and the dashboard top. No drilling or sticking in place required. You can calibrate the speedometer to be spot on. It is the information from the ScanGauge that I use when driving, never looking at the car’s own speedo or rev counter. I also have it displaying coolant temperature and battery volts on its other two spare positions. Much better than the car’s own warning lights. Not fancy, but it works.

They will accept offers. Some sellers have got no idea how much the things they are listing are actually worth and can’t be bothered to research it. So it gets listed at a silly high price, with the plan being to do some research once an offer comes in before deciding whether or not to accept it. ”Lotus? Expensive supercar, innit? More money than sense. Put it on for £600.”

https://parts.lotuscars.com Is this new? Genuine Lotus parts, accessories and merchandise, direct from Lotus Cars. Seems to be USA only at the moment. Will it be coming to the UK and the rest of the World soon?

I see that deroure.com now redirects to a new website https://www.bellandcolvill.co.uk/deroure The downside is that I had a lot of saved items in my DeRoure basket, as a handy reminder of what parts I needed the next time that I put an order in, but the new website has lost all the information. That'll teach me to write things down.

With the impending cull of Lotus dealers, there could be a few more of these coming up on the second hand market.

A smear of silicone grease on the brake pedal switch and pulling out the plunger SEVEN clicks seems to have cured the traction control warning light problem for me, so far. For those contemplating buying a new switch, Bell & Colvill / De Roure have this SAAB part listed for £13.90+VAT. https://www.deroure.com/partinfo.asp?MAK=0&MDL=0&TBL=0&SMA=0&SMO=0&ST=&SC=0&PBID=539239 I think that it is the equivalent to the Lotus part (with a little fettling) and good value, if they can actually supply them at that price. See https://www.lotustalk.com/threads/traction-control-light-going-off-all-the-time.410002/

To try and stop the rot, I decided to drench the door handles with ACF50 corrosion inhibiter fluid. The very next day the car’s central door locking breaks! Coincidence??? Anyway it was just a blown fuse, with the factory having installed one rated at 7.5A, instead of 10A as per the workshop manual. All working well now and hopefully the door handles will survive a bit longer.

What look like flakes of rust keep appearing in my exterior door handle recess. Twanging the handle makes a few more fall out. I can't see where they are coming from. Maybe the handle has an internal spring that is already corroding? The car is 4 years old but lives outside. I'm contemplating ordering a spare pair of door handles (£17ish+VAT each) while they are still available, as at some point I'm thinking that they will fall to bits.