KennyN

You can still get dual zone proximity sensor alarms. They can be quite amusing if you customise the warning message... https://www.cliffordalarm.co.uk/product/516l-voice-module-2/

Hi Will, I have not found a way to get the native satnav to display speed limits, but if you use Waze on your phone and connect via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay it provides this functionality. That said, I have had an issue with keeping Android Auto connected, it seems to randomly drop the connection whether connected wired or wirelessly. It's fine in other cars using Android Auto, so it's probably a Lotus software issue...one of many on my car it would appear.

Mine has been replaced under warranty with an Exide battery, it hasn't resolved the problem, but that's a different story!

That's an interesting article and it explains my thoughts on BMW paint.

I'm told that modern paint is often subject to orange peel. Mine was no exception, but it was corrected to a degree before applying PPF. Thankfully, there were no scratches, overspray, runs, or dry edges in my case. That said, they would have been easier to deal with than blisters. Some of the most apparent orange peel I've seen is on BMWs, every car in the showroom was noticeably affected the last time I was in a BMW showroom. I asked the salesman if this was what I could expect if I placed an order, and he quietly shared that he had recently moved from Mercedes and the cars in the showroom would never have made it in front of prospective customers with his previous employer. I thanked him for his honesty and time then I went and bought a Mercedes.

I'm keen to hear what Lotus have to say before making any decisions.

It appears that I spoke too soon regarding the quality of the paint job on my car. It was back getting the rear LOTUS badge fitted following removal for a neater PPF installation (of course it was on backorder). This gave my PPF guy the chance to give it the once over now that the PPF has had a chance to settle. Unfortunately, micro blisters have started to appear on the driver's door. As it is going to get a number of other issues looked at next week this will be another one for the list. I am reluctant to get anything done about it at this stage, as there could well be more in time, but I am keen to get it acknowledged by Lotus and kept on record. If it is going to need various areas repainted, I'd rather it was done as one job from a colour match point of view. I will be interested to learn who is expected to pay to get the PPF redone as and when it is fixed. This and the ability to address the other issues will determine whether this car is a long-term keeper, as I really do not have the time nor the patience to be back and forth getting things looked at following the delivery delays. So much for the alleged superior QC at the factory, my last Exige needed the back end painted within 3 years due to micro blisters, it appears that little has improved on this front.

@ramjet Would you believe me if I said Hethel Yellow?

My PPF guy, ex Rolls Royce and McLaren, so he knows what good and bad paint looks like, made lots of positive noises about the quality of the paint. He particularly praised the piano black parts, which are notoriously difficult to get right, apparently. His only negative comment was some slight orange peel, which he corrected before applying the PPF. Overall, he said it is about as good as a modern production line paint job gets.

This is a poor show for those whose deposit date was/will not be honoured. It makes the £5k premium on flipped cars seem like decent value. As time went on, it was looking like the £60k base price was likely to be unattainable, but this feels wrong for those who have kept the faith this long. Selfishly, it can only help shore up the value of my car for a bit longer. Not that it's for sale, it needs fixing first!

I'm confused, are they saying the price is increasing based on the build date, which has been proven to have nothing to do with the deposit date? If so, isn't this the exact opposite of what the MD stated on the record some time ago? I can see a few people getting lucky if the ~8% increase leads to a flurry of cancellations.

@ramjet I understand what you are suggesting, I have seen that on other cars. In this case, the other discs are fully cleaned by the pads and on closer inspection, there appears to be some pad material stuck to the problem disc beyond the area photographed. The car has never been put away wet in an attempt to prevent such things, but who knows how the car was stored prior to the build being completed and delivery taking place. I expect the pads will get replaced and the disc cleaned up, assuming it's not too bad. It could be worse, I know someone who washed his Ferrari that had carbon ceramic brakes and put it away in the garage without going for a short drive to dry the brakes. It was locked solid the following week and had to be recovered by the dealer. A £25k bill and it was back in working condition 🙄

Another issue for the list, the OSF pad is not fully sweeping the disc, the rest are fine. It's booked in to get all of the issues looked at in a couple of weeks, something tells me B&C are going to be busy!

I previously had an Exige and we are the same height. I wouldn't use the phrase "fit comfortably", but I made it work by having the seat rails modified to tip the seat back slightly. I found that having a harness fitted compressed me into the seat a bit more and kept me steady, which helped, but the driving position and comfort were always something of a compromise. The other approach is to go with an aftermarket seat, Tillett is the go-to provider, their range of seats and rails will get you much lower in the car.

@Bibs I agree, although it's not entirely surprising given the buying experience and ability to resolve the issues that have come to light since taking delivery. Lotus have a long way to go if they hope to survive in the £100k+ market following the Emira. I cannot say that I will be rushing to join the queue to throw any more of my money in their direction.

I'm currently waiting on a call back regarding software updates. Apparently, some fixes are available but not all for the known issues. I've also seen some online chatter suggesting that the software to enable agents to apply the updates is not available/problematic, but that was neither confirmed or denied by the agent. I don't believe that OTA updates are possible for the Emira, which feels like an opportunity missed.

Having spoken to two "agents", it seems that those of us who have taken delivery of an Emira are doing real-world testing on behalf of Lotus. Apparently, some software is available, but not everything that's needed to address the known issues. I understand the need to deliver and get paid, but it feels like Lotus jumped the gun and compromised on quality. How did ESC issues resulting in limp mode, HVAC with a mind of its own and wiper speed issues that will apparently all be addressed with software updates make it as far as customer cars, given the delays and claimed continuous QC in what should be a state of the art factory? Never mind the more obvious issues. The other thing that is abundantly clear is that Customer Care is no longer interested and any issues should be directed to an agent. I guess they've done their job and been paid. For those who are still waiting on a delivery date, don't be too disheartened that you don't have your car yet, hopefully, yours will be trouble-free when it does arrive. It looks and drives well, but there are clearly still some issues to overcome.

@Kevin Wheeler It drives well enough when it's behaving itself and it's well admired by other road users. It's just disappointing after the delays and promises of quality. I guess it's just showing it's heritage.

It's not geometry related skipping, it does do that though and I'm familiar with that in other cars, this is more of a mechanical noise at full lock.

As suggested, cross posting this here to raise awareness of early issues.

I really want to like my Emira, but it's testing my patience with just over 400 miles covered... The minor stuff: Tracker not working Resolved following a home visit from Scorpion Clicking/rattle noise from dash Strange noises on full lock Bubbled finish on the binnacle Passenger side wind whistle > 50mph Door seals - fit not great Random disconnects when using Android Auto Wiper speed issue - Unable to select other speeds until after restart once Auto has been used Dash vents for demisting side windows, weird ventilation issues generally Today's development: ESC error and limp mode - Limp mode has gone following a restart, but the ESC Service Required warning is still there I'll give it a go again tomorrow and have it recovered to B&C on Monday if it's no better. I was saving up the minor stuff to make a B&C visit worthwhile, but the latest issue could be serious/dangerous depending on where and when it decides to happen. A bit of Googling suggests that all of the above is not unheard of, the "joys" of being an early adopter, or same old Lotus...time will tell. Either way, it's disappointing following the delays and all the talk of quality being top priority throughout the production process.

An email received today, you really couldn't make it up... From all at Lotus Cars we would like to thank you for your Lotus Emira purchase, we hope you enjoyed your handover experience. The Emira presentation box delivered to you shortly after your Emira handover was described as RFID (Radio-frequency identification) protected, unfortunately due to an error we have now been made aware that the product is not RFID protected. If you prefer RFID protection for your keys, we suggest you seek an alternative product. We apologise for any confusion caused. If you have any questions or need more information, please contact our dedicated Lotus Customer Care team by phone, email or webchat on Lotuscars.com. Not that it really matters, as the car doesn't even have keyless entry.

So far, so good thanks @Kevin Wheeler I've been pretty busy, so I'm not even half way through the run in period yet, disappointingly. The tracker is now working and a few minor niggles have come to light, but nothing serious.

Possibly, but as you say, the device is not tracking anything other than it's own location due to the internal battery if it has been launched out of the car before it is moved. I would have expected the device to have been somewhat difficult to locate, despite it being a covert device.

I decided to spec the tracker, although it didn't work on arrival. I called Lotus and they suggested that I should speak to Scorpion, it turns out it wasn't even registered on their system...back to Lotus and within an hour I had access to my account. The tracker unit was registered to my car, but it was showing as not installed. I went through the activation procedure, but it still didn't activate. Scorpion were very good and arranged a home visit. The guy drove from Liverpool to Hampshire and basically unplugged the unit and plugged it in again as it had gone into a deep sleep, which is probably due to the delay between fitting and activation. We then went for a short drive as I live in the sticks where a 4G signal is nothing more than a dream, as soon as the unit got a decent signal it activated and everything worked perfectly. Top marks to Scorpion and room for improvement Lotus...no shock there! For obvious reasons, I will not disclose the location of the tracker unit, but I was surprised how accessible it was. I guess they're all installed in the same location and it won't take long for that to become known to car theives. It would take seconds to disable the device. If my insurance don't insist on a tracker, it will come down to the difference in premium versus the subscription cost next year when it's due.