RichardN

Well I've decided to bite the bullet and have bought a set from PNM. They are sitting in my kitchen waiting for Xmas as I have to have something exciting to open on the day! Socks and aftershave don't really do it for me. Sad life isn't it? I'll be fitting them soon after that and will report back when I've had a chance to try them. Richard

Thanks for all the replies folks! Richard

Hi all, The headlights on my '88 Esprit Turbo are getting very rough as I had water leaking into them. Still useable but it's only a matter of time and straight replacements are not available any more (unless you know different?). Has anyone fitted the replacement LED headlight kit from PNM? If you have what are your thoughts, good, bad or indifferent? They are about £360 so that's a lot of money compared to standard lighting. Richard

Thanks Andy, The module has been rebuilt so I'm fairly sure it's not a soldering problem. The other points you mention seem to be ok as well. As I said the lights go out as you crank the engine over as they should but then come on again. I've no idea at this point if the crank voltage should stay high when the engine is running. If it should then the fault is a wiring one. If not then it's still the module in some way. Richard

Hi all, I've had the problem where the warning light module stops working and all the lights stay on during driving. I took the module to a local electronics specialist who changed the components and checked it worked. He reported that it was doing what it was supposed to but, of course, being a Lotus it's made no difference at all! I've checked the power coming from the crank to pin 3 which is what is supposed to activate the module and turn the lights off. It shows 12V while actually cranking and the lights go out momentarily but as soon as the engine starts it returns to 0V (or as good as) and the lights come back on. Now the question is, should the crank pin remain at 12V and the problem is there or is the module not staying 'switched'? Without a "good" one to compare it to I've no idea where the problem is. Can anyone help? All the best and stay safe, Richard

Thanks Chris, Although I've plenty of experience with body panels and paint I'm not a mechanic so stripping the door down is a bit out of my area. I'm always happy to have a go at most things but the specialist warned me that it can be a pig if bolts etc. are seized. Sounds like you managed it without too much drama so I think I'll reserve a weekend and have go at at least one! By the way did you have to take the doors off or do it with them in situ? Richard

Hi all, 88 Turbo - I'm going to have to replace the black metal door frame (that goes around the side window) sometime soon. The original one has rusted badly and, despite many repairs over the years (I am a body work and paint repairer), the rust has almost eaten right through. I have a pair of new (OEM) frames ready to go in but would appreciate any advice from someone who has already tackled this. I've been warned to expect a lot of trouble getting the new one to fit but what do I do about the quarter light windows. Assuming I can get them out unbroken what is the best thing to use to stick them back into the new frame? Any suggestions of how to tackle the job (both the glass and the frame) would be appreciated. Richard

Hi Dunc, Just seen your posts about your SE. I've just changed the wheels on my non SE Turbo which for some reason had 16" SE rear wheels. I wonder if you would like the SE wheels as spares as I have no use for them but don't want to throw them away as I know they are very rare now. They do need reconditioning (blasting and powder coating / painting) but come with two hardly used tyres. Don't want money for them but you would need to cover the postage costs if you are interested. Richard

Your wish is my command... This is the knob I'm after and yes, it does seem to be bonded to the shaft like the V8 one! RIchard

Unfortunately not. Already asked...

Just to finish off this thread... I have bought and fitted the Vredstein Sportrac tyres and have been really pleased with them. I can't feel any difference in normal driving (not a track day person). I fitted four new wheels which were cheaper than restoring my old ones. I paint cars for a living so thought I'd experiment with white wheels instead of the normal silver (the rear wheels were only available in pearlescent white so I had to paint them anyway). I know it's not original but I really like it. Richard P.S. If anyone can use some 16" rear wheels and tyres (barely worn) from an Esprit SE let me know. They need stripping and powder coating but they are yours for the cost of collection. I don't want to throw them away if I can help it.

Hi all, The lettering on the top of the gear knob of my 88 Turbo X180 has mostly worn off and I'm looking to replace it. If you know of anyone who might have one please let me know or if you can tell me what else used it that would be good. I was told it was off a Renault but can't find any references on Google. Not wanting to use a third party knob by the way. Thanks, Richard

Ok - no replies to my original post about restoring the seats and headlining. It really is proving difficult to find someone local to do this job. So, let's look further away. Can anyone suggest a car trimmer anywhere in the country who can do this job? Someone must have had their interior replaced/repaired??? Richard

Hi all, The drivers seat and headlining on my Esprit is in a very bad state and I am looking for someone (professionally) to replace it all. I've tried several local places (North Yorks) who claim to do this sort of thing but either get no reply despite chasing many times (don't they want my money?) or the price is ridiculously high (I don't have that much money!). Can anyone suggest a car trimmer in the Yorkshire area who would be able to do the job? I don't need one of these top end guys who do show cars for Ferrari and Bentleys etc. who are way out of my price range just an old style trimmer. Any suggestions gratefully received. Richard As you can see the seat will need totally recovering...

Thank you everyone for the replies. It's such a shame the original tyres are not available any more but at least we can keep our cars on the road one way or another. At the moment I'm probably going to go for the Vredstein Sportrac 225/60 R15. I looked at the Pirelli 600's but they are over twice the price with no great difference in performance (or so it seems). I'm not doing track days etc or high milages don't need to worry about wear etc. and can always change to Pirellis or something else in the future if I'm not happy. Richard