My Emira Experience

[KennyN]

Apologies, this is a long post and I should issue a trigger warning for those who cannot see beyond a Lotus badge...

Today is the fourth happiest day of my Emira ownership.  Following multiple delays and many promises that it'll be with you "soon", I was happy when it finally turned up on Jan 5th.

Once fully PPF'd and ceramic coated, the second time I was happy was when I collected it, and that's when things started to go downhill...

• Tracker not working - Fixed following a home visit by a Scorpion field engineer
• Clicking/tapping noise from the dash and engine bay
• Mechanical noise on full lock
• Bubbled finish on the dash surround - B&C ordered a replacement (it was on backorder)
• Passenger side wind whistle over 50mph
• Door seals/carpet poor fit
• Random disconnects when using Android Auto
• Wiper speed issue - well documented, but still no fix
• Hill Start Assist error
• Dash vents for demisting side windows not working/weird ventilation issues generally
• ESC error, limp mode - more times than I care to remember over 727 miles
• OSF brake pad issue - B&C replaced the pads and cleaned up the disc
• Driver's door paint blisters that are getting worse - I'd hoped that this was a thing of the past with the alleged state-of-the-art paint facilities at Hethel, but obviously not
• HVAC stuck on full heat
• SOS System Service error

Granted, the majority of items on the list are little more than inconvenient issues, but ESC randomly switching off and the car going into limp mode is potentially dangerous and could be challenging legally should the worst happen, as could the wiper issue.  As far as the paint blisters are concerned, who wants a brand-new car to be repainted?

I cannot fault B&C, they had no option other than to follow the Lotus field engineer's recommendations to replace the battery and update the software.  It soon became apparent on the drive home that this had not addressed the variety of errors that appeared on the dash, but it had also introduced a new problem, the heating is now stuck on full heat, regardless of the settings.

 

Following many emails and calls with Lotus Customer Care (the least said about them the better) I was offered three options:

 

• Keep trying to fix it, with no guarantee of a fix and no clear plan other than keep throwing parts/software at it and paint the door
• Get me into another Emira, a cancelled order not the same as my spec
• Reject the car and receive a refund

I decided that a refund was the right option for me, as Lotus was unable to convince me that anything material had changed on the production line that would ensure a replacement would be any better.  The lack of fixes for the majority of the issues and no apparent timeline for when the updates would be available did little to build my confidence that the next software update would address the issues.  I'm aware that there are quite a few Emira owners with cars built months after mine facing many of the same issues.  They're having sensors, ECUs, wiring harnesses, etc replaced and software updates applied with mixed results, so I'm happy with my choice.

As I said in a previous post when the issues started to appear...how can customer cars have so many common problems?  It feels like early customers are doing the real-world testing, despite all the talk of a new production facility, QC at every step, thousands of laps of the test track and however many development cars racking up many miles on road tests, etc.

 

The third happiest day of this disappointing experience came when I finally received my refund.  It was a long drawn-out process that never progressed unless I kicked Customer Care every step of the way.  They have no idea what is going on in other departments and will tell you whatever they think you want to hear to get off the phone or answer emails in such a vague manner that they commit to nothing.  From a customer's point of view, it appears that the left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing at Lotus Cars.

 

You would think that having eventually done the decent thing and paid out the invoice value of the car plus the detailing/PPF costs that I had incurred they'd be keen to collect the car...again, it took me kicking them to finally get this actioned.  I fully expect that the car would still have been with me next month at this time if I hadn't pushed to get the car collected.

 

This brings us to today, the fourth happiest day.  The car has finally been collected and I can put this disappointment behind me.  It had been arranged that the car was going to be collected last Friday AM, but Customer Care didn't think to inform me that it had not been booked, leading to half a day stuck at home needlessly and me once again chasing Customer Care to find out what was going on.

 

This was my third Lotus bought from new and it will be my last.  The previous two were not exactly high-quality items, they had their fair share of issues, some more serious than others, but I fell for the good looks of the Emira and the promises of much improved QC, but the reality of ownership is something that I could have happily done without.  It will be interesting to see how things go once American customers start receiving their cars.

 

If Hethel hopes to compete and survive in the market that Lotus are positioning its products in they'd better up their game considerably before Geely decides that they can do better out of China.

 

As I type this, there are 38 Emira's on Autotrader, with a selection available under £80k and some of them haven't even been run in yet.  Quite a few have been advertised for months and they're not exactly flying out of the showrooms, despite price reductions.  Sure, there will be some flippers cars amongst them, who in my opinion deserve to take a financial hit, but still!

 

I can only hope that others enjoy a better experience than I have had and that their cars live up to the marketing hype.

 

[exeterjeep]

A rather sorry tale of issues. At least B&C have done their best in trying to sort things. I wonder how many others have been rejected back and a refund given. Have not been out in one yet.

Reading the MG4 EV forum they have had quite a lot of returns - but they have sold many more cars though.

[Barrykearley]

Sadly this is always all too common with all vehicle manufacturers in the first run out of customer cars.

I always remember my Dad receiving his brand new RAC shaped transit van after the smiley faced ones. It was absolutely awful and in the first 9 months was broken down more than it was working. All of the RAC fleet of new transits at that time were the same. 

The only positive I can see is you’ve managed to reject it and move on from it - I for one was hoping not to see posts like these - it’s not good for British manufacturing.

[KennyN]

Agreed, it is not what I wanted.  The fact that I went to the trouble and expense of having the car PPF'd and ceramic coated hopefully shows that I intended to keep and use the car long-term.

Issues are inevitable to some degree, but it's how a company addresses them that makes all the difference.  In this case, there was nothing that gave me any confidence that the car would be reliably usable anytime soon.

[jerzybondov]

It sounds to me like the customer care you received was at least as big a reason for returning the car as the physical faults?

If they’d treated you well and given you (appropriate) confidence the problems were sortable it sounds like you might have kept the car?

[KennyN]

@jerzybondov To some degree, yes.

They are clearly very busy and they do not appear to have access to the people with authority who can jump on issues and give them the appropriate plan to get things rectified and reassure the customer.  It was a constant battle with no continuity in who I could deal with, it was just whoever happened to pick up the call.  It quickly became a point of frustration and something that I just don't have the time to deal with, which led to resenting the car in the end.

[jerzybondov]

Out of interest, can I ask what your previous two Lotuses were that you bought new?

[KennyN]

S1 & S3 Exige

[390ja]

Sorry to read such a messy tale of what should have been an exciting experience

I had to nudge customer care again a few days ago because I still haven’t heard anything about my configuration link that supposedly expired on the 8th May! (That I was informed of with 2 working days notice..)

They responded yesterday with a link, and also a note explaining the delay in responding, stating 

“we have had a change in the Customer Care Team so I have just received your email”

So they may be having a shake up.. too little, too late at this stage for you but hopefully a sign of attempting to get on top of this mess.

[KennyN]

@390ja Here's hoping that they're putting things right and others can enjoy a better experience.

[Techyd]

Sorry to hear this @KennyN - I guess we can only hope that people at Lotus are reading this seriously and take action to do something about this ridiculous customer care, whoever is in charge of this service has failed in my opinion.  There appears to be very little accountability and ownership of the issues coming out from Lotus and like you say, often it is how the issues are managed and dealt with and not the issues themselves (though you've had some serious ones) that lead to a ruined experience and rejected car.

On the flipside you get to fall back to the Zuffenhausen Turbo sh*tter! 

[Bibs]

To add my sympathies, sorry to see you've had a bad experience and it's put you off the brand, a real shame for all involved. 

I understand that there have been several changes in personnel at a senior level recently which will hopefully address some of these concerns and nip them in the bud ongoing. 

[KennyN]

It's good to learn that changes are being made that will hopefully remedy the situation for others.  I feel sorry for the early adopters dealing with these issues and for the Agents who are stuck in the middle, most likely getting grief from the customers and Lotus.

[Troyboy]

I'm also sorry your experience has been so bad. I've always posted that Lotus need to up their quality control. It seems they have a long way to go. The paint blisters are really concerning imo.

[KennyN]

I had hoped that paint blisters were a thing of the past, but obviously not.  My 2018 Exige needed the back end painted due to blistering before it was 3 years old, so it's the same old as far as I'm concerned, despite investment in alleged state-of-the-art paint facilities.

[ADF]

@KennyN I am a bit lost for words and must be careful not to vent my splene too much but F*****ING hell is this what progress looks like. I know its all corporations and big money these days with grand global ideas about brands but surely they can't be dumb enough to dish out crap and expect you to swallow it just because of some glossy marketing and bland statements on quality.  Perhaps its too easy nowadays to loose sight of what's really important and that is people and their own lived experiences.

I get the issues, it's a brand new production line with new techniques, facilities, equipment and most importantly staff. It takes a lot of time, effort and attention to get it "perfect" but that is what they need to do If they wish to achieve their own goals. Because this is all totally foreseeable, maybe those at the top of the tree have let the whole side down by not having risk mitigation plans in place for this eventuality. None of which is any help now It sounds like what should have been a fantastic experience has left a distinctly bad taste.

Rant over, hopefully there aren't too many in your situation but I do wonder?

I feel I should write, commiserations, or sorry for your loss, or something similar as it just sounds like a tragic tale of woe. I must admit it does make me feel abit better about my old bangers (leon's got new whizzy turbo today much better than screechy old one - only cost the value of the car!!!) and Elise brake lights found not working night before MOT but passed with flying colours.  

Beer and sympathetic ear on standby. 

[KennyN]

@ADF It's disappointing, that's for sure, but it's behind me now.

52 minutes ago, ADF said:

hopefully there aren't too many in your situation but I do wonder?

It's funny you should say that I've just read about someone stuck at Membury Services with a dash like a Christmas tree and another who didn't even get out of Hethel before the warning lights started...mine was far from an isolated case!

Stick to the cars you've got, there's little a hammer and a roll of gaffer tape won't sort 😉

[C8RKH]

You just get fed up reading this stuff. To be honest, the CEO needs to look in the mirror. You can only shuffle the middle so much. The buck stops with Exec Leadership Team

Personally, I am so glad I was not on the list for a First Edition.

Just back from a 160 mile blast through the mountains, in the sun,  in my inferior (to some) Evora.

[HXT]

Reading this I’d have far more faith in some of the last 4xx Exige’s to get me from A to B rather than the shiny new kid in town….

[KennyN]

We are now several months on from my experience, and it seems that little has changed in Lotus' Customer Care department.

 

[Royal]

They are absolutely disgraceful. I speak as a Lotus fan of 60 plus years and owner of 4 Lotus cars previously. I wouldn’t touch the Emira with a barge pole. Very sad.

[Bibs]

It's pretty shocking this hasn't all been sorted out for you by now. 

[KennyN]

Mine was sorted by way of a refund, the video is another customer suffering from the same pathetic Customer Care.

[Frickin_idiot]

44 minutes ago, Bibs said:

It's pretty shocking this hasn't all been sorted out for you by now. 

I cancelled my Emira order after the price rise debacle. I feel for Lotus, some of the issues are so easy to fix. Poor communication and customer feedback are both easy to resolve. The cEO needs to get a grip of this. 
 

I work in the automotive manufacturing sector, when there is a complaint about customer service the top brass are all over it like a rash.

[ewand]

On 15/06/2023 at 19:44, C8RKH said:

Just back from a 160 mile blast through the mountains, in the sun,  in my inferior (to some) Evora.

How's the paintwork holding up on your Evora? On mine, it's very nice 😝

I was very tempted early on by the Emira's looks but thought I'd hold out and see if they could deliver fit & finish. Guess I'm pleased I waited. And yet, with baked in production issues and a singular failure to deal with the aftermath at a customer service level, how on earth is the Eletre going to compete against higher-end kit? Or the supposed Macan rival that will be the mainstay of the model range in a few years??