Evora 4xx - clutch kit on stock somewhere?

[hml_xy]

Hello fellow TLF friends!

Unfortunately my GT430 requires a new clutch (20k kilometers only! No track usage and very careful shifting, no palm-resting etc.)

My dealer thinks it might be really bad luck and it's going to be a very expensive engine-out repair job as we all know. Ugh.

Additionally, Lotus struggles to source the clutch kit since now nearly two months and I am loosing my patience.

Does anyone know where I could get a new, original clutch kit for my car? Happy to order from the UK and get it shipped to Germany. PNot too keen to swap it for Komotec / Jubu alternatives as I don't want to have a racier clutch than before 😇😅

Thanks for your recommendations!

[exeterjeep]

Would try South West lotus centre UK Devon.

[Bravo73]

@DH2 might be able to advise. 

[Arregueti]

Hi Reiner,

I do feel for you, as I have been there just recently (also with only 20,000 kms. on the clutch).

I am not sure if it is bad luck, but Komotec told me recently they had never had an issue with the clutch for the 4xx, unlike for the standard kit for the Evora/Evora S.

I got their last kit, apparently (sorry!), but maybe they can give you some headers on availability/timing.

Otherwise, you could try Lotus Oostende (Thierry Verhiest) in Belgium, who has a good reputation among owners here in Luxembourg or Lotus Nancy (Theobald Lotus), which seems to be the bigger dealer in France now, so maybe they have a larger stock of parts. I don't have any affiliation or direct knowledge with either as I have never taken my car there, but I refer to what I heard from other owners around Luxembourg.

I can only see this going into scarcer availability, so maybe we should try to "sponsor" some sort of badge production for our future piece of mind...

 

Good luck with the hunt!

[hml_xy]

Thanks all first of all!

 

@Arregueti Interesting! In fact, my dealer also told me that they never had issues with the 4xx clutches. Only with earlier variants. In my case it is super strange how it happened. The car was in for its annual service (I drove it myself to the dealer) and after the service (which doesn't have anything to do with the clutch...) the gear won't go in when the engine is running. The dealer swapped the famous brake pedal switch because of an ESC error (which literally appeared on the way to the dealer).

I'll reach out to a few dealers and see what they have. Thanks for the hints!

May I ask how much you paid at Komotec to get yours fixed?

[Arregueti]

You don’t want to know…The hourly rate of my local dealer for mechanic work is eye-watering… 

Actually, I just sourced the clutch kit from Komotec this time (the car already got a new standard clutch in 2017, installed by Komotec). They could only take my car in two months’ time so I had to consider my alternatives… My car was scheduled for service anyway on a Friday with the Lotus dealer in Luxembourg and the clutch broke the evening before… 

It arrived for the service on a flatbed… When the local dealer told me they could not source a clutch anywhere I just called Komotec and ran… to secure the last one. 
 

Edited to add: I was charged around 28 hours of work which is consistent with the number I was charged first time by Komotec. Seems to be the “standard” time foreseen by Lotus. Maybe it can be cut down in later cars, as is the case for the Exige. The initial quote from the dealer was lower… then he called to justify the additional work…

I hope this helps.
 

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Arregueti

[DH2]

4 hours ago, Bravo73 said:

@DH2 might be able to advise. 

I think we are also waiting for one component from Lotus

1 hour ago, Arregueti said:

 I was charged around 28 hours of work which is consistent with the number I was charged first time by Komotec. Seems to be the “standard” time foreseen by Lotus. Maybe it can be cut down in later cars, as is the case for the Exige. The initial quote from the dealer was lower… then he called to justify the additional work…

That's about the right about of time for an Evora - no shortcuts available, unfortunately, the clamshell must be removed, and engine/gearbox out.

Dave

1 hour ago, hml_xy said:

the gear won't go in when the engine is running.

I assume they have been through bleeding etc before pulling it out...

[hml_xy]

Just a quick update:

Managed to get hold of an original clutch kit from Hangar111 and have to say the communication, shipment and service was top notch! Highly recommend.

 

My dealer immediately started disassembling my GT430 and was very surprised to find the clutch in such a state. There was rust on the inside of the clutch housing! I believe that the clutch disks (not familiar with the english terms for these parts) looked fairly okay in terms of wear but something has ripped them apart as if they have stuck together quite badly.

Does anyone have any ideas what may have happened here? This is after 20.000km of road - only usage.

 

 

[Arregueti]

I was wondering recently how your “situation” had developed. Happy to read that you solved it. That does not look pretty…

[DH2]

12 hours ago, hml_xy said:

Managed to get hold of an original clutch kit from Hangar111 and have to say the communication, shipment and service was top notch! Highly recommend.

My dealer immediately started disassembling my GT430 and was very surprised to find the clutch in such a state. There was rust on the inside of the clutch housing! I believe that the clutch disks (not familiar with the english terms for these parts) looked fairly okay in terms of wear but something has ripped them apart as if they have stuck together quite badly.

Does anyone have any ideas what may have happened here? This is after 20.000km of road - only usage

Heiner, thank you for the nice comments - glad we were able to help out with getting the clutch to you.

The clutch friction/drive plate definitely looks like it has failed!  Agree there is a bit of rust in there, so maybe the disk did get stuck, which has caused it to fail.  The starter motor fit to the bellhousing is a bit clunky, and Lotus fit the motor with some sealant around it to try to prevent water ingress.

The flywheel looks like it has three major hotspots?  This may be caused by the failure, or the car has been launched at some point. It would be worth cleaning up the face of the flywheel before fitting the new clutch.  I would also closely inspect the flex plate (the one with the starter ring gear on it) for any cracks around the welds, this is relatively common.

If the auxiliary drive belt has not been changed recently, I would do it whilst you have easy access.  Also check all the bearings in the pulleys are healthy.

Dave (@ Hangar 111).

 

[hml_xy]

@DH2 My greetings and a big thanks to Mark B. He did an excellent job at communicating with me along the way and the turnaround time was impressive!

Also thanks for all the tips, Dave! I'll forward these to my dealer (hoping they will know them already themselves...)