New Evora S owner - The fun begins

[pete]

18 hours ago, C8RKH said:

People are fickle. And some, like a tickle.

smooth talker

[TrevS]

On 11/01/2024 at 09:40, mik said:

I see your car has the black rear arch protector "flashes" from the GT430. Do you know if these are stuck over the top of the clear factory-fit PPF in this area, or has that been removed first?

(Factory-fit "clear" PPF for the sills and rear arches is a large single piece as shown (kinda badly!) in the image below. Like all clear PPF - it yellows over time, so some folks remove it).

 

Hi Mik

The shark fins have been applied over the ppf and look great. No sign of any yellowing etc so I've got the look I like but also the peace of mind of having paint protection.

Trev

[TrevS]

I see there were a flurry of negative comments about the possible livery change. It's just something I was considering as I do like to tinker with my cars. Anyway you'll be pleased to know the car is going to remain as it is for now as I do think it looks stunning in the red with the black pack elements.

While the weather was finally dry this week I took the opportunity to take the  Evora out for a drive and once again it really impressed me. It's such a special little car, drives like a go kart and feels like a proper occassion whenever I drive it. I just can't wait for the warmer weather to arrive now.

I did give the car a good clean and detail today but noticed that when the car was out of the garage that there was a small oil patch on the garage floor. I hadn't noticed it earlier in the week and there doesn't appear to be any drips or obvious signs on the underside where the oil may have come from. I've cleaned the floor and will keep an eye on it this week. Does anyone know if Evora's can drop the odd bit of oil and any common issues that could possibly cause this?

Edited January 13 by TrevS

[Harey]

I’ve not had any oil drop from mine. 

[Seb]

IMO most likely causes are oil filter housing (if not tightened properly after service) or oil heat exchanger hoses (which were a toyota recall but us lotus owners don't get it)

should be pretty straightforward diagnosis by just lifting the car and removing the bottom engine cover.

[2011 Chrome Orange]

If you have a 2012+ the heat exchanger feed and return should be the metal version.

[JAWS]

@TrevS Out of interest is the puddle of oil on the left hand side of the engine? i.e the gearbox side and could it be gearbox oil?

Also has the patch of oil grown or stil the same as when you first spotted it? 

[jerzybondov]

On 13/01/2024 at 18:06, TrevS said:

I see there were a flurry of negative comments about the possible livery change. It's just something I was considering as I do like to tinker with my cars. Anyway you'll be pleased to know the car is going to remain as it is for now as I do think it looks stunning in the red with the black pack elements.

While the weather was finally dry this week I took the opportunity to take the  Evora out for a drive and once again it really impressed me. It's such a special little car, drives like a go kart and feels like a proper occassion whenever I drive it. I just can't wait for the warmer weather to arrive now.

I did give the car a good clean and detail today but noticed that when the car was out of the garage that there was a small oil patch on the garage floor. I hadn't noticed it earlier in the week and there doesn't appear to be any drips or obvious signs on the underside where the oil may have come from. I've cleaned the floor and will keep an eye on it this week. Does anyone know if Evora's can drop the odd bit of oil and any common issues that could possibly cause this?

Looking mint!

[TrevS]

3 hours ago, JAWS said:

@TrevS Out of interest is the puddle of oil on the left hand side of the engine? i.e the gearbox side and could it be gearbox oil?

Also has the patch of oil grown or stil the same as when you first spotted it? 

I’ve not checked today but I’d say it pretty much in the centre of the car but not a small pool/puddle more like a splat. The oil was quite thick, so could this be gearbox oil? 

Edited January 14 by TrevS

[jep]

I've not know any of the four Evora I've owned to leak oil. 

I'd seek an expert opinion ASAP. Steve Williams is very helpful and knowledgeable, worth a call or to your trusted mechanic.

Justin 

[Harey]

Agree with @jep if that's fresh/new, I would like to get it investigated ASAP.

[Bruss]

If you are half handy, get the under tray off, clean everything in site from top to bottom and then wait for the new drip to appear. You can then hopefully see where it’s coming from before paying anyone to fix it.

 

 

 

 

[jep]

Could it be a driveshaft boot weeping? 

[TrevS]

Thanks all. I'll get out later and have another look to see if any fresh oil has appeared. I was looking having a look at local Lotus specialists thinking of who will service my car when due in April that I could take the car to. I'm thinking PJS in Burton upon Trent or Rybrook Lotus who are most local to me.

Also does anyone use any sort of service ramps they use like this?

[Rambo]

I do but only to get the rear up another inch or so to allow me to get my Halfords jack under the rear jacking points. The chassis is so stiff which allows you to use the rear point to lift up both wheels at once.

Put some newspaper or kitchen towel under the rear of your car. You will soon see if there are any fresh oil drips.

Edited January 15 by Rambo

[JAWS]

21 hours ago, TrevS said:

I’ve not checked today but I’d say it pretty much in the centre of the car but not a small pool/puddle more like a splat. The oil was quite thick, so could this be gearbox oil? 

If you can work out which naca duct/part of the under tray it has come from will give you a good idea of whether it's engine or gearbox side. As Bruss says, get it cleaned up and check the area.

I mention gearbox as it has a pressure release valve that can stiffen up over time and then "splat" a small amount of oil out. Coincidentally something you're seeing.

However, that looks quite dirty oil (unless you've not changed the gearbox oil much?) So could be something else.

If it is just that, a bit of WD40 on the valve and a check of the nylon transportation plug next to it should solve the problem or it's released itself anyway.

[EvoraBob]

On 14/01/2024 at 22:51, TrevS said:

I’ve not checked today but I’d say it pretty much in the centre of the car but not a small pool/puddle more like a splat. The oil was quite thick, so could this be gearbox oil? 

I had a similar experience of this last year and it was excess grease of the handbrake cables that I applied and when got hot of the engine it dripped on the under tray then  few drops on the garage floor.   

[TrevS]

Thanks for the info Bob. I’ve got the car booked I for an inspection at PJS soon. Fingers crossed it’s nothing serious but i thought rather than trying to poke around myself I’d take it to a specialist for a proper check.

Trev

[TrevS]

Hi all, I thought I'd give a quick update. After the recent oil drop on the garage floor the car went to PJS in Burton upon Trent. The guys there inspected the car and the suspected issue was an overfill of gearbox oil. They drained and replaced the gearbox oil a couple of weeks ago and there has been zero signs of any oil since. I was really impressed with PJS so will likely book the car in to have serviced with them going forward.

The only issue I now have is me trying not to drive it all the time. It's quickly worked its way into my heart and I've had a couple of memorable drives already. Here's a couple of pictures from the Motor Museum at Gaydon that I took yesterday. 

[TrevS]

My next job is to give the wheel area a bit of a spring clean. I’m looking to replace the centre caps with black ones to match the nose and also a set of black wheel bolts to replace the slightly rusty ones on my car. Can someone point me in the direction of any resellers for either.

I’m also looking for someone near Rugby, Warwickshire to refurbish my brake calipers and get them looking box fresh again so if anyone has a recommendation of a company that do caliper painting in the area let me know.

Thanks

Trev

[EvoraBob]

Try these guys for decals and logo divinehandcraft.co.uk. or eBay for centre caps. 

Edited March 10 by Bibs

[TrevS]

Managed to pick from a set of black and silver centre caps from Ebay. They were cheap but are suprisingly good. I'm still on the fence which I prefer, OEM yellow or black and silver. Thoughts?

 

 

[Al]

Traditional Yellow / Green for the wheels as much as I like the Black silver for the ‘bonnet’ for me. (I did try this myself once by photoshop) 

[TrevS]

I think you are right. The badge on the bonnet works really well but the yellow caps on the wheels just helps them pop a bit more and look a bit more special/interesting and less flat than the black caps. I’ll keep them on for a few days to see if I change my mind but think I might revert to yellow. 

[Bibs]

Same. Green & Yellow for me.