ECU Upgrade after problem

[RJB]

Treated myself to a Car Limits day today to learn the handling of the Evora a little better.

Morning all good - very enjoyable, lunch at local pub also very good in the sunshine.

Came to start up after lunch - CEL up and car would not idle - was hunting between 500 and 2000 rpm and cut out when tried to rev.

AA came very quickly (30mins) and read engine code as a problem with the throttle. Thankfully it cleared and was able to drive to Castle sportscars who were excellent and had someone on it straight away.

Seems it was a required upgrade - anyone else had similar and was it just a matter of time before the problem occurred?

Only managed half a day at Car Limits as a result ....

Edited May 9, 2011 by RJB

[AnthonyBraham]

Is yours a launch edition?

My dealer's launch edition did something strange too, and what they referred to as a 'software upgrade' fixed it.

It started working on 4 cylinders only while I was accelerating up on a mountain road. Sounded like a Subaru. I chose to drive it back to the dealer with a light foot on the accelerator, rather than wait for roadside assistance.

It has been fine since.

It's a bummer when these things mess up a track day.

Edited May 11, 2011 by Anthony27

[Digger]

My engine warning light came on last week, codes found it something relating to the throttle, B&C did a software update and all good until the light came on again this morning limiting the engine response, (as it should) but very annoying, is it just electronics playing up or do I have a problem? Mine is a Launch Edition. So another trip to B&C which I really don't have the time for. I did ring Lotus but they where not sure what it could be. I did have this once last year also, I really hope it can be sorted this time, I am loving the beauty but the comments from my colleagues driving Porches are becoming a bit to regular.

[bingoking]

A common problem has been a flat spot in 1st gear around 1,800 -2,000 rpm which is fixed by a software update to Version G. It remaps the lower rev range under a light throttle and gives much better response under harder acceleration.

It transformed my car and made it enjoyable again. I believe the version G software also did something to the heating and ventilation controls.

Having said all that last week after quite a fast drive over Cairn o' Mount in Scotland, when I stopped at the junction waiting to turn right, the car felt and sounded a bit lumpy as if it was only firing on 4 cylinders. I waited for 30 seconds or so and it was then OK and I have had no problems since.

Monty, if you are reading this, just add it to the characteristics list for discussion at our next meeting!

[Bibs]

James, would you like a new username by the way?

[mdavies]

My June 2010 car went in to B&C for aircon renewal last week and they mentioned they had upgraded to ECU to the latest version as a routine step, although I've never suffered any kind of problem.

It's hard to tell any difference - probably a lesser change than from early cars. Maybe a slightly better throttle response during warm-up before the sport button goes down, but it does seem that the idle speed increase when the aircon is turned on is less than it used to be. (Back when the aircon used work that is!)

Perhaps it is much more significant for cars without the sport option.

[anubis1]

My Launch Edition shows aboslute no problems with throttle etc. soon reaching 40.000 Kilometers.

[RJB]

Thanks - mine is a year old now, not launch edition. Can't say I noticed any flat spot before. Driving very well again now am pleassed to say. Just the A/C and Alpine to get fixed now

[Digger]

Well B&C updated to another new version of software! And also found a potential issue with a sensor on the CAT, so they replaced the sensor, so I was hoping that was the end of that. Just as I arrived at home after getting it back earlier in the day the engine warning light came on again and I am now away on a business trip so no time to take it until for another week, this is becoming very tiresome, and had happend to many times now to count, which is such a shame because I love the thing, so now what? Please Lotus help me to continue to love the Evora, I could be a future new Esprit customer.

Rant over, now back to Duty free

[bingoking]

I had the 'H' version software upgrade done on Monday and only really had a chance to put the car through it's paces cross country on the way to work this morning. I usually use the motorway.

Brilliant, what a difference.

The car feels much more responsive in all gears, so much so that even in 6th gear at 60mph, without the sport button depressed, there is enough power to safely overtake without dropping a gear or 2.

There is much more urgency about the car now,.......... and when you select Sport mode it is phenomenal.

I wonder what that will do to the life of my rear tyres and fuel consumption?

Thanks Craig

PS That's my car 1 year old now and 24,300 miles (39,000km) and loving every mile despite the niggles.

[Myfavedave]

Interesting... A power increase or just throttle map?

[AnthonyBraham]

Interesting indeed.

My engine warning light came on not long ago for a few days and then disappeared.

If the upgrade sharpens throttle response I certainly want it too !

When I asked my dealer whether he had taken the opportunity to install the software update when it was last in the workshop, he said:

"Lotus won't let us install the upgrades unless the owner has experiecned problems with his car".

Which I'm not too pleased about. Why wait for a problem to happen instead of preventing it, especially when it doesn't cost anything (well, apart from 1/2 hour's labour, I suppose)?

[Al]

I have this latest mapping H and I also had the previous one G as well for a few weeks. I can only concur with Bingoking on this from all his points and we do not have the same gearboxes. His is sport mine is "less sporty" and standard box. A noticeable pick up through the gears and the pressing of the Sport button seems to be a noticeable difference whereas before I would have said not so much of a difference. As to whether it has any more power that was never mentioned by our dealer Service God when describing the effects I should expect to see. He was right on all counts. Does it matter if more power or not? It is all about the effect it has at the end of the day. I have a busy weekend coming up with a few hundred long range motorway type miles to be done so will be interesting to see if it has affected the economy at all. Tyres cannot be unaffected ghowever as it encourages you to plant it far too often :thumbsup:

[bingoking]

Anthony, I think your dealer is talking tosh!

From my limited knowledge of these software updates in terms of how you "qualify" for them I would suspect that if your car is back to the dealer at any time either for a service or to fix a problem you have with the car they will check by plugging your car into the diagnostics computers to see if there are any software updates from Lotus since your car was last in the workshop and then apply them to your car.

Software updates are not unique to Lotus, my Audi and also my wife's car had software updates at the last service. The cars were plugged into the computers in the workshop and hey presto the system told the technician that there was a software upgrade available. Its probably similar to windows updates if you have a computer that has not been switched on for a while, switch it on and it takes a few hours to download the updates.

[douglasgdmw]

Completely agree with Bingoking, it goes to show what a difference a good dealer makes and how they treat their customers.

MMC were quite happy for me to pop in past to get the upgrade due to the better mapping even though the car had just been serviced a week prior and received the "G" update.

Thumbs up to MMC, excellent customer service

Cheers

George

[Justin182]

How much does the Evora's first year service cost? Mine is booked in in a couple of weeks.

[douglasgdmw]

How much does the Evora's first year service cost? Mine is booked in in a couple of weeks.

Free to me as my wife chucked it on her card as MMC do not take A.Express. I can't remember to be honest but it definitely had a £3xx . As always MMC will give you S.Elise/Lotus Forum discount.

Did a quick goolge and noticed Castle Lotus say its £353.20 Castle Lotus Servicing

Cheers

George

[Justin182]

Ok thanks George

[mdavies]

Adding to Bingoking's experience, I have just had mine taken up from G to H. There is certainly a difference.

I wish I had timed something like 20-70mph in top before getting it done so as to be able to compare. (That's lengthy enough to be practicable, and reasonably measurable as an indication of torque over a decent rev range. Mine is a CR Box - ordinary box would need something different.)

Non Sport

In standard mode, there is a substantial increase in torque throughout the rev range. I would approximate it to being half way up to the Sport feel prior to my G mapping - possibly F, I suppose. Certainly F to G made some improvement, though small as far as I could tell. The G to H change is far greater, and makes a big improvement. For my driving style, it actually makes the standard mode usable. Previously I used it only during warm-up, then routinely went to Sport. Now, in stop/start driving I am happy to get the smoother drive take-up by staying in standard mode. One caveat: I have not experimented at very top revs, over 6,500 say. It doesn't seem relevant as for that kind of driving (fun isn't it!) Sport mode would probably be used.

Sport

In Sport mode, again I sense a distinct increase in torque, up to high revs. It seems a very real improvement though not as great as in standard mode. Other owners will appreciate that it is not easy to be definite, and not sensible to quote numbers! In the lower gears using all the power to top revs leads to needing to attend to the road rather quickly and trying it in the higher gears might lead to being unable to repeat the pleasure for some time.

My immediate thought is that absolute top end performance might have been sacrificed to get the broader spread of torque. In the lower gears it does not seem obvious, looking at the time from one to three change-up lights, but in my very crude trials, I could not say it was any quicker right at the top end. I actually have a slight worry that on an uphill stretch of road I often enjoy, and use the rev range, it possibly seemed a little slower to accelerate, just right at the top end. I hope not - that's part of the character I most enjoyed.

After making full use of this H upgrade, I expected to see an increase in fuel consumption, but from limited monitoring I find no difference. (Unless the software change has also re-scaled the fuel consumption metering of course!)

If anyone with Lotus connections can find out the facts about this H update- please tell. And given the publicity about the magic that Lotus had originally worked on the engine, why wasn't this done in the first place? Perhaps emissions have increased? Doesn't matter to those of us with CR boxes of course - we are in some higher VED bracket already, but ............?

And anyone with proper test equipment, who hasn't had H done yet, might like to do a before and after.

And might we hope that Lotus is beta-testing an actual power increase mapping ready for the Decenber face-lift?!

PS Possibly significant that I always use 97 Octane, usually Shell V Power.

[JAWS]

Sorry to go off topic, but - December Facelift?!

There is no evidence of an Evora facelift due anytime soon, so please don't spread this nonsense when it has such a knock on affect to sales, residuals and ultimately, livelyhoods.

Cheers,

[Bibs]

^ He's right - No facelift in the pipeline that I'm aware of either.

How can you tell if you've got the ECU upgrade? Be interested to know what's running my Evora.

[Justin182]

Bibs, you'll soon know if you car stalls when moving off from a standstill.

I'm not sure how you can tell otherwise

[douglasgdmw]

You will also find that at very low revs (e.g. queueing traffic) that the car is very juddery with very low throttle movement. In some situations in traffic my was kangarooing like it was my first attempt at driving a car - bit embarassing sometimes.

George

[mdavies]

Jaws, I have no personal knowledge of an Evora facelift, but I was quoting the current Autocar "What's Coming" column. (Or some title like that.) And of course a multitude of prior references.

If you actually know it is "nonsense" it would be helpful to all to make a definitive statement, quoting your source of course. I will be as affected by a drop in the value of my car as anyone else!

[Bibs]

Autocar, on the whole are happy to print their own speculation as fact, they're well known for it.