sj sports cars

[Paul Coleman]

I've spent thousands with Steve and he is a series 1 guru. He's given advice when others wouldn't or couldn't and in return I've bought all my spares from him. He is short and sharp and cuts straight to the point but I imagine that's because he's a bit of a one man band and time is limited. His attitude is very much one of 'piss or get off the pot' but he knows his stuff.

Paul.

[910Esprit]

TBH how these guys, pretty much single handedly, manage the spares, service, suppliers and sourcing new parts is beyond me.   I left a message with Steve's answer phone on Saturday that he'd incorrectly picked an order, there was an email apology with me first thing today, promising the redelivery.   My top vote for abrupt Lotus dealers was always Miles Wilkins, of Fiberglass Services...  However always on top form for entertaining Lotus anecdotes. 

[Bibs]

Miles is a breed of his own, never heard so much swearing in such a posh voice! 

 

SJ's may well provide a service, but he does it for a handsome profit and some manners wouldn't be hard to conjure up for his money, like every other service based company in the world.

[Moxie]

Steve is pretty good at replying to e-mails, although the replies will be short and sharp!

 

That's been my experience, but I know what Bibs means and only use SJ when there's no alternative.

[james280779]

Funny I have never had anything but problems, currently got ongoing court action against SJ - probably the most obtuse rude person I ever had the displeasure of meeting....... and I was a cop for over 10 years

[Bibs]

Anyone would think it would be a good idea to go to the time, effort and expense to set up a review section for you lot to air your opinions to help future owners...

 

http://www.thelotusforums.com/reviews/listings/s-j-sportcars/#reviews

[lrg_machine]

I wouldn't use SJ unless it was last resort either.

I ordered some parts for an S4s, they turned up but weren't the correct parts. It turns out my S4s has later V8 gear change fitted by Lotus. It appears my car is one of the development cars. It also has the sport 300 chassis as well, amongst other parts from the later V8 and GT3.

 

So while it wasn't his fault it wasn't mine either and Steve wanted a 40% restocking charge   The parts weren't special order or anything.

I told him where to go and said I'd rather give the parts away to another owner than give him money for nothing.

 

And the packing of parts leaves a lot to be desired.

[mdw]

 

So while it wasn't his fault it wasn't mine either and Steve wanted a 40% restocking charge   The parts weren't special order or anything.

 

I think distance selling regs are your friend in that case.  Its only if the product has been adapted for you that the retailer can wriggle out of it.  I had a ss manifold that didn't fit and he did refund in full on that with no agro.In the year 2013 his web site is the way it should be so you can order when and where you want.  I know its a niche market but web sites are fairly easy to set up now so its not really an excuse.

Edited November 5, 2013 by mdw

[Neil Potter]

Been spending a lot with SJ over the last year online and in person with a suspension overhaul and have been very happy; opening up on Saturdays so I didn't have to take time off work for the drop off and pick up.  Some bits are cheaper elsewhere of course, just do your own research, but the website is a great resource.  They're well known and you have to wait a while to get an appointment, so they must be doing something right.

[GavinT]

SJ has always been good to me, along with Mike at LotusBits.  Even with the shipping costs from the UK it can still work out cheaper than buying state side.  I know that RD Enterprises buys a lot from SJs and just adds a very healthy mark up. I don't know about the later cars but when it comes to the S1 Steve has a descent supply of parts. I've not had to buy much for my car in the last few years but Steve was always my first call.

[Mike6]

Steve spent some time on the phone helping to diagnose a fault I had with the car so he gets my vote but the next contact was somewhat more curt but at least I have not had any problems ordering from their website.

[espritmania]

At the end of the day Steve is in business and has to run it with his head not his heart,I think that most things he does are fair.

He offers a fantastic service and would be sorely missed by the Lotus enthusiast.. Nuff said.

[Finlandese]

Steve from SJ´s and Mike from Lotusbits have invaluable for me. Both have been extremely patient with me and my car problems, even giving roadside assistance via mobile to Finland..

 

My preference is Lotusbits for used and upgraded parts, SJ´s for new standard parts.

 

-Jani

[james280779]

At the end of the day Steve is in business and has to run it with his head not his heart,I think that most things he does are fair.

He offers a fantastic service and would be sorely missed by the Lotus enthusiast.. Nuff said.

 

 

fair huh

 

I ordered some parts for a car that was being exported. They were quoted a four week turn around. This was in April, come June I am still chasing parts - I wanted them fitted and exported with the car. End of July I have to cancel the shipping as still waiting for parts. The arrive early August and I have no choice but to put them into the car and send as is- fair enough, I swallowed the extra couple of hundred quid it cost to rebook.

 

The fun starts when I try to claim back the VAT (exported = no VAT) HMRC states I have to claim back from supplier, He is simply refusing to give the money back (its over 500 quid). States there is no proof of export despite having bills of lading, statements from mechanic fitting and photos - I was a cop for a decade and there is more than enough for any court. Been ongoing for months. Then he changes his story and is stating they were not his parts but poor aftermarket copies (despite being bespoke, packed in SJ boxes with SJ receipts). The the story changed again, and again.

On top of that when I went to fit the parts some were faulty (poor workmanship), offered refund but will cost me more than that to ship back (he knows this). Tried to come to a civil agreement where he covers part of the cost of getting it repaired to the standard it should have been but he simply refuses. Inbetween this I stupidly ordered another part which has been paid for. Never arrived nor sent from what I can establish.  I tried explaining my legal rights and he claims I am blackmailing and threatening him. If I meet him I might just do that but remaining professional at the moment. He now refuses to even speak to me.

[ramjet]

As Bibs said guys, put these experiences in the review section against SJ's. This topic will eventually get lost in the myriad of old topics and all of these views will be forgotten.

[Nelly]

Steve is a clever guy, knows his stuff and has had a lot of obsolete parts re-manufactured.  Very often if you decide not to use SjS there is nowhere else you can really get the parts from.

 

Lotus bits are a bit hit and miss depending on what they have, can be expensive and as stated their e-mail service seems to be receive only and you have to use the phone - OK if you are in the UK but not really worldwide.

 

As a lot of us have demonstrated we are prepared to put up with shortcomings on how we are dealt with because of the benefits.  I am not sure a huge pile of complaints landing on his desk would actually make much difference. 

[Moxie]

One thing I will note, although it didn't affect me because mine was OK, is that their Esprit S1 manifold is reportedly designed improperly and interferes with the chassis leading two owners I know to resort to cutting the chassis and welding a bypass.

[molemot]

Steve is what he is. I find him amusing and we share many opinions....doesn't stop me cursing him from time to time. One of the great things about those who make a business of fettling and providing for old cars is that they are always, er, a bit odd.....

[andydclements]

The service I've had from Steve hasn't been perfect but I've ordered several times, and so far I've had two issues.

One of a part delivered instead of two ordered, only charged for one but it means I have another delivery charge unless I wait to have it with something else.

Water pump kit that omitted the bearing/ shaft/ seal item (the main bit). Steve didn't directly refund return postage but nearly did by means of a free delivery on something else.

 

Will I continue to use? Yes, but that's mainly the site that drives that decision.

 

 

Lotusbits, every time I go to order form Mike, I curse one thing, that he doesn't have a website that enables orders, but I then remind myself that Mike does a heck of a lot of trade in used items, so, just because you want part X, doesn't mean it's available on the shelf, nor that it's in exactly the same condition as the the last Part X that Mike sold, so the price may vary (eg it has a few studs broken in the manifold so the price will be....).

I've had a failed part form Mike, but there was no question of poor service, it was replaced immediately. 

Mike has loaned parts, either on the basis it's an exchange and he was fine with mine getting to him a month or so later as he had lots on the shelf, or simply instances such as I needed a bracket to act as a drill guide for the belt tensioner stud. Oh, then there's the ventilation duct I owe them (must get that back by post if I don't turn up on site soon, before I forget about it).

 

Will I continue to use? Yes, but I know that I really need to call to place the order, so if I wanted to compare prices it may take more than one call, and I'll not know the total cost until I place the call. If I send email there is a fair chance it gets lots in the spam or delayed until somebody goes through each and every email flagged a spam to check for those which are not.

 

Thinking a few years back, it was a simple split, new = SJ, used = Lotusbits. Mike has grown his business and now he offers a mix of new and used, along with a decent line of modifications, prices for each are approximately the same overall, sometimes one will be cheaper than the other on a particular item.

there are others out there, but the very fact this topic seems to concentrate on Lotusbits and SJ Sportscars probably tells us that we already discount Paul Matty and so forth, I don't know why, but we do.

[Bibs]

You should give SWLC a try, that's where I got most of my parts from and still do to often help out our overseas members.

http://www.thelotuscentre.com

FFM's will even get 10%+ off, something SJ's scoffed at and Lotusbits don't offer..

[Paul Coleman]

One thing I will note, although it didn't affect me because mine was OK, is that their Esprit S1 manifold is reportedly designed improperly and interferes with the chassis leading two owners I know to resort to cutting the chassis and welding a bypass.

That depends upon how early your S1 is. For my early car the manifold is correct.

 

If Steve wasn't in business, where would I have bought the trims around the front and rear glass as well as the chrome trims around the centre console? I don't mind his caustic wit personally and Miles is also a bit of an acquired taste but again, knows his stuff

 

Paul.

[espritmania]

My manifold fits perfectly.

[Freemason]

Can I leave a review of the review section? It's a mess, can't make heads or tails of it!

[Wally Finland]

Owned my Esprit now for about six months. I have ordered stuff from SJ four times last time few weeks ago. I have to say that best overall service from car parts suppliers for a long time. Both in phone and email.

 

All the parts have been good quality in my opinion.

 

I will make my next order to SJ worth over 1k£ in next month to get the car looking and working like it should be.

Edited November 7, 2013 by Wally Finland

[rajesprit]

I have had a 100% perfect experience with Steve in SJ, maybe some parts have come later than expected but apart from that im very satisfied dealing with him.    His website makes it very easy and he has replied to around 70 or 80 emails that i have sent him regarding info on parts and other matters that didnt have anything to do with parts but with problems on the car, i have spent a considerable amount in parts from him and i think, it simply couldnt have been posible to restore my S1 without SJ.

I have bought parts from others, and in quality of parts only Ramspott is better in some specific parts.