Evora 400 - Creaking drivers seat - how many waiting for fix ??

[JayEmm]

I wonder if it was the same problem I had with my car - the fan was playing up. It hadn't failed completely but Lotus replaced it all anyway, it seems they had an issue with a number of cars.

Working on the AC system on these is not easy - the whole front clam has to come off apparently.

[Alfo86]

For me it seems the motherboard (where you've the three clima controller) that fail and have to be substituted. 

Basically, the fan speed increase and decrease in autonomy. I've to call an exorcist ?

[JayEmm]

How interesting. My regulator was the issue I believe, they call it the "hedgehog":

They replaced my whole AC system, then when the car was put back together the fan was apparently making a horrible noise, so they had to replace that which basically meant starting again. To give the guys credit, they worked all through the weekend to get my car sorted but in total it took eight days to fix.

[Alfo86]

@JayEmm interesting things. What exact synptoms you had?

[C8RKH]

11 hours ago, Alfo86 said:

 

like a famous Italian saying, "they drown in an inch of water."

Was that saying created after they realised that that was all the water usually needed to kill an Italian cars electrics?  

[JayEmm]

Basically, on a couple of occasions you would turn the fan on and it would basically cough rather than blow - you'd get the tiniest bit of air.

It seems you could make it do this deliberately by turning the fan on quickly. I believe a few other people had issues, not sure it was the same problem, but some people's AC units turned themselves on and wouldn't go off until you pulled the fuse!

@C8RKH don't forget the world-famous Italian "water-less rust", as used on FIAT, Alfa Romeo and Lancia products throughout the 70s. Possibly an improvement on a British Leyland design, the "Pre-salted Body Panel"

[Alfo86]

OMG. It seems the same things I had last week.??? But when I turned off and shaked a little bit the potentiometer that manage the air flow speed and turn on again, they come back to ^work^.

 Basically it seems that till the 10%of the fan speed it work normally,with or without ac on, cool and hot. When you turn more the fan speed after some times the fan speed drop down and start to go up and down or cough... I hope that changing the motherboard could solve... if it wasn't the solution, probably I had your problem?????? I hope no

[JayEmm]

I would think given the fact it's a known issue they may replace several parts at the same time, just to minimize the risk of something else going wrong later.

[Alfo86]

In some point of you, lucky you that they changed everything at the same time respect to me that they continue to change one thing per time. Probably also this depend about the dealer importance in their of car sales and the relationship between dealer and lotus that determine the service. That's another thing that customers shouldn't know.?

[Evora54]

Hi guys,

after driving my 400 for 2 weeks now, I definitely realized that I have the same problem with the creaking seat ;-(((

It´s really annoying, when driving the car a bit faster, of course my 90kg weight is doing the rest...

nevertheless, I won´t accept this in a 100K+ (EUR) car and will request an adequate exchange here as well

what I don´t understand so far is - even after going through the whole chain here: what exactly is offered/done in this respect, i.e. to solve the problem?

what part of the seat (if not completely) will be exchanged?

sorry for bothering, but as my next Lotus service points are either 250 or 400km away from me, I would like to arrange and clarify this first!

thx, hymo

[DJW]

Establish where the noise is coming from first.  Mine was easy to establish.  Out of the car, if I applied any lateral pressure  to upright part of seat I could hear the creaking coming from the base of the seat, or to be more specific near the seat runners.

Framework under the seat was replaced under warranty, which I believe now has extra bracing, and not a creak since (circa 600 miles). 

Edited October 28, 2016 by DJW

[Evora54]

thanks for your feedback, DJW!
I checked it in my car now and it seems that it is exactly the same source of error you mentioned...

will be solved within the next service, I hope!

kr hymo

[Colin P]

I was wondering what the current position is on this (ie how many are actually being fixed), so summary from what I can get on here. Would be interesting if we could keep this updated:

DJW - Fixed

Cocopops - awaiting seat frames

mcx - awaiting seat frames

Colin P - 1 failed fix awaiting seat frames (so that's 3 for Hofmanns)

Jayemm - he's special! (multitude of fixes, but still creaking)

waofner - ? 

Andrew C - ?

booboo93 - ?

Colin G - Fixed 

Neal H - awaiting frames

alfo86 - awaiing frames

fesuvious - ?

blindside - ?

Ian Pops - ?

Big Ed - ?

Peegee355 - ?

Evora 54 - ?

 

 

 

[Neal H]

Neal H - Booked in at Lotus Silverstone on 23rd November to have new seat runner fitted.

[Peegee355]

Status: Will be looked at with the car's first service in a few weeks

[Colin P]

DJW - Fixed

Cocopops - awaiting seat frames

mcx - awaiting seat frames

Colin P - 1 failed fix awaiting seat frames (so that's 3 for Hofmanns)

Jayemm - he's special! (multitude of fixes, but still creaking)

waofner - ? 

Andrew C - ?

booboo93 - ?

Colin G - Fixed 

Neal H - new runners being fitted 23rd Nov

alfo86 - awaiting frames

fesuvious - ?

blindside - ?

Ian Pops - ?

Big Ed - ?

Peegee355 - Investigation at first service

Evora 54 - ?

[Big Ed]

Colin. 

Nope

nada

no interest

there may be a recall soon.........assistance appreciated! I took a familiar left handler at some speed today, I thought I was exiting stage right!

[JayEmm]

Mama always told me I was special

[Alfo86]

On Friday, October 28, 2016 at 11:53, JayEmm said:

How interesting. My regulator was the issue I believe, they call it the "hedgehog":

They replaced my whole AC system, then when the car was put back together the fan was apparently making a horrible noise, so they had to replace that which basically meant starting again. To give the guys credit, they worked all through the weekend to get my car sorted but in total it took eight days to fix.

Also my fan start to make a whistle when turned in hot... OMG... additional bullshit to fix ? 

[blindside]

@Colin P I plan to hold-off on the seat frame replacement until the car is in at the next service. (The irritation factor has reduced and I can live with the noise until then).

 

 

 

[Alfo86]

On 28/10/2016 at 11:53, JayEmm said:

How interesting. My regulator was the issue I believe, they call it the "hedgehog":

They replaced my whole AC system, then when the car was put back together the fan was apparently making a horrible noise, so they had to replace that which basically meant starting again. To give the guys credit, they worked all through the weekend to get my car sorted but in total it took eight days to fix.

@JayEmm I confirm that I have the same problem. The motherboard haven't solved my crazy clima. The dealer ordered the hedgehog and the replace my on Monday, hoping that they will solve definitively the issue. Additionally, my car with the clima on hot, make a whistle noise... it seems a problem of flux of air that hit the plastic palettes and create a turbolence noise at certain position (it happen only in hot when a air flow quite high) and I discovered it because I needed to demist window.

someone have the same f****g issue? Probably they have to dismount the console to solve it ?

[mcx]

My car spent 3 weeks at Hofmanns (I was away so it could stay with them), despite their best efforts still no replacement seat parts so no seat fix yet... has been 6 months since the problem first arose. Also the fan and heater controls were replaced but the fan is still doing its puffing thing. The car otherwise is great and I'm trying to be patient but am beginning to get slighty hacked off.. 

[Peegee355]

Seat runners replaced today at Silverstone Lotus with the first service.  Ok after 10 miles!

[JayEmm]

@mcx the "puffing" is almost certainly the resistor (aka hedgehog) and not the controls themselves.

As for seats, good luck - I've been waiting over four months now, with no sign of fix in sight.

[DJW]

Passenger seat sorted today and good to meet @Neal H there too 

Silverstone have been doing a fair few recently speaking  to the guys.   Had a look at the frame to see if seat could be lowered but looks like it's as low as it can go, in terms of bottom of seat being near the floor  There is adjustment to raise height at rear or front, so might look to raise front slightly to aid support of legs on longer trips 

Top service there as ever.  

Edited November 23, 2016 by DJW