A year in my Evora

[Smapmap]

Coming up on a year in my Evora so thought I'd update y'all on my ownership experiences to date.

Issues I've encountered - now sorted

• Poor radio reception - turns out it hadn't been installed properly - sorted by dealer at no cost
• The starter motor gave up, which left me stranded - it was replaced under warranty and has been fine since
• TPMS monitor sheared and needed to be replaced. This resulted in a flat tyre - dealer sorted no cost
• Boot lid wasn't opening and needed alignment - sorted by dealer at no cost
• Rear tyre de-pressurising due to a TPMS nut not being seated properly  - sorted by dealer at no cost

Open issues

• I've still got the issue where the CEL & traction control light keeps coming on, forcing the car into limp mode. Craig Moncrieff has checked the car and think it's a correlation  issue with the throttle position. He's ordered me a new pedal. I'm hoping this will finally resolve the problem. This has been a royal PITA.
• The driver window stopped working last night. Thankfully it's in the up position!! Taking it in on Friday for Craig to sort
• My warranty runs out on the 28/02 so hoping both issues will be covered and I've finally debugged this car!!

Running Costs

• Two new rear tyres a few months ago due to a puncture
• Two new front tyres -- got 14000 miles out of the old P-zeros which is pretty good I think. Running 2.5Bar on the rears and 2.3B on the front. Really impressed with the wet weather performance of these MPS4S tyres. Given the storms recently the Evora has been brilliant. Will be budgeting £600 a year for tyres based on 12000 mileage.
• MPG is averaging around 27 for me with mixed driving. If i do a long motorway stint I can get 33-34MPG no problem.
• Other than that no other costs

Overall impression of the car

After a year of ownership I've got really mixed emotions with the car. it is the best car and the worst car I've ever owned.

The worst because it left me stranded and has given me no end of issues, however I feel like I'm getting there and the car will be sorted soon. I'm thankful I had a warranty to cover this, so other than time and stress hasn't cost me anything. It re-reinforces to me how vital it is to have warranty and a decent dealer/specialist close by (Lotus get this sorted ASAP!). If I had to drive to Carlisle to sort these issues out the car would have been punted months ago.
it is also the best car I've ever owned. Despite the issues I still love the car. here. It is absolutely sublime to drive. Totally relaxing on a commute and a hoot on the back roads.

Edited February 18, 2020 by Smapmap

[EGTE]

Great assessment and a lovely-looking car.

[jep]

@Smapmap great that you are using your Evora so much. Good on ya. 

I have been luckier than you in 2 years and 15000 miles with my 2010, now with 65,000 miles. Never stranded but some issues: window, mystery limp mode but would clear on shut down and restart, rear camera. All in year 1 and covered by B&C. 

Special car, the Evora.

Justin 

[philcool]

Good info shame though had my S2 Exige on an 58 plate for 6 years now done 30k miles so not loads a year I grant you but only fault new radiator and to be honest I like the Evora's but they do seem to have a lot of niggles so keeping what I've got just seems loads of people keep haveing electrical/engine management issues. Seems a lot of trouble for what is basically a V6 Toyota engine.

Hope it's not detracting from your enjoyment because there's nothing worse than having a car you love to drive but is a pain to live with.

[jep]

Certainly if you are a long way from a good dealer/repairer to fix specialist cars, it can be frustrating. I think that is one reason why Lotus cannot make significant headway in USA and perhaps other markets. But this applies to more cars than one may think, particularly the cheaper classics. My Renault 5GT Turbo is one of my favourite cars but it was very hard to find anyone who really knew how to work on them. It sounds crazy, it is a Renault 5 but you still need a bit of know-how on them to fix the niggles. Luckily I found a family garage not far away that is an ex-Renault dealership.

If you want something a bit different, there is usually a price to pay. With the likes of Pagani, Ferrari, Lambo etc.... the penalty is a high entry price and generally expensive maintenance (though Ferrari on the newer stuff appear to be much better these days on routine items). With Lotus, particularly second-hand, the entry point is relatively low, the downside is perhaps more maintenance issues (but usually manageable amounts of money compared to other low volume makes) and not enough main dealers to attend to owners in less populated parts of the UK (and worldwide). 

I'm afraid one of the reasons 911 are so popular is that when they do go wrong, there are a host of people to fix them, be it 1965 or 2015 model. And most of the parts are available. For those who just want an easy classic, an older 911 is a relative breeze to own in terms of keeping it on the road. The penalty is...…..it's still a 911.

Justin

[Smapmap]

6 hours ago, jep said:

@Smapmap great that you are using your Evora so much. Good on ya. 

I have been luckier than you in 2 years and 15000 miles with my 2010, now with 65,000 miles. Never stranded but some issues: window, mystery limp mode but would clear on shut down and restart, rear camera. All in year 1 and covered by B&C. 

Special car, the Evora.

Justin 

What's the point of having an Evora and not driving the damn thing! You live once mate.

[jep]

15 minutes ago, Smapmap said:

What's the point of having an Evora and not driving the damn thing! You live once mate.

I totally agree. Many owners of all sorts of wonderful cars sadly don't drive 'em. I am amazed how many low mileage S1 Elise pop up for sale. Don't start me on 340R. 

I have many faults but not using my cars ain't one them. 

Justin 

[Smapmap]

Leven were only a 10 min walk from my work so it wasn't too much hassle , as I could leave it with them and pick it up at home time. In saying that I reckon I must have had at least ten visits to the dealer since I bought it last March sorting out all the gremlins. Under different circumstances would be mightily peeved off.

Thankfully Craig Moncrieff is round the corner from where Leven used to be - what a godsend. I honestly think if he wasn't there, I'd have sold the car as the logistics of getting the car to Carlisle and taking time off work for every issue would just not be practical for me - especially as some of the issues (e.g. limp mode) need multiple visits to do proper diagnosis. It's my daily driver so it needs to be reliable. Coule of observations from me

• Lotus really need to get their act together and expand their dealership network in Scotland.  Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen should be a priority. If need be - use the Volvo dealerships where it makes sense? Buying and servicing a Lotus becomes a lot more tricky when the closest dealership is hundreds of miles away .
• Leverage Craig's know how - make him an authorised service centre so Lotus owners in Scotland have some peace of mind re: servicing etc.
• Massive strides have been made in the quality of Lotus cars since I had my 111S, but basic things like boot lid alignment, checking the radio has been installed properly, the battery has been fully charged on delivery etc etc are so fundamental - it shouldn't be happening. The factory and the dealers still have work to do.
• The car only had 3.5k on the clock when I got it so is mechanically brand new.  There's no way I should have experienced the sort of mechanical issues I've had with the car. I wonder if I've been unlucky or if Lotus cut corners on the quality of parts (starter motors, window regulators etc).

 

[Smapmap]

3 hours ago, philcool said:

Good info shame though had my S2 Exige on an 58 plate for 6 years now done 30k miles so not loads a year I grant you but only fault new radiator and to be honest I like the Evora's but they do seem to have a lot of niggles so keeping what I've got just seems loads of people keep haveing electrical/engine management issues. Seems a lot of trouble for what is basically a V6 Toyota engine.

Hope it's not detracting from your enjoyment because there's nothing worse than having a car you love to drive but is a pain to live with.

Thanks mate.

Yeah - given they've raided the Toyota parts bin I'm really surprised. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Craig will finally sort out the remaining issues before my warranty runs out in a few weeks. I kind of hate the fact  love it so much - dammit.

Despite everything I still love my car - and don't regret buying it!

[jep]

51 minutes ago, Smapmap said:

The car only had 3.5k on the clock when I got it so is mechanically brand new.  There's no way I should have experienced the sort of mechanical issues I've had with the car. I wonder if I've been unlucky or if Lotus cut corners on the quality of parts (starter motors, window regulators etc).

Lack of use can be an issue for any car. It certainly will not have helped. A 20,000 miler would most likely have been more reliable. Admittedly on much older cars, I have had a few low milers and boy, have they been trouble. However after the initial problems (usually a year and perhaps 5,000 to 10,000 miles), they all became reliable old wagons.  Hopefully you are through the worst. 

The window regulator is a common Evora fault. I think they get wet/damp but others will know more than me. I had that issue. I am on my original clutch...…...so that is a bill waiting to appear. I am hoping the new clutch, whenever that may be, will be a tad lighter. Mine is very heavy, fine on the move but 30 mins of stop/start is a bit a bore.

Great picture by the way. SR and scenery both fab. 

Justin 

[stephenwhyte]

9 hours ago, Smapmap said:

I'm thankful I had a warranty to cover this, so other than time and stress hasn't cost me anything. It re-reinforces to me how vital it is to have warranty and a decent dealer/specialist close by (Lotus get this sorted ASAP!). If I had to drive to Carlisle to sort these issues out the car would have been punted months ago.
 

That’s good regards the warranty situation on your car, as it will be the company I work for that will have supplied - so many people say warranty isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, but having worked for the same provider for 23 years I know we do a good job! 

Regards no Lotus dealer currently in Scotland - yes this is not good and hopefully something will be sorted sooner rather than later. I heard Park’s were in talks but it’s all gone very quiet.......😔 

Craig’s a good guy though so at least we have him up here👍

[marcfair]

Which warranty company is the evora  covered  through? Just for future  reference  especially  if they've been good 

[Likuid]

11 hours ago, Smapmap said:

I've still got the issue where the CEL & traction control light keeps coming on, forcing the car into limp mode. Craig Moncrieff has checked the car and think it's a correlation  issue with the throttle position. He's ordered me a new pedal. I'm hoping this will finally resolve the problem. This has been a royal PITA.

I had this problem on my '13 S. I eventually found someone on one of the Lotus forums saying they fixed it by cleaning the MAF. So I bought some MAF cleaner and cleaned it once a month (its pretty easy). This stopped the limp modes and stalling. Granted should you have to clean the MAF once every month or two? No, but its at least a better piece of mind when compared to the alternative of random limp modes or stalls while out and about.

[stephenwhyte]

29 minutes ago, marcfair said:

Which warranty company is the evora  covered  through? Just for future  reference  especially  if they've been good 

Car Care Plan - using the Autotrust brand. We supplied Leven with their Used Car Warranty programme amongst other products......sadly now no more, which amongst other issues clearly more significant has made the start to my own year trickier than planned. But the redundancies at Leven were far more of an issue for those involved to deal with.

[blueg33]

I think you have been unlucky

I have a 2014 S IPS Sports Racer.  in the last 12 month sit has been my main daily driver and has done a 10 day Euro trip.  Issues have only been:

A pillar trims warped (hate these things)

Passenger side door wont open from the inside

Tailgate gas struts (done by me last week for total cost pf £12)

At the service it had - spark plugs and aux belt (both done early, my choice)

At the next service it will need front discs and pads

[EGTE]

Hardly a catastrophic list.

[Smapmap]

On 18/02/2020 at 21:34, stephenwhyte said:

Car Care Plan - using the Autotrust brand. We supplied Leven with their Used Car Warranty programme amongst other products......sadly now no more, which amongst other issues clearly more significant has made the start to my own year trickier than planned. But the redundancies at Leven were far more of an issue for those involved to deal with.

Hope everything is OK Stephen & agree it was terrible news for the staff at Leven.

Have to say I've been very impressed with the Autotrust warranty. Everything has been covered - parts and labour - so issues at all. Would highly recommend.

Bit of an update on my car - CMC has the new throttle pedal (limp mode fix) and is waiting on the window regulator to arrive (driver window doesn't work). I'll then get the car booked in and sorted in a oner.

Fingers crossed this is the end of my issues!!

Edited February 25, 2020 by Smapmap

[Smapmap]

The window regulator is now in stock so have booked in with Craig on Wednesday. Hopefully will have a 100% problem free Evora in 48 hrs!

 

 

[Gareth44]

I'd be interested to know in the cost of the window regulator @Smapmap as I'm going to need one myself at the service/MOT in a couple of weeks.

[Smapmap]

17 hours ago, Gareth44 said:

I'd be interested to know in the cost of the window regulator @Smapmap as I'm going to need one myself at the service/MOT in a couple of weeks.

Craig said the part was around £600. so not cheap and by all accounts a fairly common problem as water inevitably gets in there, and the regulator is not particularly well protected. I suspect the fact it hasn't stopped raining for 12 weeks hasn't helped lol.

Apparently it's  Lotus part hence the cost. Not sure why Lotus need to design their own window regulator rather than get something from a parts bin?

 

[Gareth44]

I think I've found the answer on another forum:

Lotus engineer: “we’ll use a Toyota engine because they’re reliable”
Lotus ceo: “yeah but people expect exotics to be quirky”
Lotus engineer: “oh yeah, dont worry about that, we got it covered.”
Lotus Ceo: “we do?”
Lotus engineer: “totaly, we’ve hired a tribe in the Amazon to design and build the wiring harness in the car, and we’ve hired an Italian appliance repair shop to build the window regulators”
Lotus CEO: “they know how to do that!?”
Lotus Engineer: “they’ll figure it out...that should give us plenty of quirks”
Lotus Ceo: “good job”

[Smapmap]

lol  so true.

Lotus shoot themselves in the foot sometimes!!

[Smapmap]

Well today might be the first day of having a 100% sorted car

New throttle pedal installed - limp issue gone 👍

New window regulator installed 👍

So far so good. Will monitor over the next few weeks.🤞

I have to say CMC are really excellent -  I think 'll be taking my car to Craig from now on!! Very impressed.

 

[Michael Doris]

I thought I'd update y''all on my recurring limp mode issue.

Replacing the throttle pedal didn't resolve the issue - everything seemed ok for a week and then it came back with a vengance. When I took the car backinto Craig, he got a different error code coming up which indicated an error with the brake control unit (!?). He checked that, cleared the code, and again, the issue went away for a week until in inevitably re-occurred. At this point I'm thinking harness....and about to chuck the towel in.

Anyway - the good news is the issue is finally sorted. It turned out the throttle body connector pins were responsible! Must have been a manufacturing defect - one of the pins was a tad too long, causing it to splay out when pushed into the TB socket resulting in occassional, momentary increase in resistance. He crimped the pins and since then (over two months ago) I've had 100% proproblem free motoring

Thought I share this in case anyone else is cursed by this issue.

CMC serviced and MOTd the car yesterday and I have to say I'm very - very happy. Hopefully I've finally debugged the car

 

 

Edited August 19, 2020 by Michael Doris

[DBG]

Had my 2010 for over 2 years now. Only issues is this same throttle position thing. Happened when I first bought it (I cleaned the contacts and it didn’t happen again for another two years) and once again more recently - Cleaned connector and ok so far. Hopefully yours is solved now for good - appreciate the info re the manufacturing defect. I must say I haven’t looked at mine very closely.