Finally, it's arrived (well almost)

[Exploded]

Nice write up Rob, I hope things will get better with the Evora. Enjoy you holidays though!

It's a good thing you have the MY2012, which contains no problems and is so much better than the non MY2012 :-p

[red vtec]

Does it have a sight glass on the AC system? you should be able to see if the fluid is moving when it is switched on, Sounds like it has a leak.

[Bibs]

If the pressure was too low, the compressor wouldn't run...

[SwissV8]

I absolutely love Sienna, although have only seen it in pictures, can you take a few more pics and try and capture what it looks like in the metal? Also, I'd be interested to see your interior?

Here you go Justin, a few more photos. Hopefully you get a better feel for the colour. Some grey shades tend towards blue / purple. Sienna Brown is effectively dark grey metallic with a tendency towards brown. You should be able to see it a bit in the photos, especially the one with the black car in the background, which hopefully gives you a colour reference.

Thanks to everyone who posted suggestions regarding the AC issue. I've checked the engine bay, and it's dry as a bone, no leaks at all. Therefore, I'm still assuming that the AC had some kind of electrical failure, which in turn triggered the ECU panic / orange lego spanner light. The spanner still lights up every time I start the engine, but goes out after about 15 seconds. I just ignore it now - that's yesterday's news!

Just for the record, the lego spanner incident yesterday occurred with about 700 kms on the clock. Today, with 805 kms on the clock, the Evora decided to yet again test my brand loyalty, this time with the delightful message "Comms Failure EMS". Joy!

This happened this afternoon, just after we stopped at a restaurant for some much needed refreshment. Don't forget, it's about 33 degrees C here, and the Evora withdrew the luxury of Air Con during yesterdays' little tantrum. This makes longer car journeys thirsty work (both for us and the car - the Evora is drinking about 12 litres / 100 kms at the moment).

The message appeared as soon as we returned to the car and tried to start it. After all the usual ignition lights, the final twist of the key is supposed to reward with the lovely sound of that V6 engine bursting into life. In this case, the only reward was that "Comms Failure EMS" message, and no movement from the engine. I tried switching the car off, exiting, locking, unlocking, and restarting again… no luck, just the same message

Now for those of you who've been following this thread, you'll know I have a new best mate called Bruno, who works for my favorite Lotus specialists in Zürich. First thing to do in case of an Evora emergency is call Bruno. He sounded pretty sad to hear from me, which I'm hoping is nothing personal, but rather because he knows it's bad news when I call. After listening to the problem, he suggested I simply disconnect the battery and allow the ECU to reset. Thankfully, before I took delivery of the Evora, I got Bruno to install a quick battery disconnect terminal. I had one on the Esprit, and it made it really easy to disconnect the battery when ever I expected the car to be stood for prolonged periods without use. Another bonus is that, as part of the continuous improvements Lotus make to their cars, my Evora has a quick battery access panel in the boot, which means I can get to the battery without having to remove all the boot carpet. These two together made it really easy to disconnect the battery. However, the pressure was now on, as a number of the restaurant customers were sitting outside in the beer garden, and had started getting curious as to what I was doing poking around in the boot.

After leaving the battery disconnected for a couple of minutes, I connected it back up, got in and turned the key. To our huge relief, the engine burst into life We then decided that our best bet was to make a run for it, and return to the holiday apartment while the Evora was still in a co-operating mood.

The sad thing is, we're now getting to the point when we are relieved whenever the Evora starts without some kind of warning light, or when we can reach our destination without incident. This is now the third "serious" issue the Evora has had since I collected it less than 6 days ago. I'm pretty tolerant, and very loyal, but this is really starting to push the limits. Let's keep the fingers crossed that the remainder of the holiday passes without further incident.

Not wanting to end the post on a negative note, when the car is running properly, it is brilliant! Although I still can't push the performance just yet, I also start to get the feel that, once run-in, the Evora is going to be properly quick. Only another 700 kms to go

[Bibs]

If you class having to disconnect the battery as serious you must have had the worlds easiest to live with Esprit

To me, a serious problem involves a low loader!!

[dalepearson]

Any recommendations on the BlueTooth OBDII port and iPhone app?

[TBD]

Looks like Bruno has some work ahead of him once you get back home.

It seems all your problems are somehow related to the ECU and the communication with its subsystems - except the AC. Either a bum ECU or a problm in the wire harness surrounding it.

[Justin182]

Thanks for the pics

What a horrible start to ownership though. Sounds like you have had a years worth of ownership problems in 5 days!

[Trevsked]

On a brighter note, 23.4mpg is the best I have heard on here :-)

Trevor.

[SwissV8]

If you class having to disconnect the battery as serious you must have had the worlds easiest to live with Esprit

To me, a serious problem involves a low loader!!

Anything that stops me driving my new Evora is a serious problem

Any recommendations on the BlueTooth OBDII port and iPhone app?

One night earlier this week, just after getting the orange spanner light, I took some time to search through the options. Ended up ordering a Kiwi Wifi adapter. I'll probably use dash command on the iPhone.

The Kiwi adapter seems to be compatible with many different iPhone Apps, so keeps the options open.

As for dash command, the functionality looks good, and it is compatible with the new advanced App mode on the latest Pioneer in-car units. I'll try out the AVIC 930 that came with the car for a while, but am also thinking about moving up to the new AVIC 940. This allows the dash command interface to be displayed and controlled directly from the 940 touch screen. Would be very nice!

[SwissV8]

We returned home from our holiday a week ago, so it's time I gave a final report.

The weather on our last day was pretty wet and miserable, which was not a bad thing as it meant we weren't too sad to leave. The Evora decided to throw another minor protest by again displaying the "Comms failure EMS" message, and refusing to start. As with the previous occurrence, this was solved by disconnecting the battery, waiting for a couple of minutes and then reconnecting again.

The drive back passed without incident, but the poor weather conditions revealed a new side to the Evora that I hadn't yet seen - In bad driving conditions, the Evora is really easy to drive. Good visibility, great grip, and plenty of comfort. It made for a very relaxed journey.

Due to the numerous issues and warning lights through the week, we stopped off at Schaffner's on the way back, to give Bruno a chance to read off the error messages and check what the lego spanner was complaining about. Interestingly enough, the two "Comms failure EMS" issues had not logged any failure codes at all. The two things that were logged were:

- An issue with the ABS system. No idea what yet, Bruno is checking with Lotus. Whatever it was, it wasn't noticeable while driving.

- A B1442 error code - Speed problem with the AirCon compressor (compressor speed not matching engine speed). This is the fault that caused the engine to go into panic mode and illuminate the spanner on the dash. It also caused the AC to shut-down for the rest of our very hot holiday!

It was a relief to see that our observations re. the AC were confirmed by the stored error code. After resetting the code, the AC started working again. It was now only 18 degrees C and raining, rather than the 36 degrees we had down south, but hey, better late than never right?

If you followed my earlier posts where I described the outstanding service provided by Bruno & Roger where they travelled 2.5hrs to come and meet us in our holiday destination to investigate a CEL - well, I found out the end to the story which I wasn't aware of....here goes:

After extensive diagnostic checks and clearing the CEL, the Evora was pronounced fit for duty (at the time) and Bruno, Roger my wife and myself went for a very nice dinner on the shore of Lago Maggiore in Ascona. Bruno & Roger finally headed off at 11:30pm, facing a 2.5hr drive back to Zürich. Luckily for them they had travelled down in comfortable, reliable and relatively new 5-series BMW. Well, about 1.5hrs into their journey (= about 1am), the BMW displayed a CEL, slowed down, and the engine died! Happliy, after a short rest stop, the Beamer started up again, and they we able to continue their journey... briefly. Next came a very strong smell of diesel, which got strong enough that the guys thought it wise to pull over and investigate. It was at this time that they spotted the waterfall of diesel (a dieselfall?) coming from underneath the car. That was it, the end of the self-powered journey! The good thing is, at that time of the morning the emergency breakdown services are not too busy, so they were able to recover the Beamer and get the guys back to Zürich by about 3:30am! You have to admit, it's pretty ironic when the service engineers travel all that way to save us from our Evora issues, only to break-down themselves on the way back!!

We are now a week further on from our return home from holiday, and the Evora has covered a total of 1,500kms. Since the Comms failure last weekend, there have been no further issues of any kind. In fact, the Evora has been simply brilliant to drive. Bruno is waiting on Lotus to get estimates for parts needed for the first service (exhaust, sensors etc. depending on what Lotus say about the error codes), and I'll get the service done asap.

I know my posts on this thread have been quite long and detailed, but I wanted to keep current/potential Evora owners informed of my experiences. If you're interested in the experience, but don't have the desire to read all the detail, let me summarize my first two weeks of Evora ownership:

The Evora is a truly outstanding car, successfully capturing the pure essence of what a Lotus should be, while also moving the brand on hugely in terms of quality and usability. The driving experience is simply sensational in virtually all driving conditions, offering ample (but not outrageous) performance, high levels of comfort, enough modern touches to keep the tech-freaks happy (sat-nav, park assist, stability control, AC (most of the time), heated seats etc. etc.), and a level of practicality that my previous Esprit could not come close to.

The car is clearly still a hand-made niche product, and if you buy one you need to keep this in mind. Don't expect the car to come without some early teething problems, but if you can live with these, and accept them as the minor cost of the exclusivity, I can virtually guarantee that you'll own a driving machine that eclipses everything else in it's price class.

Am I glad I bought it, even after all the early issues I documented on this thread? - absolutely, and without hesitation.

Am I sad to have swapped the Esprit V8 for an Evora S? - Of course, the Esprit will always remain my dream car, but the Evora is a huge step forward and far easier to live with, and consequently I'll get much more use from the Evora

The good points:

- The feel of the drive, and the feedback that only Lotus can deliver

- The performance (the S feels extremely strong due to the wealth of available torque, always giving the impression that the car has some serious power available)

- The impression of solidity

- Comfort and equipment levels

- Gorgeous looks that draw tons of positive attention

- Exclusivity

- Pride in the knowledge of backing a legendary British brand

- Pride in the knowledge of not following the German-loving lemmings!

The bad points:

- You have to love Lotus to ride the initial wave of ball-kicking!

- The kmh speedo is a pain, as the main markers are at 45 / 90kmh (with minor markers at 75 / 105 kmh) whereas the normal speed limits are 50 / 80kmh, so you have to guess a bit as to what your exact speed is (and there are loads of cameras here)

- The view out of the rear window is somewhat lacking (but this is offset by the very good wing-mirrors and the lovely view of the "Lotus" engine cover in the rear mirror)

- In a car of this price class, Lotus still think it is ok to route the parking sensor wires right above the exhaust tip on the underside of the rear diffuser, and stick them is place with gaffa tape!! Of course the tape gets warm and peels off, leaving the wires hanging alarming close to the exhaust tip. You've gotta love British engineering!!!

[TBD]

Isn't it comforting to know that the Evora is actually not less reliable than the BMW? Obviously we may have to revise our view toward Lotus unreliability if the benchmarks are just as bad (or worse, you got home on your own power).

That "Comms failure EMS" may be the real cause for all your woes. Once the car thinks something may be wrong it obviously tries to protect itself. So, if there is a communication error things get complicated. Hope the guys at Lotus / Schaffner get it figured out.

Once they do you'll have a car more reliable than a Beamer!

[chandrew]

I visited my Swiss Lotus dealer last week to collect my Elise which they'd had in for a couple of issues. I asked the mechanic why they didn't have any Evora's on display, had they been selling them quickly?

"No" he said "they're problem cars" as if they didn't want to sell them. I have to say I was a bit shocked.

Good write up & will probably give Schaffner a try next time.

[Snoopy1969]

just a very short reply: 1200 km My 12 S (non ips)- no issues

(the rattle / snir of the exhaust mentioned by Rob will - "from my ear" - change - I got the impression that the sound of the exkaust becomes "clearer" but even from the start I disliked the exhaust note on low rpm not that much than you, Rob (but maybe your car has a more annoying exhaust from the start?)

[SwissV8]

(the rattle / snir of the exhaust mentioned by Rob will - "from my ear" - change - I got the impression that the sound of the exkaust becomes "clearer" but even from the start I disliked the exhaust note on low rpm not that much than you, Rob (but maybe your car has a more annoying exhaust from the start?)

The noise from my exhaust sounds like a loose piece of metal vibrating at low RPM. The Lotus dealer pointed it out when I collected the car (although it's pretty loud and obvious), and said he would enquire with Lotus about it. Lotus have replied, saying it is a known issue, but no known fix at the moment.

I actually really like the exhaust sound, but at low RPM it is really embarrassing as it sounds like something is about to fall off the car!

[Snoopy1969]

hmmm - I do not think that my car has the same issue to that extent - but the basic description "loose piece of metal vibrating at low RPM" might fit. As said, with more kilometers the sound has been getting "clearer" - have you registered any changes up to now? Has the dealer other My12 Evora S that sound different?

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

Scary thread.... I'd assumed the MY12 was niggle free, not good news, I hope your car's behaving itself!

[SwissV8]

hmmm - I do not think that my car has the same issue to that extent - but the basic description "loose piece of metal vibrating at low RPM" might fit. As said, with more kilometers the sound has been getting "clearer" - have you registered any changes up to now? Has the dealer other My12 Evora S that sound different?

Oddly enough, it does sound better now than when it was first delivered - the vibration sound is less frequent, but when it does come, it's still loud and annoying! (BTW, switching to sport mode helps a lot as it raises the tick-over RPM, which sometimes eliminates the vibration noise).

The dealer also has a Dec 2011 MY12 S IPS, and that doesn't have this problem.

Mine's in the garage over the next couple of weeks to try to get all the issues resolved. The exhaust is on the list, so let's see what Lotus can do!

[robcarter]

The joy of warranty and a close relationship with the dealer!

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

Well that helps but... is this a one off set of multiple problems or a model wide set of issues? I'd hope for Lotus's sake this is way beyond the usual niggles but that's not helping the OP. I hope you get your car up and running soon.

[SwissV8]

Quick update as just posted up on my Comms Failure thread - I've just heard that the Comms Failure issue has been solved! It seems that the cause was simply a loose ignition relay, and removing / reinserting the relay has fixed the problem. Amazing that such a minor error could cause such a major headache!

I also heard that the exhaust rattle has been fixed, but I don't have the details yet. Will post up more details when I get them.

[Captain]

Great!

For the rattle, my tech told me it was just a loose screw...

[TBD]

Good to hear its sorted out now. Kind of seems logical to have beensuch a stupid cause. The only real weakness of the Lotus is the assembly quality. Too much hand labour means your too dependent on the wives and girlfriends of the crew. They get a hassle at home and forget to tighten a scew - or fully push in a relay.

On delivery of my Evora the - German - mechanic spent a whole da doing the incoming inspection. He showed me the notes he made - two full A4 pages of things that needed fitting, adjustemnt or correction. This may have been the most usefull day spent on the car.

[Snoopy1969]

Quick update as just posted up on my Comms Failure thread - I've just heard that the Comms Failure issue has been solved! It seems that the cause was simply a loose ignition relay, and removing / reinserting the relay has fixed the problem. Amazing that such a minor error could cause such a major headache!

I also heard that the exhaust rattle has been fixed, but I don't have the details yet. Will post up more details when I get them.

Hi Rob

- because my car will go to the dealer for After Sales Service - do you have further information relating to the "exhaust rattle" - it is not very obvious at my car now but a worth a look I think

Willi

[SwissV8]

Hi Rob

- because my car will go to the dealer for After Sales Service - do you have further information relating to the "exhaust rattle" - it is not very obvious at my car now but a worth a look I think

Willi

Hi Willi,

I don't have the details yet. I'll be collecting my car when I'm back in Switzerland next week, and will get the details then. As far as I can tell though, it's only an intermediate fix, as Lotus are still saying that they are aware of the issue but have no official solution.

As soon as I know moreI'll post it up.