F*****g rattle on 2012 Elise

[MattGTA]

Hi,

Quick question on removing the door cards from a 2012 Elise with touring pack. If I undo the 3/4 hex bolts at the top of the card, will the thing just pop off nicely or will I end up with hundreds of bits of door on my drive and no clue how to put them back together.

Usual Lotus stuff - passenger side window rattles like hell when it's all the way down and the driver's side rattles when it's all the way up.

I thought I could make it through to the running in service and ask the dealer to investigate but its pg me off so much that I simply can't leave it a day longer without investigation.

Also, has anyone else suffered this? It's more irritating than if the fg door itself had fallen off.

All help gratefully received !

M

[MagicalTrevor]

The window can be adjusted (my drivers side needs doing) so your dealer should be able to sort that for you. Can't help with your other query I'm afraid

[MattGTA]

Many thanks. I'll give the dealer a buzz on Monday, although I'm still tempted to have a look myself.

(What's the worst that can happen...?!?)

[anonymous-user]

Mine didn't rattle until I asked the dealer to tighten the driver's side window against the top corner of the windscreen during the running in service. Let us know what you find.

[Platinum]

On my 2005 model there are the hex screws at the top, a 'scrivet' on the leading edge of the door/door card, blocks of Velcro type stuff at intervals along the bottom and a fir tree fixing at the rear bottom corner (I used a flat screwdriver wrapped in kitchen towel to prise the card away from the door.)

Don't forget to unclip the electric window connector as there is not a lot of slack wire.

Edited by Platinum on Friday 8th June 22:11

[The Bandit]

The windows always rattle when fully down, just leave them up 1/2"
Drivers side there is an adjuster at the bottom of the door

[MattGTA]

The Bandit said:

The windows always rattle when fully down, just leave them up 1/2"
Drivers side there is an adjuster at the bottom of the door

"They all do that, Sir"

[DC5TEG]

Yep i Concur.lol. My 2010 Elise is the very same. Just run with the window a quarter way up.

[peter450]

MattGTA said:

"They all do that, Sir"

And thats Lotus's biggest problem, no one wants to hear that line, when they just bought a 30k + car, and it's that reputation for poor build and quality that is costing them dear

Lotus are much better than they used to be, but there still not a patch on the marques there trying to compete against

[DC5TEG]

peter450 said:

And thats Lotus's biggest problem, no one wants to hear that line, when they just bought a 30k + car, and it's that reputation for poor build and quality that is costing them dear

Lotus are much better than they used to be, but there still not a patch on the marques there trying to compete against

Yeh there is a bit of truth to that mate. Last thing i want also is regular trips back to Lotus for faults on a 30k car where the build quality comes into question. My Elise is one fantastic car, but i suppose like most cars, it has its shortcomings where build quality could be improved on for such an expensive car.

[The Bandit]

MattGTA said:

The Bandit said:

The windows always rattle when fully down, just leave them up 1/2"
Drivers side there is an adjuster at the bottom of the door

"They all do that, Sir"

Well, um, yes they do i'm afraid.
Although to balance things out my old 2008 Elise did nearly 40k miles including 15 trackdays, 2 Stelvios and numerous Euro jaunts and sod all fell off, went wrong or misbehaved.
So to be honest I was happy to put up with a couple of minor TADTS in return for so much enjoyment.

[LivinLaVidaLotus]

peter450 said:

And thats Lotus's biggest problem, no one wants to hear that line, when they just bought a 30k + car, and it's that reputation for poor build and quality that is costing them dear

Lotus are much better than they used to be, but there still not a patch on the marques there trying to compete against

True, but it's better than a £100k+ car setting fire to itself

[anonymous-user]

...and would you rather it weighed 450Kg more and didn't have the odd rattle?

The only really annoying noise in mine was from the driver's side window wasn't quite sealing in the top corner against the A-pillar. This is why I asked the dealer to nudge it in a bit, but it was actually due to the rubber seal being slightly torn and was fixed with a dab of superglue.

There is a funny rattle from the passenger side sill when warming up, but it stops once up to temperature.

Otherwise it is rattle free and doesn't leak a drop. Despite it not stopping raining since I bought it!

[MattGTA]

milesr3 said:

...and would you rather it weighed 450Kg more and didn't have the odd rattle?

Definitely not, although I'm talking more about attention to detail, rather than the materials used - in my case, a bit more care with the finish / pre delivery prep would have gone a long way.

I'm not of the opinion that Lotus can, or should be trying to compete with BMW / Porsche - if I'd wanted that, I'd have bought a boxster or a Z4 or stuck with the 1M.

I love the purity of the driving experience, the sense of occasion when driving it and the fact that it feels very British and true to the Marque (in a 'Garagista' kind of way)

It's just frustrating that whilst Lotus are doing so much right and giving the British motor industry something to be truly proud of, they still manage to let themselves down with the silly little things.

The entry level Elise is a brilliant car - relevant to the current climate, engaging and fun to drive, stunning to look at and uniquely special in it's price bracket.

It deserves to succeed and Lotus are so close to doing just that - I just hope the new CEO puts a bit more substance to all the things Bahar promised and came close (but not close enough) to delivering.

[anonymous-user]

MattGTA said:

...a bit more care with the finish / pre delivery prep would have gone a long way.

Shame. My lotus buying experience was by far the best car buying one I've ever had after the bullst that stopped me being a BMW enthusiast. The car was absolutely perfect and the couple of issues that cropped up during the running-in service were quickly sorted in a very down to earth kind of way.

[MattGTA]

milesr3 said:

MattGTA said:

...a bit more care with the finish / pre delivery prep would have gone a long way.

Shame. My lotus buying experience was by far the best car buying one I've ever had after the bullst that stopped me being a BMW enthusiast. The car was absolutely perfect and the couple of issues that cropped up during the running-in service were quickly sorted in a very down to earth kind of way.

Good to hear. I'm tempted to try a different garage for my running in service / niggle sorting (fan belt started squeaking today!) Can I ask who you used?

[anonymous-user]

I bought mine from Long Stratton who also did the running-in service.

I'm also lucky to have Hangar111 just up the road.

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 13th June 18:36

[Sagi Badger]

Rattles and buzz, I'll put my bit in... Two days into Elise ownership, 2011 model CR, we run to Wiltshire with a Sagaris to meet a 360, 512TR, Diablo, more TVR's etc. "Ohh thats pretty, where's the Sag?" Now Buzz (Wife has named the Elise) does rattle but my mate jumps in for quick spin to the cash point and comments "what that rattle? You should be used to more than that" and in fact it is only minor and I can still hear the wife over it so given I have suffered 25 years of her, Buzz has got a long way to go to p' me off.
What is major is the ability to use the road by sticking to it and stop well when you need to. Not one person commented that they were waiting for us, they weren't actually. So spend 30K or less and enjoy or pay 50K or more and enjoy and perhaps not much more. I know, I've tested it. Still love my Sagaris but pound for pound, Buzz has it.
J

[SergSC]

I bought my Elise sc with low expectations of interior build quality, so I have not been terribly disappointed. I have the window rattle when lowered, same as presumably every other elise, and it ocassionaly sounds like a vuvuzela when starting cold thanks to an unknown resonant rattle. Still love it though.

But recently I found something that really grated with me. The door grip, It is made of the stest plastic imaginable, it has the consistency of hard cheese and so will scratch at literally the lightest touch of a fingernail. Try it, you will see. This really annoys me because there is absolutely no excuse to use that material other than its as cheap as the equivalent weight in cheese. It costs a couple of quid to replace! On a 38k car!

Cheers
S

[icepop]

peter450 said:

MattGTA said:

"They all do that, Sir"

And thats Lotus's biggest problem, no one wants to hear that line, when they just bought a 30k + car, and it's that reputation for poor build and quality that is costing them dear

Lotus are much better than they used to be, but there still not a patch on the marques there trying to compete against

And that's why the price of a Lotus Elise, or Caterham 7, is a joke. You get an aluminium tub, a plastic body, and a mainstream engine, in the former. A spaceframe chassis, a bit of plastic and ali body, and a mainstream engine in the latter. As said, for 30k, don't believe for one minute, all you are paying for, is a lifestyle car, and a vanity statement. No body in their right mind can think they are ever "worth" the money.