Thanks to Greg at Hanger 111
Discussion
Last weekend we went to Norfolk in the Elise for the evening, and then decided to nip over to Aldeburgh to stay a second night at the Brudenell Hotel... When leaving Norfolk mid afternoon the cable release on the boot/engine cover decided to fail, leaving all our clothing, etc locked in the boot...
Those who know the Elise will know there is then no simple way into the boot!
I called Greg at Hanger 111 for ideas, and after confirming it was not a simple fix, he simply replied that he'd wait in the workshop for me to arrive later that evening as Hanger 111 is about 25 mins from Aldeburgh...
What a hero!
Sure enough, when I arrived about 7:00pm, there he was with drill and endoscope in hand, and after a further 20 mins he had the boot open, and supplied a clean K-Series engine bolt for me to do the same, as we ll as a replacement cable and instructions oh how to fit it.
Greg didn't even ask for payment for his time [8o]
So, if any of you are over Ipswich way, I highly recommend dropping in to see Hanger 111 - they usually have a lot of interesting Lotus vehicles to look at as well!
Those who know the Elise will know there is then no simple way into the boot!
I called Greg at Hanger 111 for ideas, and after confirming it was not a simple fix, he simply replied that he'd wait in the workshop for me to arrive later that evening as Hanger 111 is about 25 mins from Aldeburgh...
What a hero!
Sure enough, when I arrived about 7:00pm, there he was with drill and endoscope in hand, and after a further 20 mins he had the boot open, and supplied a clean K-Series engine bolt for me to do the same, as we ll as a replacement cable and instructions oh how to fit it.
Greg didn't even ask for payment for his time [8o]
So, if any of you are over Ipswich way, I highly recommend dropping in to see Hanger 111 - they usually have a lot of interesting Lotus vehicles to look at as well!
Reminds me of an experience I had a long time ago. Went to Le Mans 24hr Race with a Guigaro Esprit Turbo. Somehow managed to lock the keys in the boot. Major panic at the time as miles from anywhere and didn't speak French then. Luckily managed to undo the lock with a coathanger. More luck than anything else but was I greatful that the boot opened. Jaguar had a good day at the races too.
It's worth replacing the cable on the S1 when you can and before it fails. Most cars are at least thirteen years old now.I bought my replacement cable from Eliseparts but its not a five minute job to replace.
Also, its worth checking behind the rear number plate as there may be a hole there where it has happened before and this is one of the solutions for entry to the "boot".
Also, its worth checking behind the rear number plate as there may be a hole there where it has happened before and this is one of the solutions for entry to the "boot".
JACK6284 said:
It's worth replacing the cable on the S1 when you can and before it fails. Most cars are at least thirteen years old now.I bought my replacement cable from Eliseparts but its not a five minute job to replace.
What is involved in replacing it?Mine is 16 years old and on it's original cable. I had a few problems with the handle rusting in place but a bit of oil fixed it. I'm now worried that the cable behind it might be rusting...
Get a replacement cable, and then take the inner out of the existing one...
If the new 'inner' can be slid through the old outer, with the addition of a protector such as Copperslip, then job done.
(The new cables tend to have the inner 'welded' at the tip, to threading through the outer is easy, if the inner has not rusted.
If the old outer shows signs of rust (or the old inner has badly rusted anywhere along its length) then think about replacing the outer as well.
To replace you need to remove the driver side speaker to get to the cable nut and lock washer.
Just do not drop them when removing the cable!
Before removing the outer attach a piece of strong (thin) cord to so you can use that to pull the new outer cable through.
There is a grommet that will need to be 'wiggled' over the cord join, and then pushed back into place after the new outer is in place, via accessing from the driver side inner wheel arch.
Took me about 45 mins all told.
If the new 'inner' can be slid through the old outer, with the addition of a protector such as Copperslip, then job done.
(The new cables tend to have the inner 'welded' at the tip, to threading through the outer is easy, if the inner has not rusted.
If the old outer shows signs of rust (or the old inner has badly rusted anywhere along its length) then think about replacing the outer as well.
To replace you need to remove the driver side speaker to get to the cable nut and lock washer.
Just do not drop them when removing the cable!
Before removing the outer attach a piece of strong (thin) cord to so you can use that to pull the new outer cable through.
There is a grommet that will need to be 'wiggled' over the cord join, and then pushed back into place after the new outer is in place, via accessing from the driver side inner wheel arch.
Took me about 45 mins all told.
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