Cracked driving lights

[gfoz]

ok, so it's a rookie mistake and you can be sure as hell it's not going to happen again, but I've just got my Elise S1 (still grinning like an idiot!) and I've cracked the driving lights within two weeks of getting it.

I've searched these forums and others to try and answer this question: can the lenses be replaced or is it a case of a new unit?

If it has to be a new unit, I'm aware that there are a few alternatives to Lotus out there. Has anyone already done the ringing around exercise and if so, who's got the best value replacement? How much was it?

To make sure I'm not shaming myself as a rookie any further on this forum, can someone tell me where I can get the best value lens protectors? (Come on, I'm learning as I go here!) How much did they cost?

Of course, you know the next question will be: anyone replaced them without taking off the clamshell but I'll save that gem for another day

[FastSpider]

Its some kind of curse, I have had two Elise S1s and both cracked their driving lights within a few weeks. For my first car I got a cracked headlight as well. For the second car I got headlamp fairings fitted (removable) which save the lights.

What I did the second time around is I got some glass repair glue, its some kind of clear superglue and it gets pulled into the cracks in the glass then sets. I have found that doing this soon after the crack is seen stabilizes the glass and keeps it going for a long time. It doesn't seem to affect the beam pattern or anything. You can get polycarbonate covers from elise-parts.com which would be a good idea as well.

[GreenV8S]

You can get polycarbonate covers from elise-parts.com which would be a good idea as well.

Alternatively, you can get thick self-adhesive plastic "headlamp protector" film, does the same job as the carbo discs but doesn't fall off or get dirt trapped behind it.

[actech]

gfoz,

I had to replace one of the spots on my Elise. THe lens are fixed and you need to buy the complete unit to replace it. Don't bother going to a Lotus dealer to get your replacement though give Car and Rally Services a call (www.cars.u-net.com/) and ask them for an Elise S1 spot light. They are exactly the same make as the Lotus ones only around half the price.

As for taking the clam shell off, well, that's what a Lotus dealer would tell you! "Gonna cost ya mate! Tricky job needs the clam shell off!". Rubbish! What I used was a couple of spanners, a screwdriver and a straightened out metal coat hanger. Make an hook at one end of the coat hanger. Take the grill off, feed the hook through the hole into the front bay (taking the front bonnet off helps) and hook it around the electrical connector plug. Now unscrew the unit from the mounting, making sure the coathanger is keeping a hold of the connector. Also put cardboard around the air intake around the outside of the spot to stop sratching the paint with the screwdriver. Now pulling the connector through the hole, connect it to the new unit and screw it back in. Simple, took me about an hour.

Hope this helps.

[gfoz]

Thanks actech - really appreciate your advise.

I took delivery of the parts from eliseparts yesterday (I needed a headlight too - I seem to have purchased a gravel magnet!) This time I got the driving light covers though. (Ah, the wonder of hindsight!)

Could you answer one more question for me? What does the coathanger do? (Ever ask a question, knowing that it's going to sound daft?) Is that so you don't lose the connector inside the bay, or so that you can grip the back of the connector to unscrew it? Or something else? As I'm sure you'll appreciate, I want to get a pretty good idea of how to do this before tackling this knuckle-removing job on Saturday! Thanks in advance, gfoz