Paint and Alcantara woes

Paint and Alcantara woes

Author
Discussion

orsoch

Original Poster:

14 posts

254 months

Monday 26th January 2004
quotequote all
Anyone else had a similar experience with their Elise?

The car is 3 months old, done it's first 1000 mile service and b*gger me no sooner have I sent off the customer satisfaction survey with all the boxes ticked for 'Outstanding' than the paint starts to bubble and flake on the passenger door and the rear clam. Also, the alcantara door inserts have a strange white powdery deposit which comes and goes.

Dealer says, white deposit is symptom of roof leaking and paint problem rarely seen but will be fixed by a localised grind-out, fill, paint and seal.

For those of you who have had paint problems, can you tell me if they happened during the car's first Winter or did they appear months/years later and how they were resolved/what the explanation was?

regards,

Chris

bogie

16,612 posts

279 months

Monday 26th January 2004
quotequote all
Never had the paint problem - but those I know that did ended up having the car resprayed

The white stuff is a result of mositure ingress - I get it occasionally on my alcantara. Check your roof and door seals, try proofing the roof with some tent proofing stuff from a camping shop. The roof shouldnt leak - also check your windows are aligned properly and are meeting up with the cant rail seals.

mat glew

116 posts

254 months

Monday 26th January 2004
quotequote all
I haven't but my brothers elise had the same problem. It happened quite soon after he got it and had to be returned to the dealer. It was sorted but then the same thing happened again about 12 months later.

dragstar

3,924 posts

257 months

Monday 26th January 2004
quotequote all
Brother, eh?

whats the deal? family got shares in Lotus?

xxplod

2,269 posts

251 months

Monday 26th January 2004
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My last Elise, a 2001 Racetech, had a few paint problems. It started to bubble up at the very bottom of the rear clamshell, where it kind of curves round towards the rear diffuser. I never sorted it, PX'd the car for my current 111S.

mat glew

116 posts

254 months

Monday 26th January 2004
quotequote all
dragstar said:
Brother, eh?

whats the deal? family got shares in Lotus?



something like that...trying to persuade him to do a 1st lotus day with me but he's a bit more sensible than me.......

dragstar

3,924 posts

257 months

Monday 26th January 2004
quotequote all


it's official. Mat's a nutter. OI...NUTTER!

waspygill

40 posts

256 months

Tuesday 27th January 2004
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Mat

You are the sensible one, you know that you need training, your Brother is in denial

Orsoch

Your Dealer is correct. We have fixed a few with paint bubbles, (microblistering) it is unusual, (bearing in mind that we hve repaired 1000,s of Loti over the last 18 years!) and fairly easily repairable, in our experience lotus are quite helpfull with rectifying it. The dealer should be able to sort this out for you fairly quickly, so don't worry

Gill
@Sinclaire