Odometer passed 80,000 miles

[Skerd]

Yesterday I passed 80,000 miles. Can anybody beat that amount? I put on 45,000 in 3.3 years. The prior owner put on the rest. It is a 1995.

[mustard]

steep forward Rob.e

[kmaier]

Well, not yet... but 42K miles in 2 years 11 months.

Regards, KM
2000 V8

[rob.e]

lol @ mustard..

Yep, mines just under 80k. Thats a 1998 V8-GT which has been my daily driver on and off..

Think i'll stick with it until the new esprit in 07 (should have 100k+ by then.. )

[cnh1990]

I knew a guy in bay area that had an 88 with 110K on the clock in 2002. It gave comfort to many that the engines lasted that long.

[country]

hi kaminair,on your v8 esprit with 42000 miles,have you had any repairs done?did you change the timing belt yet?
adam

[kmaier]

country said:

hi kaminair,on your v8 esprit with 42000 miles,have you had any repairs done?did you change the timing belt yet? adam

Hi Country,

Yes, I've had numerous repairs done during the 2-year warranty period... numerous mufflers, AC compressors, AC manifold pipes, cooling fans, leaking radiator, etc. All in all, all parts that Lotus sources from suppliers which have been of very poor quality. Having had issues with the dealer along with damage to the car, I now do all of my own repairs in addition to maintenance and basically follow this:

- every 5000 miles I change the engine oil and filter as well as the gearbox lube. I also check everything underneath bumper to bumper, ie, check body mounting bolts, hoses, etc. Note if you stick with the stock Lotus muffler, you need to replace it every 5000 miles or else it will pretty much fall off the car on it's own.

- every year, flush Brake and Clutch fluid (I use Motul 600) and change the power steering fluid (using Mobil 1 ATF). I also swap the coolant out. While I have been using Prestone Green, I've decided on dumping it in favor of the Mercedes-Benz antifreeze. The prestone continues to leave deposits and the level sensor in the expansion tank recently clogged with debris... so Prestone is out, M-B is in (and has caused zero deposits in my 1993 Benz since new). I also use a lighter mix ratio of 33% antifreeze and the rest distilled water. Redline water wetter is okay to use if you like.

- every 10000 miles, I service the cambelts and will be replacing them now with 42K miles. I have found that the Lotus recommended interval of 12K miles results in cambelts flapping by that time. Needless to say, the cambelts are still looking fine with 42K miles but I will be using cambelts and tensioners for 40K miles from here out. I will also be replacing the serpentine belt and brake pads (front/rear) and cleaning/repacking the front wheel bearings at 40K mile intervals.

- every 20000 miles, new spark plugs and air filters, note that I prefer the ITG Profilter over the K&N. While they don't have the audible noise of the K&N, they also filter out the finer particles that the K&N won't. Also be prepared to drop the front ducting and yank the radiator as they will be pretty plugged with gunk... using a hose from the rear side is not very effective... so be prepared to drop it. It only takes 3-1/2 hours using simple hand tools which includes the oil coolers, etc.

Regards, KM
2000 V8

[country]

hi km.thanks so much for your reply ,i actually learned from it.i have 900 miles on my esprit now,at 600 i changed my oil and filter used mobil 1 15/50 and orig lotus oil filte.i installed a set of kn air filters.i plan on driving this car about 3-4000 miles a year,i have 2 other cars.i hate going to the dealerships.i had my local auto repair where i take all my cars in do my first service.so basically the only problems you had on your car was mostly ac and muffler issiues,other than that sounds like its been good .hear from you soon.
thanks
adam