Interior Exterior
Q:
Hey guys, I noticed while cleaning my glass, that under the rollbar, or the rear roof overhang, the area the 3rd brake light attaches too, is not painted up underneath there. It's just thin orange overspray over black. Very unfinished looking. Even a passenger noticed it from inside the car. Am I being overly Anal? a few people have noticed it. It would be that bad if it was just black but since it has light overspray on it is looks like it should of got painted but was just missed. So am I only the one or does my question deserve on of these?
A:
Yes, you are being anal. Next you will be complaining about the rectangular cutout above the rear license plate.
A:
Another opportunity for the aftermarket.
ed
A:
And notice that there is more orange peel on the inner surfaces of the sail panels. Not really noticeable from outside the car either.
A:
Yes, you are being anal. Next you will be complaining about the rectangular cutout above the rear license plate.
Sorry but I have to disagree with you on this.
I think a $50,000 vehicle should at least have a paint/fit and finish quality as good as a Kia. Actually, it should be much better.
Don't get me wrong, I love my car. But I could of done a better job painting my car at home in the garage with some spray cans from Autozone.
Just how much more time would it have taken Lotus to do the job right. It's like they sent some of the cars out of the factory before they were finished with them.
IMO, they could definitely do a lot better in this price range.
A:
******I think a $50,000 vehicle should at least have a paint/fit and finish quality as good as a Kia. Actually, it should be much better.******
Kias are painted via automated robots in a paint department enjoying huge capital investment greatly exceeding that invested by Lotus. They (Kia) make many, many more cars than do Lotus so there are more cars over which to justify the expense.
Were Lotus to buy, install and operate the same type of automated paint facility their manufacturing cost would have to greatly increase. So to cover this cost they'd have to raise the selling price dramatically which would render the whole deal unfeasible.
Lotus is very good at low volume manufacture and uses methods suited to these volumes. If Lotus can continue with higher production volumes, then different means of manufacture can make sense. So they may change over time.
A:
Other things I wish at least met the quality of a basic Kia:
The speakers. Seriously give me a break.
The trunk. I found out yesterday that it was not an acutal safe place for my Laptop bag containing my Laptop, my business checkbook, my insurance documents, mortgage coupons and other bills to pay, vacation reservation info, stamps, checks to be deposited, etc. Who would of honestly expected such items to stay DRY in a weathersealed, locked trunk. Of the 28 cars I've owned many of them cheap, many old, some beaters, and even some other British, this is the only one the trunk has ever
leaked on.
So yeah, things that would be nice for $50K (running the risk of being overly anal of course): a car that is fully painted. Lights you could see with at night without using brights, A stereo you weren't embarrassed to turn on, and a trunk that didn't leak. Windows that went all the way up would be a bonus too, but the top does have a warning that it's not actually intended to be watertight. Maybe they should add the same warning to the trunk. Looks like I'll have to start drilling my new car to add a drain like I saw in another thread.
But I still LOVE the car, I don't see that ever changing. I had a hard time having it Valeted yesterday (OK- THIS is how you start the car...haha) Quirks just make it more interesting and entertaining. At least that's what I tell myself. When people go ga ga over it, I brag to them about how crappy the radio is and that it's not actually even really supposed to keep you dry and even says so. It makes em feel good when they know something about their 1986 Caravan blows away something in the cool orange sports car. That way I don't really come across as much as the A-hole many of you have come to know and love either. haha.
A:
Hey guys, I noticed while cleaning my glass, that under the rollbar, or the rear roof overhang, the area the 3rd brake light attaches too, is not painted up underneath there. It's just thin orange overspray over black.
Don't forget to take a peek in the wheel wells for more back-of-clam fun.
A:
All part of the charm of owning a Lotus, n'est pas ?
It's not just a car, it's an adventure !
A:
What a bunch of whining! Sheesh. Why in the world did you buy the car? Get the hidden area painted to your standards at your expense and drop a few hundred on better speakers if this is important to you. The Elise is a car whose faults, flaws, and foibles need to be cancelled out by the twisty road joy it can provide as well as ANY car at ANY price. It's not a good poseur car nor a be-seen-parked-in-front-of-the-latest-hot-restaurant-as-if-it's-jewelry car. That is what you bought. I have advised many people to get a Corvette or something instead of an Elise. I always tell folks to test drive one several times. You can tell by the comments some make when looking at my car what sort of car they *really* seem to want. The Elise is the sort of car which might need until the 2nd / 3rd owner to find a match.
A:
What a bunch of whining! Sheesh. ...You can tell by the comments they make what sort of car they really seem to want.
I guess a Kia
A:
This isn't a car where you can critique the options with much support. The time and money went where it counts, on the stuff we can't do ourselves. Also, compare it to a Caterham. Similar price point, but wait! We have a trunk! A top! A stereo! AC! Air bags! Heat! Elbow room! You can cross your legs! Mid-engine! Wow, the Elise is loaded! Too bad it's heavy and slow.
o Speakers are cheap, buy some.
o Your headlight need to be adjusted, they work great.
o Painting obscure surfaces adds cost and weight, paint it if you want to.
o Buy a better stereo and sell the one that's in there.
o Adjust the window under warranty.
o The trunk was an oversight, but someone has offered a solution so no big deal.
o By the way, your headlight housings are melting. (I do hope Lotus fixes that one but someone has offered a decent solution, so NBD.)
These issues are part of what makes this car exotic. It keeps the wannabes at bay and prevents the car from being used as practical transportation by all but the most committed enthusiasts. Plus, it was hand-built in Britain which is very cool and makes it hard to compare it to mass-produced Korean labor. (BTW, I worked in Korea alongside Koreans for several months. The conditions leave a lot to be desired, but it keeps the costs down.)
Look out for this on the KIA: "An occasional problem on this vehicle is failure of the Engine Wire Harness. Failure of the Engine Wire Harness is commonly a connection, splice or ground problem; this can cause a drivability problem or the check engine light to illuminate."
-Shawn
A:
Uh...after some research I see lots of complaints about the paint on Kia cars! So much for their cutting edge quality. Many are trying to get Kia paint issues fixed under warranty and are getting blown off. Too bad they don't drive well enough to make up for things like that. Besides...the Valet would snub you and park you out back...
A:
yeah, my headlight housings are melting!
dang!
A:
The reason our car is under $50k is just because they KISS
Any extra improvements is up to the owner. They build one of the best handling cars you can find and it's affordable, what more do you want?????
As far as quality control, look on the rear glass and find out what that logo is about.
Edit: plus do some research, Lotus uses ISO standards and have won some awards on that.
A:
Regardless of the quality of the visible finish, I find the concern over the finish in the places one does not look to be silly and missing the point IMO. If you look under the overhang, you can also see wiring, a loose connector, and hardware. The horror. If this was the Exige, you would be seeing (as Jeremy Clarkson said) tupperware and aluminum foil.
This to me, is a positive of the car. Nice and shiny design elements on the outside. Purposeful design elsewhere. If I was engineering the car, I would not both painting under the overhang.
A:
less paint less weight!
A:
I don't think we should make excuses for Lotus. We should convince them to improve. If you've got a problem with your car complain to Lotus. I have, although it hasn't really helped me all that much. It may, if they get enough complaints, cause them to improve their products in the future.
My car had many serious issues with bad swirl marks and buffer burns in the paint. I was able to fix most of them with about 18 hours of buffing/polishing and rubbing compound. There are also two places very visible on the body (rear quarter panel and drivers door) where you can see the primer and bare fiberglass where they totally missed painting all together. I wrote Lotus complaining about this and they spoke with the dealer and the dealer offered me a free oil change and an apology. Now thats BS! I asked another dealer yesterday about my paint problems and they said that paint isn't covered under the warranty. So now, I'm back to fixing my new car myself. Amazing!
A:
Pig, I agree. But that is a different issue.
Complain about a paint problem. Complain and demand your headlights get fixed. Etc.
But not painting where nobody looks? Fine with me. It is not about bad painting, it is about not painting there.