Interior Exterior
Q:
Today I installed the Lotus door sill pockets, part #LOTAC05301. Other than having to remove the seats, the installation was fairly simple. They don't exactly add lots of storage space, but now I can stowe 4 CDs within easy reach versus 0 before. And who said this car is impractical?!@#$%
A:
They are nice. BTW you can also fit a wallet style 20-30 CD holder between the seat and the frame rail...and it's incognito too.
A:
Those deep pockets according to the description are made for cars without the standard carpet fit. They make the shallow ones for cars with standard carpet fit which I guess is the touring carpet. Any trouble or modifications fitting the deep ones with the touring carpet?
A:
Did you have to pull the seat to install? Anyone know the PN of the shallow pocket version?
A:
The deep-pocket version is listed for the non-touring package because there is an adhesive strip at the bottom that would adhere to the aluminum sill without the touring pack carpeting. However, the pocket is wedged between the sill cover and the floor, thereby prevented from going anywhere by the seat and rendering the adhesive strip surperflous. As it turned out, the adhesive strip stuck to the aluminum rail below the carpet any way, so it appears that the deep pocket version works fine with either trim option.
The shallow pocket version is very shallow, so much so that a CD sticks up above the sill and is in the way for entry and exit. I guess you could still use the shallow pockets to hold the title and registration, but they are pretty much useless for anything else. The deep pockets are at least semi-functional.
And yes, as I said in my initial post, you have to remove the seats to install the pockets.
A:
And yes, as I said in my initial post, you have to remove the seats to install the pockets.
Oops, missed that. Also, wondering what the difference is between yours and the 'alcantara' version LOAC05302, other than about $60 bucks. Guessing this is an artifical Italian leather?
http://www.lotusgarage.com/shopexd.asp?id=12094
A:
These seemed expensive enough -- I haven't seen the Alcantara version and can't imagine what difference would be worth another $60. The leather seems nice enough -- heck, for what these things cost they should make popcorn!
A:
I didn't have to remove the seats to instlal mine.
A:
Don't understand why we'd have to take the seats out to install the sill pockets
A:
Those deep pockets according to the description are made for cars without the standard carpet fit. They make the shallow ones for cars with standard carpet fit which I guess is the touring carpet.
Once again, to be picky, the standard carpet is no carpet on the side sills - that is the base model. The optional Touring package (which was purchased by the majority of buyers) includes the optional carpet on the side sills.
I'm beginning to believe that people are thinking that Touring is standard...
A:
Don't understand why we'd have to take the seats out to install the sill pockets
I could see two ways to install them. The easiest was to remove the seats and slide the pockets under the black plastic sill cover without removing it. There was no way to angle the storage pocket enough to get it under the plastic sill without removing the seats (you could do this with the shorter pockets, but not with the deeper ones I installed). Of course, an alternative option is to leave the seats in and instead remove and then re-install the black plastic sill panels with the pockets captured, but in my opinion it is easier to remove the seats than to remove the plastic sill cover. I would be curious to know how somebody installed them without either removing the seats or removing the plastic sill covers. Total install time for me was around 1 hour.
A:
It is soooo much easier to remove the side sills then to remove the seats. For the side sill, there is just one screw near the back. Then pull up from the rear. Don't remove the front two screw or try to lift the front, cuz that part is a pain to reinstall. There are doublesided tapes beneath, so you need to put some strength to it. You just need to angle it up a bit to squeeze the pockets in, then push it back down.
A:
It is soooo much easier to remove the side sills then to remove the seats. For the side sill, there is just one screw near the back. Then pull up from the rear.
Yep, absolutely.
A:
Oops, missed that. Also, wondering what the difference is between yours and the 'alcantara' version LOAC05302, other than about $60 bucks. Guessing this is an artifical Italian leather?
http://www.lotusgarage.com/shopexd.asp?id=12094
I installed these this afternoon. I didn't have to remove either the sill or the seat. The sills just slid between the sill and the frame (with a little tender care ) and they seem to be great. They appear to be leather but I really didn't look that closely. They also have the Lotus logo which looks nice on the side of the sill.
A:
Once again, to be picky, the standard carpet is no carpet on the side sills - that is the base model. The optional Touring package (which was purchased by the majority of buyers) includes the optional carpet on the side sills.
I'm beginning to believe that people are thinking that Touring is standard...
That's Lotus' terminology, not mine. Look them up. If you had the Touring package which ones would you buy? They don't list any for Touring.
A:
It is soooo much easier to remove the side sills then to remove the seats. For the side sill, there is just one screw near the back. Then pull up from the rear. Don't remove the front two screw or try to lift the front, cuz that part is a pain to reinstall. There are doublesided tapes beneath, so you need to put some strength to it. You just need to angle it up a bit to squeeze the pockets in, then push it back down.
I took out the rear screw and gave the plastic sill cover a pull, but it didn't even give a hint that it was going to budge. When you finally pull hard enough to break the tape loose can you easily remove the 'spooge' that leaks out about 1/4" per month?
A:
I took out the rear screw and gave the plastic sill cover a pull, but it didn't even give a hint that it was going to budge. When you finally pull hard enough to break the tape loose can you easily remove the 'spooge' that leaks out about 1/4" per month?
Yup, there are 2 strips of doublesided tapes along the center of the sill. You need to yank it pretty hard from the rear, but make sure you don't lift it up too high. The sides contains a bead of foam to reduce noise/rubbing, which tends to ooze out. I just took out off of that foam and didn't notice any additional noise.