Thanks all for commenting and providing your interesting insight. I agree that moving to Porsche may possibly settle my anxiety, however not financially feasible in my current situation and furthermore, as I have never owned a Porsche and have no relation with a local dealership, extremely difficult to secure an allocation. Maybe a Japan only situation, but buying a car is not considered an investment and depreciation is not really an issue unless you do manage to get yourself an allocation for a Porsche or other exotics. So for me, it’s all about enjoying the car and how it drives, still in my honeymoon period, have no major issues other than the paint bubbles so intend to continue ownership for the time being but who knows, one day may become fed up with the quality and how Lotus handles the situation and start cross shopping for something else. Anyway, sincerely hoping that Lotus will eventually acknowledge and get things sorted out .
As you know I have the same issue too on both doors. I will bring the car to the dealer tomorrow so they can unmount the panels, and also do the 16000 km maintenance (I'm at 14500 km already). I spoke to the Lotus Yokohama rep on Friday, and apparently they have already done a number of door replacements. I hope it doesn't take them too long to get this fixed.
This is the one issue that is stopping me from spending my money with Lotus. It's not even like it's an 'IF', but actually a 'WHEN' this defect is going to occur, whether it be on a V6 or an I4. Fine if you are within Warranty and can get replacement doors (and likely rear a rear panel too because they are made in the same place). Outside of Warranty the repair costs are going to be both prohibitive and regular because some of the early replacement doors are now showing the same problem!!! We are seeing an increasing number users on the Emira forums returning their cars to Lotus because of the ridiculous number of emerging defects like paint bubbling, water ingress, blown resistor packs, wiring looom replacements etc etc,. Some of the other comments here are correct; the Emira is a depreciation bomb waiting to go off. The likes of a '718 Cayman GTS 4.0' seems to make better man-maths, especially when spending this amount on a car. Lotus don't really care about the Emira anymore, they are too busy going electric and judging by the forums, they don't really care about the average customer either unless you have a huge RUclips following and can make some 'noise'. As you say though, barely anyone seems to be talking about it, especially the 'influencers' on here that are too scared that they won't get any more free cars to review if they speak out.
@@cholomondeleybiscuitt agree, maybe if one of the huge influencers could make some noise maybe lotus will take things more seriously. Well, at least I caught your eye :) rumor has it that there is a new part number in place that has a fix applied. Though not verified, if true would definitely make me sleep better.
@@channelEmira I hope so my friend, for every owner's peace of mind because replacing your doors and/or tailgate every few years would be enough to make you cry!
Once the 3 year warranty expires on these first edition models in 2025 for UK, and 2026 for north america, these cars are going to depreciate like a rock once owners get fed up with the stupid issues on these cars and having to pay out of pocket. You should sell it while you can as these cars are still a bit hyped and most prospective buyers are too emotional and will ignore the red flags. 2022 emiras in the UK have already depreciated 40%. I dont think youll be happy when you sell your emira in 3 years for less than 50% of what you paid for it. Youll definitely be underwater on your loan if you financed it with zero down.
"When you sell your Emira in 3 years..." What are you talking about? If you treat a car as a financial investment instead of a machine to drive and enjoy then you aren't really a car enthusiast, but an especulator. I can't speak for others, but I personally don't care if the car depreciates. I already have it and I'm enjoying it, and I have no intention to sell it.
Also once they repaint the doors at your dealership (since they only come primed from the factory), the paint will never match the rest of your car, you will notice they are different just like when you notice a car thats been in an accident and had certain parts repainted. Also the bubbling issue is going to happen again (even if you ppf the doors) because the issue is the doors themselves and water getting inside. Trust me dude, this car is going to be a nightmare to own and its gonna depreciate like a rock in 2 to 3 years. These are being mass produced compared to previous gen Lotus models and even those models dont hold value well. People get drawn in because of its exotic looks but its basically a reskinned evora underneath. Id sell the car if i were you, to avoid losing too much on depreciation and additional headache. How the car drives doesnt make up for these poor design flaws (cracked windshields, paint bubbling, water reaching the resistor packs due to no proper water routing, etc.). Lotus can design good handling cars but they severely lack in engineering the details and proper quality control. Every emira ive seen has the rear bumper corners sticking out past the fender, which is due to improper moulding design of the bumper and insufficient clips at the ends, and they all have gaps which increases towards the middle of the taillights. You sound like an asian american who works in japan, so im assuming decent salary in tech/it. Just get a porsche, youll be so much happier. Stop trying to impress strangers in a british car that has a generic exotic look borrowing from ferrari. If you want a true exotic, just buy a ferrari. Lotus is never the answer. Their mantra of simplify, then add lightness doesnt even hold true anymore. The car weights over 3,200 lbs, even more than my GT4 and fl5 type r.
An experienced painter wont have issues matching and blending the paint. Ive had high end car panels resprayed. After detailing If was indistinguishable. The whole point of buying an Emira is to avoid the default porsche (a better all round car). Any new car will have teething issues with the first 1-2yrs of production, and small firms like Lotus always have fitment and detail issues. You are right about 3 things: - It's a heavily facelifted Evora from a decade ago with Toyota engine from 15yrs ago. - And its depreciating faster than owners thought. - Customer service wont be as point as the bigger companies.
I know you're in a position where you keep trying to justify keeping the car (waited 2.5 years, Lotus will sort out the issues by then, or once this is fixed car will be worry free, etc) but trust me these issues will keep happening and lotus only offers 3 year warranty for a reason unlike porsche which you can buy extended warranty for up to 13 years. I understand as car enthusiasts we sometimes choose to listen to our hearts instead of our brains but at the end of the day its just a car. Its like being stuck in a toxic relationship with a hot girl, all the red flags are there but you stay in the relationship just because shes hot. You cant blame Lotus for your troubles, thats just how Lotus are and always will be, even under Geely. You need to realize these problems are all avoidable if you make the decision to get rid of this car. I was cross shopping this with a 718 GT4, test drove both and extensive research and ended up buying the GT4. Yes the steering is a bit less engaging, and doesnt look as special, but its reliable, solid 13 years extendable warranty, more special bespoke engine, 8k rpm naturally aspirated, better brake feel (emira had very sensitive brake pedal) and more comfortable clutch pedal placement (not in the center of the steering wheel). But then i know some people enjoy the stress of owning an unreliable car just like how some people enjoy being in toxic relationships. Maybe thats you, in which case you deserve everything the car is giving you
Thanks all for commenting and providing your interesting insight. I agree that moving to Porsche may possibly settle my anxiety, however not financially feasible in my current situation and furthermore, as I have never owned a Porsche and have no relation with a local dealership, extremely difficult to secure an allocation.
Maybe a Japan only situation, but buying a car is not considered an investment and depreciation is not really an issue unless you do manage to get yourself an allocation for a Porsche or other exotics.
So for me, it’s all about enjoying the car and how it drives, still in my honeymoon period, have no major issues other than the paint bubbles so intend to continue ownership for the time being but who knows, one day may become fed up with the quality and how Lotus handles the situation and start cross shopping for something else.
Anyway, sincerely hoping that Lotus will eventually acknowledge and get things sorted out .
As you know I have the same issue too on both doors. I will bring the car to the dealer tomorrow so they can unmount the panels, and also do the 16000 km maintenance (I'm at 14500 km already).
I spoke to the Lotus Yokohama rep on Friday, and apparently they have already done a number of door replacements. I hope it doesn't take them too long to get this fixed.
This is the one issue that is stopping me from spending my money with Lotus. It's not even like it's an 'IF', but actually a 'WHEN' this defect is going to occur, whether it be on a V6 or an I4. Fine if you are within Warranty and can get replacement doors (and likely rear a rear panel too because they are made in the same place). Outside of Warranty the repair costs are going to be both prohibitive and regular because some of the early replacement doors are now showing the same problem!!! We are seeing an increasing number users on the Emira forums returning their cars to Lotus because of the ridiculous number of emerging defects like paint bubbling, water ingress, blown resistor packs, wiring looom replacements etc etc,. Some of the other comments here are correct; the Emira is a depreciation bomb waiting to go off. The likes of a '718 Cayman GTS 4.0' seems to make better man-maths, especially when spending this amount on a car. Lotus don't really care about the Emira anymore, they are too busy going electric and judging by the forums, they don't really care about the average customer either unless you have a huge RUclips following and can make some 'noise'. As you say though, barely anyone seems to be talking about it, especially the 'influencers' on here that are too scared that they won't get any more free cars to review if they speak out.
@@cholomondeleybiscuitt agree, maybe if one of the huge influencers could make some noise maybe lotus will take things more seriously. Well, at least I caught your eye :) rumor has it that there is a new part number in place that has a fix applied. Though not verified, if true would definitely make me sleep better.
@@channelEmira I hope so my friend, for every owner's peace of mind because replacing your doors and/or tailgate every few years would be enough to make you cry!
Once the 3 year warranty expires on these first edition models in 2025 for UK, and 2026 for north america, these cars are going to depreciate like a rock once owners get fed up with the stupid issues on these cars and having to pay out of pocket. You should sell it while you can as these cars are still a bit hyped and most prospective buyers are too emotional and will ignore the red flags. 2022 emiras in the UK have already depreciated 40%. I dont think youll be happy when you sell your emira in 3 years for less than 50% of what you paid for it. Youll definitely be underwater on your loan if you financed it with zero down.
"When you sell your Emira in 3 years..."
What are you talking about? If you treat a car as a financial investment instead of a machine to drive and enjoy then you aren't really a car enthusiast, but an especulator.
I can't speak for others, but I personally don't care if the car depreciates. I already have it and I'm enjoying it, and I have no intention to sell it.
Also once they repaint the doors at your dealership (since they only come primed from the factory), the paint will never match the rest of your car, you will notice they are different just like when you notice a car thats been in an accident and had certain parts repainted. Also the bubbling issue is going to happen again (even if you ppf the doors) because the issue is the doors themselves and water getting inside. Trust me dude, this car is going to be a nightmare to own and its gonna depreciate like a rock in 2 to 3 years. These are being mass produced compared to previous gen Lotus models and even those models dont hold value well. People get drawn in because of its exotic looks but its basically a reskinned evora underneath. Id sell the car if i were you, to avoid losing too much on depreciation and additional headache. How the car drives doesnt make up for these poor design flaws (cracked windshields, paint bubbling, water reaching the resistor packs due to no proper water routing, etc.). Lotus can design good handling cars but they severely lack in engineering the details and proper quality control. Every emira ive seen has the rear bumper corners sticking out past the fender, which is due to improper moulding design of the bumper and insufficient clips at the ends, and they all have gaps which increases towards the middle of the taillights. You sound like an asian american who works in japan, so im assuming decent salary in tech/it. Just get a porsche, youll be so much happier. Stop trying to impress strangers in a british car that has a generic exotic look borrowing from ferrari. If you want a true exotic, just buy a ferrari. Lotus is never the answer. Their mantra of simplify, then add lightness doesnt even hold true anymore. The car weights over 3,200 lbs, even more than my GT4 and fl5 type r.
An experienced painter wont have issues matching and blending the paint.
Ive had high end car panels resprayed. After detailing If was indistinguishable.
The whole point of buying an Emira is to avoid the default porsche (a better all round car).
Any new car will have teething issues with the first 1-2yrs of production, and small firms like Lotus always have fitment and detail issues.
You are right about 3 things:
- It's a heavily facelifted Evora from a decade ago with Toyota engine from 15yrs ago.
- And its depreciating faster than owners thought.
- Customer service wont be as point as the bigger companies.
Get a manual 718 or 911 before more issues start to arise. Lotus has already given up on customers. Take a look at the UK market for this car...
I know you're in a position where you keep trying to justify keeping the car (waited 2.5 years, Lotus will sort out the issues by then, or once this is fixed car will be worry free, etc) but trust me these issues will keep happening and lotus only offers 3 year warranty for a reason unlike porsche which you can buy extended warranty for up to 13 years. I understand as car enthusiasts we sometimes choose to listen to our hearts instead of our brains but at the end of the day its just a car. Its like being stuck in a toxic relationship with a hot girl, all the red flags are there but you stay in the relationship just because shes hot. You cant blame Lotus for your troubles, thats just how Lotus are and always will be, even under Geely. You need to realize these problems are all avoidable if you make the decision to get rid of this car. I was cross shopping this with a 718 GT4, test drove both and extensive research and ended up buying the GT4. Yes the steering is a bit less engaging, and doesnt look as special, but its reliable, solid 13 years extendable warranty, more special bespoke engine, 8k rpm naturally aspirated, better brake feel (emira had very sensitive brake pedal) and more comfortable clutch pedal placement (not in the center of the steering wheel). But then i know some people enjoy the stress of owning an unreliable car just like how some people enjoy being in toxic relationships. Maybe thats you, in which case you deserve everything the car is giving you