Paint blistering issue update

[bhavz]

Hi not sure how to find the manufacturer date, I have attached a few videos of the areas. Picked up when I took it for ppf.

Car was purchased from lotus Chiswick.

 

[F1 SML8R]

Hi not sure how to find the manufacturer date, I have attached a few videos of the areas. Picked up when I took it for ppf.

Car was purchased from lotus Chiswick.

Look at the decal on your door/door jamb areas. Can't remember if it's left or right. Also, I think it would help if everyone would just post the year/month of manufacturer when they post pics.

 

[Gadzooks]

As far as I can gather the problem with the panels was how they were handled prior to reaching Hethel ie they were left open to the elements which is a problem as GRP absorbs moisture. It’s the same problem Lotus had years ago when it made panels for the S2 Exige (I think). Unfortunately this learning didn’t make it to the new supplier. Consequently when the panels reached Hethel (and their new state of the art Du Pont paint facility) they were gel coated and painted which sealed in the moisture. Some people have got away with it but others - especially in colder climates or where the car is stored outside - have had problems as the moisture expands and pushes the paint away. Hence the answer is to get a new panel rather than repaint. It’s a lottery and Lotus don’t know one won’t tell us which cars are effected

 

[Nick Sticks]

Look at the decal on your door/door jamb areas. Can't remember if it's left or right. Also, I think it would help if everyone would just post the year/month of manufacturer when they post pics.

We don't have these decals with the manufacture date on UK cars.
Customer services told me my manufacturer date.
There are also date codes on some parts that can give a very rough timeframe, for example my front cover/bonnet was made the month before my car.

 

[F1 SML8R]

We don't have these decals with the manufacture date on UK cars.
Customer services told me my manufacturer date.
There are also date codes on some parts that can give a very rough timeframe, for example my front cover/bonnet was made the month before my car.

SO, approximately, what is your Manufacture date? Or better yet when did you buy it new? you can assume it was likely built within 6 months of that roughly. Just trying to gauge the age of the car.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

As far as I can gather the problem with the panels was how they were handled prior to reaching Hethel ie they were left open to the elements which is a problem as GRP absorbs moisture.

I thought it was this originally, because we know many panels sat outside when the factory was struggling to obtain parts. But it has been more than three years of manufacturing now, and Teijin Automotive are not idiots. If the problem was being caused by transport, they would wrap the doors in a thousand layers of plastic or seal them in dry boxes.

It's most likely that they have a problem with microscopic amounts of air getting trapped in the panels during manufacturing. This is a very common issue in composite manufacturing, and the irony is that Teijin was chosen because they claimed to have a better process to avoid this.

 

[Nick Sticks]

SO, approximately, what is your Manufacture date? Or better yet when did you buy it new? you can assume it was likely built within 6 months of that roughly. Just trying to gauge the age of the car.

That's the question for bhavz.

If bhavz bought his car in the UK in April this year from a dealer I would hazard a guess that it is one of the "stock" cars that have been stored for a while. We know that there are quite a few of them from cancelled orders etc. I don't think there have been any new from orders UK cars built this year, happy to be corrected on that, though.

For example my car was built at the start of November 2023 and I bought it June 2024. It had small paint blisters on the tailgate when I picked it up.

Another way of getting somewhere is if bhavz posted his VIN.
You can tell the model year from that which is not necessarily the manufacture year but can only really be the previous year.

Also comparing the last 4 digits of the VIN with a known UK car will give a slightly more accurate date.

 

[bhavz]

HI,

I checked my VIN and using https://www.alldata.com/us/en/support/repair-collision/article/vin-to-year-chart the 10th character is R which suggest the car was made in 2024,

 

[bhavz]

I also looked up some picture of stickers when I did the sound deadening on the rear panel some of the stickers had 2023 on them.

 

[Nick Sticks]

HI,

I checked my VIN and using https://www.alldata.com/us/en/support/repair-collision/article/vin-to-year-chart the 10th character is R which suggest the car was made in 2024,

That's the model year, same as on my VIN, but my car was actually built early November 2023.
Model and build years aren't necessarily the same.
Is it a V6 or a Turbo?
If a V6 what are the last 4 digits?
Higher or lower than 0850?

 

[bhavz]

Its a turbo last 4 is 0373.

 

[Nick Sticks]

Its a turbo last 4 is 0373.

Ah, in that case I can't compare it to my V6 as far as build date is concerned.
It could also be built in 2024 : )

If you really want to know phone Lotus Customer Services and ask them.
I did this for mine last year.