19 Months 12 Days later

[virtualmacho]

Complete centre cap. Probably why they’re £32.69 each!

Got it! Thanks!

 

[Superman]

Black wheel centres fitted.

Interesting how it almost seems to change the look of the whole car, without the bright points of the yellow ones.

View attachment 22770View attachment 22771

Is amazing how such a small change can make a difference like that. Draws the eye more to the callipers and discs now with the black caps.

I like that a lot!

 

[freefall_junkie]

Black wheel centres fitted.

Interesting how it almost seems to change the look of the whole car, without the bright points of the yellow ones.

View attachment 22770View attachment 22771

Fantastic, really completes the black pack look.

Could I ask you about your seat belt untwisting efforts? Like you I thought my belts were ok on delivery, but now I can see they sit awkwardly on the shoulder. To me it looks like the seat belt buckle is on the wrong way round relative to the upper belt mount on the b pillar and untwisting the belt by swapping it round on the bolt on the seat wouldn't fix this? Any more info on what you did gratefully received

 

[KJD]

Fantastic, really completes the black pack look.

Could I ask you about your seat belt untwisting efforts? Like you I thought my belts were ok on delivery, but now I can see they sit awkwardly on the shoulder. To me it looks like the seat belt buckle is on the wrong way round relative to the upper belt mount on the b pillar and untwisting the belt by swapping it round on the bolt on the seat wouldn't fix this? Any more info on what you did gratefully received

Some would advise you to get the dealer to do it but as it’s effectively undoing one bolt and doing it back up again…
It’s a bit of a fiddly job without unbolting the seats as there’s not much room.
The service notes aren’t a huge help.
You need to remove the plastic panel on the side of the seat that holds the adjustment buttons.
The manual suggests the buttons are attached to the seat but they’re actually attached to the panel.
Three clips hold it on. Pull it from the bottom/middle first as there are 2 hooks at the top which you need to lift up. Manual doesn’t tell you this.
The bolt is a torx50 and depending on what tools you have there’s not much room to get it out.
There’s a plastic spacer and a metal lock washer to take off and swap around correctly. Bolt is 45nm torque.
You’ll then have to feed the belt through the buckle to get it on the correct side.
While you’re there you’ll see the labels say if it’s a left or right side belt. Interesting, as didn’t someone have their belts replaced wrongly as they “couldn't tell the difference”.
I have a theory that the reason for some belts being twisted and some not is that different people fit the belts and some like to put the label neatly between the belt and seat and others don’t care.

 

[freefall_junkie]

Some would advise you to get the dealer to do it but as it’s effectively undoing one bolt and doing it back up again…
It’s a bit of a fiddly job without unbolting the seats as there’s not much room.
The service notes aren’t a huge help.
You need to remove the plastic panel on the side of the seat that holds the adjustment buttons.
The manual suggests the buttons are attached to the seat but they’re actually attached to the panel.
Three clips hold it on. Pull it from the bottom/middle first as there are 2 hooks at the top which you need to lift up. Manual doesn’t tell you this.
The bolt is a torx50 and depending on what tools you have there’s not much room to get it out.
There’s a plastic spacer and a metal lock washer to take off and swap around correctly. Bolt is 45nm torque.
You’ll then have to feed the belt through the buckle to get it on the correct side.
While you’re there you’ll see the labels say if it’s a left or right side belt. Interesting, as didn’t someone have their belts replaced wrongly as they “couldn't tell the difference”.
I have a theory that the reason for some belts being twisted and some not is that different people fit the belts and some like to put the label neatly between the belt and seat and others don’t care.

Excellent info, thanks. Just one question. How did you get the buckle past the black stopper it hangs on. Does the stopper unscrew?

Edited to add - quick Google reveals that the stopper things pop together and should just prise apart

 

[KJD]

Excellent info, thanks. Just one question. How did you get the buckle past the black stopper it hangs on. Does the stopper unscrew?

You don’t need too. The buckle can’t come off the end of the belt anyway.
Fold the belt at a right angle and feed it through the buckle. Tight but doable.

 

[freefall_junkie]

You don’t need too. The buckle can’t come off the end of the belt anyway.
Fold the belt at a right angle and feed it through the buckle. Tight but doable.

Success! Just tried that and it is indeed bloomin tight but just doable. Thanks again.

 

[KJD]

the stopper things pop together and should just prise apart

I’ve done that previously to move a stupidly positioned buckle.

They break as you prise them apart but replacements are on eBay for cheap.

 

[KJD]

Crack!

400 miles in, a bullet-like stone did this to me. The crack is about six inches long.

Bugger. Oh well, new windscreen time. This could be interesting I thought.

Contact Autoglass online through my insurance and am pleasantly surprised when it says they can do it in 2 days.

An hour later a less pleasant (but unsurprising) phone call to tell me that, actually, no, they can’t do it tomorrow because they can’t actually get a screen.
They’re going to attempt to source one and will ”be in touch”.

I am awaiting developments.

 

[Joel]

They’re going to attempt to source one and will ”be in touch”.

This happened to me with autoglass and my partner's 7 series, took them 10 weeks to get back to me. In the mean time we'd found an alternative company who the insurers were happy with who got it done within a couple of weeks (part took a while to come from Germany)

 

[robrmon]

all of this makes me want ppf my screen

 

[KJD]

While waiting for Autoglass I’ve found another “new thing”.

This is a headlight adjuster.

Behind this allen socket is a bicycle-type cable that goes to the back of the headlight to adjust (presumably) the up/down.

In front of the front wheel in the wheelarch liner is an access panel behind which you can see the mechanism. The above adjuster in the front space saves having to mess around behind the wheel.

It’s not mentioned anywhere in the handbook or service manual that I can see.

Maybe they don’t want us messing with the carefully set up (🤔) LED lights.

 

[Andrea]

While waiting for Autoglass I’ve found another “new thing”.

This is a headlight adjuster.

View attachment 23187

Behind this allen socket is a bicycle-type cable that goes to the back of the headlight to adjust (presumably) the up/down.

In front of the front wheel in the wheelarch liner is an access panel behind which you can see the mechanism. The above adjuster in the front space saves having to mess around behind the wheel.

It’s not mentioned anywhere in the handbook or service manual that I can see.

Maybe they don’t want us messing with the carefully set up (🤔) LED lights.

On the bottom left of the picture is it a rusty bolt?

 

[vision]

On the bottom left of the picture is it a rusty bolt?

really?? is that it, man get a life

 

[lion shf]

Complete centre cap. Probably why they’re £32.69 each!

View attachment 22774

I’m 100% doing this, as you said a HUGE change to the look.

 

[Andrea]

really?? is that it, man get a life

Well…. For a section clearly Exposed to bad weather and thought and known that... I was expecting something better, it would be such an easy and simple task to do it right

honestly, for such situations, I have different (higher perhaps?) expectations than a rusty bolt….but maybe that’s me not able to settle for average (maybe even less in this case).

 

[KJD]

Finally got round to installing the nose badge to complete the black’n’blue look.

Note for extra OCD points, black valve caps!

 

[Gizmo750]

Is the nose badge simple to change?

 

[KJD]

Is the nose badge simple to change?

It’s only stuck on with double-sided tape.

I levered it very carefully with a screwdriver until I could get a trim tool under it. Protected the paintwork with several layers of gaffa tape.

 

[Hell4Leather]

Well…. For a section clearly Exposed to bad weather and thought and known that... I was expecting something better, it would be such an easy and simple task to do it right

honestly, for such situations, I have different (higher perhaps?) expectations than a rusty bolt….but maybe that’s me not able to settle for average (maybe even less in this case).

I agree. It’s hard to tell what exactly it’s for but from what I can see, the bolt in question is just inside of the large ”nostril” and I t’s the only one that shows signs of corrosion. It also has a huge washer underneath that the others don’t. Were that area to get wet with rain or salted road water that giant washer is certain to catch it being right there. Also, as the OP has ignored the warning from Lotus in the manual about not removing the bonnet, other components inside may have been exposed to elements that were not intended. For me, the damage is done so I’d clean, dry, and put a protective shield on all exposed parts underneath now. Especially the coolant systems, suspension, and anything near the seals.