Creaking / Cracking chassis noise in hot weather

[SimonDM]

Hi all! I hope someone can point me and my service centre in a direction we haven’t thought of. So my car is 2023 V6 model sport suspension. Under warm / hot weather I’ve figured out somewhere above 20 degrees under acceleration I get a creak / cracking noise from what I feel is the chassis but could also be the suspension!

The hotter the day. The worse it gets to the point even turning the steering wheel can cause the problem or a bumpy road can create horrific creaking noises that becomes extremely loud.

Nottingham have had the car over a month now and have confirmed the issue exists but they can’t pin point what’s causing it. They have said they feel the only option is to completely strip the car down but they feel lotus won’t cover this warranty due to the labour time. Which I’m going to fight for a start

 

[tankski]

Firstly welcome to the forum!

I also have an issue that's like this on my V6 Emira. It was registered in April 2023, so I'd assume it's built around December '22/Jan '23.

Like your car, the creaking only happens in hotter weather and the car has to have run for a while/be up to temp. My creaks sound like they're coming from the front somewhere. More recently though it has also happened when myself or a passenger has gotten out the car, with the creak coming from near the door being used. I've attached a video of what mine sounds like from inside.

Lotus Silverstone is my local service station and this is what I've gone through so far (in order of application) with them:

1. I've had the rubber isolators fitted to my front suspension springs
2. The undertray has been re-seated
3. The front anti-roll bar bushes have been removed, greased and put back into place

My going theory is that it's not suspension: When I can get the creaking noise and I stop the car and then use my body weight on the front suspension there is no noise. If there was noise I'd suspect the rubber isolators would fix the issue but here we are!

As a matter of fact, so long that you reported this issue within your standard warranty period then Lotus will have to take a look at it. Their own warranty says that it covers "every component of your Lotus Emira" (taken from this snapshot of the warranty page in July 2024). Of course we have to actually get through CS for this, which many on this forum can testify is like getting blood from a rock.

You're not alone with this particular issue. I'm still working with 'Silverstone on getting the problem fixed. I'll keep this thread updated as I go. Best of luck with fighting your corner.