I hit the 10K milestone recently, and thought for reference I would list all my issues. Some of these are maybe more 'characteristics' of the car rather than actual faults. This is a bit long winded, but maybe someone will find it in the future from a search and it will be of some use.
First of all, in my entire ownership period so far the car has never failed to start, never once shown a CEL, and never had any issue that has stopped me being able to drive and enjoy the car. It has also never been put on a battery charger, and regularly left for periods of weeks without any issue. I consider all the issues below relatively minor and I can honestly say it has been more reliable than my Cayman 718.
So here we go..
Paint Blisters
I had the common paint blister/bubbles appear after about a year. On both doors along the top edge. Interestingly they seemed to appear on both sides within a short period. It's as if a certain criteria (temperature cycle?) occurs to set them off. Both doors replaced under warranty without the car for about 2 weeks. The paint shop seemed to do a decent job with the paint matching and blending, but not so much with the refitting. I had increased wind noise noticeable at higher speeds (60mph+) and it may have contributed to one of my rattles. Having the doors realigned seemed to help.
Front speaker centre speaker buzz with bass.
The front centre speaker on the dashboard vibrates/buzz's with certain bass frequencies while playing music. I've always thought this front speaker is too dominant on the sound system. It's noticeably louder than the two door speakers. I wish there was a 'fader' control to increase sound to the door speakers, which seem the higher quality speakers. I've tried pushing on the grille, but that didn't seem to help. I read somewhere that one of the software updates changes this front/rear balance, but that is not confirmed.
Opening the window causes a bass rattle from an area to the rear/behind of the door
My initial guess was that the window fully closed was bracing something that was otherwise loose to vibrate. But pushing down on different trim pieces I can't get it to stop. Close the window fully and it goes away.
Overall, I'm disappointed in the KEF sound system. For its cost and the hype it's a let down for me. KEF is responsible for some very high-end music gear. How they got it so wrong here I don't know. It says a lot when members in the forum are adding $150 amplified bass speakers to the rear shelf and significantly improving the sound quality. To be fair I think it is this rear open bass speaker that is responsible for the sound complaints. All my previous cars (inc 2 seaters) have also had full range speakers behind your head. My 718 with its BOSE Sound system sounds significantly better to my preference. I also get the common bass speaker ‘pop’ sound when opening the car door, (maybe 1 out of 10 times?) this has been well reported.
Interior rattles
The headliner at the rear makes a 'popping' and flex sound. If I reach back and jam my fingers in the gap at the rear of the headliner I can reduce/change the sound. I think rubber blocks or something pushed into this gap could hold the headliner taught and fix this. This fault is well reported online.
I also have a newer dash rattle that seems to come from the top front area and is noticeable driving over any bumps or rough surfaces. I don't think this one is so easy to rectify and may require the dash top to be lifted. Normally rattles in cars wind me up and I go to great trouble to fix them. But perhaps because the Emira is a noisy place already it hasn't bothered me too much.
'Wiper Malfunction' dashboard message
I recall three occasions in the last 10K that I get a 'Wiper malfunction' message briefly for half a second when starting the car. The wipers appear to work fine. I'm not sure if this is a software bug, or sensor issue. But it's very infrequent, immediately disappears, and there's no actual apparent fault.
Side seat plastic panel broken clip
The drivers side seat outside panel easily pops off (from the bottom edge). I think there's a broken plastic clip. Pressure on the side bolster from entering/exiting the vehicle, or even a fast corner will cause it to unclip. I believe this is common and well reported. Normally it's the top part that comes off, but for me it seems the bottom. As I get out the vehicle, I've found myself holding it in place with my hand to stop it coming undone.
Vibration in rear view mirror
The rear view mirror will vibrate/jiggle on rough textured roads. It's fairly minor and doesn't cause any issues. I've read mixed reports about this being a fault or a 'characteristic' of the car. The Sports suspension on my car may contribute to the effect.
Passenger side sun visor doesn't fully close
The sun visor on the passenger side doesn't fully close and has some play/movement in the 'closed' position.
I've seen this reported by others. It would be annoying if it was the drivers side. The hinge mechanism is not great. I can see these failing on cars as they age. I try not to use the drivers visor unless I really need it.
Clutch vibration/tremor felt through the clutch pedal when depressing transferred from the engine speed
Initially I thought there was a slight 'grating' or roughness to the clutch pedal when depressing it down. Then I realised it doesn't happen when the engine is off or at low/idle revs. The clutch is perfectly smooth. I realised it's related to the engine speed, and when pushing the clutch down you can feel the engine speed (flywheel?) movement transferred as a sensation you can feel through the pedal. I also noticed that if the car is in neutral and I rev the engine and depress the clutch pedal I still feel the vibration. In this instance the clutch is not directly connected to the engine, so I'm not sure how the vibration is being transferred? Through the clutch casing, or the hydraulic fluid if that's possible? I've observed that the effect seems to increase after the car has warmed up. The effect is also less if I'm accelerating up through the rev range when changing gears. It's more noticeable if I'm holding speed and revs and press down the clutch pedal to change gear. I think the feeling has always been there, and I've just noticed it in the last few thousand miles (once you notice something, you can't unnotice it!). It hasn't become any worse and it doesn't affect anything. I've not seen it mentioned anywhere for the Emira, but a similar thing is reported on the Evora which has a very similar, if not identical transmission system.
Wipers judder
The wipers can judder in operation under certain (increased windscreen friction) conditions. On the first swipe when it clears the windscreen it's smooth, then judders on the return stroke. I've heard this reported before, and I'm told newer cars (or warranty replacements) fix it with a stronger motor.
Rear light misting
If I'm a little brutal with the pressure washer I can get some misting in the rear lights that will disappear after a day or two. I've heard other owners have had their lights replaced. I was pointed to the manual which states it's normal for a little misting in both the front and rear lights as they are vented to the outside.
Some sort of power steering oil leak?
During the first service the dealer said they found some sort of steering related oil leak. I suffered no symptoms and was unaware of the issue. It was fixed under warranty. Apparently fairly common. I don't know exactly what the fault was, but glad it was caught before I experienced any issues. This is probably the only actual mechanical fault I've had, and I didn't even know I had it.
Reverse gear engagement can be hesitant
Sometimes the car doesn't like to go into reverse without a little force. I've realised if I go into 1st gear first it will then glide into reverse. This seems mechanically more sympathetic and is what I do now. The other gears all work pretty well. There has been much discussion about the emira gearbox and how sensitive it is to adjustment. As mine works well overall I've left it alone.
DAB radio
The DAB radio reception is weak, and after searching for new stations it will soon forget (or lose?) them and I have to scan again. I understand this is fairly common and there's a fix from Lotus. I so rarely use the radio I haven't bothered pursuing it further.
Slight pull to the right under acceleration.
I've noticed the car will pull slightly to the right under moderate to hard acceleration causing a slight left steering input to be required to stay straight. As soon as you lift off the power the car returns straight. I initially assumed I just needed a geo, but after a full weighted geo and check of tyre pressures the behaviour remains. It's a small effect, and my wife can't notice it at all when driving (but she did once drive around for a week with a tyre that was half flat and didn't notice..).
It’s most noticeable when cruising on a motorway/highway in lane and you put your foot down. The car starts to veer to the right slightly. Come off the power and it straightens right up.
To be clear the geo is perfect on a wheel alignment machine. It brakes straight, and when cruising is perfectly straight. It’s just under ‘engine loading’. My best guess now is that there is some play in a suspension or engine mount that is causing a little movement when dynamically loaded.
I posted about it separately with more detail and others have noticed the same. Nobody has yet found a solution. You can see HERE. It's also discussed on another forum HERE.
Less performance than expected and occasional surge at the top of the rev range
The car doesn't feel as fast as I was expecting for a 400bhp light(ish) car. My Porsche 718 (with 350bhp) feels noticeably quicker. Though I appreciate this is probably the turbo effect and low down torque available. So, I doubt there's any fault here. But I have noticed that sometimes when accelerating hard through the gears I'll feel an extra 'surge' of power at the top of the rev range, while other times it will feel perfectly linear through the rev range. Like it’s holding back on me sometimes! I'm not sure why this might be, it could be an illusion I feel and it's exactly the same every time or something the car is doing depending on the gear/driving situation.
Conclusion and other thoughts
That’s it after 10K and nearly 2 years. I have the 2nd service due soon and will bring up some of these issues. I don’t live anywhere near a dealer, so I haven’t chased these issues as none of them are stopping me driving and enjoying the car. Compared to some of the horror stories I’ve read on here I consider myself pretty lucky overall.
I really enjoy this car. It feels special every time I drive it and it looks like a supercar.
But I love that the mechanical parts are not exotic, and are mainstream. Underneath there’s a Toyota 2GR-FE, which though not a new or ‘fancy’ engine is extremely durable and well proven. Lotus have even made it sound great. I know some owners are doing very short oil change intervals or even adding an oil catch can to increase the engines longevity, but I doubt anyone is going to see a return on this investment. If I keep driving the way I am, for the next 10 years, I’ll hit about 50K. Which for these Toyota lumps is barely broken in.
I love the headlights too. Nobody talks about them, but if you’ve ever had literally any other previous Lotus I can’t tell you how much better they are. They’re right up to the level of modern German LED equivalents.
The interior is a lovely place too, that looks special and premium. My only criticism here is that though the materials are high quality (lots of genuine Italian Alcantara and nappa leather covering everything) it’s not as well ‘screwed down’ as it should be. I shouldn’t have broken trim, rattles and broken sun visors after 10K. I also have some foam coming away from the windshield area. I wonder how well these cars will hold up over time. My 6 year old Porsche has none of these issues (but it has had coolant leaks and engine sensors fail). Perhaps we shouldn’t fret the small stuff when the big stuff works.
First of all, in my entire ownership period so far the car has never failed to start, never once shown a CEL, and never had any issue that has stopped me being able to drive and enjoy the car. It has also never been put on a battery charger, and regularly left for periods of weeks without any issue. I consider all the issues below relatively minor and I can honestly say it has been more reliable than my Cayman 718.
So here we go..
Paint Blisters
I had the common paint blister/bubbles appear after about a year. On both doors along the top edge. Interestingly they seemed to appear on both sides within a short period. It's as if a certain criteria (temperature cycle?) occurs to set them off. Both doors replaced under warranty without the car for about 2 weeks. The paint shop seemed to do a decent job with the paint matching and blending, but not so much with the refitting. I had increased wind noise noticeable at higher speeds (60mph+) and it may have contributed to one of my rattles. Having the doors realigned seemed to help.
Front speaker centre speaker buzz with bass.
The front centre speaker on the dashboard vibrates/buzz's with certain bass frequencies while playing music. I've always thought this front speaker is too dominant on the sound system. It's noticeably louder than the two door speakers. I wish there was a 'fader' control to increase sound to the door speakers, which seem the higher quality speakers. I've tried pushing on the grille, but that didn't seem to help. I read somewhere that one of the software updates changes this front/rear balance, but that is not confirmed.
Opening the window causes a bass rattle from an area to the rear/behind of the door
My initial guess was that the window fully closed was bracing something that was otherwise loose to vibrate. But pushing down on different trim pieces I can't get it to stop. Close the window fully and it goes away.
Overall, I'm disappointed in the KEF sound system. For its cost and the hype it's a let down for me. KEF is responsible for some very high-end music gear. How they got it so wrong here I don't know. It says a lot when members in the forum are adding $150 amplified bass speakers to the rear shelf and significantly improving the sound quality. To be fair I think it is this rear open bass speaker that is responsible for the sound complaints. All my previous cars (inc 2 seaters) have also had full range speakers behind your head. My 718 with its BOSE Sound system sounds significantly better to my preference. I also get the common bass speaker ‘pop’ sound when opening the car door, (maybe 1 out of 10 times?) this has been well reported.
Interior rattles
The headliner at the rear makes a 'popping' and flex sound. If I reach back and jam my fingers in the gap at the rear of the headliner I can reduce/change the sound. I think rubber blocks or something pushed into this gap could hold the headliner taught and fix this. This fault is well reported online.
I also have a newer dash rattle that seems to come from the top front area and is noticeable driving over any bumps or rough surfaces. I don't think this one is so easy to rectify and may require the dash top to be lifted. Normally rattles in cars wind me up and I go to great trouble to fix them. But perhaps because the Emira is a noisy place already it hasn't bothered me too much.
'Wiper Malfunction' dashboard message
I recall three occasions in the last 10K that I get a 'Wiper malfunction' message briefly for half a second when starting the car. The wipers appear to work fine. I'm not sure if this is a software bug, or sensor issue. But it's very infrequent, immediately disappears, and there's no actual apparent fault.
Side seat plastic panel broken clip
The drivers side seat outside panel easily pops off (from the bottom edge). I think there's a broken plastic clip. Pressure on the side bolster from entering/exiting the vehicle, or even a fast corner will cause it to unclip. I believe this is common and well reported. Normally it's the top part that comes off, but for me it seems the bottom. As I get out the vehicle, I've found myself holding it in place with my hand to stop it coming undone.
Vibration in rear view mirror
The rear view mirror will vibrate/jiggle on rough textured roads. It's fairly minor and doesn't cause any issues. I've read mixed reports about this being a fault or a 'characteristic' of the car. The Sports suspension on my car may contribute to the effect.
Passenger side sun visor doesn't fully close
The sun visor on the passenger side doesn't fully close and has some play/movement in the 'closed' position.
I've seen this reported by others. It would be annoying if it was the drivers side. The hinge mechanism is not great. I can see these failing on cars as they age. I try not to use the drivers visor unless I really need it.
Clutch vibration/tremor felt through the clutch pedal when depressing transferred from the engine speed
Initially I thought there was a slight 'grating' or roughness to the clutch pedal when depressing it down. Then I realised it doesn't happen when the engine is off or at low/idle revs. The clutch is perfectly smooth. I realised it's related to the engine speed, and when pushing the clutch down you can feel the engine speed (flywheel?) movement transferred as a sensation you can feel through the pedal. I also noticed that if the car is in neutral and I rev the engine and depress the clutch pedal I still feel the vibration. In this instance the clutch is not directly connected to the engine, so I'm not sure how the vibration is being transferred? Through the clutch casing, or the hydraulic fluid if that's possible? I've observed that the effect seems to increase after the car has warmed up. The effect is also less if I'm accelerating up through the rev range when changing gears. It's more noticeable if I'm holding speed and revs and press down the clutch pedal to change gear. I think the feeling has always been there, and I've just noticed it in the last few thousand miles (once you notice something, you can't unnotice it!). It hasn't become any worse and it doesn't affect anything. I've not seen it mentioned anywhere for the Emira, but a similar thing is reported on the Evora which has a very similar, if not identical transmission system.
Wipers judder
The wipers can judder in operation under certain (increased windscreen friction) conditions. On the first swipe when it clears the windscreen it's smooth, then judders on the return stroke. I've heard this reported before, and I'm told newer cars (or warranty replacements) fix it with a stronger motor.
Rear light misting
If I'm a little brutal with the pressure washer I can get some misting in the rear lights that will disappear after a day or two. I've heard other owners have had their lights replaced. I was pointed to the manual which states it's normal for a little misting in both the front and rear lights as they are vented to the outside.
Some sort of power steering oil leak?
During the first service the dealer said they found some sort of steering related oil leak. I suffered no symptoms and was unaware of the issue. It was fixed under warranty. Apparently fairly common. I don't know exactly what the fault was, but glad it was caught before I experienced any issues. This is probably the only actual mechanical fault I've had, and I didn't even know I had it.
Reverse gear engagement can be hesitant
Sometimes the car doesn't like to go into reverse without a little force. I've realised if I go into 1st gear first it will then glide into reverse. This seems mechanically more sympathetic and is what I do now. The other gears all work pretty well. There has been much discussion about the emira gearbox and how sensitive it is to adjustment. As mine works well overall I've left it alone.
DAB radio
The DAB radio reception is weak, and after searching for new stations it will soon forget (or lose?) them and I have to scan again. I understand this is fairly common and there's a fix from Lotus. I so rarely use the radio I haven't bothered pursuing it further.
Slight pull to the right under acceleration.
I've noticed the car will pull slightly to the right under moderate to hard acceleration causing a slight left steering input to be required to stay straight. As soon as you lift off the power the car returns straight. I initially assumed I just needed a geo, but after a full weighted geo and check of tyre pressures the behaviour remains. It's a small effect, and my wife can't notice it at all when driving (but she did once drive around for a week with a tyre that was half flat and didn't notice..).
It’s most noticeable when cruising on a motorway/highway in lane and you put your foot down. The car starts to veer to the right slightly. Come off the power and it straightens right up.
To be clear the geo is perfect on a wheel alignment machine. It brakes straight, and when cruising is perfectly straight. It’s just under ‘engine loading’. My best guess now is that there is some play in a suspension or engine mount that is causing a little movement when dynamically loaded.
I posted about it separately with more detail and others have noticed the same. Nobody has yet found a solution. You can see HERE. It's also discussed on another forum HERE.
Less performance than expected and occasional surge at the top of the rev range
The car doesn't feel as fast as I was expecting for a 400bhp light(ish) car. My Porsche 718 (with 350bhp) feels noticeably quicker. Though I appreciate this is probably the turbo effect and low down torque available. So, I doubt there's any fault here. But I have noticed that sometimes when accelerating hard through the gears I'll feel an extra 'surge' of power at the top of the rev range, while other times it will feel perfectly linear through the rev range. Like it’s holding back on me sometimes! I'm not sure why this might be, it could be an illusion I feel and it's exactly the same every time or something the car is doing depending on the gear/driving situation.
Conclusion and other thoughts
That’s it after 10K and nearly 2 years. I have the 2nd service due soon and will bring up some of these issues. I don’t live anywhere near a dealer, so I haven’t chased these issues as none of them are stopping me driving and enjoying the car. Compared to some of the horror stories I’ve read on here I consider myself pretty lucky overall.
I really enjoy this car. It feels special every time I drive it and it looks like a supercar.
But I love that the mechanical parts are not exotic, and are mainstream. Underneath there’s a Toyota 2GR-FE, which though not a new or ‘fancy’ engine is extremely durable and well proven. Lotus have even made it sound great. I know some owners are doing very short oil change intervals or even adding an oil catch can to increase the engines longevity, but I doubt anyone is going to see a return on this investment. If I keep driving the way I am, for the next 10 years, I’ll hit about 50K. Which for these Toyota lumps is barely broken in.
I love the headlights too. Nobody talks about them, but if you’ve ever had literally any other previous Lotus I can’t tell you how much better they are. They’re right up to the level of modern German LED equivalents.
The interior is a lovely place too, that looks special and premium. My only criticism here is that though the materials are high quality (lots of genuine Italian Alcantara and nappa leather covering everything) it’s not as well ‘screwed down’ as it should be. I shouldn’t have broken trim, rattles and broken sun visors after 10K. I also have some foam coming away from the windshield area. I wonder how well these cars will hold up over time. My 6 year old Porsche has none of these issues (but it has had coolant leaks and engine sensors fail). Perhaps we shouldn’t fret the small stuff when the big stuff works.
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