Paint bubbling and out of warranty!

[Beardedbradley]

I can’t seem to get mine done within warranty, been waiting 4 months

 

[geoffbland]

I can’t seem to get mine done within warranty, been waiting 4 months

I assume you've had it inspected by a dealership and OKed by Lotus, so are just waiting for the new panels to arrive. This can take a couple of months, but 4 months seems like longer than usual.

 

[SimonT]

Hi, sorry to bother you but wondered if you had any update? Feel my own argument with lotus is also now about to start.
Thanks,
Tony.

Hi Tony. I was notified last Thursday that Lotus will cover the door under warranty, yay!

I rang CS and pointed out the change in warranty terms, paint and panels, that it wasn't the paint but faulty panels. That Lotus acknowledged the fault due to them replacing doors puts them on the wrong side of the law, proving a fault existed from manufacture. After not hearing from them for a week I sent a follow up email and pointed out that if Escalations decided to not grant the warranty my only recourse would be litigation and to ensure they spoke to their legal department before making a final decision.

They copied in the dealers to the decision, I had to contact them and I'm not happy with their response. I have to chase the paintshop myself, wait for it to be assigned to a bodyshop assessor and they will provide a 'quote' to be sent to the service department who will pass to Lotus. Currently a 4 month wait for doors and then 2/3 weeks for them to spray and fit.

 

[SimonT]

I assume you've had it inspected by a dealership and OKed by Lotus, so are just waiting for the new panels to arrive. This can take a couple of months, but 4 months seems like longer than usual.

Mine originally took 4 months 1 week to arrive, I've been told it is expected to be 4 months wait again.

 

[Beardedbradley]

I assume you've had it inspected by a dealership and OKed by Lotus, so are just waiting for the new panels to arrive. This can take a couple of months, but 4 months seems like longer than usual.

Inspected in November agreed by Lotus, since then numerous visits to the dealer and calls to lotus but they seem to be blaming each other for the delay.

 

[Nelumbo nucifera]

Hi Tony. I was notified last Thursday that Lotus will cover the door under warranty, yay!


I rang CS and pointed out the change in warranty terms, paint and panels, that it wasn't the paint but faulty panels. That Lotus acknowledged the fault due to them replacing doors puts them on the wrong side of the law, proving a fault existed from manufacture. After not hearing from them for a week I sent a follow up email and pointed out that if Escalations decided to not grant the warranty my only recourse would be litigation and to ensure they spoke to their legal department before making a final decision.

They copied in the dealers to the decision, I had to contact them and I'm not happy with their response. I have to chase the paintshop myself, wait for it to be assigned to a bodyshop assessor and they will provide a 'quote' to be sent to the service department who will pass to Lotus. Currently a 4 month wait for doors and then 2/3 weeks for them to spray and fit.

A very timely and noteworthy comment made by Lotus to you, SimonT, namely “Lotus acknowledged the fault due to them replacing doors puts them on the wrong side of the law, proving a fault existed from manufacture”. A comment that is very valuable to not only all owners, but could well be the means Lotus/Geely may be able to recover warranty financial losses from the manufacture, Teijin who have far bigger and deeper financial pockets than little old Lotus. No doubt Lotus will not sit on their hands and let this (potential) opportunity pass them by.
It’s always good to get such comments (as provided to you by Lotus) in writing, which probably Lotus would be unwilling to provide.
As an alternative, you may, SimonT, consider sending an email to them using words to effect acknowledging their statement to you: That Lotus acknowledged the fault due to them replacing doors (perhaps think about whether to include this section: puts them on the wrong side of the law), proving a fault existed from manufacture.
This might seem a second best as opposed to them writing it directly, but when push comes to shove when down the track, sitting in a court of law, your email will carry weight, particularly if they do not refute immediately your email by return email.
I’m sure all of us not only want any warranties to be processed, but equally important, we want Lotus to have a means to survive financially.

 

[SimonT]

A very timely and noteworthy comment made by Lotus to you, SimonT, namely “Lotus acknowledged the fault due to them replacing doors puts them on the wrong side of the law, proving a fault existed from manufacture”. A comment that is very valuable to not only all owners, but could well be the means Lotus/Geely may be able to recover warranty financial losses from the manufacture, Teijin who have far bigger and deeper financial pockets than little old Lotus. No doubt Lotus will not sit on their hands and let this (potential) opportunity pass them by.
It’s always good to get such comments (as provided to you by Lotus) in writing, which probably Lotus would be unwilling to provide.
As an alternative, you may, SimonT, consider sending an email to them using words to effect acknowledging their statement to you: That Lotus acknowledged the fault due to them replacing doors (perhaps think about whether to include this section: puts them on the wrong side of the law), proving a fault existed from manufacture.
This might seem a second best as opposed to them writing it directly, but when push comes to shove when down the track, sitting in a court of law, your email will carry weight, particularly if they do not refute immediately your email by return email.
I’m sure all of us not only want any warranties to be processed, but equally important, we want Lotus to have a means to survive financially.

Sorry misunderstanding there. The replacement of panels under warranty by Lotus, sometimes multiple times, proves they know there is an underlying manufacturing fault otherwise they wouldn't be replacing them all. Under UK law you have up to 6 years to prove a fault was there from manufacture, usually very difficult but by replacing so many the in effect accept the liability negating owners having to prove the fault. Using this applies only to the UK, specifically England and Wales. Anyone in other jurisdictions may have similar protections in law.

 

[Nelumbo nucifera]

Sorry misunderstanding there. The replacement of panels under warranty by Lotus, sometimes multiple times, proves they know there is an underlying manufacturing fault otherwise they wouldn't be replacing them all. Under UK law you have up to 6 years to prove a fault was there from manufacture, usually very difficult but by replacing so many the in effect accept the liability negating owners having to prove the fault. Using this applies only to the UK, specifically England and Wales. Anyone in other jurisdictions may have similar protections in law.

All good, SimonT. Probably my thinking/comments were tailored around wishful thinking haha.
But still your observations will no doubt be taken into account (we would hope) by Lotus/Geely when it comes to any claim they can lodge against Teijin for compensating their own financial loss.

 

[Ricky Wilde]

Lotus warranty ended January 6th '26 and I've noticed a bubble the size of a 50p on the passenger door.

I've emailed the dealers to get the exact date the doors were replaced, almost 12 months, and get it booked in for them to have a look. Lotus changed the paint warranty from 5 yrs to 3 yrs, after all the door problems, but I'm going to go with the 'you advertised 5yrs for 3 yrs before changing the warranty'. If they initially refuse then I'll go with the Lotus 12 month warranty for original parts provided and fitted. If that fails then I'll get a quote from a local paintshop for a repair and go down the small claims court route.

I raised this with them 18 months ago and they offered an extra 2 years if I signed an NDA to not talk about it, I refused as I thought they didn't have a leg to stand on with it being a manufacturing fault.

Lotus warranty ended January 6th '26 and I've noticed a bubble the size of a 50p on the passenger door.

I've emailed the dealers to get the exact date the doors were replaced, almost 12 months, and get it booked in for them to have a look. Lotus changed the paint warranty from 5 yrs to 3 yrs, after all the door problems, but I'm going to go with the 'you advertised 5yrs for 3 yrs before changing the warranty'. If they initially refuse then I'll go with the Lotus 12 month warranty for original parts provided and fitted. If that fails then I'll get a quote from a local paintshop for a repair and go down the small claims court route.

I raised this with them 18 months ago and they offered an extra 2 years if I signed an NDA to not talk about it, I refused as I thought they didn't have a leg to stand on with it being a manufacturing fault.

I'll update this thread on how I get on, it may set a precedent for others coming out of warranty soon.

I had a bubble on the front wing, still in warranty.. car is a year old.. they've sorted it no problem. Didn't realise they'd changed the warranty from5 to 3 years tho!

I'll update this thread on how I get on, it may set a precedent for others coming out of warranty soon.

 

[SimonT]

Front wing? If so I think you must be the first as I believe they were made by another company to the doors and rears.

 

[geoffbland]

Front wing? If do I think you must be the first as I believe they were made by another company to the doors and rears.

The front wings are made by Lotus and are not the TMC composites made by Teijin. This will be a different issue to the blistering problem reported by others. so yours may be a problem with the paint and not the panel.

 

[SimonT]

Another update.

1 part missing so no go on the door replacement, thank god. Just washed the car and spotted bubbling on both rear quarter panels

I've emailed Lotus contact to see where we go from here. Let's see if they're as quick to authorise 2 new panels.

 

[netsinah]

If they refuse to honour the 5yr warranty, threaten them with small claims court for just 1 door. The limit is £10,000, so easily under that for 1 door. If you win, which I am pretty certain you will, then just go through the same process for each item. Once the precedent is set, they will have no option but to honour the 5yr warranty for you and everyone else
Unfortunately, you are the trail blazer here, so wishing you luck with this, as I also have the 5yr warranty, that will possibly end up being tested at some point

On a related note. Even after the 5yrs, if you/we can show that its a known defect that Lotus did nothing to remedy, then they will also be liable for years to come. It will be easier for those that have the parts replaced and then the issue reoccurs, but even those that get it the first time after 5yrs will have a viable claim.

We "consumers" need to know:

1. all manufacturers/suppliers/installers point to a warranty period, as "the final end date" of any obligation they have for any item. They do so, to promote sales but moreso (IMO), to limit their liability exposure;

2. product liability legislation in your jurisdiction (usually the point of sale or where the install was done; subject to any terms of a written agreement specifying otherwise), may provide an easy/inexpensive way to defeat any warranty period, especially if you're able to report the breach to a regulatory body overseeing the manufacturer/supplier/installer, assuming that regulatory body actually takes action or has regulations with some "teeth";

4. Sometimes, manufacturers/suppliers/installers have an "ombudsman process" where you get an ombudsman (hopefully an independent third party; but not always unfortunately) to assess the problem and make a determination which can be binding on all concerned;

3. if none of those, KEEP IN MIND THAT ANY SHODDY PRODUCT OR WORK DONE, WHICH MEANS THE PRODUCT FAILS OR CAUSES PROBLEMS OUTSIDE THE NORM, CAN GIVE RISE TO A GOOD CLAIM IN COURT, BEYOND ANY WARRANTY PERIOD. If you've had multiple issues within the warranty period and they've never resulted in an actual "fix" but merely helped the manufacturer/supplier/installer limp over the "warranty expiry finish line" then your chances of success in any legal proceeding are astronomically improved. Many people unfortunately buy into the "the warranty has expired so I'm w/o any recourse" story. That's not necessarily true. That said, starting a legal claim is always a hassle so you have to carefully pick your battles. But as indicated by Beachbum, sometimes the threat of legal action may get results, or actually suing in "small claims court" and merely serving the pleading, may get results. And most jurisdictions do have a "small claims court" which is typically set up for non-represented parties (no lawyers needed) to get a quicker and inexpensive trip through the legal system, with a set limit on the amount you can sue for. The people who administer it, usually are very helpful with advice or can provide a "how to" sheet of directions or sometimes you find these posted on the Web or the Court's website. In addition, if you know of multiple parties in your jurisdiction who are experiencing the same problem, joining with them so everyone is in the same demand letter/action, can be more effective since there's definitely "strength in numbers" and any Court will be better convinced it's a common problem when many are complaining about it. That may not be doable, if multiple claims in one action, will bring you over the monetary limit of the "small claims court". Many jurisdictions have "class action" legislation or rules, but that's a different kettle of fish and can be more expensive/time consuming and you'll need legal representation for that. So a class action is usually reserved for much more costly problems or issues that affect "thousands of consumers" the same way.

Legal actions are more publicized and can cause a huge PR dent, which is why just a demand letter or serving the initiating document, can bring about the desired effect. Sometimes you'll be asked to sign a NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) before getting any relief. Depending upon your jurisdiction, those type of agreements may or may not be enforceable.

Hope this helps some of you. Consider spreading the word so we consumers become more knowledgable. Good luck to those with problems, getting a satisfactory resolution!

 

[SimonT]

Lotus CS/Escalations have replied and they will be covering the rear panels. Yay! Messaged the dealer paint shop and they asked if Lotus said replace or repair as they have just sanded down and repainted panels this year.

 

[geoffbland]

Lotus CS/Escalations have replied and they will be covering the rear panels. Yay! Messaged the dealer paint shop and they asked if Lotus said replace or repair as they have just sanded down and repainted panels this year.

Which dealership? The bodyshops I know have given up with repair as the issue just comes back elsewhere on the panel and makes them look bad. If you do have a repair make sure that the repair is warrantied for a a couple of years at least.

 

[SimonT]

Which dealership? The bodyshops I know have given up with repair as the issue just comes back elsewhere on the panel and makes them look bad. If you do have a repair make sure that the repair is warrantied for a a couple of years at least.

JCT600. I'll be contacting Lotus to confirm panel replacement and not a repair.

 

[SimonT]

Another update from Lotus.

It appears the replacements/doors are being classified as a 'goodwill' gesture This means anyone else claiming anything against warranty will have to argue their case. Jokers

 

[Beachbum]

Another update from Lotus.

It appears the replacements/doors are being classified as a 'goodwill' gesture This means anyone else claiming anything against warranty will have to argue their case. Jokers

It's almost.loke Lotus don't know UK law
Maybe it's corporate china making the decisions and not asking UK based employees if that's viable

 

[SimonT]

It's almost.loke Lotus don't know UK law
Maybe it's corporate china making the decisions and not asking UK based employees if that's viable

I would imagine accepting it as an actual fault would set a precedent in their eyes. As you state, English Law rules the roost.

 

[SimonT]

I've been copied into the quote for both rear panels replaced, door already approved, and all work that goes into it I'm not going to reveal anything apart from 29 hours work for replacing both panels, prep work, painting both panels and blending doors and tailgate.

Still no idea of a time line.