Paint/panel problems....never ending problem?

[carl-johan]

I seems like Emiras having problems with their panels/paint (bliztering and bubbling) get their panels replaced under the warranty time. The question is does anyone know if I get a new warranty on the replaced parts, 3 years? Why I am asking this is because next time, if something happens to the new panels outside the warranty I assume that it could be very costly. Othervise it seems like this could be a costly never ending problem.

 

[virtualmacho]

Just hoping a third party will come out with more conventional materials for post-warranty (out of pocket) replacements. Carbon fiber door panels, anyone?

 

[Nick in Sydney]

I seems like Emiras having problems with their panels/paint (bliztering and bubbling) get their panels replaced under the warranty time. The question is does anyone know if I get a new warranty on the replaced parts, 3 years? Why I am asking this is because next time, if something happens to the new panels outside the warranty I assume that it could be very costly. Othervise it seems like this could be a costly never ending problem.

Costly, yes, but probably not never-ending. It seems likely that there are specific batches of panels produced by Teijin Automotive that have defective composite. So once you get rid of a defective set of doors (for example) there's no reason to assume the problem will return. There are many three year old Emiras that have had no issues with blistering.

 

[Six Speed Stephen]

I seems like Emiras having problems with their panels/paint (bliztering and bubbling) get their panels replaced under the warranty time. The question is does anyone know if I get a new warranty on the replaced parts, 3 years? Why I am asking this is because next time, if something happens to the new panels outside the warranty I assume that it could be very costly. Othervise it seems like this could be a costly never ending problem.

Your warranty doesn’t extend anytime something is replaced under warranty. Catch any issues in the first 3 years

 

[luciddaydream]

I have it on my back panel near the lotus emblem. I don't want to give my car up for a month or whatever, especially since the dealerhship is 400 miles away and terrible to communicate with.

Anyone know how long the whole process takes?

I have been tempted to have a local shop just re-do it for 2-3 grand.

Is that a bad idea?

 

[Nick in Sydney]

I have it on my back panel near the lotus emblem. I don't want to give my car up for a month or whatever, especially since the dealerhship is 400 miles away and terrible to communicate with.

Anyone know how long the whole process takes?

I have been tempted to have a local shop just re-do it for 2-3 grand.

Is that a bad idea?

You want the panel replaced by Lotus under warranty, not just sanded back and repainted. If the composite is defective, then it will probably just happen again.

 

[Kimmax]

I have been tempted to have a local shop just re-do it

Look at it like this: If fixing it was even remotely an option Lotus would be doing that instead of replacing whole doors and panels

 

[geoffbland]

Anyone know how long the whole process takes?

In the UK the main delay seems to be the dealer getting the replacement panels which I've heard can take months. After that it just takes a few weeks as the dealers just use their local friendly body shop to spray the panel and blend in the surrounding panels. No use taking your car to the dealer until they have the replacement panel.

 

[mikeee]

However it is 5 years paint warranty not 3, at least on my 73 plate I believe!?

But surely if you had that door replaced a day before the warranty expired, you wouldn’t just have a 1 day warranty on the new door? Surely Lotus need to take some ownership over their own poor quality?

 

[geoffbland]

However it is 5 years paint warranty not 3, at least on my 73 plate I believe!?

But surely if you had that door replaced a day before the warranty expired, you wouldn’t just have a 1 day warranty on the new door? Surely Lotus need to take some ownership over their own poor quality?

That's normally the way warranty works at least in the UK. The replacement part usually inherits the remaining warranty period of the original item. Obviously, if it is the same part that is continually failing, you may have recourse to a "not fit for purpose" claim but that would be getting legal. Disclaimer - I am not a lawyer, get your own legal advice.

 

[Beachbum]

Warranty for Paint changed from 5yrs to 3yrs around August 2024. Car purchased after this date will only get the 3yr Warranty, prior to that 5yrs.

UK consumer protection act, or whatever its called nowadays, will cover work carried out on a car, irrespective of warranty for about 6 months.
After that it becomes a bit of a mess, but can be made to cover a longer term if it can be "reasonably" shown that the work or hardware has not stood up to a reasonable amount of wear and tear. This only covers the UK, I believe the EU has even better rules/regulations that favour the consumer

 

[Sid]

Warranty for Paint changed from 5yrs to 3yrs around August 2024. Car purchased after this date will only get the 3yr Warranty, prior to that 5yrs.

UK consumer protection act, or whatever its called nowadays, will cover work carried out on a car, irrespective of warranty for about 6 months.
After that it becomes a bit of a mess, but can be made to cover a longer term if it can be "reasonably" shown that the work or hardware has not stood up to a reasonable amount of wear and tear. This only covers the UK, I believe the EU has even better rules/regulations that favour the consumer

I had bubbles on doors, complained under consumers act, give them one chance to fix it, more bubbles on doors and rear, rejected car after 2 years, got most of money back. Know your rights.

 

[netsinah]

I'll chime in and point out that 1 year and one month after purchase, with 10,000 km on the odometer and daily driving it (rain or shine; except the winter months with snow on the ground), I've had zero paint issues, nor any other problems with my Emira V6M. I just signed up for my third track day. My heart goes out to those having problems and I wish all a speedy resolution, but based upon my discussions with other Emira owners near me, most cars have been w/o any issues. If only that could be the case for all cars made by all car manufacturers, and especially those that are mostly hand-made.

 

[Andrew25]

Also, wouldn’t privately fixing an issue covered under warranty void the warranty on the fixed parts?

 

[geoffbland]

I've just had my first blister come up on my drivers door this Thursday and two more blisters on Friday, same door. I expect it'll spread.
All on the mid top of the door about 5cm from the window seal.
I carefully check the car after every wash, expecting this to happen to all cars - the blistering was not there before this.
Dec 2022 build, V6 so one of the first cars. So it's taken nearly 3 years to show up. Taking it in to the dealers in August for them to take a look.
I had better change my voting on a few posts then.

 

[ADC]

I've just had my first blister come up on my drivers door this Thursday and two more blisters on Friday, same door. I expect it'll spread.
All on the mid top of the door about 5cm from the window seal.
I carefully check the car after every wash, expecting this to happen to all cars - the blistering was not there before this.
Dec 2022 build, V6 so one of the first cars. So it's taken nearly 3 years to show up. Taking it in to the dealers in August for them to take a look.
I had better change my voting on a few posts then.

I can't recall if you keep yours garaged, but 3 years of latency is a bit of a worry. I genuinely hope this doesn't continue to bite people who think they dodged this bullet, especially as they come out of warranty.

EDIT: just caught up on the other thread, where you say you keep it outside. yikes. seriously variable in how long it can take to manifest then (my early 2024 build showed it in just under a year)

 

[geoffbland]

I can't recall if you keep yours garaged, but 3 years of latency is a bit of a worry. I genuinely hope this doesn't continue to bite people who think they dodged this bullet, especially as they come out of warranty.

EDIT: just caught up on the other thread, where you say you keep it outside. yikes. seriously variable in how long it can take to manifest then (my early 2024 build showed it in just under a year)

Yeah, it sits outside in the UK so lots of rain. Also washed every 2 weeks or so, I do use a jet wash but I'm careful not to use that were it can get inside the car. I'm doubting it has anything to do with water ingress - my bubbles and bubbles I've seen on other cars are not where any trapped water would settle.

It showing up after 3 years is worrying. More worrying is that your 2024 car still had the problem and the few reports of the same issue occurring on replacement panels.