Stuck in first gear

Lolub · Feb 20, 2023

Kimmax said:
Alright, car is back home. First and second gear feel like never before - better than before. About the "taking the engine apart": Basically what @Porter said was done, so nothing to worry about.

Subwoofer has been fixed. KEF sounds good, but doesn't match Audi or Mercedes premium options IMO. For a factory built in it's pretty good. If I paid extra I'd think about that again. However, keep in mind that audio forever will be a hard discussion topic based on personal opinions

Complete Oil-Service set me back about 430€.

All-in a satisfying experience. Issues were fixed in 2 days. Had I delivered the car in the morning they might have been done next day. Road assistance worked great. If you get stuck on the road all you need is a bit of time and patience. You'll be taken care of all around.

Happy to hear the positive outcome, @Kimmax!

Hope you get to enjoy many miles of driving now!

Curious, did they provide a root cause for the issue? And/or warranty/assurance against it happening again? Not sure if that's feasible but just asking...

Now I do wonder if roadside assistance is only for overseas? In the US, I'm at least 3.5 hours from my deposited dealership. Not sure if they would retrieve it from that distance?

And how I would go back to get it after it's fixed, perhaps ongoingly?

Or how your situation would have turned out if you had been that far? ..

Kimmax · Feb 21, 2023

Lolub said:
Happy to hear the positive outcome, @Kimmax! Hope you get to enjoy many miles of driving now!

Curious, did they provide a root cause for the issue? And/or warranty/assurance against it happening again? Not sure if that's feasible but just asking...

Now I do wonder if roadside assistance is only for overseas? In the US, I'm at least 3.5 hours from my deposited dealership. Not sure if they would retrieve it from that distance? And how I would go back to get it after it's fixed, perhaps ongoingly? Or how your situation would have turned out if you had been that far? ..

Lotus will get your car to the next certified dealer. Other means of transportation will be arranged for you. Car, train, plane, whatever is feasible (for you and passengers). You can choose to stay and hotel costs will be covered, I think up to 140€/night in Germany. If the car takes longer than two days to fix, it'll be "shipped" to your homebase dealer.

About the root cause, linkage probably was misadjusted from the factory, allowing the linkage to get stuck. A little force _probably_ would've gotten it free to move again, but I'm not in the game for plays like this in the warranty time. Linkage was completely readjusted "both ends", so I wouldn't expect it to happen again.

Andrew P · Feb 21, 2023

Kimmax said:
Alright, car is back home. First and second gear feel like never before - better than before. About the "taking the engine apart": Basically what @Porter said was done, so nothing to worry about.

Subwoofer has been fixed. KEF sounds good, but doesn't match Audi or Mercedes premium options IMO. For a factory built in it's pretty good. If I paid extra I'd think about that again. However, keep in mind that audio forever will be a hard discussion topic based on personal opinions

Complete Oil-Service set me back about 430€.

All-in a satisfying experience. Issues were fixed in 2 days. Had I delivered the car in the morning they might have been done next day. Road assistance worked great. If you get stuck on the road all you need is a bit of time and patience. You'll be taken care of all around.

On a related point where is the clutch biting point on your clutch pedal range? - is it early, middle or towards the top?