Hi Robbo was chatting with an Elise owner Tues night at NYLOC bash - his Liz is particularly affected by the floor ‘corrosion’. He was in contact with Lotus on Monday and was told that ‘cure/fix’ will be out in June/July time. Understand cure will be some kind of snake oil rub if not too bad, but over/underplating if perforations are that serious We’ll wait and see…
Although my floor is o.k.(a few minor pimple size bumps) I have removed the rubber mats all the same as it is these I understand that they reckon has caused the problem…
Seriously until Lotus make a clear statement about the effect and “cure” I’m not taking any action - if I were an owner that doesnt read any BBS I would be non the wiser … and wouldnt have done anything ( No official letter from Lotus yet )
If I were you, I’d lift the rubber matting & have a gander! As far as I know, the corrosion is a result of WMD (sorry, chemical reaction! ) between the aluminium floor & rubber mats, triggered by the ingress of water between the two. Cars with additional after market carpet mats appear to fared better than those without.
The following has been copied from Lotus’s website:
[color:“blue”] Elise Footwell Floor Corrosion
Lotus would like to reassure Elise owners that we are continuing to investigate the cosmetic corrosion of the top surface of the footwell floor panels experienced by a small proportion of cars when factory fitted with plastic floor covering. This condition may take the form of staining and/or deposits of either powder or a paste like substance in the footwell.
Our engineers have been working with the chassis manufacturer and a number of specialist institutes to identify the causes of this specific issue and provide our customers with an appropriate resolution.
We thank you for your continued patience and understanding whilst the necessary testing and validation of solutions are pursued. Lotus places a high value on the satisfaction and loyalty of its customers and it is for this reason that we wish to make sure that we have identified the possible causes and have verified that the solution we introduce is effective and inconveniences our customers as little as possible.
We would like to reassure our customers that the footwell floors are not part of the primary load bearing structure and therefore the integrity of the chassis is not compromised by this condition.
Once Lotus has completed its investigations, affected vehicles will be individually assessed and where necessary will be treated under warranty through the dealer network (subject to normal warranty terms and conditions). Until such time, owners may adopt the following routine maintenance practice:
Remove any footwell floor covering to reveal the alloy surface.
Using suitable hand and eye protection, wash the footwell floor and underside of the mat using a nylon brush and clean water (do not use soap solutions as these often have a high salt content).
Mop the floor using paper towels and allow the floor and mat to dry thoroughly before refitting the mat.
Refit the mat using a 25 mm wide strip of double sided tape only along the rear edge.
It is important to lift the mat periodically and wipe the floor and mat underside to ensure the area is kept dry.
No other action should be taken at this time in order to protect against possible interference with any future recommended treatment.
As soon as further news is available, this will be advised via the Lotus Cars website and via the dealer network.
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I was fortunate(!) enough to dimwittedly spill a litre of oil in my passenger footwell … so rather than having water under the mat, there was oil … result !
Sounds like a good idea David. That should protect the floor pretty effectively
I’d been meaning to lift my mats for months and finally got round to it this week. It was quite slimy under there and there was some surface corrosion, but nothing too bad. I’ve got carpet mats, so I’ll do without the rubber.
It’s all very well ignoring the problem as it’s up to Lotus to put it right, but I personally think it’s wiser to nip it in the bud now than to wait for Lotus to get their arse into gear. Their solution has been in progress since last May for God’s sake!
Its just I cannot imagine an owner of say, a BMW (Z4) or Audi (TT)etc reading a web site and effecting his own temporary repair on his 30 grand car ( list ), in his own time for something that was wrong in the manufacture - he would be straight to the dealer and be demanding something was … oh dear … Mmmm … Yes… Its all clear now …
Anyone who hasn’t lifted their pvc stuck down mats should do it now !! and that’s an order…
Its okay to say well Lotus should do something about it… and they should… hopefully they will actually do something, but in the end its you the owner who will have to decide… they ain’t that difficult to lift and will come off in one piece, so you can put them back down if you want. I’ve left mine off.
This type of corrosion will eat thru the floor if you leave it long enough - but if you clean it up, dry it off and let it breath thereafter it should be okay
Just pull them, they didn’t break or deform.
Now, getting the old glue out is a dog. Ended using a plastic flat thing to scrape most of it off and then used white spirit to clean the remains.
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