Looking at buying a lotus exige as soon as the right one comes along. A few ive seen lately the drivers side fabric on the inside of the sill at the corner has been worn, is this a common wear area, with getting in and out, can you buy replacements from lotus ?
Got a picture below of the area I mean below:-
[image]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/ttandrew/w9170022.jpg[/image]
Yes, it is common. I’m not worrying about it until it gets worse.
What about these as alternatives?
[image]http://www.eliseparts.com/shop/images/large/c-leather-sill-protector_LRG.jpg[/image]
Ian
I put off doing it till they got bad, and then had them fixed when they ruined a �60 pair of trousers There are some staples under the fabric which become exposed as they wear.
You can get them re-trimmed. I asked Nick Whale’s to organize mine for me. I don’t know where they send them, but they did a pretty good job and it didn’t cost the earth. Can’t remember how much, but maybe �50 for the pair.
Yours doesnt look too bad at all, id wait til it gets worse but yes eliseparts do a replacement as do Lotus themselves!
Did you buy and fit that gear gate…now thats what i call expensive for something that has no use what so ever…sell that on ebay and buy some new sill protectors!!!
Hangar 111 sort it out.
Bertone, It aint my car its one I was sent pictures of for sale at a dealers tbh I dont like the gaitor or the handbrake handle they look tatty, plus the gaitors been screwed down onto the plastic cover so it means you cant take it off or you have holes.
I just wondering if you could get replacement parts easily, iam pretty picky and looking for a mintish car. This one has 190 kit and sports exhaust, but looks like someone done a bad job of trying to cover the stone chips wih a touch up pen.
Bertone, It aint my car its one I was sent pictures of for sale at a dealers tbh I dont like the gaitor or the handbrake handle they look tatty, plus the gaitors been screwed down onto the plastic cover so it means you cant take it off or you have holes.
I just wondering if you could get replacement parts easily, iam pretty picky and looking for a mintish car. This one has 190 kit and sports exhaust, but looks like someone done a bad job of trying to cover the stone chips wih a touch up pen.
Hello again,
You sound a bit like me, i wanted a perfect Exige…i searched and searched and searched with no luck but i wasnt going to go for second
best!
A lot of them had been thrashed, and stone chipped to high heaven, with grotty interiors…then out of the blue came a ‘pristine’ S1 in Quartz, FSH, brand new Yokos, with every concievable upgrade, most of which were done by the factory before it left, and every bit of paperwork to go with it…and it was for sale locally, there was only one problem, he wanted �23,500.
Anyway i went to look at it and it was every bit as good as described and although not my first colour choice i just had to go on condition and decide that i could go on for ever spending a lot of time and money looking at rubbish so i bought it!
The first owner still posts on here and the second one owns a sports perfromance parts outlet near me so it was a known car to all on here!
Ok so I may have paid over the odds for it but it is undoubtedly one of the best remaining S1s left and ive never regretted it!
So mint ones do come up, just not very often and are usually top dollar!
Any more info then just let me know!
Bertone, It aint my car its one I was sent pictures of for sale at a dealers tbh I dont like the gaitor or the handbrake handle they look tatty, plus the gaitors been screwed down onto the plastic cover so it means you cant take it off or you have holes.
I just wondering if you could get replacement parts easily, iam pretty picky and looking for a mintish car. This one has 190 kit and sports exhaust, but looks like someone done a bad job of trying to cover the stone chips wih a touch up pen.
Hello again,
You sound a bit like me, i wanted a perfect Exige…i searched and searched and searched with no luck but i wasnt going to go for second
best!A lot of them had been thrashed, and stone chipped to high heaven, with grotty interiors…then out of the blue came a ‘pristine’ S1 in Quartz, FSH, brand new Yokos, with every concievable upgrade, most of which were done by the factory before it left, and every bit of paperwork to go with it…and it was for sale locally, there was only one problem, he wanted �23,500.
Anyway i went to look at it and it was every bit as good as described and although not my first colour choice i just had to go on condition and decide that i could go on for ever spending a lot of time and money looking at rubbish so i bought it!
The first owner still posts on here and the second one owns a sports perfromance parts outlet near me so it was a known car to all on here!
Ok so I may have paid over the odds for it but it is undoubtedly one of the best remaining S1s left and ive never regretted it!So mint ones do come up, just not very often and are usually top dollar!
Any more info then just let me know!
Resprays aren’t that expensive, surely its worth buying one with all the “bits” on and getting it resprayed, it will cost you a lot less than paying top whack for one
Bertone, sounds like you were in the same position as me, although because iam scottish, I would like to get a bit of a bargain on the price thrown in as well
I did have a deposit down on an exige 3 weeks back, but the buyer pulled out, deal was on condition of the car passing an inspection, buyer had another offer (after we had agreed a deal) from someone who didnt care about getting an inspection
Resprays aren’t that expensive, surely its worth buying one with all the “bits” on and getting it resprayed, it will cost you a lot less than paying top whack for one
couldn’t agree more - there are far more important things to look at than the quality of the front clam paint. Indeed, I might be concerned about a pristine one - it would mean the car had never been driven and more things go wrong through underuse than overuse.
Bertone, sounds like you were in the same position as me, although because iam scottish, I would like to get a bit of a bargain on the price thrown in as well
I did have a deposit down on an exige 3 weeks back, but the buyer pulled out, deal was on condition of the car passing an inspection, buyer had another offer (after we had agreed a deal) from someone who didnt care about getting an inspection
Sounds to me like he knew it wouldnt pass an inspection, best left well alone!
Resprays aren’t that expensive, surely its worth buying one with all the “bits” on and getting it resprayed, it will cost you a lot less than paying top whack for one
couldn’t agree more - there are far more important things to look at than the quality of the front clam paint. Indeed, I might be concerned about a pristine one - it would mean the car had never been driven and more things go wrong through underuse than overuse.
The only reason Quartz wasnt top of my list is because my main car is silver and fancied a change, but to respray an already immaculate would be sacrosanct no matter what the original colour, but yes i agree go for the spec first, colour second!
This is the car that someone offered me their S2 in exchange for, its that good!
May have paid top whack but its a belter!
Bertone youll need to get some pics up and make all us soon-to-be owners gelious
I do agree with what your both saying colour doesnt really bother me either (though ideally the perfect colour would be orange/yellow or silver). As for use, then yeh I would agree that the car having some use in the was it was intended to be diven, but on the other hand I would like it to show signs that the owner has cared for it. Rips to interior etc would nag me id have to get it fixed.
I hate when cars paint are touched up with a touchup pen, makes the chips stand out more than if they were just left.
Stone chips are just war wounds…something to reminisce over. IMHO, much better to go for a car that has all the goodies and has had proper mechanical care and get a respray if it bothers you that much.
You’ll only bottom it out on a B road or scrape the front splitter anyway.
As Stripey Si says, “built to be driven, not to be washed”.
Cosmetic appearance means naff all, really. Quick �300 paint job will take care of most front clam stonechips!
My car is the Olympic Champion of front clam stonechips, the driver’s sill thingy is showing some wear, it’s done 50 odd trackdays, I’ve 50000 miles (12K with Honda) since new in 2001… but mechanically it’s been totally mollycuddled, with no expense spared eg oil change every 2.5K to 3K for the Rover engine, & 5K for the Honda. Only things to have let me down have been alternator at 21K miles, chaffed wire passing through bulkhead causing coil pack to fry, split driveshaft boot(x2), & recent gearbox failure due to someone forgetting to put oil in it!
Best thing you can do is speak with the previous owner(s) & ascertain how they used the car, & how & where it was serviced - don’t let track use put you off (in fact in most cases it would be an advantage!)
Best thing you can do is speak with the previous owner(s) & ascertain how they used the car, & how & where it was serviced - don’t let track use put you off (in fact in most cases it would be an advantage!) [/quote]
Yes did all of that before buying mine, and what a corker it is!
couldn’t agree more - there are far more important things to look at than the quality of the front clam paint. Indeed, I might be concerned about a pristine one - it would mean the car had never been driven and more things go wrong through underuse than overuse.
Well, alas the said car was mine. I sold it after 3 & a bit years when i realised i’d only cover 1000mls in the be4ast in the previous 12 months
So it had to go to someone who’d give it some more beans (& TLC). for me, but for the next guy.
Tim.
couldn’t agree more - there are far more important things to look at than the quality of the front clam paint. Indeed, I might be concerned about a pristine one - it would mean the car had never been driven and more things go wrong through underuse than overuse.
Well, alas the said car was mine. I sold it after 3 & a bit years when i realised i’d only cover 1000mls in the be4ast in the previous 12 months
So it had to go to someone who’d give it some more beans (& TLC). for me, but for the next guy.
Tim.
And its condition when I got it is a testament to how you and Glenn looked after it, I know it wasnt Glenns first colour choice either BUT the spec and condition meant we both had to have it…thanks for looking after it for me Tim!
Tim - a very enlightened attitude, good of you to let it go “free”. Reminds me of people that keep big dogs at home but are out at work all day
Although I gave up my job to spend more time with my motors - shame for the Exige I did it in winter
All depends on what you are going to do with it… if its just for Pub Posing then “Pristine” it is.
BUT if you want to do “what it does best” then stone chips and wear and tear are the norm…
Mine came well looked after mechanically but a bit chipped but never tracked…Now its Chipped and well tracked…and has torne cill trim(covered with clear tape) BUT ITS BEEN WORTH EVERY PENNY of the depreciation… Cant wait to depreciate it more…
![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/ttandrew/w9170022.jpg[/image]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/ttandrew/w9170022.jpg%5B/image%5D){kind=link}
![http://www.eliseparts.com/shop/images/large/c-leather-sill-protector_LRG.jpg[/image]](http://www.eliseparts.com/shop/images/large/c-leather-sill-protector_LRG.jpg%5B/image%5D){kind=link}