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Elise Servicing

The Elise owners manual details the servicing schedule required for the Elise. This varies from Elise model to model as the various engines (K-series, Toyota, etc.) and state of tune affect the servicing schedule.

Service Types

The Elise service schedule lists 4 types of service that are required for the K-series engined cars:

After sales service - This should be free but some dealers charge for materials used. It is usually carried out after the first 1000 miles (1500km).

A-service - The items included in this service are listed below.

B-service - The items included in this service are listed below.

C-service - The items included in this service are listed below. This is more expensive on the VVC engined Elise.

There are some service actions that are specified by the interval since last service:

The coolant should be changed every 24 months.
The clutch and brake fluid should be changed every 12 months.

Servicing Sequence

Each service should be performed either within 1000 miles (1600 kms) of the stipulated mileage and within one from the previous service and specified service time gap, whichever occurs first.

A-service at 9,000 miles (15,000km) or 12 months
A-service at 18,000 miles (30,000km) or 12 months
B-service at 27,000 miles (45,000km) or 12 months
A-service at 36,000 miles (60,000km) or 12 months
A-service at 45,000 miles (75,000km) or 12 months
C-service at 54,000 miles (90,000km) or 12 months
A-service at 63,000 miles (105,000km) or 12 months
A-service at 72,000 miles (120,000km) or 12 months
B-service at 81,000 miles (135,000km) or 12 months
A-service at 90,000 miles (150,000km) or 12 months
A-service at 99,000 miles (165,000km) or 12 months
C-service at 108,000 miles (180,000km) or 12 months

Servicing Items

Service Item	Aftersales Service	A-Service	B-Service	C-Service
Renew engine oil and filter	x	x	x	x
Inspect engine and transmission for leaks	x	x	x	x
Check transmission oil level		x	x	x
Renew air filter			x	x
Renew spark plugs			x	x
Inspect auxillary drive belt condition			x	x
Renew cam belt				x
Renew fuel filter				x
Connect 'Lotus Check' scanner tool and run pre-test	x	x	x	x
Inspect and record tailpipe CO		x	x	x
Inspect cooling system for damage and leaks, clean radiator fins		x	x	x
Check coolant level		x	x	x
Inspect handbrake adjustment	x	x	x	x
Inspect operation of brakes and warning lights	x	x	x	x
Inspect brake pad thickness and disk condition		x	x	x
Inspect brake hoses, pipes and hydraulics		x	x	x
Check brake fluid level	x	x	x	x
Check security and condition of front and rear suspension		x	x	x
Inspect dampers for leaks and performance		x	x	x
Inspect front and rear wheel bearings for play		x	x	x
Inspect condition of driveshaft gaiters		x	x	x
Check steering ball joints and gaiters		x	x	x
Inspect free play at steering wheel		x	x	x
Inspect tyre condition and set pressures	x	x	x	x
Check battery terminals for security and condition		x	x	x

Main Dealers

Typically owners use main dealers in the initial stages of ownership, as an official dealer stamp in the service log book can make it easier to get work done within the warranty period. Having said this, servicing by an independent should not invalidate your warranty. The costs incurred in using a main dealer are higher and you may not recoup this additional expenditure if you decide to sell your Elise, so long as you do have a complete service history of some sort.

Quite a few secondhand buyers like to see a Full Service History (FSH) from a main dealer. Cars sold with this servcing record may be worth slightly more but, this is not guaranteed. They will be slightly easier to sell though.

From the experiences of many Elise owners, it is clear that the quality of servicing varies enormously across the official Lotus main dealers. Taking your car to one is no guarantee that your car will be treated and serviced well. Those main dealers that are well respected by the Elise owning community are well known and those that are not are also well known. For legal reasons, I can't list the worst ones here but, you are advised to do a bit of research on the various Internet forums before handing over your car and keys.

If you receive poor service from your local main dealer then you should register a complaint with Lotus Cars directly. They maintain records of complaints and review their main dealers fairly regularly. Over the years, a fair number have lost their franchise due to poor performance.

Main dealers have a high profit margin on things like oil and other parts used in servicing. It is often worth asking if you can supply your own and see what impact it has on the price charged.

Even across main dealers, prices for services vary quite a lot. They have been known to charge from £185 to £420 for an A-service, from £199 to £495 for an B-service and from £450 to £815 for an C-service.

DIY

The A-service and B-service are fairly easy to do yourself, if you are a half-competent mechanic. Spark plugs (good ones) cost about £7. The air filter obviously depends on what induction stystem you have. The oil required is about £15, oil filter £10 and fuel filter about £10.

Independepent Service Agents

These are specialist independent garages that have knowledge of the Elise and usually, the other variants (Exige, 340R, etc.) of this car. Generally, the independents charge less to service the Elise.

Even across independents, prices for services also vary a fair bit. They have been known to charge from £99 to £340 for an A-service, from £149 to £280 for an B-service and from £380 to £500 for an C-service.

Please mail me at to be included on this list:

Allon White Sports Cars Ltd

Allon White

are based in Cranfield, Bedfordshire and offer a range of Lotus servicing and repair services

Fibreglass Services

are based in Arundel, West Sussex.

Racing Developments Ltd

are based in Milton Keynes.

Sinclaire

Sinclairs

are Lotus specialist (based in Romford, Essex). They have been doing Lotus bodywork for many years and also do servicing and fitting ancilliaries. They also do auto electrical repairs and have a Hunter 4-wheel alignment machine for setting up suspension geometry.