service schedule LOTUS ELISE 2005 Owners Manual

OWNER MAINTENANCERemember that fuel consumption and wear and tear of the
car are affected considerably by the way the car is driven and maintained. Be sure to carry out the simple maintenance checks detailed below, and to have your car serviced regularly by your
Lotus dealer, in order to ensure maximum safety, reliability,
longevity and pleasure of ownership.
NOTICE: Failure to follow and comply with the Maintenance
Schedule may invalidate the terms of the warranty.
The Lotus Elise has been designed as a road going sports
car. It is recognised that owners may wish to use the car occa
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sionally on closed circuit tracks to experience the car’s full range of dynamic capabilities. However, use of the car in a competitive
manner, including timed runs or laps, is not endorsed by Lotus.
Using the car on the track may cause a greater degree of wear and tear on parts and such wear and tear on parts and compo
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nents will not be covered by your Limited Warranty.
WARNING: Any type of timed, competitive car use will invalidate
warranty and require appropriate levels of expert car prepa
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ration and servicing.
WARNING:
• Attempts at car servicing with inadequate knowledge, tools or equipment, could result in car damage as well as
endangering you, your passenger and other road users.
Consult your Lotus dealer in all cases of doubt.
• Beware of hot surfaces in the engine bay. You could be seriously burned if you touch a hot engine part.
• Take great care not to drop flammable liquids or objects onto a hot engine and start a fire.
• Ensure that only Lotus dealers or suitably qualified tech
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nicians work on the airbag system.
• Beware of rotating engine components; to avoid injury,
guard against entrapment of tools, body parts and loose
clothing.
• The front mounted electric fans can start up and cause injury even when the engine is not running. Keep tools,
hands and clothing well away.
Servicing & Maintenance
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Use only a non-mineral type DOT 4 brake fluid from a sealed
container marked with a yellow and black (non-mineral) symbol.
Do not use DOT 5 silicone fluid, or any fluid which has been
exposed to the atmosphere for more than a brief period, or
any fluid suspected of being wet, dirty or contaminated. Do not over fill, and replace the cap securely. Brake fluid, being hygroscopic, absorbs water from the atmos
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phere over a period of time, resulting in a lowering of the boiling
point of the fluid, and corrosion of the hydraulic system. For
optimum safety and brake performance, the brake fluid should be renewed every twelve months by your Lotus Dealer.
WARNING:
• Brake fluid is hazardous to health and may be fatal if swallowed. Keep out of children’s reach.
• Using the wrong type of brake fluid can damage brake system components and result in brake failure causing a
crash in which you and others could be killed or seriously
injured. See ‘Recommended Lubricants’.
Brake Pads The thickness of the brake pad lining material should be
checked at every service, and under no circumstances be al
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lowed to fall below 0.1 inch (2.5 mm). If the brakes are in very frequent or arduous use, as when driving in mountainous terrain,
or on race circuits, it is recommended that they be examined
more frequently. The pads should be renewed if of insufficient
thickness to ensure safe braking until the next scheduled service.
Note that in order to ensure that brake pads with the correct
material specification are used, only genuine Lotus replacement parts should be fitted, and in the interests of safety, pad renewal
should be entrusted to your Lotus dealer.
WARNING: Using incorrect brake pads, or pads below 0.1 inch
(2.5mm) thickness, may cause a crash in which you or
others could be killed or seriously injured. With a new car, or new brake system components, maxi
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mum braking efficiency will be achieved if, for the first few
hundred miles, needless heavy braking is avoided, and the
brake pads and discs are allowed to ‘bed in’ fully before
being used to their full potential (see also ‘Footbrake’).
Servicing & Maintenance
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RECOMMENDED LUBRICANTS
EngineIn order to enhance the longevity and reliability of the car, it
is most important that only the specified lubricants are used. It
is an entirely false economy to try to save money by using lower quality oils, which may break down before the next change in
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terval and provide inadequate protection before the end of the
term. High oil consumption may also result.
For topping up purposes during the running-in period prior to
the First After Sales Service, a top quality mineral or semi-syn
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thetic 5W/40 oil should be used. At the First After Sales Service and completion of the running-in period, a fully synthetic 5W/40
oil such as Texaco Havoline Synthetic should be used. This oil
has been tested in all climatic conditions likely to be encountered,
and offers advantages in ease of cranking, smooth cold running
and fuel economy at low temperatures, in combination with good
wear protection at elevated temperatures and at high engine speeds. If Texaco/Havoline products are not available, an oil meeting the following specification should be used.
NOTICE: Note that Lotus does not recommend the use of any oil additives and use of such additives may invalidate the terms
of your car’s warranty.
Viscosity: 5W/40
Quality Standard: API SJEC; ILSAC; ACEA A3
Capacity - refill inc. filter 4.4 litre
(Cars fitted with front mounted oil coolers contain an additional
3.5 litres, but this oil is not drained during routine servicing) Difference between high & low dipstick marks
1.5 litre
Oil change interval Refer to Maintenance Schedule
‘Severe Service’ Conditions Certain operating conditions can cause rapid degradation of
the oil quality, either by the accumulation of dirt particles, or by
the absorption of water from condensation. If any of the ‘severe
service’ conditions described below apply, it is recommended
that the oil and filter be changed twice as frequently as is listed in the Maintenance Schedule.
Recommended Lubricants
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Required MaintenanceThe operations in the Maintenance Schedule (included
in the Owner’s Handbook package) must be undertaken at the mileages or time intervals specified to ensure the
continued proper functioning of the emission control system, and to provide optimum car per formance and
reliability. More frequent maintenance may be needed for
cars operating in dusty areas, on short trip driving, or in
other severe conditions. Inspection and service should also be performed any
time a malfunction is suspected.
M A I NTENA NCE , REPL ACEMENT OR REPA I R OF THE
EMISSION CONTROL DEVICES AND SYSTEMS MAY BE
PERFORMED BY ANY AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR ESTABLISH
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MENT OR INDIVIDUAL USING ANY CERTIFIED PART.
No emission performance warranty claim will be denied
on the basis of the use of a properly certified part in the maintenance or repair of a car.
In no case will Lotus deny an emission performance
warranty claim on the basis of:
i) warranty work or pre-delivery service performed by any Lotus
Dealer or
ii) work performed in an emergency situation to rectify an unsafe condition, including an unsafe driveability condition attrib
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utable to Lotus provided the car owner has taken steps to put
the car back in a conforming condition in a timely manner or
iii) the use of any uncertified part or non compliance with the maintenance schedule or instruction for use (Owner’s Hand
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book) which is not relevant to the reason that the car failed
to comply with applicable emission standards or
iv) any cause attributable to Lotus.
Federal Emission Warranty
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What Is Not CoveredLotus may deny an emission per formance warranty
claim on the basis of an uncertified replacement part used in the maintenance or repair of a car if Lotus presents evidence that the uncertified replacement part is either
defective in materials or workmanship, or not equivalent
from an emission standpoint to the original equipment part, and the owner is unable to rebut the evidence. A part not required to be replaced at a definite service
interval (see Maintenance Schedule) shall be warranted for
the applicable warranty period. Instructions to replace a
component only if checked and found to be operating below specification shall have no bearing on warranty coverage
unless the owner did not follow such an instruction prior to
the short test failure and non compliance with that instruc
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tion caused the failure of another car component relevant
to the non- conformity.
This warranty does not cover failures caused by abuse,
neglect, collision, accidents, improper maintenance, un
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authorised modification; nor does it cover loss of time, inconvenience, loss of use of the car or incidental or con
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sequential damages.
ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, APPLICABLE
TO A Car OR PART IS LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN THIS WARRANTY. LOTUS SHALL
NOT BE LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGE RESULTING FROM THE BREACH OF ANY WAR
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RANTY. S O M E S TAT E S D O N OT A L LO W L I M I TAT I O N S O N
HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARR ANT Y L ASTS, OR THE
EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSE
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QUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Federal Emission Warranty
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Improper Maintenance and Usea) An emission performance warranty claim may be denied on the basis of non-compliance by a car owner with the Service
Schedule or Owner’s Handbook instructions for proper use.
b) When determining whether an owner has complied with the written instructions for proper maintenance and use, Lotus may require an owner to submit evidence of compliance with
those written maintenance instructions for which Lotus has an objective reason for believing:
1. were not performed; and
2. if not performed could be the cause of the particular car’s
exceeding applicable emission standards.
c) Evidence of compliance with a maintenance instruction may
consist of:
1. a maintenance log book which has been validated at the appropriate time or mileage intervals specified for service by
someone who regularly engages in the business of servicing automobiles for the relevant maintenance instruction(s);or
2. a showing that the car has been submitted for scheduled maintenance servicing at the approximate time or mileage
intervals specified for service to someone who regularly en
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gages in the business of servicing automobiles for the purpose
of performing the relevant maintenance; or
3. a statement by the car owner that he or she performed the maintenance at the appropriate time or mileage interval specified, including a showing i) that the owner purchased and used proper parts, and
ii) upon request by Lotus, that the owner is able to perform
the maintenance properly.
d) The time/mileage interval for scheduled maintenance serv
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ices shall be the service interval specified for that part in the Maintenance Schedule or Owner’s Handbook.
e) For certified parts having a maintenance or replacement inter
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val different from that specified in the written instructions for proper maintenance and use, the time/mileage interval shall
be the service interval for which the part was certified.
Federal Emission Warranty
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f) The owner may perform maintenance or have maintenance performed more frequently than required in the maintenance
instructions.
g) Lotus may deny an emission performance warranty claim on the basis of non-compliance with the written instructions for
proper maintenance and use only if:
1. an owner is not able to comply with a request by Lotus for
evidence pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section; or
2. notwithstanding the evidence presented pursuant to para
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graph (c) of this section, Lotus is able to prove that the car
failed an emission short test because
i) the car was abused; or
ii) an instruction for the proper maintenance and use was performed in a manner resulting in a component’s being
improperly installed or a component or related parameter’s
being adjusted substantially outside of the manufacturer’s
specifications; or
iii) unscheduled maintenance was performed on a vehicle which resulted in the removing or rendering inoperative of any component affecting the car’s emissions.
Warranty Claim Procedure a) A claim under the emission performance warranty may be raised immediately upon the failure of an EPA approved
emission short test, if as a result of that failure, an owner is required to take action of any kind in order to avoid imposition
of a penalty or sanction. An owner need not suffer the loss
of the right to use a car, be fined, incur repair expenses, or
actually bear any penalty or sanction to satisfy the requirement
(see ‘Emissions Performance Warranty’ paragraph (3)). That requirement shall be met if a test failure sets a procedure in
motion under which the owner will bear a penalty or sanction
if a car is not brought into conformity or repaired to some
specified extent within some specified period of time.
b) A warranty claim may be submitted by bringing a car and a copy of the EPA approved emission test report to
1. any repair facility authorized by Lotus to service that model car, or
2. any repair facility authorized by Lotus to perform emission performance warranty repairs for that model car.
Federal Emission Warranty
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WHAT IS NOT COVERED BY THE CALIFORNIA EMISSION
WARRANTIES
The warranty does not cover:
• Malfunctions in any part caused by any of the following:
misuse, abuse, neglect, improper modification or alteration,
tampering, disconnection, improper or inadequate mainte
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nance, or use of leaded gasoline.
• Damage resulting from accident, acts of nature or other events
beyond the control of Lotus.
• The repair or replacement of warranted parts which are
scheduled for replacement prior to 50,000 miles (such as
spark plugs, filters) once these parts have been replaced at
the first recommended replacement interval as part of required
maintenance services.
• Incidental and consequential damages, such as loss of time,
inconvenience, loss of use of the car, or commercial loss.
• Any car on which odometer mileage has been changed so
that mileage cannot be readily determined.
ANY IMPLIED WARR ANT Y OF MERCHANTABILIT Y OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICUL AR PURPOSE APPLICABLE
TO A Car OR PART IS LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN THIS WARRANTY. THE COMPANY
SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSE
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QUENTIAL DAMAGE RESULTING FROM THE BREACH OF
ANY WARRANTY.
SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS, OR THE EXCLU
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SION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUEN
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TIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLU
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SIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Califo rnia Emission Warranty
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