Open Road

A friend called on Monday asking, hey are you available to help me retrieve my Lotus Europa from the shop?
I'm retired too so sure, let's git 'er dun!
He showed up in his FFR Cobra, so we headed across town (45 minutes on a good day) but due to a freeway closure more like an hour to get there.
Once there, we checked out the work done and after he opened his checkbook we headed for home.
Maybe 5 miles later the Lotus cr@ps out so we pull into a subdivision street and weigh our options.
Noticing a super hot pump/fan relay and an oil leak from the transaxle (both of which were supposed to be fixed) we had the Europa tilt-bedded back to the shop.
This Europa has been a constant source of the full "British Car Experience" since he bought it (as awesome a car as it is ;-) so I gave him permission to trade it for a nice Honda S2000.
We'll see how this story evolves

NSXguy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 06, 2025 9:01 pm ... a super hot pump/fan relay and an oil leak from the transaxle (both of which were supposed to be fixed) ...

Shop maybe was too scared to test drive it to make sure the fix took...

worf wrote: ↑Wed Aug 06, 2025 9:04 pm

NSXguy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 06, 2025 9:01 pm ... a super hot pump/fan relay and an oil leak from the transaxle (both of which were supposed to be fixed) ...

Shop maybe was too scared to test drive it to make sure the fix took...

Do they have a disclaimer on all Lucas Electronics?

I got a Triumph GT6-MK3 in my junior year of high school, and drove it through college and my first year of work.
The second time I had to call my wife to take me "the rest of the way to work" we decided that I needed a different car.
That's when I got my 924.
She told me I wasn't allowed to have any more British cars.
About 8 years later, she wanted a Range Rover, and I said "I thought to told me we couldn't have any British cars".
She said, "No, YOU can't have any".

ny991 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 07, 2025 9:54 am

worf wrote: ↑Wed Aug 06, 2025 9:04 pm

NSXguy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 06, 2025 9:01 pm ... a super hot pump/fan relay and an oil leak from the transaxle (both of which were supposed to be fixed) ...

Shop maybe was too scared to test drive it to make sure the fix took...

Do they have a disclaimer on all Lucas Electronics?

May be he likes warm beer?

Mr. Tech said he DID test drive it, but if it only got us a few miles I wonder if he just drove it from the service bay to the front?
He also said he has a Europa that he runs at Track Days, so on paper he should be the right guy to wrench on them...

I dunno, man. Dad has a '63 TR4. Back in 2023, we drove the Copperstate 1000 rally (1000 miles in 4 days) in it, then last year he did it with Grandpa, then this year he did it with Mom. After that, Mom bought a '64 E-Type FHC, so next year Mrs. Florida and I are going to co-drive both British cars 1000 miles with Mom and Dad. Every year there are plenty of British cars on the rally. The ones that end up on the side of the road, Italian, British, even German, seem to have one thing in common: If they're not prepared and maintained, they don't make it. The TR4 has never had a single malfunction on the rally.

I think the Europa can be reliable, it just needs to be actually fixed and not just fiddled with. Things like a transaxle leak aren't an inherent flaw (unless it's a porous casting, in which case, weld it or replace it, problem solved).

JDS968 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 11, 2025 6:03 pm I dunno, man. Dad has a '63 TR4. Back in 2023, we drove the Copperstate 1000 rally (1000 miles in 4 days) in it, then last year he did it with Grandpa, then this year he did it with Mom. After that, Mom bought a '64 E-Type FHC, so next year Mrs. Florida and I are going to co-drive both British cars 1000 miles with Mom and Dad. Every year there are plenty of British cars on the rally. The ones that end up on the side of the road, Italian, British, even German, seem to have one thing in common: If they're not prepared and maintained, they don't make it. The TR4 has never had a single malfunction on the rally.

I think the Europa can be reliable, it just needs to be actually fixed and not just fiddled with.
Things like a transaxle leak aren't an inherent flaw (unless it's a porous casting, in which case, weld it or replace it, problem solved).

Well I'm certainly glad that not everyone has such bad experiences with their British cars, but the part bolded above is the key I'm sure