f a q

Interior
	Q: Does it get very hot inside an Exige? What about the Air Con option? Yes it does, doesn't matter what anyone says a S1 Exige does get hot! And perversely it can get hotter with the windows open... But there is a solution, what Uldis Tretmanis has found is that with the windows open hot air from the engine bay gets sucked into cabin from all the holes, so you need to go right through the whole place And tape up / wedge sponges into all the little holes, there's a thread on Exiges.com here: http://www.exiges.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Number=42894 The other thing to make sure is that the heater matrix cable is still attached, there's been a couple of examples where the bracket isn't attached so the heaters are set on medium all the time! In the summer this get stupidly hot!!! Mine however had somehow pulled itself off and made a hole in the top of the airbox so I've had to rivit it back on and so far so good! I can get nearly outside temperature air blowing in the car. The air con can be quite good apparently (I don't have it so this is 3rd hand information) but as the charge isn't very big it can go off pretty quick compared to other cars so will need regassing, if yours isn't very strong then that's the first suggestion. There have also been a couple of leaks reported so again something worth checking. If done in conjunction with the above then you should be getting quite chilly with the A/C on.
Exterior
	Q: My fuel cap is broken, is the a way to fix this? I've heard about this happening on S1 Elises more than S1 Exiges, however with them being the same item I thought it would be prudent to include it here. Now, the biggest issue with getting a new one from Lotus is the asking price, normally about £100 (GBP) so a little steep, even for the most extravagant of owners! However the replacement part for the innards of the fuel filler cap has been located by Ian Bath, so well done to him! The correct inner cap is the Stant part #10501 Pre-release locking fuel cap. Now, Google come up with a few places but RockAuto were the most positive about shipping abroad. In Ian's own words: "The cap fits the S1 Elise and the ally cover and it has identical keys and mechanism to the original. All you would have to do is strip out the old knackered inner and glue the new one in place. I opted for the cheapest delivery method and it came in about 10 days. Total cost was $35.42 (USD) and there may be import duty implications but I didn't get any." So there we go, for about $35 (USD), currently that's about £20 (GBP) you get a new fuel filler cap with the new key! All the info here is from the BCBBS thread found here: http://www.british-cars.co.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=lotusbbs&mode=thread&access=&subject=2050&source=T&thread=2005061018080412989
Suspension
	Q: My car does a "yip" over bumps and pot holes? What is this "yip"? The yip, some love 'em, some hate 'em but hence to say they're always there! Well, it's always there as long as you have LSS fitted (standard fitment on Exiges, upgrade on Elise). Some have even got as far as to anthropomorphise them, keeping them as a hyperactive little pet... Bless! So basically you'll have a yip as long as you have LSS, many people have upgraded (Nitron, RD, Ohlins etc.) suspension and have lost their "yip", concluding that the wee beastie lives / feeds on the shock oil of the front LSS units :-) Some more information here: http://www.exiges.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Number=19280
	Q: Can I set the Geo myself? First off the "geo" is short for the geometry. Now this the whole combination of ride hight, camber (top to bottom angle of the wheel), toe (front to back angle of the wheel) and castor (only applicable to the front, hard to explain succinctly, Google it!). As posted on SELOC by Simon S: Basic technique is you need two poles, a ball of string, some gaffer tape, and a rule. The poles need to be longer than the car is wide by at least 300mm. Mark them up so you know the middle and 30mm from the edge of them, making sure that when the poles are together, the marks are all identical (as in the same distance appart). Put the pules accross the front and back of the car - at the back you will need gaffa tape to holt it in place. Tie the string between the poles on the end marks and make sure it's got some tension on it - at this point you want the string to be at wheel centre hight. Measure front the string to the wheel centres and adjust the poles to get the car 100% in the middle of the two lines of string. So, now you should have two parrallel lines of string both sides of the car, it's critical that they are both parrallel and the same distance from the wheel centres left to right. (when you have got to this stage, you might want to mark them up so that you can get them back in the same place next time) Now measure fron the rim edges to the string for each wheel. take the front measurement from the back one, this gives you the toe in MM, to convert this to degrees, divide it by the rim width at the point you are measuring it (for a 15" this is ~400mm) then ARCSIN the result, this then gives you it in degrees. Do the same for all 4 wheels (not forgetting to make sure the steering wheel is in the centre - it's worth marking it so you can see). This will tell you what it's set at. If it'a mile out, then adjust, then re-check the string to make sure that the car is still in the centre of the string lines (if the rear toe is well out, then as you adjust it, the centre of the wheel will move a little). Keep checking till you get it right. It's quite slow and a pain the first time, but once you have done it a few tines it get's easier. Also, make sure the ground you are on is flat and level and every time you make an adjustment, roll the car back and forwards to stop the tyres winding up against the adjustment. So many thanks for that Simon! The thread is: http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=52255