Lotus Elise Service Schedule (K Series)

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

In order to maintain warranty validation and help ensure proper safety, emissions performance and dependability of the vehicle, Lotus Cars Ltd. requires that the vehicle be serviced in accordance with their service schedule. Each service should be performed either within 1,000 miles (1,600 kms) of the distance stipulated, or within one month of the anniversary of the previous service, whichever first occurs. Any necessary repairs should be completed without delay.

Service Types

The Lotus Elise service schedule lists 4 different types of service that are required for the K-series engined cars. The four types of service for the Lotus Elise are:
After sales Service (AS) – There is no charge to the vehicle owner for the labour content of the After Sales Service. Only materials used will be charged. It is usually carried out after the first 1000 miles (1500km).
A Service (A) – The items included in this service are listed below.
B Service (B) – The items included in this service are listed below.
C Service (C) – The items included in this service are listed below. This is more expensive on the VVC engined Lotus Elise.

Additionally, 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.

Lotus Elise Servicing Sequence

Each service should be performed either within 1,000 miles (1,600 kms) of the stipulated mileage or within one month of the anniversary of the previous service, whichever first occurs.

Note that for some variants (Sport 160/190, Exige), the service interval is every 6,000 miles instead of the usual 9,000 miles. A service sequence of A,B,A,B,A,C on these cars so that the spark plugs are replaced every other service is recommended, but some service record books were not updated.

Cam Belts Update

Lotus have amended the original schedule and now recommend changing cam belts at least every four years rather than the original six, this will often mean services can become “A+belts”, “B+belts”, or “C-belts” depending on age and mileage. From the Group Lotus Aftersales bulletin …

The synthetic cam belt used on Rover powertrain Elise models is subject to age, as well as usage degradation, and will be adversely affected by any contamination with oil or coolant. In order to bring cam-belt time servicing in line with current Rover recommendations the Service Schedule for all Rover powertrain Elise models was revised in October 2003 to stipulate a cam belt replacement time interval of 4 years (54,000miles/90,000km), with an inspection every 2 years (27,000miles/45,000km). For 340R/Sport 160/Exige models, the corresponding distance intervals are 36,000miles/60,000km, and 18,000miles/30,000km.

Lotus Elise Service Schedule Items (K Series Engined Cars)

A cross (X) in the following table indicates an operation to be performed. The corresponding box should be ticked when the operation has been satisfactorily performed, or the X circled if extra work and time is required.

Inspect means assess condition and test for correct operation.

Check means test and adjust/fill or tighten as necessary.