Elise S1 Windows, Wipers and Mirrors

Windscreen

The laminated windscreen is bonded to the composite frame using betaseal flexible polyurethane adhesive and uses a rubber finisher strip around its top and side edges. Removal of the screen requires that the adhesive is cut using a suitable specialist tool, with access to the screen lower edge available only after the rear end of the front clamshell has been released. All the old adhesive needs to be removed to leave a consistent and flat surface for the new bond. It will take at least 4 hour to fully cure the new bond. When the new screen is being fitted the cant rails should be in place to support the screen header rail. If you don't do this the header rail can flex whilst the screen is fitted, making it very hard to fit the cant rails at a later date or even cracking the new screen whilst trying to fit them. When the rear view mirror is refixed, make sure it is not stuck to the middle of the screen. It should be off-centre about 4-5 inches further away from the driver.

Keeping it clean is difficult and it is also very prone to stome chips. RainEx is an excellent for improved visibility and a regulary application (every 1-2 months) will make a huge difference to the visibility.

Windscreen Wiper

Most owners recommend a wiper blade replacement and the most popular blade is the Bosch 24" T601 twin blade design. It needs the raised lugs on the blade assembly to be filed down to fit the car. It can be bought from places like Halfords for about £12. The half inch self tapping screw that holds the wiper blade on is prone to rusting. Replace it as soon as possible with a stainless steel equivalent.

The T601 is getting harder to find and may have been replaced by the Bosch 24T which is the standard Bosch 24" blade. To get it to fit, you have to either file off the lip around the hole on the connecting flange or squeeze the two flanges together slightly with some pliers so that it slides up into the attachment on the wiper arm.

As of September 2000 a new wiper blade holder and blade assembly was fitted to the Elise S1 and this is standard fitment on the Elise S2. This new assembly is made by Valeo and is more flexible than those fitted previously.

If you leave the car outside water can collect on the bodywork above the radiator. If the car is warm and you then perform a rapid change in direction the water can drop onto the hot radiator, causing the windscreen to steam up on the outside. This can go on for quite a while as water collected in the radiator air duct is blown up onto the radiator. At speed this water can also be blown up onto the windscreen.

The standard intermittent wipe is about a 5 second delay. This delay is a little too regular for light drizzel or misty days. EliseNet have a solution that adds an adjustable delay from 2 to 20 seconds.

Side Windows

The Elise side windows need careful adjustment to avoid leaks with both the hard top and soft top. The mechanism is not very robust and the rubber guides frequently become out of place resulting in very stiff windows. If this happens do not try to force the winder. Another common failure is the glass becoming detached from the lifting mechanism. The glass is fairly loosely mounted and expect a degree of rattle on closing the door and whilst the door is in place. The lack of window surround on the door is tha main contributing factor here but this feature adds to the general air of openess, especially with the windows down.

The best way to get the adjustments right is to put the hood up, so you can align the window with the side roof bars. To adjust the height of the Elise window when closed you need to perform the following steps:

• Remove window winder handle.
• Remove door trim.
• Gently remove the plastic liner.
• At this point you will be able see the winder mechanism which is fixed to both the door panel and the aluminium beam. On this beam are the two window height stops (one near the front, one to the rear). Each one is fixed to the beam by two M6 bolts, which when slackened, allow you to adjust the height of the fully closed position.
• Replace window winder handle.
• A finer adjustment is acheived by using the eccentric adjuster in the mechanism itself. On the large toothed arc that operates the window up & down, there is a circular aluminium 'stop', held in place by an off-centre bolt. This 'stops' the winder moving the mech too far, and is adjusted by a 10mm nut on the back of the stop.
• Reassemble.

Rear Window

The rear window is near vertical and very prone to reflections from other vehicles. This can make cars behind you appear in front. Later cars had a rubber seal that angled the glass further away from vertical but this has not really solved the problem. It is possible to apply tints or non-reflective coating to this glass and the process is quite simple, since it has a small surface area, is flat and is easily removed. This will also avoid the problem described below. Companies like MSC Speciality Films produce this stuff in the UK.

Another problem is the rear window breaking in spectacular fashion, showering the driver and car in small pieces of glass. This can not always be explained away by flying stones and movement of the rubber surround seal may cause the screen to contact with fixings and thus place the glass under too much stress. Check the rubber seal carefully. Lots of owners replace the rear window with a Lexan (polycarbonate) equivalent and various companies sell them. Using the original one as template you can get one made up for about £25. Lotus sell a motorsport rear screen but it is expensive and has a cut-out for the roll cage.

Rear-view Mirror

Side Mirrors