Thought I'd post this as an FYI to anyone who might be interested.

I sent this email to the Lotus Cars USA Warranty department.

My 2006 Lotus Exige has reached the time for the 1000 mile service. I completed all of the maintenance/service items myself, except for the reading of the ECU. I contacted the service department where I purchased the car to inquire about them reading the ECU. I was told that they cannot read the ECU on 2006 models and that there is no reason for them to see the car if all other service/maintenance items have been completed. I was also told by the service department that the warranty would not be invalidated for not having the ECU read since the download would only print out zeroes. I would like for someone at Lotus USA to verify that this information is correct and that if all other maintenance/service items have been completed except for reading of the ECU that the warranty will remain valid.
Response from Lotus Cars USA:
The warranty on your vehicle will remain valid whether or not you have the ECU reflash performed; this bulletin was issued for dealers to perform at next routine visit. Thanks for that info, my dealer told me the same things. They did however do a software upgrade at around 1000 miles when I told them I would prefer to do my
own service and I am scheduled to have a warranty repair done on my cooling fans at which time they want to do a dump of my computer to complete the 1000
mile service. Thanks! What items did you do on the first services except for an oil change and checking for leaks on hoses and gaskets? I checked everything on the list that is in the owner's/service manual as well as looking over the car well, checking for loose bolts or anything else that looked unusual or out of place. I think the major items were change the oil, check the lights, check the engine and transmission for leaks, check the parking brake mechanism, check the tires, check battery cables, check all fluid levels, check torque on toe links, etc. It's pretty much just the stuff that you should be checking yourself whether you take the car in for service or not. Seems like you and LCA are talking about two different things. They're talking about a reflash update to the ecu and you're talking about the 1000 mile dump. For the 2006 model, there is no reason to get an ECU dump before the reflash, which is what would be done at the 1000 mile service. Instead the ECU gets reflashed. You could get an ECU dump if you wanted, but it would read all zeroes. My understanding is that one of the main reasons for the ECU reflash is to allow for future ECU dumps to provide information. I was told on Saturday that the ECU is recording the data, it just won't output it properly. The reflash, when it comes, is supposed to correct that problem, and the ECU will be able to output everything it has stored, even prior to the reflash.

xtn I was told on Saturday that the ECU is recording the data, it just won't output it properly. The reflash, when it comes, is supposed to correct that problem, and the ECU will be able to output everything it has stored, even prior to the reflash.

xtn
whomever told you that is incorrect. Not only does it not log it in any readable way, but it'll reset it on the reflash , which is why on the first reflash of the 06 it might cause a checksum failure OBD II code, mine did, the checksum is the data collection area amongst other things and its incorrect because its not recorded. I bought my Elise on the West coast and drove it straight through to the East Coast. Took it to the local Lotus dealer and they told me I missed my 1200 mile service therefore my Warranty was void. After much discussion, they called Lotus USA and agreed they would do the service and continue my warranty.

The car has a lot of problems and they are ordering parts and performing various Service Bulletins. They said they needed me to come in and 'discuss' my ECU dump. Now what exactly do they do this for and what information are they going to be reviewing with me...

Just interested in the purpose of them ‘reading’ the ECU
--B

Answer:

They can’t try to refuse warranty service based on information they get from the ECU can they?

Answer:

I bought my Elise on the West coast and drove it straight through to the East Coast. Took it to the local Lotus dealer and they told me I missed my 1200 mile service therefore my Warranty was void. After much discussion, they called Lotus USA and agreed they would do the service and continue my warranty.

The car has a lot of problems and they are ordering parts and performing various Service Bulletins. Problem is they said they needed me to come in and 'discuss' my ECU dump. Now what exactly do they do this for and what information are they going to be reviewing with me...
Keep in mind I drove the car VERY hard after the 1200 mile break in... top speed 155mph, a number of VERY hard and high RPM launches and driving it to the rev-limiter a few times before shifting. None of this should honestly matter to the dealer and why would they be looking at how I drove the car? They can’t try to refuse warranty service based on information they get from the ECU can they?

Just interested in the purpose of them ‘reading’ the ECU
--B
There are some long threads on this. Try searching for voided warranty.

Answer:

if it were me i wouldn't be saying what youre saying on elisetalk, i'm not saying you're right or wrong or anything remotely to do with that, i'm just saying i'd take the 5th til it was sorted out.

if you missed the required service point its difficult to prove at what point you thrashed the car , it sucks but there it is.

Answer:

Sorry guys, I was replying to the initial post on why the ECU is read and forgot to search on the warranty. I will do so before asking any further questions..
If I have a 10 day old car and looks like I might be out a power-train warranty I will not be a happy camper at this point.

I dropped it off specifically because I can smell clutch burning and 2nd and 4th gear will not engage under any type of hard acceleration (not to mention the exhaust rattling when starting off in 1st gear, and the suspension squeaking pretty badly, it leaks in the rain, the passenger seat is comming apart, the speaker grills have fallen off and the AC only blows cold air for like 10 minutes). My 350 never had any thing like this and I drive the say way with both cars. argh...

As a side note... I am starting to get stunned that this can all be true. I have never had a Ford/Nissan/GM/Honda dealer try to tell me on a NEW 10 day old car; "Sorry you drove the car too hard, your Warranty is voided"... What the heck is that... I never got a guide book that said, "Never exceed 8500 RPM, never start your car in 1st over 3000 RPM, or if you exceed 75 MPH your warranty will be voided"? Was there a handbook the dealer forgot to give me? I might not have chosen to buy the car if I was provided with that information, as a minimum I had a right to know these restrictions when I was buying the car.

Answer:

lotus are telling you about it at least, the other car makers have the same information and can still use it regardless of whether or not you know about it. the amount of data a modern car collects is fairly significant and can be used against you in warranty claims and accidents.

its all dependant on definitions of reasonable use and abuse etc.

http://www.nytimes.com/library/natio...black-box.html

EDR page with lots of info
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/edr-site/

Answer:

It may sound harsh but the owner's manual clearly states the parameters for break in and the need for Lotus to perform the first service and do and ECU dump. Even though 2006's give no data they still use it to reflash the ECU. Tough lesson to learn and I hope all works out well for you. By the way, EliseTalk saved me from committing the same type of mistake saving dollars, frustration, and worry. Another example of how essential this board is. Thanks to all for their advice and wisdom and willingness to share with fellow Elise owners.

Answer:

Well, at this point Lotus has not told me anything. I think my meeting with the service rep Saturday will be informative and provide me with some ground rules for the car.

Charlie, thanks for the information. I did not know the ECU’s kept that much information in general. I have some very close friends at my car shop and with all of the diagnosis tools we have used (cipher, OBDII scanners, I even run an independent Engine Management system on my 350z), nothing has ever reveled such detailed statistical analysis as percentage of time within certain boundaries. This seems extremely aggressive monitoring.

As for the break in, I followed what the original dealer told me. I even asked the them if there was anything I needed to be aware of for the break in period since I was traveling across country the next morning. I was only told to keep the RPM below 6200 for the remainder of the break-in period (600 – 800 miles). I asked about service and they said not to worry about it until I get home and then take the car to a dealer as soon as I could, which I did. I am not here to absolve myself from any of my actions… But my god, I bought a car for $50K and was never told they would be watching my every shift, nor that I needed to follow certain driving patterns. If that was the case I would have stuck to Nissan, Suburu or even a S2K and bought a car that I would not have to worry about getting a drivers critique every time I took the car in for service.

Anyway, I guess we will wait until the car has completed its service and see where we are at.
--B

Answer:

Took it to the local Lotus dealer and they told me I missed my 1200 mile service therefore my Warranty was void. After much discussion, they called Lotus USA and agreed they would do the service and continue my warranty.
--B
There is no 1200 mile service. The first service is to be performed between 1000 and 1500 miles. I would be concerned about having my car serviced at a dealer that doesn't even know the service intervals.