EBay roof seals

[Malc]

EBay listing for roof seals…..I wonder who made them, Jamie?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154968991307 ... SwAiViakmV

[Rambo]

Yes

[Malc]

£533!

[Kipperozzy]

Worth every penny to get a fully waterproof Elan, no leaks even when hosing down

[chrism]

Phew looking on eBay...wheels@ £1800/£2195...ecus@£795/£479.99/£400/£379.95...now bits of hood seal trim@ £533. I'm an Elan newbie, wondering what I've got myself into and reaching for the phone to buy my old MG TF135 back... Wow!!!

[Malc]

Worth every penny to get a fully waterproof Elan, no leaks even when hosing down

Alas you are probably right

[Graaf]

Phew looking on eBay...wheels@ £1800/£2195...ecus@£795/£479.99/£400/£379.95...now bits of hood seal trim@ £533 I'm an Elan newbie, wondering what I've got myself into and reaching for the phone to buy my old MG TF135 back... Wow!!!

It would be interesting to see what they sell for. Those £1800 se wheels have been up for sale for months!

[chrism]

...£822 for a used ecu...£140 for an aerial...imo 'cashing in' on someone's abject desperation

[Jamie N]

Bear in mind my seals were not listed at an inflated 'buy it now' price, they started at a quid giving everyone a chance and were only worth what someone was willing to pay, I had no say whatsoever in how much they would go for, a very different situation from someone listing something at 'cashing in' prices. You have to remember as well that kit with the header / A pillar combined seal is not available anywhere, it's my own design and exceedingly rare, and considering the original header seal IIRC is obsolete then it's hardly surprising they would do such a price, and then add in the fact there will be no more chances to grab a set on there for a long time if ever, they dont turn up often even though I could if I really wanted to, there were none at all listed last year.

As i said before though having a set of fresh clean modern seals on any Elan is going to increase it's value by way more than the price of them, handsome buggers that they are .

[dapinky]

Whilst I like to grab a bargain, where I can, I don't begrudge anyone from selling stuff on for as much as the market will allow.

There is a bit of a difference between advertising a 'desirable' item for a high-ish price, and holding a part to ransom if that bit is needed to get a car back on the road..... but that is maybe ethics, not economics, and my view is irrelevant to that of a parts-seller.

A set of wheels at £500 would seem okay to me..... a set at £2000 isn't! - - - - but that is easy to say when I don't need any. If my car was involved in an incident where it needed a couple of wheels, and maybe a few other bits, I can fix it with parts (at a cost) and keep it..... others may end up with a write-off..... but if a car is about to get written-off, maybe £2k for a set of wheels seems a bit of a bargain?

As for the aerial, well, the seller has a rare item, and it is up to the prospective buyer to decide if they want to pay that much, or if they wish to seek and fit an alternative. Neither answer will keep the car off the road, and TBH, there are plenty of options out there other than the OE aerial.. unless you really really want to keep it original.

To some extent, the same argument applies to the wheels - the bolt pattern is 'standard' 4-stud Vauxhall/VW so there are plenty of others that will fit, in various sizes from 14" to 18" diameter (okay, 14" steels will not be great, but they will fit) - in fact, some of the Corsa D wheels look more than okay on an Elan (16" & 17").... but you will have to accept that the handling may change a bit.

As for the ECU's - well, that may be a bit different. You NEED one of those. If yours goes wrong, you NEED to get another one - and they are sort-off specific to the car. ie, the MEMCAL will be specific to your own cars' set-up..... but the rest of the box isn't! (unless you have an NA - they are actually a different unit).

As such, ANY ECU for an SE/S2/LHD/RHD/FED/ROW car will do the same thing, as long as you fit the MEMCAL that you require (either from your old unit or elsewhere). So buying an ECU for a UK SE for £xx may be better than buying an ECU for a FED car for $yy.... or vice versa.

And that is before you even consider replacing the whole gubbins with an aftermarket ECU (which can be done for far less than the advertised prices of some ECUs these days!). Even with a couple of hours on a rolling road to set it up, a Megasquirt system could be bought, fitted and tuned for less than £500...... I use Megasquirt on another car and it can even be programmed whilst you drive it (with a second operator - obviously!).

This is a bit for this thread, but I suppose it is relevant really. Would I want to pay £xxx for a rubber seal? - probably not - but that is because I don't need one!

My car lives in a garage, and comes out when it is dry (or if it rains whilst I'm out, so be it) with the hood down..... and my seals are reasonably okay anyway, for the odd time it is parked outside with the top up, in the rain.

But if the car lived outside and leaked, I would see the price as a real bargain!

Having been through the pain or repairing my own outriggers due to rust a fair few years ago (and the car has been garaged ever since), and having the privilege of doing the same for someone elses car last weekend, I know the value of keeping the interior dry (and it isn't just to do with driver comfort) - so these bespoke items then seem cheap-as-chips.

Besides which, Jamie has never made a secret of the process to make them yourself - so there is nowt stopping anyone with the time and patience from doing similar.


Having said all that, there are some second-hand parts sellers who do things I disagree with, and I won't give them my custom if there is an alternative.... but there isn't always an alternative..... so I have to suck it up and pay the ransom prices occasionally (except in reality, I'll leave the car in the garage and wait until I can fix it at a reasonable cost - I have that luxury).

[chrism]

Thanks for the clarification; both replies understood. Perhaps my thoughts have been clouded by two things:-

1. I previously owned an MG and you can get plenty of 'anything' from 'anywhere' at an acceptable price. No rarity premium, possibly due to healthy aftermarket initiatives and a paid-for, structured club membership + magazine? (I think I must have been spoilt...)

2. I'm an Elan newbie and I need/want everything necessary to get to an acceptable base level asap to start enjoying my car - leaving the longer term ownership time for gradual improvements and to 'enjoy' the smaller everyday upgrades and 'feel-goods' that they bring. (Yes, when my own needs are not quite so urgent I can, perhaps, afford to browse and balance the cost vs enjoyment elements, and alternatives. But I've very recently felt 'price pain' )

[alan e]

Come along to Thruxton on the 24th July there will be around 15 Elans there on the day 16 if you bring yours then you can look over the cars and talk to the owners

[dapinky]

Chris,

I fully understand your pain (about the availability vs price) - I got my first Elan as a 15 year old 'project' vehicle which hadn't been well loved by the previous owner. I was fortunate that back in 2006 many parts that are now rarer than hens teeth were still listed frequently (new and S/H) on eBay, and were also available from Lotus directly (as well as aftermarket suppliers)... there was little worry about finding stuff when I could buy a rear light unit for £70, new wishbones for a hundred quit a corner, and a set of brand-new roof seals for £200..... oddly, it was the 'service' items which were dear at that time.

Had I purchased the car that I did, now, it would probably not be an economical prospect. Likewise with my current one.

I know that the MGF had a much bigger sales figure, and is well supported by aftermarket suppliers, but I'm also sure that in years to come there will be insufficient cars left on the road to justify such a large aftermarket infrastructure - and it will be down to communities such as this to keep those left on the road.

Please don't just see an "advertised" price and think that it is the only option - almost everything has been addressed by someone on here, and there is no such thing as a stupid question. Sometimes there is no option but to grit your teeth, cry, and pay the price advertised - but there is nearly always an option, especially if you can fettle stuff yourself.