Does anyone have a spare airflow vent, for a S3? PM me or brooksr1200gs at wowway dot com
@jebracing Hi, 2day I saw 52 views without any reaction on yr Q. Maybe totally non-sense, but íf not obtainable and/or offered: Maybe a work around…? Did you think of a Truma air outlet as used in caravans/mobile homes? I don´t know the diameter of the Lotus ones, but if the same, maybe give it a try, with a little fiddeling these could look (a bit) like the Lotus ones? Not usable if you are “in” for Lotus originality ofcourse! Maybe take a look: Truma EN End Air Outlet For Combi Heaters - Black | 12 Volt Planet ofcourse they are on Amazon/eBay as well. Good luck & regards, Sam.
The originals are for a 32mm opening, so that might be a bit large.
@StressCraxx& @jebracing Hahaha, Yep, that´s too much Truma (Trauma?
) then. Pity, just thought give it a try!
If you are unable to obtain the originals, I just wondered if they could be scanned and 3D printed. They are very small items so it would seem to be possible.
Regards
Graham
1 « J'aime »
I have a pair, awaiting installation. I will measure one and sketch it up, copy & post. They could be 3d printed or simply turned on a lathe from ABS or PVC plastic.
Dan
1 « J'aime »
Thanks Dan,
I have one good one so I can measure it up if needed. I appreciate the offer though. I found a guy who specializes in Rover P5 parts who apparently has some but he’s not returning my messages.
JB
Does anyone know what car or delivery van the airflow vents originated?
Thank you, sir! Very much appreciated.
On eBay (UK)
Lotus Elan Face Level Vents - item 177839815567
(Sorry, I was unable to copy and paste a link)
1 « J'aime »
Thanks, crossing my fingers he will ship to the states.
JB
1 « J'aime »
Thanks for the help. My vent has been purchased!
A question on the clips shown with the vents:
Never seen the clips before, were they supplied/installed by Lotus? & if yes, does anyone have a source for them?
The vents are a tight fit (i.e. interfere) at the rear & tend to push out the dash, I ended up using a couple of tie wraps to retain them…
I’m pretty sure my vents have the little clips but it’s possible that I gave up with them. I do remember that they were very difficult to fit because the little barbs dig into the plastic of the vents. This makes them hard to slide up the tube to the dashboard valance. And once there you have to tighten up the tiny nut/bolt clamp. Lying on your back in the footwell, it’s close to impossible, or was in my S4 at least.
On the other hand, if the heater hose is long enough you can push it over the vent tube right up to the dashboard valance without too much difficulty. I found this to be quite sufficient to hold the vents firmly in place. They’re mostly cosmetic anyway! 
Nick
2 « J'aime »
I am sure the clips were used. but as pointed out very hard to fit and often forgotten when trying to remove resulting in chipped rims…