[EZ PZ]

Hello everyone!

I just purchased a 2015 4C in Maryland yesterday and drove it home to Raleigh, NC. I'm curious, are there any other 4C owners anywhere near me?

I also own a 2008 Lotus Elise SC, so it was very interesting driving the 4C the 5 hours down to Raleigh and comparing the two cars. Comparing Supercharged vs. Turbocharged, manual vs. TCT, steering, brakes, etc.

The 4C has under 20k miles and seems to be in good shape. Any recommendations for a new owner? There are some minor paint blemishes that I need to see about correcting. The car is black. I think I got a pretty good deal on it paying $53,000 in this market with low miles and zero accidents in its history.

I saw the recent posts about changing the timing belt - is that a serious problem with the 4C?

The car only came with one key/fob. What's the best/cheapest way to get a backup one?

Peter

 

[lars]

Welcome to the forum, great people on here, enjoy the car, send nudes (of the car) when you can

 

[jeff7251954]

Congrats on your new purchase. Lots of great info and people in the 4C forum.

 

[Philster]

I saw the recent posts about changing the timing belt - is that a serious problem with the 4C?



Peter

It is overdue, by the book, for a new timing belt, which has a five-year interval for normal use. Whether you sleep at night putting this off for a couple more years, when it will be more expensive, is up to you.

We all agree it seems that five years is very quick, and even Ferrari owners tend to go 6-7 years, despite five being the interval.

It's not a serious problem in that no one came on here sourcing a used engine since their timing belt snapped. The aggressive schedule should keep that to near zero.

It's been in there since Obama was president! 🤣

 

[Alf Alpha]

Welcome to the world of 4C ownership @EZ PZ and the best source of 4C group knowledge on the planet.
Having both the Elise and now the 4C to choose from when it comes to the "which car will I drive today" decision will have you in a quandary whenever the road to be driven has tight curves, hill climbs, scenic views or canyons to blast through.
At least with similar handling characteristics to your Lotus, it shouldn't take you too long to settle-in and get your rhythm with the Alfa.
Enjoy driving your 4C using the paddles to do the gear-shifting for you and I guarantee you won't miss the clutch pedal and gear shift lever as much as you thought you would. The DNA switch is just a mood switch - it's where you tell your 4C what your expectations are today.
Have fun with both of your sports cars - you are a lucky fella.
Cheers,
Alf.

 

[Mahjik]

Welcome!

 

[4Canada]

Welcome!
Congratulations on adding more lightness to your garage.
Advice for a new owner? Enjoy it! You’ll soon figure out if there are things you’d like to change or not.
It likelyy has a newer battery, but if the car is not exercised regularly, especially if still on the original one, keep it on a tender. The biggest issues with these cars appear to very frequently be low battery related.
Also, if on 2015 tires, plan to destroy them this year and put new rubber on. 7 years is too long for high performance tires and they will be stealing some of your enjoyment away!

Glad you found us. Got any photos to share? How about a comparison of the two cars? There are a lot of current/former Lotus owners here, btw. You may recognize their user names in some cases.

 

[Mikeyjm]

Congratulations on the 4C,
There are apparently quite a few in the area. I live in Creedmoor, so just barley above Raleigh and Durham.

Please learn from my nearly disastrous oversight, and check or even just replace your ball joints. Hindsight being 20/20, after I broke one on the road, now I see lots of accounts of the early cars having bad ones.

 

[EZ PZ]

Welcome!
Congratulations on adding more lightness to your garage.
Advice for a new owner? Enjoy it! You’ll soon figure out if there are things you’d like to change or not.
It likelyy has a newer battery, but if the car is not exercised regularly, especially if still on the original one, keep it on a tender. The biggest issues with these cars appear to very frequently be low battery related.
Also, if on 2015 tires, plan to destroy them this year and put new rubber on. 7 years is too long for high performance tires and they will be stealing some of your enjoyment away!

Glad you found us. Got any photos to share? How about a comparison of the two cars? There are a lot of current/former Lotus owners here, btw. You may recognize their user names in some cases.

Thanks! Appreciate the battery tip. I'm used to that with the Elise...it's always on a tender unless I'm driving it daily. I don't seem to have the tender that was supposed to come w/this car, so I'll have to pick up another 3rd party one.

I definitely want to take and post some photos of both cars, but first this Alfa needs a little TLC. Just scheduled scheduled a buff and fix, but it's about 3 weeks out.

 

[HaloCar]

I'm in Raleigh. There's at least six of us in the Triangle. A couple of us might head over to Euromotion off Trinity on Friday from 5:30 - 8p. If you want to meet up, shoot me a message.

 

[EZ PZ]

Congratulations on the 4C,
There are apparently quite a few in the area. I live in Creedmoor, so just barley above Raleigh and Durham.

Please learn from my nearly disastrous oversight, and check or even just replace your ball joints. Hindsight being 20/20, after I broke one on the road, now I see lots of accounts of the early cars having bad ones.

Great to know! I live near Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, so straight shot up Creedmoor Rd. Are there any tell-tale signs of ball joint problems?

 

[EZ PZ]

Congratulations on the 4C,
There are apparently quite a few in the area. I live in Creedmoor, so just barley above Raleigh and Durham.

Please learn from my nearly disastrous oversight, and check or even just replace your ball joints. Hindsight being 20/20, after I broke one on the road, now I see lots of accounts of the early cars having bad ones.

PS I don't see a way to DM (Direct Message) you on this forum. Would love to connect in person to compare notes sometime. If you're up for it, email me peter.a.zierz at gmail.com

 

[EZ PZ]

I'm in Raleigh. There's at least six of us in the Triangle. A couple of us might head over to Euromotion off Trinity on Friday from 5:30 - 8p. If you want to meet up, shoot me a message.

Awesome! Maybe because I'm new on this forum, but I don't seem to have a way to DM individuals (yet)? Anyway, I can't join you Friday because we're heading to the mountains to visit my son, but I'd love to connect and maybe join you next time. Please email me peter.a.zierz at gmail

 

[Alf Alpha]

Awesome! Maybe because I'm new on this forum, but I don't seem to have a way to DM individuals (yet)?

Hi @EZ PZ,
It's not obvious how to start a conversation...
Tap your image on the top banner > tap conversations on the drop down menu > tap start conversation
This will open the conversation page and the rest is just like using an e-mail app.
Hope that makes sense.
Cheers,
Alf.

 

[RKBerta]

Welcome to the Forum and 4C onership. Generally the first thing I would check is whether the previous owner did the 12,000 mile bolt tightening. That is needed by now with your mileage. The cam belt is done at the same time as the belt, waster pump, etc. Dio them at the same time to save money as the same work is done for each to access the parts. While your car is low mileage it still is past the point when the manual recommends those services. i also have a 2015 LE that i bought new and now has 16,000 miles. I did my cam service last summer. Even though it has low miles.....rubber deteriorates and you don't want to push your luck and have a belt break in an inerferrence engine! That being said we don't have any posts about cam belts breaking....but still.....

You must have bought your car through one of those companies like Carvana to not get the second key. Those companies always keep the second key in case you default on the deal and they need to get it back....others have complained about that. The key is a coded key that has to be programmed to pair or match to your car so you can't just cut a new key without the programming. I know ACE hardware does sell those type of keys and programs them BUT I don't believe to the 4C. I would definitelly get a second key though if you don't have an original key and try to get another it is a nightmare. If you have an ALFA dealer near you that would help but perhaps any Chrysler dealer could also do it. I would call ALFA to find out.

I suspect it has newer tires with that mileage as the rears are good for about 8500 miles and the front twice as much. But in any case perfornance tires should be changed out every 4 years or so at least. When you get new tires avoid the same as stock....there are much better tires today....and those PZeros tended to emphasize trramming due to their construction.

There are LOTS of posts here on the Forum about the bolt tightening, cam belt service, tire choices, etc.

There are other owners that have or have had Elise and/or Exiges....including my neighbor and fellow Forum member who has the twin of my LE. He sold his Exige and says he much prefers the 4C although both the Lotus and his 4C have extensive modifications to engine and suspension.

 

[EZ PZ]

Hi @EZ PZ,
It's not obvious how to start a conversation...
Tap your image on the top banner > tap conversations on the drop down menu > tap start conversation
This will open the conversation page and the rest is just like using an e-mail app.
Hope that makes sense.
Cheers,
Alf.

Thanks, that worked!

 

[EZ PZ]

Just wanted to say thanks everyone for all the "welcomes" and advice!

 

[Nawt2019]

Hi EZ PZ ( got your DM and emailed you). Welcome!

Like Halo Car said, you make the 6th 4C (Tipo 960) that we know of in the Raleigh Durham area. We're all different, but have one common obsession - the 4C! Let's hook up - my details are in the email I sent.

Ideally, you have/or can get service history to know what has/has not been done.

The first thing I did when I got mine (also drove 5 hours to get home - at night!) was to change all fluids and get an alignment (check all suspension bits a Mikeyjm said) to get your own baseline. As others have said, get the scheduled timing belt/water pump and major bolt done.

Once you have the basics sorted, there are many mods (power, handling, aesthetic) that you can make. Happy to share what I've done, as I am sure others will as well.

Let's drive!

 

[Alfanut]

Welcome and congratulations @EZ PZ . If your 4C hasn’t had a belt change get it done. No reports of belt snapping on here because everyone seems to be getting it done at the required interval. You don’t want to be the outlier that proves the point. It’s not worth the damage to see how far you can get with an old belt. Do you know the service history? A change of fluids will also give you a good starting point.

A new baby deserves a few photos don’t you think? She was made to be enjoyed. She should give you plenty of that.

 

[EZ PZ]

Welcome and congratulations @EZ PZ . If your 4C hasn’t had a belt change get it done. No reports of belt snapping on here because everyone seems to be getting it done at the required interval. You don’t want to be the outlier that proves the point. It’s not worth the damage to see how far you can get with an old belt. Do you know the service history? A change of fluids will also give you a good starting point.

A new baby deserves a few photos don’t you think? She was made to be enjoyed. She should give you plenty of that.

Thanks! I'll definitely post a few photos soon-ish. Just need to address a few cosmetic things first. Gotta make a good first impression!