2005 LOTUS ELISE User Comment / Complaint

Sub: 2005 lotus elise nhtsa recall #05v-571 vin sccpc11175hl31491. i live in nicholasville kentucky & dealer is in atlanta ga. driving there would be 12 hrs on the road + $$ for accommodations & travel expenses, car mileage & depreciation. failure & i would be stranded & with more expense. i am an automotive engineer, registered professional engineer & former auto mechanic, i have worked in the area of auto safety > 40 years. as an alternative to hazards of failure i suggested to dealer service mgr & lotus warranty mgr, that i have the ability & tools to install the parts if supplied them & would purchase parts & install them. i currently own & maintain another lotus car and have owned and driven several others in the past. i maintain 9 autos of various makes and vintages, my automotive shop is very complete including a 4 post commercial lift. failure of the lever is well known and is documented on various lotus oriented web sites, including the necessary procedures for replacement of the old lever with new production parts or non-oem kits. after-market shift levers are available as replacement but i have found that collectible automobiles decrease in value when non-oem parts are used to modify them, owners are advised to use oem components by mfgs alternative to driving to dealer refused. no alternative such as flat-bedding was offered to avoid the hazards. & to avoid the substantial cost and time to repair dangerous defect i have an expensive automobile that i am afraid to drive at all because i cant obtain the parts for repair. i would be satisfied if the parts were supplied to me and i installed them myself. i certainly could document the change-out with photographs & return the old parts at my expense. a less desirable alternative would be flat-bedding the car because of the additional time & expense involved and the potential for damage during travel please help me get back the safe use of my car, soonest reply appreciated.