Major Service

Coolant they charge you a ridiculous amount to change; see my earlier posts. Brake fluid changes are not for n00bs, but is relatively straightforward and cheap if you know how.... I change mine yearly, with better than OEM quality fluid, still works out less than one standard fluid replacement.

Plugs are a no-brainer and cheaper if you do them yourself also.

Air filter is an 'anyone with an IQ of 2' DIY, and the spend-thrift among us use reusable K&N panel filters....

Manual GB oil is a gift.. you can buy it anywhere, same deal as changing your oil, except you fill it until it weeps out the filler....

CVT GB oil is another affair, you have to use their proprietary fluid/colour, as anything else voids your warranty (although there are oils made by Penrite that meet/exceed the OEM specs).

Some of us keep making the point, that doing these types of things yourself is as easy as making a sandwich and promises to save you some money along the way, but the caveat still remains... you need to have a good relationship with your dealer, so they will acknowledge your ministrations as being done correctly and stamp your book...

Fact of the matter is you are taking money out of their mouths.. so don't be surprised if they give you hell for doing so..!

I have not had a service cost more than $100, to date, on my 4+ year old CJ Nanna-Spec.

I will allow them to supply me CVT oil at 100,000km, if that arrives before the car's 5th anniversary. I will not get the 10-year powertrain warranty, as I am the second owner. So, if 5 years comes up before 100,000km, I am off to see Mr. Penrite!
 
When 5lts of mits coolant cost's you $50 i dont understand why you wouldn't use it.?

As for the cvt oil i would use genuine because as far as i know the aftermarket branded oils are not up to the same spec as genuine. But if you like spending 6k ish on a cvt box go right ahead as they are none serviceable. Also if you get one from the wreckers good luck getting it to work in your car as they are coded to each individual car.
 
Chaser said:
When 5lts of mits coolant cost's you $50 i dont understand why you wouldn't use it.?
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Because you need two, at $57.20 each.. making it an expensive change... I really don't understand your point. Their formulation would be very similar to good aftermarket brands (Nulon, etc), which also use exactly 1025g/l Glycol Ethylene, for a remarkably lower price. They tell you how their formulation is precise for their aluminium, as to not degrade it etc, but that is fairly hog-wash.

If you have warranty remaining (as I do), you just buy the factory rubbish and don't sweat the cost, but most likely, its a ruse and they're profiting well from this...

As for the CVT, you're right, there are good comparable oils (Penrite makes one), but again, inside warranty period it's folly to not use their overpriced Dia Queen J1.

As for not being able to rebuild the CVT, you are misinformed. But, either second-hand, new or rebuilt, they are very expensive.
 
Chaser said:
Also if you get one from the wreckers good luck getting it to work in your car as they are coded to each individual car.
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Oh my gawd.. you sound like the doomsayer deluxe-version!

Of course you can get a new/different CVT for your Lancer, you have to have the body computer reflashed, but the CVT itself slots right on in...

Mitsubishi might not want to fix the CVT, but there are loads of places who stock parts for them and do in fact rebuild them...

Do you think its likely that Mitsubishi just bins the tired CVT boxes, or returns them to JATCO and they recondition them for resale...

Which do you think is correct; a big hole in the ground full of CVT boxes, or a bunch of rebuilt/remanufactured CVTs going back into cars...

Think about it. Lex parsimoniae....
 
Sorry to bring up an old thread but might as well continue the discussion in a relevant thread, rather than create a new one:

If you had a choice between dealer or good mechanic (who you could bring your own bought parts to), where would you bring the car for a service at 40,000 km?

I have a place I've been going to for a while (they dealt with my '04 Magna Wagon) that's quite popular (often booked out at least a few days in advance, if not longer). Always serviced the magna well from what I could tell (but I have little automotive knowledge). But now that I've got a 2011 CJ Lancer, I don't know whether to be 'careful' going to a mechanic over the dealership. I don't know how many Lancers the mechanic deals with and the depth of experience with the car (I would assume that since it's more recent - less knowledge). Therefore is it worth the 'extra 30%' (as someone said earlier) going to a dealer over a local shop?

And my other question is - does it affect the 5 year new car warranty? I read all the warranty statements and all it does is 'highly suggest' that you take your car to the dealer. It never says that the warranty will be void if you don't.
 
Won't affect the warranty but you have to service at a dealer once a year to retain the roadside assistance.

If you have any warranty issues they may try argue harder but they won't win if you press the matter.
 
Have another read of the warranty, one would think it would give a straight answer. If it doesn't I'd be cautious, simply because getting it serviced elsewhere might not immediately void the warranty, but if something goes wrong down the road, I wouldn't put it past them to simply blame it on the fact someone else did the work rather than them.

Also, dunno if it would make a difference but if its one of them fancy new auto gearboxes then maybe you might have to take it to a dealer.
 
The warranty is carefully worded to try make you think you have to go to a dealership. They don't want to outright say you can service anywhere as servicing makes the dealers a lot of money.

So long as mechanic follows the service schedule and uses OEM parts (or parts with equiv spec) then no worries with warranty. However, like I said you won't get the roadside assist from Mitsu.
 
Ryan said:
The warranty is carefully worded to try make you think you have to go to a dealership. They don't want to outright say you can service anywhere as servicing makes the dealers a lot of money.

So long as mechanic follows the service schedule and uses OEM parts (or parts with equiv spec) then no worries with warranty. However, like I said you won't get the roadside assist from Mitsu.
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That's what I think but was just asking in case someone definitively knows (e.g. has had a claim knocked back for this reason). I have heard through others that Mitsu often comes good on the warranty.

Not worried about the roadside assist, that expired when the old owner got it serviced at another garage the first time round (the second round he took it to Mitsu).

Would be interesting to know where people take their relatively recent (e.g. '09 onwards) Lancers though. Maybe this could be a poll (e.g. dealer or local garage)?
 
No point in a poll. Take the car wherever you think you will get the best service and value for money.

Read this:
http://media.truelocal.com.au/D/1/DD410 ... mation.pdf

Keep in mind also a dealership will likely see your car serviced by a young inexperienced technician that couldn't diagnose anything that the ECU/computer doesn't tell them. Take it to a trusted local mechanic and you are getting someone who has often more experience, looks at a lot of different cars and can fix something without replying on a computer.

My ex they tried to knock back her warranty blaming the stereo for not allowing their computer to talk with the ECU over something minor but another dealer just did it. Her car was always serviced by a dealer. When my car busted a MAF I swapped mine and her MAFs around the corner from the initial dealer who knocked her back before (because it wasn't modded as heavily as my CJ), took it in told them it had a problem and this is the code I was able to get out of the ECU. Funnily enough I didn't get the we cant read it because of your stereo and the next day picked it up with a new MAF installed. My point here is dealers can spot a sucker and will try pull the wool over your eyes even if they know they dont have a leg to stand on...
 
As I understand it from a past experience. No matter what the dealer or manufacturer says or does, the laws have to be obeyed. My understanding is that provided the work is carried out by a qualified mechanic and it cant be proved that the problem has occurred as a consequence of his work and provided that the parts used are from a reputable maker and are produced for that specific vehicle then it should be a ok. As I am not a legal person I cant qualify this so check it out, it worked for me in a dispute many years ago but laws and ethics change over the years. If this isn't the case how do people like Ultratune etc make the claim that using their services and parts does not affect your warranty . Check with VA CC (in Vitoria) Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce or similar organization in your state. H0pefully your dealer is a member and would therefore have to abide by their rules and ethics!
 
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