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Old 6th May 2007, 12:17   #1
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Mitsubishi Lancer SFXi 90K kms / 9 years ownership report. Now SOLD!

As the title suggests my lancer is now 7yrs old and has done 60,000kms. The car is well maintained but off late it is beginning to show her age.

I'm in 2 minds whether to sell it now or later. I know I wont keep her more than this year and will be going in for a Civic then. Even then I dont like to neglect the car just cause I'll sell it soon.

I have been asking on various threads whenever a problem used to be there so thought I would put them all here in one thread.

I'll jot down the problems I've been facing and I would like some info on what the problem could be and what I should get checked by the HM guys. I'm planning on taking the car sometime this week.

I have a K&N stock replacement filter which has served for 6,000kms.

The problems I'm facing are:

1. clutch heavy and actuation not very precise
2. gears do not shift easily need to slot it in carefully as a result fast upshifts are not at all possible.
3. reverse does not engage, crashes into reverse with some force.
4. engine feels laboured when pushed past 3000rpm
5. suspension doesnt feel stiff and feels lose over bumps.
6. mileage 8.5kmpl???

Other than that there are a few electrical problems of power windows which need to be fixed.

Here's the list of things I got changed at last service:

1. Engine oil servo HM along with bardahl oil additive for old engines.
2. spark plugs X 4
3. Oil filter
4. fuel filter
5. brake fluid
6. gear oil
7. clutch fluid

I'm planning on doing the following but am not sure if I'm on the right track.

1. clutch bleeding if it's a hydraulic clutch
2. injectors cleaning
3. throttle body cleaning
4. clean and oil k&N filter.

Need inputs and help from all. I'll keep adding any more problems as I go along on this thread.

thanks folks in advance.

Last edited by Vid6639 : 6th May 2007 at 12:19.
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Old 6th May 2007, 12:37   #2
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I will give you some options

a. 7 year old car.. and u wanna retain it for another year..
What is the car worth in todays market...peanuts.

b. Forget the civic..if u want to retain this
c. Put in a Mivec or a Evo5 plant.. Make it a sleeper..

all of the above..and u still wont spend half the amount as on a brand new civic..

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Old 6th May 2007, 12:48   #3
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Vid,

No point in selling this car off, What you get in the market is absolute Peanuts as pointed out by Godfather..!

Lancer Clutch is Hydraulic, You can get it bleeded.!

See the Lancer engine can last you easily over 1 50 000 KM specially if its a maintained car...So tell me Other than these issues any other point in selling it..!

I enquired for the Clutch and Gear Slotting in my lancer and advised that the Plates need to be replaced for Rs.10,000 all inclusive for Labour, Oil and Taxes.

Since we are not driving the lancer much now, I will get the clutch re-checked and then take a call..!

Mine is from year 2001 and has done 69,900 km well maintained with Showroom service records and just one bumper and radiator replacement claim even then the worth in the market is 3.4- 3.5 which is absolutely not worth selling across..!

I suggest you can go for a re-vamp of your lancer- New paint job, modification External like sport bumpers, Alloys, Intake vents and all..!

Engine Mods- Maybe you can go for the suggestions Godfather made...but ensure that you know what you are doing..!

She still has a lot more to offer, before you retire her..!
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Old 6th May 2007, 12:53   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Godfather View Post
I will give you some options

a. 7 year old car.. and u wanna retain it for another year..
What is the car worth in todays market...peanuts.

b. Forget the civic..if u want to retain this
c. Put in a Mivec or a Evo5 plant.. Make it a sleeper..

all of the above..and u still wont spend half the amount as on a brand new civic..

Godfather
I'm trying to not sell this and get the civic and once the civic comes I can then think of the mivec.

If i get the mivec then civic goes out the window.

better to get both na..

till then let me get this car to shape in stock form.
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Old 6th May 2007, 12:53   #5
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How about doing the same to your Lancer as GTO did to his VTEC....??

PS: You have maintained a black car very well for 7 years
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Old 6th May 2007, 12:56   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vid6639 View Post
If i get the mivec then civic goes out the window.

better to get both na..
Tell me when the civic goes out the window.. Me and definately Akshay are gonna be around.. Also i dont mind the Mivec lancer..
Make a decision and let me know..


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Old 6th May 2007, 13:23   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kpzen View Post
How about doing the same to your Lancer as GTO did to his VTEC....??

PS: You have maintained a black car very well for 7 years
cant have performance mods as dad drives it and lets just say he isnt light footed so am scared for any performance mods plus it will also be chauffered driven.

I need to keep it stock but upto perfect shape.

wolfinstein, thanks will get clutch bled and replaced if needed for sure.

the paint job still looks like it's new and noone beleives it's 7yrs old. have a look at my garage that's in january.

body mods not needed na it has the sfxi body kit.

yes the car will get peanuts if i sell now so no use.

kpzen thanks a lot, i polish and clean her myself.

wolfinstein do you have the reverse gear not slotting in. especially in the morning when it feels that the gearbox is sleeping away and refuses to slot in any gear. reverse just grinds and crashes in. you mentioned changing the plates costing Rs.10K, which plates yaar? clutch and pressure plate?

someone on another thread was saying about the synchro rings in the gear box? does it reallly need to be replaced?

any idea how much it costs?

also lancer owners is this right.

4th gear --> 3000rpm --> speed 70km/hr
5th gear --> 3000rpm --> speed 100km/hr
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Old 6th May 2007, 14:00   #8
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The gear slot ok, but the shift is sometimes hard, specially in the morning.they refuse to slot easily...Reverse does make crunchy noise..in mornings, I'm wondering on getting the Gear Oil replaced, Never done that in the entire 6 years..!

The problem began only when the Clutch seal was to be replaced and they removed the entire gearbox housing to change the seal and clutch bearing ( Precautionary)- The mech then repumped the Gear oil with a Big Syringe type thing..! I'm sure the oil was due for replacement since it was yellow with Black tinge also..But the Mechs said that Gear Oil are hardly needed for change..definetly not at this Odo reading..! But since that day the Shifts become hard in the mornings..!

The HM Mistusbishi Excel Motors Showroom, Said that they will replace the Clutch plates- I din't enquire since I was not sure of the problem and also not very keen for an immediate work since we hardly use the lancer.

But the Job is impending and will be done soon enough..! I enquired only for the OEM part at the Showroom- Not aware of the Clutch plates for in the Open Market.

If you do find a good brand let me know also..!
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Old 6th May 2007, 15:37   #9
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Vidyut,

We've discussed abt this in various moods in the past. Bottom-line, this is what I've understood of your stance regarding your Lancer/car

1. While theoretically you would love to have all the cool-factors mentioned here a-la Mivec, suspension etc., practically you have an aversion to any mods owing to their lack of Mitsubishi-HM factory/service support. I still feel given an option between a Mivec and a D_Swift, you'll choose the later. This brings me to my next point

2. Your post-Civic car choice needs to be concretized. It cannot vary between D_Swift, Safari, Alto and Mivec.



My 2 bits:

1. Owing to the low resale value of your Lancer, as I've told you before, its best you retain it.

2. And by deciding to retain it, and since it wont be your dad's car anymore, Mivec it - unless you're very fond of the stock engine and wouldnt mind blowing a bomb for whatever it takes to get it back to some younger life. Fund the Mivec by selling the bucking-Alto. I've told this before too.

3. By Mivecing it, and any mods as a matter of fact, you WILL need to condition yourself to not expect peace-of-mind anywhere near factory-support/fitment levels. This point alone is what is holding you back now. And you'll need to ensure a reasonably ready amount of cash everytime something needs to be changed/modified/breaks down.

4. If at the end of all these suggestions by everyone you're still undecided abt your Lancer's future, its a clear indication a new car beckons you.


Keep me posted.
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Old 6th May 2007, 16:19   #10
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Surprised actually that your car has 3 drivers & still in good shape (Not considering the bad clutch etc). There are 2 choices in front of you.

1. If you love the car so much, get it spruced up just like zenx did for his OHC 1.3 & GTO did for his Vtec & live with it happily without listening to modders' talk.

2. Sell the damn thing off before it is toooooo outdated & not saleable & find a modern car that suits you the best.

If i were you (with my esteem),i would sell it to the person that quotes the highest & move on. I am in almost the same situation, but without the moolah for the change, hence i did the clutch, changed the suspension, tyres, wheels etc & i am prepared to use it for another 2 years.

hope i have not confused you.
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Old 6th May 2007, 16:26   #11
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@ Vid

Having read thru what all you have said - it is quite clear that the car needs her mechanicals looked into. Not being able to slot into the right gear easily is an issue that needs to be looked at. Try getting the gear shift bush kit replaced - it's relatively easy & inexpensive. The slotting of the gearshift should improve.

I would suggest you get the HM guys to check the engine compression - just to be on the safe side. Even if you went for mechanical re-vamp WITHOUT engine overhauling, you whould be able to do all well within 50K, which includes suspension, clutch overhaul, injector & throttle body cleaning, steering etc. power windows, rubber parts etc etc

Get an estimation of the re-vamp & take a call.

Cheers
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Old 6th May 2007, 16:46   #12
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Vidyut , if you are indeed planning on retaining the car you will have to :
1. Maybe replace your clutch assembly .. Maybe an aftermarket one .. Check with psycho if exedy makes one for the lancers ..

2. Check if your gear synchro's are damaged .. Replace them if needed ..
3. Get the engine overhauled and de-carbonized ..
4. Work on the suspension ..

All this , and she will be good to go for another 40,000 kms atleast ..


Or keep the car yourself , buy your dad another car .. Go MIVEC , anyway you would have to work on the suspension , brakes , rubber part either ways .. Plonk in the engine instead of working on the 4g15 and restoring it .. She will keep you smiling from east to west and will serve you well for atleast another 3-4 yrs .. You can source a good engine and installation shouldn't be that much of a problems since we have experience in that department and the concerned people are just a phone call away .. Its your call now ..

Either sell it for what its worth and move on in life or stick to her , nurture her and she will keep you happy for quite a few years to come .. Maybe we will see you on track too someday ..
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Old 6th May 2007, 16:51   #13
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Maggie till the time i get the money or I make up my mind on the future of this car and the next cars I cant neglect this car and drag it on. Even in stock form I want to enjoy the car. The car's been with me for 7 years and has always been in top condition. It's one of the earlier batch of cars having the japanese engine rather than the local one.

In the past 7 years the only part changed is the bonnet which was bent thanks to my driver hitting the rear of a donkey.

Till the time the car will be put up for sale or my dad gets a replacement car this car will remain in good condition as it's my dad's daily drive to office.

Frankly speaking I still haven't found a replacement car as I like everything in this car and dont feel the need for replacement now.

I can't do any performance mods to it since it's my dad's daily office car nor want to do any exterior body mods as she still looks a stunner.

E_L we have had more than 3 drivers since drivers in bangalore are hard to find and even if you get one they dont last more than a few months. I had one driver for 4 years then 6 drivers for the next 3 years.

The car already runs on better rubber since the past 6 months Turanza ER-60 195/60-14 on the stock Enkei alloys. Guys have a look at the garage do you really think she needs exterior mods.

Now all I need currently is to get these problems solved. I really don't think these are really major repairs just a thorough servicing job and probably clutch replacing.

So anyone know any info about the synchro rings in the gearbox?

Even though the clutch is hard and imprecise I am not seeing any symptons of worn clutch. no shudder, no excessive slipping to get her moving.

I'll start another thread on what to do with this car as well as the alto shortly. till then just need to get this car fixed.
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Old 6th May 2007, 16:54   #14
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Firstly Vid i would like to say that you have really maintained her very well, maintaining a black car is the second toughest job on earth, the first being is to convince your parents to buy one.

Why dont you go in for a aftermarket clutch from clutchmasters? It will last for a longer time.
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Old 6th May 2007, 17:00   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vid6639 View Post
So anyone know any info about the synchro rings in the gearbox?

Even though the clutch is hard and imprecise I am not seeing any symptons of worn clutch. no shudder, no excessive slipping to get her moving.
I dont think japanese engines & gearboxes will develop any problems within 1.5 to 3 lakh kms. Your major problem seems to be the clutch, if it is hard, it is due for replacement, dont wait for it to shudder or slip, thats the end of it. Pleaseeee do not tamper with the gear box, I am pretty certain there is nothing wrong with it.
cheers
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