Do you guys have good faith with the typical Mitsubishi Dealership?

Background: I have a 09 Ralliart with 90k miles. I drive 80 miles per day everyday highway only. I maintain superb preventative maintenance.

A week ago, I notice an exhaust noise coming from under the hood at startup until it wears off about 5 minutes later. I get it checked out and they say the intake manifold is cracked. I get my warranty company to cover the costs. As they take it apart, they tell me a bolt is stripped that holds the turbo secure and they "must" fix it or it will cause more vibration/damage later.

The warranty company won't cover a broken/stripped bolt. Mitsubishi wants to charge 700$ while they have the car disassembled.

Any advice? I told them to go ahead and fix it since it will be more expensive later when my warranty runs out at 100k miles. But I hate not having proof something is actually broke. Can i ask for a picture or should I just trust them?

Thanks

 

tell them you want to take it to a personal mechanic? maybe a "trusted AAA" shop? for a second opinion

 

Wait they strip a bolt and wanna charge you? It didn't strip itself so I'd be hard pressed believing it did.

 

To clarify, the bolt was broken. They will have to drill it out and put a new one in. It holds the turbo to the manifold. I still feel like this should be covered...

 

What dealership did you take it to? Just curious because i'm from IN to.

 

If they are replacing the intake manifold why are they even touching the turbo? If you mean exhaust manifold then ok. Also they were the ones to strip/break the bolt so its not your fault. Ask for the turbo and take it to any metal shop to have it removed VERY cheap. They are trying to screw you because they don't get paid as much for warranty work as regular work

 

I honestly believe gaabbee is spot on. The dealership is Sam Swope Mitsubishi in Louisville Kentucky. I don't know which manifold but it is located closest to the windshield and has a heat shield around it. Can anyone give advice on alternatives to a dealership? How do I find a good mechanic?

 

Exhaust Manifold.

If the manifold is cracked AND you have broken stripped bolt...

The manifold crack is an assembly part defect and should be replaced under warranty.

If the bolt broke/stripped during removal of the manifold it is extra maintenace to be added to the original task (remove/replace the mainifold) all under warranty!

Fight this! Keep all paperwork and consider getting a lawyer. You should in no way be out of pocket (above any deductable)! Unless damaged in a accident that they would have to prove.... they are trying to screw you.

 

Veronica, I think you just motivated me. Thank you

 

Just an FYI, breaking exhaust housing studs is very common, and only ~$80 to fix.

 

So, your warranty is not the Mitsu warranty from factory? You're at 90k, so I guess your factory warranty is expired. I'm assuming you bought the extended warranty through another company, then. If that's the case, then they may very well not cover the repairs.

Even still, as sstevojr stated, an exhaust stud isn't a super expensive repair. The majority of the $700 the dealer quoted you, is probably the labor charge for the dealer tech to drill out the old stud/bolt and replace it; then reassemble the engine.

I've noticed a lot of 09RAs with cracked exhaust manifolds coming out lately (myself included). , anyone else with a 10+ with a cracked EM?

 

Any stock ra manifolds lying around..im sure there are from people who upgrade to a evo x turbo.

 

Update: Called the dealership and the warranty company. The dealership is giving me a discount and only making me pay for half the labor costs. The warranty company(extended so NOT mistusbishi) says they do not cover any "bolts, connectors, clasps, brackets, a list of all kinds of odd parts" It has to be a main part gone bad.

Tomorrow the Manager in charge of the entire service department is supposed to call me. I've been talking to the supervisor of the mechanics so far. Any ideas on what to say to the boss man? I'm thinking about just saying "I won't come here anymore for maintenance if I am being charged for broken bolts which you are indirectly responsible for since you were in charge of the repair."

 

Just stay adamant. Logically how could you have stripped the manifold bolt if you never even went near it. Its not your fault. The bolt should never have been stripped to begin with. You should not have to pay for something that came from the factory in a good condition.

I would be furious if this was the case. Seriously, you need to ask the manager straight up, "Do, I look like a guy that went into my car and stripped a manifold bolt?" He might say, "we dont know, blah blah." Then you just repeat yourself because you know deep down this is not your problem to fix.

Also, seriously ask your extended warranty place, "If a mechanic goes under my hood to do work and they strip ever bolt its not their fault?" They might say take it up with the dealership, which is again why you need to repeat why its not you fault. Stay strong dont give in. use logic.

Same thing kinda happened to me. There was this free oil change coupon for our cars, I asked if this was valid here. The service manager said it was and we went ahead with the oil change free of charge I drive off into the sunset. Two days later I get a call saying that I need to pay for the oil change as it was not valid because it was for americans only. Right there I exploded. I asked them SPECIFICALLY if it was valid at the time I went in and they said yes. I went on to say if it was not valid I would have done the oil change myself. We kept going back and fourth then he finally gave in to me... why do I have to pay for their mistake. I did my due diligence, not them.

Stay strong and dont pay for their mistakes.

 

Wow, 700 bucks. The want to replace it on your pocket.
All they had to do was spray some liquid wrench and not that wd40 crap.

This is definitely on the dealership. If you broke the bolt then, its your fault, but they did!

Either way, with the crack manifold they need to replace it anyways. If the turbo is stuck to the manifold. You can offer to bring to machine shop to get it out on the cheap. The is the only out of pocket expense that I would pay. And they better reimburse me with an oil change and car detail.