My 75,000 mile review - long
May 23, 2005, 09:49 AM
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My 75,000 mile review - long
My 75 Thousand Mile Review
Introduction
I bought my Mitsubishi Evo VIII in the end of 2003. I’ve logged about 75K miles on her since then and boy…..what an experience! I’ve always been a car guy, I’ve owned a Miata and 2 Honda S2000’s before the Evo….all of which had well over 100K. Needless to say, I do a lot of driving! I’ve had so many questions and requests for advice in regards to reliability so I’d thought I would share them in a public forum. I hope that some of you newer owners out there can draw upon my experience and avoid some of the mistakes that are common. (Disclaimer: This is based on my experience, this post also will have nothing about horsepower)
Do not buy this car if……….
you are strapped for cash. You will quickly find out that this car is expensive to maintain. Everything for this car is costly, and unfortunately due to driver abuse and/or factory design flaws you will find out that replacing parts and maintenance adds up. Plus, if you get the modding bug, there will always be some mod out there that will eat into your savings. Insurance for the Evo is getting expensive too……this car was reclassified not to long ago and I feel that things will only get worse as older evo’s get into the price point where younger drivers can afford them. Gas is going to be another expense…….you would think that a 4 cylinder car would get better gas mileage but factors like AWD, a terrible CD, and a fast spooling turbo makes the evo really guzzle gas.
Long Term Reliability
The evo can be a very reliable car, if properly maintained. Here are some tips/comments about various parts of the car:
1) Change your engine, tranny, and diff oils regularly.
2) Do NOT resurface your rotors (unless you change the brake pads….and even then, just skim the rotors)…………..many on the board get vibrations in the steering wheel when braking b/c of pad material transfer…..just slap on a set of Ferodo DS2500…..bed them properly, and you will be VIBRATION FREE (thanks to Jemm and Timcatz).
3) My 1st mod was the clear bra……..get it and you wont regret it! The paint on the Evo sucks…….i’ve seen evos with really beat looking front ends…….and anyone that drives 4 seasons should do this! Apply it especially behind the wheel well. I can’t tell you how many times I drive behind a truck after a snow storm and thank the stars that I did the clear bra. I've had it on since i bought the car and it hasn't yellowed or peeled.
4) The clear coat on the wing is susceptible to peeling………you need to wax it often…I didn’t and now, I really, really regret it.
5) CLUTCH – I’ve had 73K miles on my stock oem clutch……when I changed it for an act one, my mechanic said that it was still operable. The secret to a long lasting clutch? Don’t abuse it!
6) Light bulbs – Your gauge cluster WILL eventually burn out. Sourcing bulbs from your local stealership will make you very, very angry. Do a search under “blubs” on evom and you can find cheaper replacement bulbs.
7) Do a search under “Bolsen’” ….. his gauge cluster light mod is incredible and most importantly, free. This was one of the most rewarding 30 min I have ever spent.
8) Lifter – My evo developed lifter tap shortly after I bought it. It’s pretty damn annoying to hear a 30K car knocking at idle………go to autozone, invest in a little mystery oil (Thanks Gil), and do an Italian tune-up (thanks 4g63>0000) (disclaimer: don’t do this on public roads hehe!)
9) Make sure you keep a Philips driver in the car at all times……you never know when a intercooler hose is gonna pop off (again props to Gil). Happened today and scared the crap out of me and I couldn’t get the hose back on till a trooper stopped and gave me his swiss army knife.
10) The windshield is EXTREMELY fragile………I’ve had to change my windshield twice! I’ve already developed another ding/spider in it! There is no fix to this.
11) When installing a MBC or working near the radiator ALWAYS put a piece of cardboard or some sort of barrier against the exposed fins…..the radiator is one of the easiest parts of the car to damage! My car was MIA for 2 weeks while I was trying to source a radiator.
12) Seats – Take care to not put too much pressure on the upper part of the seat (for example, trying to put your pants back on after a little romp with the lady) The seatback will crack! I found this out the hard way.
13) Gas –I found that when I went to states where full service is the norm (like N.J.), the attendants would screw open the gas cap and let it drop and smash against the paint……I grew tired of this fast, so I just removed the gas cap from the plastic connector tab.
14) Struts – My front struts eventually failed. Some tell tail signs are: thumping noises when going over bumps or making turns, slightly sloppy handling, and/or oil developing around the seals. This was very difficult to diagnose. Almost everyone that drove my car, including mitsu said it was the axels. The problem is that b/c the suspension is so tight, when a shock fails, that there isn’t a noticeable degradation in handling.
15) Tires – The advans rule. No questions about it, I highly doubt that you will get any better grip with any other tire short of a racing slick. During the winter, get some continental’s, the evo is a monster in snow with these tires……..so much grip, it’s amazing, and they last longer than snow tires.
16) Transfer case – I’ve had no problem with it so far (knock on wood). I believe that design defects and driver abuse are the main causes for all of the failures you hear on the boards.
17) Another note on wing – The rear wing HELPS a tremendous amount at speeds over 80 mph. I’ve had my wing on and off and found that during high speed driving the rear will have a tendency to be a bit unstable. However, I’ve also got 20-30 miles MORE per tank of gas with the wing off.
Woops forgot this:
18) Stuttering - My evo developed a stutter during 3-4k rpm in 5th gear. I found out that the ignition was breaking up, I changed the spark plugs and it cured the problem (thanks malibujack).
And that's it, for now! I hope that these tidbits of info will help. The evo is the best car I've ever owned: incredible Power, handling, breaking, modability, and room for 4. She is finicky, you just have to know how to take care of her!
happy motoring,
Bobby
Introduction
I bought my Mitsubishi Evo VIII in the end of 2003. I’ve logged about 75K miles on her since then and boy…..what an experience! I’ve always been a car guy, I’ve owned a Miata and 2 Honda S2000’s before the Evo….all of which had well over 100K. Needless to say, I do a lot of driving! I’ve had so many questions and requests for advice in regards to reliability so I’d thought I would share them in a public forum. I hope that some of you newer owners out there can draw upon my experience and avoid some of the mistakes that are common. (Disclaimer: This is based on my experience, this post also will have nothing about horsepower)
Do not buy this car if……….
you are strapped for cash. You will quickly find out that this car is expensive to maintain. Everything for this car is costly, and unfortunately due to driver abuse and/or factory design flaws you will find out that replacing parts and maintenance adds up. Plus, if you get the modding bug, there will always be some mod out there that will eat into your savings. Insurance for the Evo is getting expensive too……this car was reclassified not to long ago and I feel that things will only get worse as older evo’s get into the price point where younger drivers can afford them. Gas is going to be another expense…….you would think that a 4 cylinder car would get better gas mileage but factors like AWD, a terrible CD, and a fast spooling turbo makes the evo really guzzle gas.
Long Term Reliability
The evo can be a very reliable car, if properly maintained. Here are some tips/comments about various parts of the car:
1) Change your engine, tranny, and diff oils regularly.
2) Do NOT resurface your rotors (unless you change the brake pads….and even then, just skim the rotors)…………..many on the board get vibrations in the steering wheel when braking b/c of pad material transfer…..just slap on a set of Ferodo DS2500…..bed them properly, and you will be VIBRATION FREE (thanks to Jemm and Timcatz).
3) My 1st mod was the clear bra……..get it and you wont regret it! The paint on the Evo sucks…….i’ve seen evos with really beat looking front ends…….and anyone that drives 4 seasons should do this! Apply it especially behind the wheel well. I can’t tell you how many times I drive behind a truck after a snow storm and thank the stars that I did the clear bra. I've had it on since i bought the car and it hasn't yellowed or peeled.
4) The clear coat on the wing is susceptible to peeling………you need to wax it often…I didn’t and now, I really, really regret it.
5) CLUTCH – I’ve had 73K miles on my stock oem clutch……when I changed it for an act one, my mechanic said that it was still operable. The secret to a long lasting clutch? Don’t abuse it!
6) Light bulbs – Your gauge cluster WILL eventually burn out. Sourcing bulbs from your local stealership will make you very, very angry. Do a search under “blubs” on evom and you can find cheaper replacement bulbs.
7) Do a search under “Bolsen’” ….. his gauge cluster light mod is incredible and most importantly, free. This was one of the most rewarding 30 min I have ever spent.
8) Lifter – My evo developed lifter tap shortly after I bought it. It’s pretty damn annoying to hear a 30K car knocking at idle………go to autozone, invest in a little mystery oil (Thanks Gil), and do an Italian tune-up (thanks 4g63>0000) (disclaimer: don’t do this on public roads hehe!)
9) Make sure you keep a Philips driver in the car at all times……you never know when a intercooler hose is gonna pop off (again props to Gil). Happened today and scared the crap out of me and I couldn’t get the hose back on till a trooper stopped and gave me his swiss army knife.
10) The windshield is EXTREMELY fragile………I’ve had to change my windshield twice! I’ve already developed another ding/spider in it! There is no fix to this.
11) When installing a MBC or working near the radiator ALWAYS put a piece of cardboard or some sort of barrier against the exposed fins…..the radiator is one of the easiest parts of the car to damage! My car was MIA for 2 weeks while I was trying to source a radiator.
12) Seats – Take care to not put too much pressure on the upper part of the seat (for example, trying to put your pants back on after a little romp with the lady) The seatback will crack! I found this out the hard way.
13) Gas –I found that when I went to states where full service is the norm (like N.J.), the attendants would screw open the gas cap and let it drop and smash against the paint……I grew tired of this fast, so I just removed the gas cap from the plastic connector tab.
14) Struts – My front struts eventually failed. Some tell tail signs are: thumping noises when going over bumps or making turns, slightly sloppy handling, and/or oil developing around the seals. This was very difficult to diagnose. Almost everyone that drove my car, including mitsu said it was the axels. The problem is that b/c the suspension is so tight, when a shock fails, that there isn’t a noticeable degradation in handling.
15) Tires – The advans rule. No questions about it, I highly doubt that you will get any better grip with any other tire short of a racing slick. During the winter, get some continental’s, the evo is a monster in snow with these tires……..so much grip, it’s amazing, and they last longer than snow tires.
16) Transfer case – I’ve had no problem with it so far (knock on wood). I believe that design defects and driver abuse are the main causes for all of the failures you hear on the boards.
17) Another note on wing – The rear wing HELPS a tremendous amount at speeds over 80 mph. I’ve had my wing on and off and found that during high speed driving the rear will have a tendency to be a bit unstable. However, I’ve also got 20-30 miles MORE per tank of gas with the wing off.
Woops forgot this:
18) Stuttering - My evo developed a stutter during 3-4k rpm in 5th gear. I found out that the ignition was breaking up, I changed the spark plugs and it cured the problem (thanks malibujack).
And that's it, for now! I hope that these tidbits of info will help. The evo is the best car I've ever owned: incredible Power, handling, breaking, modability, and room for 4. She is finicky, you just have to know how to take care of her!
happy motoring,
Bobby
Last edited by HwangTKD; May 23, 2005 at 10:11 AM.
May 23, 2005, 09:57 AM
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wow man, incredibly detailed review and warnings. Its interesting that having the wing off can cause such a drastic difference in gas mileage...
What was that little trick you learned for knocking sounds at idle? Ive never heard of it.
What was that little trick you learned for knocking sounds at idle? Ive never heard of it.
May 23, 2005, 09:58 AM
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Wow. Very comprehensive! Thank you. This is exactly the type of information that I'm interested in since I drive about 35K/year. I plan on getting the IX within a year and need to know what I'm up against concerning long-term issues.
May 23, 2005, 10:02 AM
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Great write up 
I agree with alot of the things that you have found over the past 75,000 miles of owning your Evolution. These performance vehicles are very finicky, but if treated well and taken care of properly they will reward the owner with many miles of trouble free operation. My MR is by far the best car I have owned so far.
Derek
I agree with alot of the things that you have found over the past 75,000 miles of owning your Evolution. These performance vehicles are very finicky, but if treated well and taken care of properly they will reward the owner with many miles of trouble free operation. My MR is by far the best car I have owned so far.
Derek
May 23, 2005, 10:04 AM
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Originally Posted by electricevo
wow man, incredibly detailed review and warnings. Its interesting that having the wing off can cause such a drastic difference in gas mileage...
What was that little trick you learned for knocking sounds at idle? Ive never heard of it.
What was that little trick you learned for knocking sounds at idle? Ive never heard of it.
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May 23, 2005, 10:05 AM
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This is good information to have -- I've only got 6k on my Evo -- I have a ways to go before 75K but I'll be sure to keep this post handy. Thanks for the write up!
May 23, 2005, 10:08 AM
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Go to autozone, ask them about the stuff that makes lifter tap go away. I left it in my engine for only 2K miles, then I took it out. An italian tune up is driving very spiritedly and at high speeds. The lifters get gummed up very quickly. And this is supposed to loosen them up a bit. rememeber, if you used that mystery oil, only used 1 quart! DISCLAIMER: this is what i did on my car.......I assume no liability for any accidents/damages ect
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May 23, 2005, 10:20 AM
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OK - lifter tap
This is what I did. I WILL NOT ASSUME any damages as a result of this. According to some, a real italian tune up is driving at redline in your highest gear for prolonged periods at a time. since I didnt want to get thrown in jail or kill anyone, I went WOT and held redline for 10 sec in gears 1, 2, and 3. then i would tool around a bit (letting the turbo cool off)and repeat the process. I did this 3-5 times in a row. Ever since then, my lifter tap has gone away. Remember to used that mystery oil too! btw, this works for gummer lifters, I am not sure what would happen if your lifter/lifters failed! So do this at your own risk.
bobby
This is what I did. I WILL NOT ASSUME any damages as a result of this. According to some, a real italian tune up is driving at redline in your highest gear for prolonged periods at a time. since I didnt want to get thrown in jail or kill anyone, I went WOT and held redline for 10 sec in gears 1, 2, and 3. then i would tool around a bit (letting the turbo cool off)and repeat the process. I did this 3-5 times in a row. Ever since then, my lifter tap has gone away. Remember to used that mystery oil too! btw, this works for gummer lifters, I am not sure what would happen if your lifter/lifters failed! So do this at your own risk.
bobby
