Hiding VINs for autocross?
The word on the street was they were voiding warranty citing "drivetrain abuse" and that the cars were never designed to be raced.... probably why Mitsu is teh suxor at WRC- they need to find a car that was designed to race 
When I goto SCCA events, nothing really happens. You just register online and show up to go to the event. I have seen many people get there warranty voided for AutoX, but then again it depends on the dealer. I used to work for BMW and now I work for Infiniti, and we see everything from DP to TT kits. We do work on them as long as the modifications dont effect what your trying to fix. But when I take my supercharged G to another dealer, some are dicks, even though my car is street legal with no DP. BUt I hear Mitsubishi Dealers are dicks, but I actually know the owner of a dealer down here in SD, which I can get by on.
I hide my Vin # always . Car thieves can get your VIN # and go to the local mitsu dealer and get a key cut. Yea most of the time they require your drivers liscense and registration to get a key cut but im sure that they have made some exceptions in the past . However my evo was still stolen out here in Vegas so obviously that didnt matter 
I tape the VIN and remove the plate any time I do any sort of racing. Just an FYI, at AMS's first track day a person was going around photographing rear plates and VINs on the dash. He came over to my car and I quickly moved towards him and he scurried off. Am I paranoid? Maybe. I dont consider myself to be a conspiricy theory supporter, but removing two screws and throwing up a piece of tape is simple steps to take for a piece of mind.
I've never attempted to hide or disguise autoX activities.
I've even told a Mitsu dealer service writer that I needed the car back by Friday because I was going to autoX on Sunday.
If taping over your VIN and hiding your license plate makes you sleep better at night, do it. Sounds like cheap insurance to me...
Off on a related subject, I've bought 5 new cars over the years (going back to 1988), and I've never had a significant repair under warranty. 3 out of the 5 have been turbocharged, and 2 out of the 5 have been high-strung niche-market performance cars (my Evo and my FD RX-7). If I could change one thing about new car warranties, it would be to allow the buyer to "sell" the warranty back to the dealer. Figure that probably $1000 of your purchase price is basically covering the warranty that you're forced to buy -- even if you plan to strip the car down to bare metal and go club racing the very next month. So I've paid $5000 over the years for warranties, and I'm almost certain that the total cost of warranty repairs on my five cars came to well under $1000.
I've even told a Mitsu dealer service writer that I needed the car back by Friday because I was going to autoX on Sunday.
If taping over your VIN and hiding your license plate makes you sleep better at night, do it. Sounds like cheap insurance to me...
Off on a related subject, I've bought 5 new cars over the years (going back to 1988), and I've never had a significant repair under warranty. 3 out of the 5 have been turbocharged, and 2 out of the 5 have been high-strung niche-market performance cars (my Evo and my FD RX-7). If I could change one thing about new car warranties, it would be to allow the buyer to "sell" the warranty back to the dealer. Figure that probably $1000 of your purchase price is basically covering the warranty that you're forced to buy -- even if you plan to strip the car down to bare metal and go club racing the very next month. So I've paid $5000 over the years for warranties, and I'm almost certain that the total cost of warranty repairs on my five cars came to well under $1000.
Sounds like typical internet (and Evom) BS to me. Anybody have any verifiable proof to the scandalous Mitsubishi spy program ("but that one guy on that one site had a thread about it!" doesn't count)? Didn't think so. Who cares if they void my warranty?! I'm about to get paid by Bill Gates by forwarding ten emails and can afford replacement parts anyway!
I have friends that tape their vins and take their plates off. They also talked to the guy running the auto-x about this situation with warrantys and he allows them to change their name so there is no actual record of them auto-xing.
Warrtalon I bet your warranty work was under $500 and this is why it was done with no hassle. Anything over $500 repair must be looked @ by a district rep and if you don't have a good one(mod\race friendly) bye bye warranty.
Warrtalon I bet your warranty work was under $500 and this is why it was done with no hassle. Anything over $500 repair must be looked @ by a district rep and if you don't have a good one(mod\race friendly) bye bye warranty.
Evolving Member
Joined: Apr 2006
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From: NH
My dealership works on modded EVO's all the time - its hard to find an EVO that is not modded.
They even offered me some sponsorship help (tires, oil and Gas) to wear their dealership logo on the front and rear windows of my car when I autoX.
The other day, I was looking at a 5 month old EVO GSR that some turkey tried to do burnouts with........what do you think the clutch looked like after that?.......the dealership honored the warrantee, but charged him the extra $$$ for an upgraded ACT clutch which they installed.
Most tracks I have seen require the purchase of insurance and need your licnense and registration to do so........
My 2 cents - Sick Speed
They even offered me some sponsorship help (tires, oil and Gas) to wear their dealership logo on the front and rear windows of my car when I autoX.
The other day, I was looking at a 5 month old EVO GSR that some turkey tried to do burnouts with........what do you think the clutch looked like after that?.......the dealership honored the warrantee, but charged him the extra $$$ for an upgraded ACT clutch which they installed.
Most tracks I have seen require the purchase of insurance and need your licnense and registration to do so........
My 2 cents - Sick Speed