well owning my evo has had its ups and downs, but the downs have far outweighed the ups. especially lately with problems occuring one after another. the car is great, but the performance and high technology that the name evolution brings doesnt seem to be in sync with our american spec Evo. my car is giving me problems in all of the areas of the car that it is known for -the areas that are supposed to be the most sorted out.

- 2 days after purchasing, i had the front wheels balanced because of a shake at ~70mph

- week and a half after purchasing had complete alignment and all wheels balance because of same shake/ vibration

- 2 weeks ago i had all new front rotors and pads installed becuase the original's warped themselves and juddered/vibrated. car was still vibrating on and off at high speed.

- i was going to get another balance and alignment anyways this week, but then leaving this parking lot, i notice this clunk clunk clunk clunk noise when slowing turing left or right from a complete stop. when at a complete stop with the steering wheel turned to the left, i let out the clutch and slowly move the car off and when the clutch is completely engaged and i slightly acclerate while still turning left the car will make a clunk clunk clunk clunk 3 or 4 times then stop making the noise. it does it turning to the right or left, but only when you are moving off from a complete stop. i thought it was a one time thing, then i did it again and again over and over and took it to the dealer. i did it for the tech and they had no idea what it was. today i dropped it off for them to balance/rotate/align the car and to check the sound. they couldnt get it to make the sound and when i arrived to check on there progress i couldnt make it make the sound until i drove it down the street and returned to the dealer parking lot where it started to do the clunk. now they are really baffled as to what the hell it is since it could be a number of things and are baffled at the fact the vibration in the steering wheel and the clunk noise is on again/ off again.

this has really been a piece of shiet owning experience - mitsu's bread a butter - a car that is nothing new, except for being a first time detuned US version is giving me a few specific problems that may not be a big deal, but are directly related to the heart and soul of the car, related to the parts of the car that should never have to be addressed. the brakes are supposed to be tops - mine focked up. the drive train is supposed to be tops - mine is focking up. the handling is supposed to be tops - mine vibrates on the highway (yes it is slight and you cant feel it, but if you let the steering wheel go you can see it. its very slight, but its there). i havent had any paint problems, or transmission problems, though i do say that the door jams are painted horribly and the ruffness makes it seem resprayed and my car had the main door bracket bolts rounded off like they had been turned before. i do have the "driver side rattle" that comes from either the driver side back door or the driver side center pillar where the seat belt is. paint and rattles dont bother me, drivetrain and brake problems as well as alignment/ balance issues do.

i just mounted my boost/airfuel/oil pressure temp gauges as well to get ready for some upcoming mods. all of these problems can be over looked and ignored and probably are occuring in many other evo's, the owners may just not pay that close attention to realize them or are ignoring them them. . i do pay attention, and they bother me. the excitement has passed for me, now the EVO is LITERALLY turning out to be just a cheap hi-performane car. hopefully the car wont have to be lemon lawed but im really tired of going to the dealer and trying to "fix" a NEW car.

these people need to get this car sorted out - it may as simple as the dealer/tech's are inexperienced and its a simple problem to fix that they just dont konw how or it may really be a defect or malfunction or failure at 3600 miles??????

 

NO problems here at 2700 miles... NONE. Sorry to hear of your bad luck.

 

indeed - that sucks... almost 2000 miles here and not a single problem to speak of... I would contact your state's attorney general and try & get your Evo replaced under the lemon law if you can.

In every production run there are going to be some bad eggs, it's unfortunate that you ended up with one

 

You know something funny (well not exactly hilarious in my book)? My drivers door hinge bolts are the same way! The paint is slightly chipped-off of the corners of the bolts. The other doors are fine!

When I noticed this I immediately took the car in and expressed my concerns. I told them that if the door had been off for some reason without the dealership, or Mitsubishi disclosing this info I would sue them.

They showed me the damage forms they use on site, and said any damage whatsoever requires disclosure and that they don't make any exclusions to the rule period. They also mentioned that Mitsubishi has to provide the same info to the dealership as well. I had a friend that runs a custom auto bidy check the drivers door over and he said it appears to be untouched in factory trim. He wondered if the factory machine that torques these bolts got out of calibration or was worn in some fashion.

Anyway I just thought it seemed interesting to hear that someone else had the same deal. Wonder if anyone else has this issue?

BTW - Something definitely sounds awry with your car. I haven't had any of the brake judder, rotor warp, or high speed vibration problems you mentioned. I have actually been pretty happy with my car to date and I have over 4k miles on her now.

I would use the lemon law to your advantage if possible. If you can't go that route I would be as "in your face" as possible until I was satisfied.
Just remember to keep formal records or log entries of all of your issues and conversations. This will help you leverage the dealership and Mitsubishi to step up and do the right thin to keep you happy.

Good Luck!

 

ADMstunna - start networking with other Evo owners in your area - and then get in contact with your district rep - your collective voice is much louder then yours alone. don't be willing to settle for a sub-par Evo. don't be rude, but be forceful, and always, always be willing to go over the head of the person who is telling you info that you don't like - it can't hurt to make some phone calls to regional reps.

 

yall should try and driving your car from between 60-90 mph without touching the steering wheel and see if it any point within those speeds it shakes or vibrattes. its a very slow shake back and forth. it seems like its isolated to my car, but i think that it may be happening in more evos. all of the problems in my car are very slight. the clunk noise it makes at low speed turns is so quiet that you wont hear it with the windows open. the brake vibration was so on and off that it would go and come between consecutive stops. it also was so slight that you wouldnt feel it, but you could see it if you let the steering wheel go. the high way shake is also slight enough where you barely feel it but can see it if you let the wheel go.

the stripped head bolt issue is wierd, i never checked on it though with the dealer. i will bring it up with the driver side noise

we will definitely get in touch with the correct people and have already done that when we were addressing the brake issue.
i also have been keeping records and logs with times and dates and have receipts from all of the previous warranty work.

there is no need for a collective voice - especially when it is a problem that nobody else is addressing or is having or atleast is aware of - you'd be suprised at what people will ignore and suprised at what one person can do. forexample my pops discovered a 78mph vibration in our 2001 rx300 after puting 50miles on it and drove 6 other new rx 300's all with the same problem. he was the ONLY person to bring this to the dealers attention. lexus realized that its a problem that all of them have and it is because of the cheap *** tires they come with. district reps and managers got him a set of new tires - any tire, his choice. he had them get him michelins that are twice the price of the standard goodyears and havent had the problem since.

we'll see what happens about the clunk tomorow - the dealer kept the car over night. ill keep you guys posted.

 

i think you're being a bit too picky... the car is going to make some noises... it's not meant to coddle you...

the brake warpage...? could have been a bad test drive...? along with the pads... the brakes as you know have a specific and pretty long break in...

I'm not having any issues that i feel the need to go running to the dealer with everyday...

 

I dont like to hear things like this. I am still going to pick up an evo, but I can also sometimes be over sensitive when driving my car. If i were you i would have the car investigated. We honestly dont know what happens to our cars from factory to dealer. I went to my local dealer, and the sales manager is barking about how he didnt want anyone touching, or sitting in the evo that was on the showroom floor (except for me of course). A few days later they were prepping the car to be delivered to its lucky owner. I was on the road right outside the dealer, and i hear this whooosh and see a black (Tarmac) flash go by me. When i get to the next light its the service manager taking the car for a drink (Gas). When he took off from the light he red lined the hell out of the car and dropped second so hard that he 4 wheel chirped it . Now in my mind i am like (How important can this break in period be?). Anyway the car only had 23 miles on it, and he just turned this virgin into a **** star.... I hope she can handle it ..... If you know what I am sayin.

 

clunk noises are not normal. clunck noises while turning to the leftt or right and no noise while going staight is not normal. on again off again problems are not normal. who said i was looking for coddling? wuts with the -> ?

 

"clunk noises" seem very normal for every car I've had with a limited slip rear differential when turning very tightly... just like they are normal for 4x4 trucks, and anything else that I've driven and owned with limited slip.

And an all wheel drive car with a rock hard suspension and massive front tires and the tightest steering ratio known to man IS going to require constant directional attention on the steering wheel at high speeds! It doesn't sound like thats the problem you are describing, but still, this stuff comes with the territory.

I agree with Diesel's opinion - you might possibly be finding fault with byproducts of what makes this car GREAT. I've owned nothing but high performance cars since 1986, the kind of stuff I love and thrive on, others find fault with it... Perhaps the EVO isn't really the car for you right now, it's a bit "radical" for those not used to such things...

 

you claimed yourself that it's barely even audible...

hey i'm just as sensitive about the noises my car is making as the next guy... hell my car right now is kinda making the same noise, but i know what it is... i don't think my springs are seated in their perches correctly... it's only on low speed turns... never a hint of it at any kind of speed or even jerking the wheel around at speed...


my car vibrates on the highway too... holy ****... everything comes through the sterring wheel... what are you expecting...? seriously...? a combination of the tires, and a rock hard suspension do not make for a smooth ride...

Maybe an STi would suit you better, as the car is more softly sprung...?

 

yall dont get it. lol. i may be getting ANOTHER CAR because of these problems all which have been verified by mistu techs as defects. its not ME. lol. its not the hard suspension too hard to my liking and im just wining about it, its the steering wheel visually wobbling back and forth while at high speeds after 2 wheel balances and a full alignment.

spike, your right. it just maybe the center diff or the rear diff, thats what i was thinkin but im no tech. when a MITSU TECH tells me what it is and why its doing it, then ill relax. until then, if he cant tell me what it is then its a problem....and so far they dont think its the diffs.

since when did this turn to discussion about me not being used such a car and maybe prefferring a less radical and softly sprung car? lol. perhaps its not the car for me? wtf? before my civic i drove an '87 toyota corolla with a custom transmission and rear end, a solid one piece drive shaft with energy suspension bushings all around. that car was a rolling vibration and rolling clunk. the clutch chatter would scare little children away. the vibration in the chassis from the bushings and rear end and muffler touching the chassis would send chills up passsengers spines. it was okay for that car to make noises and clunks and vibrate cuz i knew were all of them came from and y they were being made. definitely not okay for a new Evo to do that especially if a tech cant tell me y the car is making it. getting back on topic, in no way do these noises compare to those of my old car, but they are infact defects. not just inexperienced worries about new sounds - defects that has my car overnight at the mitsu dealer.

 

i didn't realize the steering wheel was literally shaking...

are you sure the techs know what the hell they are doing...? 99% of the time, a shaking steering wheel come from a loose kug nut or something stupid like that...

 

I have truthfully learned that dealership mechanics don't have a clue when it comes to problems like this.

They are trained to run diagnostics to determine whats broke, then follow a procedure in a book to replace parts for the fix... but in a situation like this, they will have to figure it out for themselves, and based on my dealings with Chevy and Nissan mechanics you may be in serious trouble... they will likely never get this problem fixed. In all honesty, if you want to keep the car you may have to take it to a speed shop that specializes in suspension upgrades for stuff like SCCA competitions. They'll probably find it and get you all fixed up in a few hours, compared to days or weeks with some 21 year old Mitsu mechanic clown right out of tech school messing with and redlining your car from stoplight to stoplight trying to determine what the "problem" is...

 

Its funny....I can be touchy feely with cars too. My car has a decel noise...I can swear it pulls to the left on the freeways when crusing, shifting into 3rd gear slowly feels like a slight grind, I can hear a few spots in the dash rattle at idle, I do hear a clunk every now and then in various spots.

This is definitely not a car built for the tame of hearts out there.
This a track car and built for one thing only.....performance! I've done some very aggresive driving on back roads a few times and the car just feels, sounds and shifts supperbly when pushed to its limits.

Unfortunately.....just cruising around at 1/10th of the cars potential can make for a dismal experience for someone who's sensitive to strange noises.

I unfortunately just think it comes with the territory now.

but I still love my EVO!