Japistani

So... I've tried a few searches in the forum, and haven't come up with anything... so, I might be the first person this has happened to...

2008 Evo X MR, 69k

Just got a fresh tank of Husky 94, drove through a school zone (at the speed limit - one of few places I don't speed, at all.)

Pulled out onto a main road, gave her about 50% throttle, and BOOM... lots of smoke, grinding noises, and the associated smoky smell... I thought that the SST had finally given up!

Fast forward to the dealership (at 7:45pm, no less), who I'm lucky enough to have a great relationship with. Get it up on the hoist, and basically am told that the engine is probably done.

Find out the next day that Connecting Rod #1 broke in half... and, yes, like most of you on here, I am tuned... Cobb Stage 2, with all the proper mods. It's been tuned like this for about 55k.

Of course, Mitsubishi denied the warranty, even though my dealer contact, swears that the tune or the parts wouldn't have resulted in this issue after such a long time... if it did, he said it would have happened much, much sooner.

Looks like I need to replace the whole engine... the dealership is stepping up huge, since they don't think that the issue is due to the tune or the parts... all of which they installed, and are paying 1/2 of the replacement cost.

The thing that gets me the most, is how rude the "customer service" rep at Mitsubishi was when I called... he wouldn't transfer me to anyone else, basically shut me down cold... doesn't make me feel so good about spending another 54k with them on the next-gen EVO... good thing I love this car so much, or it would be on the block already...

I guess something positive has come out of this... I'm sure that the remainder of my powertrain warranty went out the door with this claim (even if I chose to tune it down) so, only one thing left to do!

FP RED...

Thanks for all your support Mitsu... for a company that claims the "best backed cars in the world" and claims to support rally racing, you sure know how to treat your best customers and Mitsubishi enthusiasts!

chkmgnt59

iTrader: (3)

.. sucks it happened man. Take the opportunity to build it up right, don't just replace with OEM. It'll be cheaper to build it anyway.

Japistani

@chkmgnt59

Thanks... I wish I knew why it happened... even my dealer can't seem to tell me why... the unfortunate part is that they're going to cover 1/2 the OEM replacement cost... not sure if they'd do the same for aftermarket engine... maybe I'll try asking...

chkmgnt59

iTrader: (3)

you were running higher power, and had high mileage. The stock rods aren't that strong.... probably just fatigue really.

Tom Sawyer

I wouldn't look that gift horse in the mouth. They are already doing well more than they really should. I've sat on both sides of the table on this and can see both perspectives clearly. Your powertrain is warrantied from defect in factory configuration. There's a reason there is so much power left on the table in the tune. It prevents problems like these from happening in the short or long term. By manipulating the factory tune, you accepted the responsibility of replacing the engine were it to fail. I understand you spent a lot of money on the car, etc, etc. The fact remains that they are a business who needs to make a profit to keep developing cars for us to purchase. If they don't, they won't be around. They don't build enough profit into these cars to replace blown engines on non-factory tunes just because they wanna be nice.

Tom

Optiblue

iTrader: (5)

Ouch, octane 91 or 93 map?

tephra

iTrader: (6)

was it an OTS map? or custom tune?

Japistani

@Optiblue & Tephra

It was a COBB Stage2+AEM 93 Octane, and I have all of the corresponding parts...

@ Tom Sawyer

It's actually the dealer that's going to cover 1/2 the replacement cost, because they don't agree with Mitsu that it's fatigue or due to the tune... Although I agree that Mitsu is a business, the dealership is as well, and they seem to know the value of a good customer...

And, just to clarify, I don't mean that a good customer is someone who buys a vehicle and goes away... the value of a truly happy consumer is much greater than the sum of dollars that he/she may directly bring into a business. It's the value of their evangelism, the value of the dollars that they may bring in indirectly... the friends they tell, the positive words that come out of their mouth each and every time they speak about the business (or in this case, dealership) in question.

Don't get me wrong... I knew the risks of performing the upgrades, and have no problem paying my dues... As noted above, the thing that gets me the most is the "customer service" (or lack thereof) that I received when I called Mitsubishi. It sure made me feel like a "valued" customer.

IndyEvo66

more and more 4b11's are failing. this is one of the few i have seen do this on the stock turbo. the rods and pistons suck in these motors. looks like everyone who wants to mod their evo x needs to just plan on at least doing rods and pistons.

gsrboi80

iTrader: (38)

Were you monitoring AF and Knock? Cause I couldn't fathom putting any sort of tune esp some OTS map into a car without at least being able to monitor and log those two parameters

Good Luck on the rebuild man. I'd def look into built engine at this point even though they are willing to cover 1/2 cost. I'm sure even your dealer would understand that

JTEVO2932

iTrader: (7)

wow thats crazy! at least they are paying for half...good luck hope all goes well

lowkey

iTrader: (5)

69K Kilometers = 42K Miles. Dissapointing that even on Stage 2 power levels the rods would not last very long. On a OTS map that's probably around 330 ft/lb, 315 hp. Regarding the factory rep, let's be frank, when you mod don't even bother with them. It's clearly spelled out in black on white in your manual.

tephra

iTrader: (6)

I wouldn't assume the OTS map was giving you good AFR's or acceptable knock.

Not knocking the map vendor here (Cobb), but its just a fact of life..

weap0n

iTrader: (4)

This is the second thread I have seen this week where the OP thinks Mitsu should cover them when they blow an engine after modding the car?

Seriously... Have you actually read the warranty section of the manual?

You have to pay to play. That means paying to fix stuff when it brakes after playing with extra power.

Don't mod if you cant afford to fix it when stuff brakes.

That being said. I do feel for you. It's never a happy time when stuff brakes. Good luck with the rebuild.

Enjoi

I totally 100% Agree with everything above.

It CLEARLY states that modifications etc are NOT warrantied by mitsubishi. Why would they? I work(ed) for a Mitsu dealer and dont feel bad for people who mod their cars and have issues with it later...because I sell ALOT of aftermarket stuff to customers only upon request. I always warn them of the trouble that can come with this, Highlight the warranty page in the manual, and even get them to sign on the bill of sale that we are NOT responsible for modifications to the vehicle. However, Mitsu HQ Call centre reps ask very simple things,

->How old is this customer?
->does he look like he would race the vehicle or push it over the limit?
->modifications?
->what is the current condition of the vehicle?

I used to bend the rules and help my customers out in situations like this..

On the flip side, You used a cobb AP right? those are rarely ever linked to problems with the engine,car etc... Can't be that. The fact that the Dealer is willing to help you with 1/2 the cost is AMAZING! They're going beyond the threshold of customer service! You should DEFINATELY reccomend that dealership to anyone in the immediate area.

Good luck man! Hope you get your MR running soon!
(BTW I'm not trying to sound like a dick)
(Also, does that dealership have any EVO IX`s on the lot? lol)