I was contemplating on buying the EVO FE for a while, but after coming to this forum a few times, I decided to pull the trigga yesterday.
I bought a blue FE!!!!!

So far I love the car.
I love how it looks, drives, feels, and smells.
Since I'm one of those guys who gets really frustrated over little scratches, dings and of course, mechanical problems, what are some tips to keep my EVO looking sexy and healthy?
Coming from an S2k, I'm not exactly sure what kind of maintenance to expect.
Also, my brand new evo will need to utilize a car port until I move to a new apartment with an actual garage.
If any of you also know any tricks to maintaining the paint job from wind and sunlight, please let me know.

Thanks!!!

 

The good thing is the paint is a measured a little thicker on the FEs. But i would still get a clear bra and do the rear doors to avoid any rock chips. Invest in some mudflaps as well.

Once you have clearbra, use plastic polish on it every few months to keep the material fresh and slick. Keeps bugs from embedding into it.

Make sure to break it in. I recommend 2k miles not going over 5k. Some do 1k, or not at all, but i like to play it safe. Then just learn the car inside and out. Read as much as you can -- white papers, history, etc. the more you know about the car the more joy you will have each time you get into it.

 

Thanks so much man.
You seem to be a very knowledgeable member.
I pretty much went broke from the purchase so I will need to drive carefully until I save enough for flaps and bra.
In the meantime I will study like a nerd about the car.

As for the mechanical upkeeping, is there anything else I need to keep an eye out beside the fuel pump relay and the clutch?

 

I've owned Evos for about 6yrs now and have been all over the place. If I could go back in time and give advice to myself it would be:

MODIFY THE CAR RESPONSIBLY!

A lot of people mod their cars with no clear purpose. You end up wasting a bunch of money and the possibility of having a car that just isn't well-sorted at all. If you just care about looks, then that doesn't really matter. If you ever decide to mod for performance, you would be doing yourself a great service to ignore most of the opinions on this site and do your own research. There are some people that will tell you some pretty crazy stuff. Everyone has their own opinions, which is fine, but they will convey them to you as fact.

Once you are here for a while, you will get an idea of who knows what they are talking about and who is regurgitating something they heard from someone else. This site has a lot of EXCELLENT info, if you know where to look. There are some very knowledgeable people here.


At the end of the day, have fun with it. It's just a car, not a magical unicorn. Maintain it as you should and you will have no problems.

Enjoy, dude!

 

Fuel pump relay may be ok at this point. They went from black to green to blue back to black. Id be surprised if the FE didn't have the updated black version.

Clutch is fine unless you change it. Clutch master ***. is too weak for most aftermarket clutches.

 

^ Migs, Do the 2014 still have the fuel pump issue?

Stronestthrio, Get mud flaps quick. these tires pick up rocks! You need them. Now wax and polish and enjoy her. Don't worry about modding. depending on where you live invest in a nice 2-way alarm.

 

congrats!

 

They came out with the black one in 2013 IIRC. There is a good chance they installed them by default in 2014.

https://www.boostedforums.net/showth...uel-Pump-Relay!

... copied info below in case the forum / thread disappears as it has already been salvaged.


^-- location

Good ones:



Best - this is the newest recommended OEM relay from Mitsubishi - OEM P/N MR122409

 

When I got my FE, I waited until 1500km to do my first oil change. I was glad I didn't prolong the change as the oil was too dark for my liking considering I only put 1500km.

 

Like migs said above, I would do a clearbra. I did the xpel ultimate. Covered my my whole front and mirrors.

I did my first oil change at 1k, then again at 3k. I do mine every 2500 to 3k and I don't beat the **** out of the car, I'm just ****.

What are your plans for the car? Up the power a little bit? As Kaj said, do your modifications responsibly and tastefully. Remember everything you do to the engine will require a tune. I would pick a few mods you want to do and get all done at the same time. Something I learned from my STi. I would put something on one at a time and need a tune every time. **** adds up

 

Thanks guys.
I really appreciate your responses.

Honestly I'm dead broke from the purchase, so I will save up for bud flaps and the bra.
Those two will be my first mods.
Eventually I'd want to do exhaust and intake.
But most likely the first performance mod will be a tune/accessport.
I also want a BOV because the sound of turbo is what made me want to get a turbo car when i was a kid.
But I guess getting an aftermarket BOV is kind of pointless for Evo xs.
I also don't want to mess with the warranty yet.
In a way I do value modding over warranty though, because the reason why I bought the car is for myself not for the dealership's approval.

Also, just out of curiosity, do we get a twin scroll turbo or single scroll for stock evo x fe?
And is the FE transmission any more durable than the GSR's?

 

To put it simply, the FE is a visual package with suspension and brake discs from the MR. Also you get the bump in power from Mitsu's own retune of the ecu.


That's about it.

 

Also sodium filled valves, which seem to be contributing to the additional power people are getting out of the FEs vs the others. See what English Racing got out of one (they are known for doing semi-conservative tunes).

 

1. Change oil regularly.
2. Swap fuel relay (probably fixed by now but $10 is better than $7500)
3. Keep money set aside for emergency repairs (clutch isn't covered by warranty)
4. If (when) you mod, get it tuned! Not only is there a performance benefit, but it'll keep your car happy.
5. Zip-Tie Fuel Pressure Regulator hose

As for the paint, be conscious of how you wash. Use a Micro-Fiber wash cloth instead of the typical sponge. And use two buckets, one for rinsing and one with soap. And never never never use the same sponge you use for the wheels as the one you use on the paint.

 

Is the fuel relay issue fixed for the 2015 model? I thought it was. Mind you I live in Canada, if that even matters.