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View Full Version : EVO warranty issues - Autox is to much for the evo


garak
06-07-2004, 06:27 AM
It seems that Mitsubitshi doesnt think that their factory suped up econobox can not take the rigors of an autox. Just one more nail in the coffin. Cant this company just die already!

From the GRM forums (originally copied from some EVO forum):
Mitsubishi is voiding motor and drive train warranties including transmission for any cars that participate in an Sports Car of America (SCCA) event or any other timed event.

It seems that Mitsubishi has set up an automatic web search that looks for registration and results information for any Mitsubishi. They then capture the race results information, match it to vehicle purchase and service records and proactively put the car on "warranty restriction". Those of you with new cars, may want to not list the actual car make or use a screen name.

I bought this car for my son about 2 months ago. The voiding of the motor and drive train warranty is especially puzzling to me as I was completely open with the dealer that sold the car to me, that I was going to allow my son to participate in SCCA events -- even invited the sales person and his manager to come for a ride along. Was the dealer's response to tell me that this would void the warranty on the new car? Nope. His response was "...what a cool way to keep your son from getting in trouble on the streets."

Sure would have appreciated knowing that parking lots and cones would void the warranty on the Evo. I guess although the car is "race inspired", Mitsubishi considers chasing cones at 25 to 60 mph in parking lot to be too much for their "embodying everything a performance enthusiast looks for in a car" model.
__________________________________________________ __________

This is what else he had to say when asked about what the dealer told him about the warranty.

__________________________________________________ _________
...(We were told we were on)...
!!! WARRANTY RESTRICTION !!!
When I asked the dealer why, the response was because of participation in SCCA event. I spent 6+ hours this week on hold and talking with various people at Mitsubishi. This morning I spoke with the District Service Manager for Mitsubishi Motors. He gave me the same answer -- warranty restriction due to participating in the Utah Region SCCA event on 16-May. He even mentioned that he had a copy of the web based time sheet / results with my son's name on it with the car model and color.

In clarifying with them what warranty restriction means, here's what I was told:
- No motor, transmission or drive train issues will be covered by warranty
- Even if I have Mitsubishi do repairs on the motor, they will not re-warranty

A five year 36,000 mile warranty up in smoke for participating in ONE SCCA event.




From the SCCA forums:

This is pretty serious...a local driver here in Utah just had an engine problem at an event and took the Evo in to the dealer for repair. This is what he just posted on our forum:


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mitsubishi is voiding motor and drive train warranties including transmission for any cars that participate in an SCCA event. Warranty on Jake's Evo was put in "restriction" on 16-May, which was the very first day we brought the Evo out to an event.
This is especially baffling to me in that I was completely open with the dealer when I purchased the car that it we would be autocrossing the car -- even invited the salesperson and his manager to come up for a ride along. Sure would have appreciated knowing that parking lots and cones would void the warranty.

Edit: BTW it seems that Mitsubishi has set up an automatic search that looks for registration and results information for any Mitsubishi. They then capture the race results information, match it to vehicle purchase and service records and proactively put the car on "warranty restriction". Those of you with new cars, may want to not list the actual car make or use a screen name.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's kind of scary that companies get away with such things, and I'm hoping that they won't (it'd have to be written in to a sales contract, would it not?). At the very least, nice as their cars are, a boycott of some sort should be started

skee79
06-07-2004, 06:50 AM
From the description on their website

This ain't no video game. This is 100% reality. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is here at last - all turbocharged 271 horsepower of it. That's right...it's the World Rally Championship winner in the flesh. The streets of America will never be the same. Not after you strap yourself in and unwrap what is truly one of the most dominating performance packages ever placed in a four-door. You know the specs. You know the legend. You know the looks. Now see it, and drive it, for yourself. Just one question: who will be your co-driver?



it sounds more like they want you out of the parking lots and into the WRC http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/grin.gif

camber
06-07-2004, 07:35 AM
Hmmm... I can envision the next way of getting back at people during flame wars on the net.

Find out their car and name from posts, then post a bunch of false competition results and void that person's warranty http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/ooo.gif.

Chip_Letzgus
06-07-2004, 01:16 PM
Hmmm... I can envision the next way of getting back at people during flame wars on the net.

Find out their car and name from posts, then post a bunch of false competition results and void that person's warranty http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/ooo.gif.



http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/ooo.gif http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/ooo.gif http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

M_TYPE_X
06-07-2004, 02:01 PM
Hmmm... I can envision the next way of getting back at people during flame wars on the net.

Find out their car and name from posts, then post a bunch of false competition results and void that person's warranty http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/ooo.gif.



http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Somebody's been racing Accords at stoplights!

I GOTCHA!!!!11!!!!1!!! http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/mad.gif http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Riffster
06-07-2004, 04:06 PM
Methinks Mitsubishi's cash-flow problems are contributing to this. Some business school genius has come up with a 20-point Rescue Plan (TM) and indicated a 'get tough' policy on warranty work. What a maroon!

The EVO is just about the last thing to get excited about with Mitsu - for them to take what is a natural event for a nimble and quick car and make it into a deal-breaker is beyond stupid - it's almost Detroit-like! http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

- Riff "how ya doin' MTX?" Ster

P.S. Then again, IIRC, Detroit has more than a little stake in the fortunes of Mitsu - so that might explain the 'shoot ourselves in the pocketbook' philosophy! http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/rolleyes1.gif

M_TYPE_X
06-07-2004, 04:45 PM
As far as I know, Chrysler (Dodge) still plans to have their own reskinned version of the EVO for sale in the not-so-far future. So heck yeah they do care.

SimpleS14
06-07-2004, 08:50 PM
As far as I know, Chrysler (Dodge) still plans to have their own reskinned version of the EVO for sale in the not-so-far future. So heck yeah they do care.




Are you serious about that? Would it happen to be a jacked up AWD turbocharged Neon? http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Kim_Jong_Il
06-07-2004, 09:48 PM
Mitsubishi- Where customer service and satisfaction is number 4,349. http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/rolleyes1.gif

Blurple240
06-08-2004, 02:59 AM
Can they even do that if it's not in the original contract?

-john

M_TYPE_X
06-08-2004, 08:06 PM
Mitsubishi- Where customer service and satisfaction is number 4,349. http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/rolleyes1.gif



The problem is that Mitsubishi needs to cut costs, but they can't cut customer service and kill off whatever customer satisfaction they have ..... it's like a man in a desert dying of thirst, coming up to a water bottle, and kicking it over into the sand. http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/wink.gif

s13SRmadness
06-12-2004, 06:29 PM
wow... i will tell everyone i talk to about this.
anytime the car is mentioned i will bring this up. in a very LOUD manner.

NewsReporter
06-12-2004, 07:18 PM
This is sad news, after all that time I spend defending this company to those GM V8 lovers. Mitsu is no better than Detroit http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/grin.gif

trsilvias13
06-14-2004, 10:49 AM
it was bad enough that mitsu was known to have no so reliable motors in their eclipse, but now since they wont back up any their new motor make you think... is this evo motor even reliable to the abuse it was engineer-up to take?

wei240
06-14-2004, 12:35 PM
it was bad enough that mitsu was known to have no so reliable motors in their eclipse, but now since they wont back up any their new motor make you think... is this evo motor even reliable to the abuse it was engineer-up to take?



i would think so, they've won multiple rally titles throughout evo's history, so it has to be reliable at some level, i mean, that is some heavy duty abuse, so day to day driving shouldn't be a problem.

as far as taking it to the tracks, does other company void their warranty as well??? (I'm assuming yes)
from a company's point of view, wouldn't you void warranty for off road/track/rally/autox/etc etc usage because you're putting additional wear and tear/strain on the vehicle?

NissT
06-14-2004, 01:56 PM
it was bad enough that mitsu was known to have no so reliable motors in their eclipse, but now since they wont back up any their new motor make you think... is this evo motor even reliable to the abuse it was engineer-up to take?



i would think so, they've won multiple rally titles throughout evo's history, so it has to be reliable at some level, i mean, that is some heavy duty abuse, so day to day driving shouldn't be a problem.

as far as taking it to the tracks, does other company void their warranty as well??? (I'm assuming yes)
from a company's point of view, wouldn't you void warranty for off road/track/rally/autox/etc etc usage because you're putting additional wear and tear/strain on the vehicle?



I'm pretty sure that cars that you see in the rallies have brand new engines for every race. Moreover, they are probably built with different quality and materials.

wei240
06-14-2004, 02:35 PM
I'm pretty sure that cars that you see in the rallies have brand new engines for every race. Moreover, they are probably built with different quality and materials.



huh? so you're saying they mass produce an engine and for rally vehicles, they use different materials and quality on the same engine??? doesn't make sense, unless of course you can show some proof... mitsu's in the red, unlike other car companies, i doubt they have money to play around like that...

i don't know rally/wrc as much, maybe others can speak on it, but i would think the basic engine/drivetrain should be the same from the rally cars and the current evo, (unlike the wrx sti and the non wrc compliant 2.5l engine)

fsae_alum
06-15-2004, 07:38 PM
What's REALLY sad is that their direct competitior, Subaru, is doing the EXACT opposite. When you buy an STI, you get a SCCA license. Furthermore, Subaru has been sponsoring many autocrosses and track events in the ATL area and has even gone so far as to furnish pit equipment for some of these events.

Another way to look at it is that Mitsu is saying "We'll sell you a super bad arse sports sedan...but we don't want you to race nt in a closed, controlled environment. It's okay if you do it on the street, just as long as it's not on a track." http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/rolleyes1.gif

If the quality wasn't already a reason not to buy a Mitsu, this sure is.

BTW, the WRC engines and trannies are MUCH different than the production engines. Pick up a backissue of Racecar Engineering to see for yourself.

Kookz
06-16-2004, 08:19 AM
does other company void their warranty as well??? (I'm assuming yes)

BMW did this with the M3.