2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

CLUTCH FAILED AT 16K MILES AFTER 18 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. THE DEALER OFFERED TO EXAMINE IT FOR POSSIBLE WARRANTY COVERAGE, BUT BECAUSE OF PARTICIPATION IN AUTOCROSS EVENTS, THE WARRANTY CLAIM WOULD HAVE BEEN DENIED. HOWEVER, AUTOCROSSING DID NOT CONTRIBUTE ANY SIGNIFICANT WEAR TO THE CLUTCH ANY MORE SO THAN NORMAL EVERY DAY DRIVING. AS A 25 YEAR, SEASONED DRIVER OF MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS, THIS WAS THE FIRST CLUTCH I'VE EVER HAD FAIL ON A VEHICLE. BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM OTHER EVO OWNERS, VIA THE EVOLUTIONM.NET WEB SITE, I REPLACED THE CLUTCH WITH A NON-STOCK CLUTCH DUE TO THE INHERENT WEAKNESS OF THE STOCK PART. *NM

SINCE I HAVE HAD MY 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION VIII I HAVE HAD 4 PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE DRIVETRAIN. FIRST AT 1300 MILES, MY CLUTCH WENT OUT. IT WAS NOT WARRANTED EVEN THOUGH THE MITSUBISHI WARRANTY SAID 12000 MILES OR 12 MONTHS. THEN AGAIN AT ABOUT 14000 MILES THE CLUTCH FAILED AGAIN, AND IT WAS STILL NOT A WARRANTY PROBLEM. FINALLY AT ABOUT 30,000 MILES AROUND THE MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY THIS YEAR THE CENTER DIFFERENTIAL BLEW, CAUSING THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. FORTUNATELY THAT WAS WARRANTED, ALTHOUGH I STILL HAD TO PAY FOR A THIRD CLUTCH. I WAS WITH OUT MY CAR FOR OVER A MONTH WHILE I HAD TO WAIT FOR THE DEALERSHIP TO FIND A TRANSMISSION TO REPLACE MINE. *JB

I OWN A 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION THAT WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW FROM THE DEALERSHIP IN THE MIDDLE OF 2003. THE CAR HAD RUN FINE UNTIL ABOUT MAY 12TH OF THIS YEAR. THE CAR STARTED PERFORMING ODDLY. THE TURBO AND ENGINE WOULD NOT PROVIDE FULL POWER AT RANDOM TIMES WHILE DRIVING. I WAS INFORMED BY MECHANICS THAT IT COULD POSSIBLY BE A VACUUM LINE LEAK OR HOSE LEAK. ACTING ON THEIR ADVICE, I PURCHASED FROM THE DEALERSHIP REPLACEMENT FACTORY VACUUM HOSES AND REPLACED THEM ON THE CAR. THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. I THEN DECIDED TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP BEING THAT THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND TOLD THEM THE PROBLEM. DURING THIS TIME THE ENGINE HAD ALSO PICKED UP A SLIGHT TICKING SOUND. AFTER TWO DAYS I WAS CONTACTED SAYING THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM OTHER THAN MY INTERCOOLER HOSES BEING A LITTLE LOOSE FROM HAVING REMOVED AND REPLACED THEM TO DO THE HOSE INSTALL. I WAS THEN CHARGED 200$ FOR LABOR. I PICKED THE CAR UP AND IMMEDIATELY UPON HEADING HOME COULD FEEL THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE/TURBO AND TICKING. I TOOK THE CAR BACK IMMEDIATELY AND LET THE SERVICE MANAGER HEAR THE TICKING AND INFORMED HIM THAT THE CAR WAS STILL HAVING ENGINE PROBLEMS. HE ASKED ME TO BRING IT BACK ON MONDAY AND THEY WOULD THEN ADDRESS THE ISSUE. I RETURNED MY VEHICLE TO THE SHOP THAT MONDAY AND WAS NOT CONTACTED UNTIL I CALLED THEM ON THURSDAY ONLY TO BE TOLD MY WARRANTY WAS NOT BEING HONORED BECAUSE SOMEONE HAD BEEN 'MESSING AROUND' NEAR THE TURBO (THE LOCATION THE VACUUM LINES WERE REPLACED). I INFORMED THEM WHY THEY WOULD SEE THAT AND I WAS TOLD I WOULD NEED TO OPEN A CASE WITH MMNA TO APPEAL THEIR DECISION. THAT APPEAL WAS ALSO REJECTED AS THE DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE OF THAT LOCATION WOULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT I HAD TO SAY. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO THE CAR TO FIX THE PROBLEM, AND I AM LEFT WITH HAVING TO PAY OUT OF POCKET NOW TO DIAGNOSE AND FIX A PROBLEM WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.

1) I AM IN THE MILITARY DEPLOYED TO AFGHANISTAN... 1 MONTH BEFORE I DEPLOYED MY STOCK CLUTCH WAS SLIPPING. THIS IS NOT COVERED BY MITSUBISHI'S WARRANTY. I WAS READING ON MY FORUMS AND THERE WERE AT LEAST 2 TO 300 PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM ALL AROUND 5000 MILES ON THE CAR REGARDLESS OF HOW THE CAR WAS DRIVEN. I PURCHASED A NEW CLUTCH, $1300 AND HAD THE DEALERSHIP INSTALL IT FOR $800 FIGURING THAT THEY WOULD WARRANTY THERE WORK. I DEPLOYED TO AFGHANISTAN, CAME BACK AND ABOUT 2 MONTHS OF DRIVING THE CAR MY CAR WAS MAKING A HI SQUEALING NOISE. THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS THE CLUTCH. ALTHOUGH THEY DID NO OTHER INSPECTION. I ORDERED A NEW CLUTCH HAD THEM INSTALL IT... SAME PROBLEM CONTINUED. SO I PAID ANOTHER 700 FOR A NEW CLUTCH FOR NO REASON. THEN THEY REDIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. THEY REPLACED THAT UNDER WARRANTY... PROBLEM WAS FIXED. I WAS BABYING THE CAR FOR A WEEK OR SO BECAUSE OF THE CLUTCH BREAK IN PERIOD IS SUGGESTED 1000 MILES. WHILE DOING 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY THE CAR NOISE CAME BACK JUST AS BAD AS BEFORE... CALLED MITSUBISHI AND THEY REFUSED REPAIR BY ORDER OF THE DISTRICT REP. 2. THE NOISE HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE AND HAS CAUSED MY CAR TO BE SLUGGISH NOW. I WOULD LIKE MY DRIVETRAIN TO HAVE A THOROUGH INSPECTION AND FIXED WHERE NECESSARY. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED FOR MY CLUTCH THAT I HAD TO BUY THAT WASN'T FAULTY TO BEGIN WITH. I ALSO THINK MITSUBISHI NEEDS TO ADHERE TO A WARRANTY ON THERE DRIVETRAIN. REGARDLESS IF YOU INSTALL AN AFTERMARKET CLUTCH IN YOUR CAR, THE DRIVETRAIN SHOULD BE COVERED. WHO IN THERE RIGHT MIND WOULD PAY FOR THE INSTALLATION OF A NEW STOCK CLUTCH AND FLY WHEEL IF ITS JUST GOING TO GO BAD AT THE SAME TIME YOU NEED YOUR OIL CHANGE. *NM