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Mitsubishi Outlander Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • kiara2002kiara2002 Member Posts: 3
    I had belt squeaking noise on our Toyota Camry (and on my friend's Corolla later). I bought so called belt-dresser, or "Belt Conditioner". It is a spray can. Please, read instructions. The belt was running while I was spraying it. Helped 100%. There is no squicking noise any more. :)
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    Belts are wear items; I'd doubt it'd be covered by warranty. But then, the dealer could surprise you.

    I second the suggestion of using belt dressing. But if the squeaking returns, get it addressed by a mechanic. The belt may just need adjusting or it may be prematurely wearing.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • toomanyfumestoomanyfumes Member Posts: 1,019
    It only did it that one time. It was wet out and had been driven in the rain, but of course it's driven in the rain often. I'll keep an ear out to hear it again, got a couple road trips coming up, good piece of mind still having warranty and roadside assistance.
    2012 Mustang Premium, 2013 Lincoln MKX Elite, 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander.
  • batman47batman47 Member Posts: 606
    You may try using baby Johnson powder directly onto the grooves of the moving parts. It stops the noises in the old wife’s car.
  • atomahokeatomahoke Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem as most of you, temperature knob seems hard to turn and will not engage the heater. My local mechanic said that the dealer would sell the "Heater Box" for $1200 and then labor would be ~$500. This is INSANE! Luckily, I live in Southern California, but we need heat once in a while as well.
    Has anyone gotten any further with this? Can't afford $1700.
    Thanks.
  • scratchheadscratchhead Member Posts: 2
    hi guys, need your help in this!

    On my 2007 outlander XLS AWD, the steering clock spring was replaced at 66K miles (yes, just after warranty). Few months later (now 69K), there is a play at the steering center. Basically, while driving at slower speeds, if I turn the steering left or right slightly, I feel a slip, as if something is loose. The steering is responsive while making full turns, but from the center 15 degrees left and right, it is neither stiff nor responsive (ie. there is a lag).

    I dropped off the vehicle at the dealer. The mechanic test drove it and said he did not notice anything unusual. But now I am feeling it always, so maybe I will take it back again. Before that I would like to get your views on what might be the problem. Already I spend 300 odd dollars for the clock spring, wondering how much more I need to shell out :cry:

    Another issue: it is pretty cold out here..and in the morning during a cold start, my tail pipe throws white fumes like anything. I know in cold climate, this happens, but this year (4th year of ownership), the first 5 minutes of drive (even more while idling) is really really bad. The dealer said he could not find any leaks and that it might be vapor. Hope he is true.

    All I can say is I regret the mitsu purchase :mad:
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    Not sure why you regret the purchase. You've had one out of pocket repair so far and may be looking at another. That's in 69K miles and about 4 years of ownership. Unless the car has proven unreliable in other ways that doesn't sound bad to me at all.

    If the steering play you're feeling is eventually traced to the clock spring, then assuming you had Mitsu do the original repair it would be covered by a 12 month/12K mile warranty. Consider taking it to another dealer or asking to let you drive them so you can demonstrate the issue.

    The white you're seeing is almost certainly vapor. If there was an emissions problem the CEL would come on. Look around at the other cars on the road and you'll see it everywhere.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • scratchheadscratchhead Member Posts: 2
    I am not sure whether the steering issue is clock spring related; because I really feel the slip is around the rack & pinion area...something like gear teeth slippage. Can it be visually inspected easily by a mechanic or is it inside some box. Can an independent mechanic also check this or do they need special tools?

    Well I regret because I have spend a lot of time on things which were not easily identifiable starting with excessive noise (NVH). Nothing really broke..except clock spring (I can drive with this steering issue..the steering does not pull to one side), but the overall experience was not pleasant.
  • jonoxjonox Member Posts: 100
    I've recently heard from two different Mitsu. dealers that the "severe maintenance" interval on new models will soon be increased beyond the 3 month/6000km limit now recommended to four or five months.

    Anyone have more details on this proposed change?
  • tonyblutonyblu Member Posts: 2
    I drive a Mits Outlander 2005 4WD Auto-transmission.
    I put it in D-Drive but it didnt move.
    R-Reverse moves but after a chug sound.
    Last Saturday, while filling the AC gas, another mech checked and noticed that the front shafts had damaged plastic covers that were replaced. But ATF fluid dripped from the tranny thru the removed shafts.

    While topping the ATF, this fluid spilled on some wire harness and wire-sockets on the tranny next to the dip-stick opening.

    This morning, when the D-Drive failed to move the car, I noticed an extra dull glow of the green light on N-Neutral on the dash-board indicator when the stick is in the D-Drive position.
    No Check-Engine light came up. No blinking light on cluster.

    Can this spilled ATF on these cable cause the tranny to fail like this?

    What can I do to correct it?

    I cant move the car to a scan centre.

    Any ideas??

    ??
  • tonyblutonyblu Member Posts: 2
    An Update...Resolved!

    Hi,
    Seems like it was indeed ELECTRICAL!

    I topped up the ATF & took off the battery terminals since I couldnt lay hands on a mobile scanner.

    The battery terminals stayed off for 3 days, and I reconnected it this morning. Checked that the atf level was ok.

    Engaged D-position and d Outie MOVED FWD effortlessly the way it was supposed to! Reverse was also ok. The funny lights on the P D N were also gone.

    Inasmuch as I want to take it for a spin, it's not leaving my garage until I get a scanned diagnosis done - incl the tranny control unit status. I dont want any surprises since the CUV is being driven by wifey (usu when carrying 2 under-5 girls). I wont want them getting stuck in Lagos (Nigeria) sun & traffic hazards.

    My guess is that d tranny detected low atf level & entered limp mode to protect d tranny (?), or d spilled atf on d tranny cables triggered d limp mode.

    Flushing off d spilled atf with water & removal of d batt possibly reset d ECU & TCU to default allowing original progmming to execute.

    But I'll know for sure when I get d scan done. I'm kinda sacred driving it to a scan shop - I dont want it stalling on me halfway.

    Rgds.
    Tony.
  • toomanyfumestoomanyfumes Member Posts: 1,019
    Glad to hear problem might be solved. Good luck..
    2012 Mustang Premium, 2013 Lincoln MKX Elite, 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander.
  • costello1costello1 Member Posts: 60
    I have 43k on my car and need to replace brake pads on both axels , what is a fair price to do this? Local Mitis dealers wants $179 per .Thanks
  • toomanyfumestoomanyfumes Member Posts: 1,019
    My '07 Outlander has 44K and I just had the pads replaced. For ceramic pads both axles, Rotors lightly turned to take off the glaze, And a oil change and the 30K inspection I never got done, my independent mechanic charged less than $400.

    That price from the dealer doesn't sound bad, if they're resurfacing the rotors. My guy didn't do that at first, they were squealing badly with the new pads, he had to remove them and have them cut.
    2012 Mustang Premium, 2013 Lincoln MKX Elite, 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander.
  • comem47comem47 Member Posts: 399
    While I was very impressed previously how quick they FEDEXed and repaired my only previous problem on my 2007 Outlander (broken spring). I am disappointed to say the least that I'm being told today my ABS unit is on backorder and may take several weeks!!! Problem is a fault with ASC , so it is now disabled. Of course the car is driveable without stability control, but the display screen is in yellow mode displaying the fault with minimal data I can select while driving. The car was in a week ago for the diagnosis and I really thought the part was probably in and they didn't get around to calling me back yet, so I called today. Several weeks is BAD!!! Like I said, sure glad I can drive it in the mean time but wonder if there is a run on these things going bad to not have some in inventory. :confuse:
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    Sorry to hear about it. Maybe the supplier was impacted by the Japan quake and hasn't fully rebounded.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • rcpaxrcpax Member Posts: 580
    Like I said, sure glad I can drive it in the mean time but wonder if there is a run on these things going bad to not have some in inventory

    The ABS system is something not commonly broken, that's probably why they don't have spare parts readily available. Maybe they have to ship it from Japan. You would be more worried if it was readily available, because that would mean they are anticipating a lot of repairs. That's just another way to look at it.
  • comem47comem47 Member Posts: 399
    edited September 2011
    I guess I look at it another way. While you don't stock all but the most commonly used parts at a dealer, one should have a depot stock in the US available for overnight FEDEX. Either they have a run on these things or they initially poorly stocked them. Several weeks backorder is not a good situation for the customer or dealer and usually only happens with recalls. Even though a part might not often fail, parts that are critical for operation still need some level of stocking anyway. If I was trying to pass an inspection now I would be SOL if it was related to safety and braking (not sure about ASC). I do have an inspection due in the month of October so I might be unpleasantly finding this out soon enough. When I order a hamburger, I don't expect them to raise the cow and butcher it first as part of my order process if you know what I mean!!! . . :sick:

    .
  • batman47batman47 Member Posts: 606
    edited September 2011
    Ceramic brake pads? What is wrong using the OME Outlander brake pads? You may not needed to resurface the disk rotor would you stick to OME parts.
  • batman47batman47 Member Posts: 606
    ABS sensors are embedded (screwed) on each fix part adjacent to each wheel. When any of these sensors is faulty, the ABS icon light comes on in the control panel announcing that an ABS sensor is malfunctioning.

    This problem is very rare in a vehicle with 40K miles. Generally the ABS sensor starts failing because corrosion has made its way into the delicate parts of the sensors. My Lexus SC300 is 14 years-old and the ABS light appeared on the control panel. I took the vehicle to a Lexus garage and I almost fainted when the price was quoted (which included sensors replacement + labour). I jacked up the car and cleaned thoroughly the 4-sensors with cleaning oil and indeed the 4-sensors were almost welded to the fix part joined to the wheels. I tried to unscrew them so I could check each of them individually but without success and even a screw snapped. I used a spanner and knocked the surrounding area of the sensor relatively hard in the hope that the vibration of the hitting would detach the very small corrosion inside the sensor that was interfering with the ABS sensor signals. Luckily the front sensor that I attacked first was the faulty one so I did not need to hit the other three.

    It worked! I do not have the ABS icon light on anymore in the control dash.
  • comem47comem47 Member Posts: 399
    Well the only thing I know is they've ordered an ABS module for my ASC fault and the display panel says ASC is disabled. Doesn't say sensor on the ordered part and that was the Mitsu dealer's diagnosis. Since it's covered under warranty they are running the show. Stay tuned. Eventually the part will either fix it or not when it comes in.
  • solowalkersolowalker Member Posts: 118
    My O7 Outtie has 62K and I still have the original battery..The indicator on the battery is "clear" and not "blue". This means that it needs charging according to the owners manual..The Battery still works like new even though it is 4 years old..I can't believe how durable this car is with all the abuse I've given it. :) ..I'd like to buy a new part for this car but everything works fine..Why buy a new battery if the old one is still full of life even though the indicator is not showing blue...Anybody else with an 07 install a new battery yet?
  • toomanyfumestoomanyfumes Member Posts: 1,019
    Well that's what my mechanic put in. Yeah I kinda wish he would have stuck with the O.E.M. pads.
    2012 Mustang Premium, 2013 Lincoln MKX Elite, 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander.
  • toomanyfumestoomanyfumes Member Posts: 1,019
    4 years isn' t too long. Isn't 5-6 around standard battery life? Depends if you want too take a chance on getting stranded somewhere, especially if you get extremes in temperature which is hard on a battery.

    I have the original battery in my '05 Lincoln LS, which the original owner bought new in "04. I think I'm gonna replace that one before winter.
    2012 Mustang Premium, 2013 Lincoln MKX Elite, 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander.
  • batman47batman47 Member Posts: 606
    Four years is a good indication to replace the battery in your Outlander even if it appears to be OK.

    Order an OEM Outlander battery according to the size of the engine and install it yourself. It is relatively easy and you will save $30-$50 on labour. You will note quick response in all your electronic stuff (e.g. windows closing/opening quicker, electrical seats moving faster, xenon headlamps brighter, etc)
  • comem47comem47 Member Posts: 399
    edited September 2011
    Glad to say I now have my 2007 LS back from having the ABS module replaced for an ASC problem. Very glad the wait was only 2 weeks and not the original several weeks they thought it might take. Now I'm set for inspection next week. (they took me home with the shuttle van and then came back to get me as total time was about 1/2 day to replace the module and bleed the brakes) Sure bet that would have been big $$ if not covered by warranty and glad I got 1 more yr remaining on the bumper to bumper part. (no price is printed when covered under warranty and all charges showed as $0.00.) :shades:
  • rcpaxrcpax Member Posts: 580
    nice to hear everything went okay.i have a couple things done to my xls 07. twice when i had to leave at to the dealership for a couple of days, i got a rental, and then a loaner from the dealership.so it want too bad.
  • comem47comem47 Member Posts: 399
    I was on my way to get inspected today and of course my TPMS screwed me over. I was 1/2 way there and the light went on. Not knowing if it was the sensor I went home and determined it was very marginal difference on tire pressure, no doubt due to lower temps. But to get to that determination I had to first remove the plastic valve stem caps that were all fused in place. I needed pliers and a lot of twisting destroying 2 of the caps and found each valve stem cap and valve mechanism had white crap (like dissimilar metal corrosion) inside each one. I can't see how it could be salt from last year they were on so tight and we're talking plastic against metal. To feed my paranoia: Is this some new scam where some places are spray gluing on plastic caps? In over 40 year of driving in numerous different vehicles I've never had a plastic cap I couldn't remove by hand. BTW: it took over 1/8 mile of driving for TPMS to be happy again. I'd rather I didn't have that inspection complication that's $ waiting in my maintenance future.
  • batman47batman47 Member Posts: 606
    With the economical situation nowadays and garages running of lack of car repairs, so what better to purposely trouble your Outlander so you could become a “good” customer. Nice to hear you are OK now and I share your paranoia
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    In Fall of 2010 my TPMS went off when the temps started dropping. I topped up all 4 as they were all about 4-5 PSI under spec. Didn't check the spare. The warning so far hasn't happened this fall.

    But that's TPMS operating as it should and I've no problem with it. The question is why your caps were "glued" on. Maybe the stem-based TPMS sensors corrode easier. Maybe at some point tire inflator/fix-a-flat was used by a shop. Dunno; I can't say anything with certainty and you've given us food for thought. I'll double-check my tire caps later this morning.

    As to the TPMS taking 1/8th mile to reset, that's normal. I've generally heard 10 minutes of driving does it and when I had aired my tires up it did take a few minutes of driving before the light turned off. Some sensors don't actually check the pressure but look for a tire that's rotating at a different rate than the other three; that indicates the tire isn't inflated to the same degree. I'm not sure what kind of sensors Mitsu is using.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • jonoxjonox Member Posts: 100
    Are you guys using nitrogen in your tires?
    With N2 I've only needed to top up one tire between service visits one time during the last 18 months. Caps no problem.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited November 2011
    This may be of interest.

    Nitrogen in the tires
  • comem47comem47 Member Posts: 399
    Well one of the money making scams seems to be to fail people for supposed bad wipers. I know I gave mine a quick look before going for inspection on the Mitsu and gave a closer look on my wife's car before going and I don't remember any tears on the wipers, but surprise -both vehicles were going to fail because of that. (they hope you will buy their heavily marked up wiper blades in order to pass on the spot). Since I also had to adjust my emergency brake to pass I had to come back again and paid a lot less for blade inserts at Walmart before my return. When I was having my re-inspection it was no surprise to me that the person in the next bay was having their wiper blades replaced. In the future I'll have spare blades ready to go and will absolutely inspect them before I go in. Any tears suddenly appearing next time and I think the Attorney General's office will hear from me about it.
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    No nitrogen here. If it were free I might consider it but using it is just preempting the law of diminishing returns that's actually working in your favor while lining someone else's pockets. Consider a tire filled with normal air which is more or less 76% Nitrogen, 24% Other.

    It develops a leak. According to the folks who push nitrogen, the molecules are too big to get out so just the 24% Other gets out. I top it up with normal air again. It's now:

    (76% + (76% of 24%)) Nitrogen, (24% of 24%) Other. Simplified, that's 94% Nitrogen, 6% Other.

    The leak stays so that 6% Other eventually gets out. Top it up again and the tires are up to 98.5% Nitrogen and just 1.5% Other. At that point the leak probably won't go low enough to trigger the TPMS but if it does a final top-up will put it at 99.6% Nitrogen and 0.4% Other.

    Now I've got nitrogen-filled tires and it didn't cost me anything other than the periodic top-up of the tires. My Outlander is 23 months old & I've only added air once. So for me that periodic top-up is rare enough to not matter.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    Inspections in Chicagoland are much simpler: They connect to the OBDC computer & read the codes. They're only after emissions issues. And all of the test facilities are run by the state government, not private companies, so if you fail they're not going to try & sell you fix-it stuff.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • jonoxjonox Member Posts: 100
    My 2010 has N2 filled tires as original equipment with free N2 top up. If needs be I've no problem using air between service visits .
    Your calculation is interesting but info. from Steve is also worth a look.
  • slubellslubell Member Posts: 1
    Just bought a '10 Outtie SE. Where's the oli filter? Any tips on maintenance would be appreciated.
  • jonoxjonox Member Posts: 100
    To safeguard the balance of your 10 year warranty suggest you follow the Warranty and Maintenance Manual service schedule carefully. Your first decision depending on where and how you intend to use your vehicle is whether to follow the Severe or Regular maintenance schedule. Be aware that vehicles driven in Canada need to use the Severe schedule - I've been around the issue with MMSCAN and they are firm on this.
  • rcpaxrcpax Member Posts: 580
    See Outlander DIY Oil Change here: http://bit.ly/VWhkD
  • pirx2011pirx2011 Member Posts: 1
    Hey guys, I'm trying to find out wheater the mitsubishi synthetic oil brand is an full synthetic oil and who is the maker.
    Any thoughts about using versus Mobil 1?
    Thanks.
  • batman47batman47 Member Posts: 606
    Any sythetic oil 5-20W brand is good for the Outlander. Very cold weather 0-20W is OK. Very hot 5-30W is OK.
  • danvodanvo Member Posts: 4
    Yes. I just done my 2005 Outlander. Here is the clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4aH_hZTDU0
  • costello1costello1 Member Posts: 60
    Now that my local Mitis dealer has closed and the closest one is 2 hours away , I was wondering what a 60k checkup would cost if I went to a local shop . Any ideas? What needs to be done at this time?
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    If you still have your manuals there should be a maintenance guide describing the required service. Also, Edmunds has a page at http://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/ that lists services at various mileage. See the Maintenance & Recalls section. If they have data for the '07 then that should say as well.

    As a guideline it's going to be whatever they did at the 30K service plus, depending on the your engine, the timing belt. There might be a couple of other things but the timing belt, if it needs replacing, would be the biggie. And if you do replace the timing belt go ahead & replace the other belts. It costs maybe $50 for the parts but there shouldn't be any added labor since they're already incurring the labor to get at the timing belt.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • toomanyfumestoomanyfumes Member Posts: 1,019
    '07 Outlander V6 timing belt change is at 105k per the service manager at Mitsubishi dealer near me. Got a Class 3 trailer hitch and wiring harness from etrailer.com last week. Easy install, now I can pull my utility trailer.
    2012 Mustang Premium, 2013 Lincoln MKX Elite, 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander.
  • bobw1bobw1 Member Posts: 19
    I have a 2008 Outlander with 62,000 miles so it's just out of warranty, and the AM Radio just quit working. The FM works fine. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks....
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    If all you're getting is static then I'd suggest tracing the antenna and looking for corrosion or shorts in the line. Before crawling under the dash, dismount the antenna & look for corrosion in the mount.

    Since FM works you know it isn't an electrical or fuse issue. Nor has the head unit died. Though beyond the antenna it is still possible the head unit has an internal problem.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • bobw1bobw1 Member Posts: 19
    Thanks for the input. When it first went out I got a weak signal for about a day. Now there is no noise on the am, not even static. I'll check the antenna and wiring.
  • fastgstfastgst Member Posts: 46
    Do you guys have any problems with your outlander, I am planning to buy a 2012 2.4L DOHC model.

    I looked under the hood and was pleased to find everything very easy to access and work on, I can name everything under the hood unlike some of the newer cars.

    But what I want to know is the reliability in general, my pass experience is that mitsubishi has fairly good reliability in general.
  • toomanyfumestoomanyfumes Member Posts: 1,019
    Judging by postings on these forum's, this gen Outlanders seem to be very reliable. My '07 LS V6 has had no issues except tires and brakes in 57 K
    2012 Mustang Premium, 2013 Lincoln MKX Elite, 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander.
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