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Mitsubishi Diamante

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  • gtroopgtroop Member Posts: 85
    Has anyone installed poly bushings on their 92 - 96 Diamante? I am thinking of doing this to tighten things up a bit and eliminate some side to side sway. Any tips, opinions?
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    Hey all...was at the dealer today and saw a new VRX on the lot. They just had one and it is this sort of ugly (in my opinion) burnt red/orange color. Has Titanium trim inside in leiu of the plasti-wood, perforated leather seats and steering wheel in black (wish this color was available on regular D's). The wheels look good, but not sure if I like the big spoiler on the back. The door handles are blacked out too (I think they just omitted the silver strip in them). Didn't have a chance to thoroughly inspect, just had a couple of question about my '93 and had to get going. I did notice that the list price was only $28K, versus $29K for the LS in the show room.

    Where did this model come from? Seems like no announcement and it just appeared out of nowhere.

    Chris
  • vivonavivona Member Posts: 410
    I usually refer people to http://www.magauto.com/mitsubishi.htm as a place to buy genuine Mitsubishi OEM parts at wholesale. They have now added an online store. You can now look up a part and get the price even if you are just curious. Just click "Buy OE Parts Online Today"


    If Magauto is out of the part, another dealer offering the same online service and the same prices is http://www.auto-parts-direct.com/mitsubishi.htm Just select the online Mitsubishi parts catalog.


    Both sites use the same web site system. You use an Explorer-type interface to select parts and many parts provide you with an illustration. That can be handy even if you are just taking your Diamante apart for modifications.


    Mark these sites for your future reference.


    Mr. Vivona

  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    check links on post 647 and 650......is the VR-x similar or different in any way to these pics of foreign models of Magna/Diamante?
  • mariposarosadamariposarosada Member Posts: 54
    Highway noise really bothers me. That's one of the reasons I bought my 94 Diamante?because it seemed quiet. But, I had no idea how quiet it actually was until I found a chart comparing cars from 92-93 model year. This is a link to a PDF containing a comparison chart of the Diamante to other high-end cars, including the "whisper quiet" Lexus ES. The Diamante appears to be the quietest car on the list at 67 dB, except for the BMW 7. Does anyone know where I can find updated information on interior noise levels of cars?


    Click on this link and search for "diamante":


    http://www.fra.dot.gov/pdf/rr_hornsys.pdf

  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    Hey--

    I checked the links, the VR-X does look like the VR from New Zealand. I wonder why it's not on the US website yet. The only difference I noticed was on the NZ model the silver strips were still on the door handles. The one I saw, the handles were all black.

    Chris
  • stim02stim02 Member Posts: 1
    Hello,

    I'm looking at a '98 Diamante ES; this is one beguiling vehicle. I've test driven it twice now, and I believe I have a good feel for the car.

    Here are a few questions, if anyone can help me out:

    * The climate control display is odd; different is good, but I found it very difficult to read the display during the day (yes, the headlights were turned off). Is the display supposed to be this dim, or is there a problem with this particular car?

    * I've heard some scary reports about Mitsubishi reliability. Specifically, can anyone offer some objective advice/experience regarding the '98 Diamante (i.e. anything to look for)?

    Overall, I love the exterior styling, and the interior (despite a few cheap-plastic looking components) is acceptable. The car drove well (decent suspension, quiet, good radio), and I think it's a great alternative to the boring Accord and Camry.

    Any help would be great.

    Thanks!
  • bizilabizila Member Posts: 1
    Hello. This is my first time on this discussion. I have a 1997 Diamante LS. I have two questions. Question 1: The in dash cd player displays "E-03" when I try and play a cd, any cd. The audio system is the Infinity with the the cd trunk changer. Changer works fine, indash does not read. Any one know what the code means? The second question is entry light timing when I open the doors. How do I adjust so the interior light stays on longer than 3 or 4 seconds? Thank you!
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    Stim,

    The '98 would be a good choice in a used sedan. I agree about the Camry and Accord, both are far too bland for my tastes.

    I have a '93 ES, and have had minor problems. Going strong with 148K miles and just drove (a week ago I got back) from Phoenix to Seattle with no problems. I haven't heard of any major reliability problems with regards to the Diamante, so not sure where you got your info.

    As far as the climate control goes, the display on '97 and new Diamante's is hard to read and has been critcized in about every review written about the car. Just something you will have to live with... Just make sure it blows cold air and you should be OK.

    Hope this helps,

    Chris
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    Not sure about the CD problems (sounds like the dealer could give an easy answer)... As far as the light goes, I don't believe the delay is adjustable...sorry.

    Maybe a techy like Vivona could shed more light on it.

    Best,

    Chris
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    VR-X pricing is available at www.kbb.com.

    It seem to include rear spoiler, sport suspension, stabilizer bars, unique alloy wheels, perforated black leather upholstery, metal interior trim, and the special Tuscany red color. It is also available in Black or Silver.

    The sunroof and Infinity sound system from the LS are optional as a package.

    You all can review the equipment list and see if there are any other discrepancies...

    Chris
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    gave me a price of 26070 for a VR-X with the sun/sound package.....not a bad deal....very hot car for the price.
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    Good price but the ES at only $22.5K is a steal. Can't beat that price for a car with all that equipment.
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    adds a sunroof, Infinity sound, leather, extra bodywork, i believe also power memory seats and some other things. a 3500 dollar difference that I think is well spent.

    czibert, also check for used Diamantes....i purchased a 6 month old 2001 for less than 16k. The dealer I bought from right now has 8 2001 Diamantes, some with as few as 7k miles. Priced at 16200 for the ES and 19and change for the LS.
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    Regfootball-

    I will probably be keeping my '93 for a while longer (still in school) but am probably looking at another car in 1-2 years. I will deffinitely consider a used D, they are good deals. Never heard of screaming deals like those however (my local dealer slaps a 2nd sticker on everything and currently only has 3 Diamante's in stock, all new, 2 LS and one VR-X), but I will keep an eye out. I just wish Mitsu would offer the car in a few more colors. It only has two that are actually "colorful" (green and maroon) and neither appeal to me. What's with everything being silver/gold/black/white?? The same with the interior, only tan and gray. I would love a dark blue LS with black leather....

    Just curious, do you still have the stock steel wheels on your ES or did you put some alloys on? What about the stereo?

    Chris
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    wheels are steel with hubcaps

    stereo is base cd.....needs an upgrade

    i know what you mean about colors......most of the "colors" are either white, black gray or some form of beige....not exciting.

    I've been wanting to wheels on the car but the wife won't let me......i've been trying to convince her of the virtues of "added size" on the wheels, but to no avail so far.
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    www.geocities.com/regfootball/diamante-side.jpg

    here's a pic of my (wife's) Diamante...in case you're interested....
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    Looks good. I would probably first want to add some alloys (maybe look for a set from the LS, can they be bought at the dealer?). I would probably keep the sound system, probably add the CD changer. I love mine.

    Not too happy with my aftermarket sunroof right now so I would seriously hesitate before installing another (why isn't a factory roof optional on the ES??? It used to be). Just moved the car from Phoenix to Seattle and as soon as it rained the floor of the car became soaking wet. It's in the shop right now having $250 worth of repairs. Apparently when the unit was installed the people put in incorrect drain hoses that were not long enough so it drains INTO the cars interior! The guy wanted another $400 to remove the carpet and replace the matt underneath, but I can't justify it/afford it. I will dry it out as well as I can and if mildew shows up (as he predicts may occur) then I will deal with it at that time.

    Chris
  • ccancioccancio Member Posts: 91
    Hey All,
    My wife did something awesome over the weekend!!!

    She closed the garage door while the car was only 3 quarters of the way out thinking she was in the clear....(sigh)!
    Now the only evidence is my bent power antenna...really a sad sight for such a nice looking car!

    Anyway can anyone offer any "gotcha's" in replacing just the antenna? I ordered it for $38 from the local Mitsi place. Is it something best left to the professional? They're charging around $150 in labor to replace.

    Thanks in Advance...
    -C-
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    Mine is also broken (not the antenna, it just won't go up and down anymore), quoted the same price. I haven't gotten around to having it fixed yet, has anyone else tried to do this themself?

    C, what year is your D?

    Chris
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    someday i hope to get some 17"wheels from tire rack, i like the LS rims ok, but i still really wanna go plus one in size over the 16".

    As for the sound system...I would like to do a complete overhaul, and add a head unit with an input jack so i can plug in a portable mp3 player at some point like an Ipod. Or, perhaps if i ever get tons of money to blow, I may just get a Neo jukebox.
  • prsullivanprsullivan Member Posts: 3
    I am more than likely going to buy a '98 Diamante. Is is worth it to get the LS? The ES with leather interior/sunroof is cheaper. ES doesn't have the "fake-wood" look, which doesn't bother me, but only has 15" wheels. What other differences are there? Thanks
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    I would hesitate before spending too much on a sound system for the D. Depends on how long you keep the car I guess, but you'll never get the money back. I have the optional unit with equalizers with the 6-disc changer in my car and its plenty decent for my needs.

    Yeah, 17" would be nice for wheels, but I rarely see any aftermarkets that look nice enough to put on a Diamante. All seem to scream "Camaro."
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    Well I guess it depends on how much more they are asking for the LS? In the used market the ES doesn't hold up as a strong bargain considering a used LS can be had for a little more. However, when I bought my Diamante I was happy to get an ES (looked at many LS's too) because many older cars with leather interiors are real beat up. The velour cloth in my ES still looks new after almost 10 years now.

    You seem to like the ES you are looking at, and considering it has leather and a roof I would just take that one assuming it's a much
    better price...

    Chris
  • ccancioccancio Member Posts: 91
    Chris,
    Mine's a 1999 LS.
    Are you sure what is wrong with your antenna..is it the motor?
    -C-
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    I asked the dealer about it and they told me it could be the motor and/or the antenna. I told them I still hear the motor running everytime I start/turn off the car and asked if they could just "re-attach" the antenna. They said the first thing they would do is replace the antenna mast and see if that worked, no way to reattach. If the new mast didn't have an effect they said it's that pieces of the old mast probably broke off and are jambed in the motor and then they would replace the motor. So it seems like a two-step trial and error approach, at least that's how it was described to me.
  • prsullivanprsullivan Member Posts: 3
    I am price concious also, and am looking at high mileage cars. Some kinds of cars last longer than others, If I got a car with 90-100k would it last me awhile yet? It still would be fairly new, a '97 or '98.
  • prsullivanprsullivan Member Posts: 3
    Is the insurance unusually high on this car, considering it is rare, and foreign? There are no safety ratings to be found on the internet, but is has airbags.
    Paul
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    here's what i was thinking as far as a 17" wheel


    http://www.discounttiredirect.com/product/wheels/fon065.large.jpg


    cheap, kinda trendy, not overdone

  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    When I look at used cars, low miles are my number 1 priority. I would gladly buy an older car if it had 20K less miles. Who cares if it's "fairly new"? I a 1995 has traveled 60,000 miles and a 1999 has traveled 120,000 miles the age of the engine itself is irrelevant. The newer car simply has twice as much wear and tear on the engine, suspension, and various other components. Chances are the high mileaged car will shortly need new water and fuel pumps, new hoses and belts (including the expensive timing belt) and various other repairs needed by a vehicle with that much wear and tear. That's my opinion anyway. Not going to say the Diamante is going to blow up on you (I have 148K on my '93 and running perfectly), but this is a general rule of thumb when buying used.

    All Diamante's from 92+ have scored 4 out of 5 stars in government crash tests. As far as insurance, mine doesn't seem too terribly high... Others have opinions (especially those that own the 2nd gen. D that Paul is looking at)???
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    Yeah, those wheels are pretty nice. I think they would look nice on your car. What do they run for a set of four installed?
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    each wheel is about 150.00

    tires are a different story. i would love to get michelin pilot sport all season but those are over 200 a pop.
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    i saw a biege vr-x parked on the street today.

    I had thought they were only supposed to be red....but this one had the spoiler and all.

    Since I was driving by, I didn't get a view of the interior.

    The wheels appear no different than the LS wheels.

    I went by it so fast I did not get a chance to see if the front end was any different.
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    Check out www.mitsubishicars.com guys, they finally redesigned it. Everytime I visited the old site I had problems. Never loaded correctly, stalled etc. The VR-X still isn't listed as a Diamante model however, which I can't understand given they just expended the effort to overhaul everything else.
  • ccancioccancio Member Posts: 91
    Changed my antenna of my 1999 Diamante over the weekend.

    If your antenna has snapped there is a good chance that you will have to take out the motor and disassemble a portion of the motor that houses the antenna to get the broken parts off.

    Otherwise if your antenna is still somewhat intact you can just unscrew the top retainer of the antenna mast and pull the whole antenna out with the internal plastic track. There is a small white rubber "bumper" that you will have to take from the original and install on your new part.

    When replacing make sure the power on your stereo is "on" so that the antenna is in the "extended" stage. Feed the plastic tract in the vacant hole and turn off your radio to start retracting the antenna.
    Try feel around till the motor catches the plastic track and takes in the new antenna. Carefully feed the new antenna in the hole. Finish off by screwing in the top cover.

    If you find it too hard to catch the motor on the rewind as the hole is a it small, it might be just as quick to get to the motor directly.

    Note: If you extend the antenna again without screwing the top cover the antenna will just pop out and you will have to start over again.

    As broken pieces remained inside my motor I had to take the trunk lining out and remove the motor. No biggie just a few screws bolts. Just remember where everything was attached. The part to dismantle is the aluminum tube that houses the antenna when retracted.

    There is a single screw at the base that lock's it in. Just unscrew and twist and pull the tube out. The broken pieces will come from there.

    Follow the process I described earlier in threading the plastic track back in the motor.
    I had a remote control for my car stereo so that made the job easier.

    Good Luck
    -C-
  • drmpdrmp Member Posts: 187
    Has anybody tried one?
  • vivonavivona Member Posts: 410
    I have a 1999 Diamante and my wife has a 2002. Other than the grille, tail lights and the 2002's luminescent gauges, the cars look exactly the same. They drive exactly the same, too. No problems with either car.

    Mr. Vivona
  • ccancioccancio Member Posts: 91
    All,
    I have a 1999 Diamante LS now with 30K miles on the clock now.

    I am hearing some valve chatter when idling is anyone experiencing the same? Not too noisy but enought to be noticeable?

    BTW, at 30K miles no sign of any warped rotors.

    -C-
  • wheeler24wheeler24 Member Posts: 5
    I have a 2000LS with 32,000 over the road miles. I have had the rotors turned twice so far and will need to replace them, according to the dealer, within 6-8 months. The first resurfacing took place at 21,000 when the car was 2 months out of warranty. The dealer sympathized with me and gave me a discount on the labor to repair. I complained vehemently!!, but to no avail, I had to pay and last weeks bill to resurface the rotors was $199 plus tax. I have done everything by the book, including rotating the tires myself and hand torqueing to 85lbs., with a torque stick (ratchet type). The dealer has already offered to give me a discount on the new rotors and said he will not charge me for the labor. I knew full well when I bought the car the rotors were suspect, based on the research I did and this website. I still love the car, but it's very clear to me that the brakes need to be re-engineered for this vehicle.
  • edwardoplunketedwardoplunket Member Posts: 31
    Hello Everyone,

    My 2001 again is starting to develop a pulsation in the brake pedal. We practically drug our feet on the ground to stop this car during the first 5k of break-in in a vain attempt to avoid rotor problems from the get go. No luck, rotors needed to be cut at 5k.

    My plan is to try and weasel a few bucks from Mits towards some after market rotors/pads from Austrailila (SP?). I'm not going to hold my breath though.

    It's a shame I'm going to have to spend $300-400 to fix this problem. Anyone who thinks that there is not SOME kind of a intermitant problem w/the brake rotors here must have their head in the sand. Consider yourselves lucky.

    Ed
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    some pulsation during braking, but does not seem excessive yet.....may get the rotors checked at next oil change / tire rotation.

    In comparison, there is as much or more pulsation on brakes on my 99 Taurus SHO with 36k miles (4 wheel disc).

    I am a bit disappointed in the braking performance of the Diamante, but I only have the base model setup. The bit of pulsation I do get is a drag but it seems to be becoming the norm these days on many cars. v I don't seem to be in a crisis situation yet or anything.

    Perhaps some folks here have some info on some good aftermarket pads/rotors for the D, that may last longer and perform better.
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    I too have intermittent pulsation in my '93 Diamante. One day it's terrible, the next three weeks it's fine. I too disagree with Vivona that this is problem experiences "by all high precision automobiles." This is a Diamante flaw, pure and simple.

    However, this is like many oddities in the Diamante. The transmission will shift very roughly and abruptly one day, and will be smooth as glass for the next six months, etc etc etc.
  • mariposarosadamariposarosada Member Posts: 54
    Does anyone know if all 1997 and up Diamantes have a trip computer? I've seen the clock on all of them, and on some pictures, a display of milage range and such along with it. Is this an option, or standard?
  • ebrownrx7ebrownrx7 Member Posts: 4
    The trip computer came on the Diamante LS with a premium package. This package included chrome wheels, mirrors that adjusted with the memory seat function and the trip computer.

    ED
  • ebrownrx7ebrownrx7 Member Posts: 4
    I too had the warped rotor issue when I first got my Diamante (97 LS bought in 12/99) but after discovering this board and following the advice of Mr. Vivona, I have not had this issue since. I always check the torque of my lugs after any type of wheel service even if I tell them my specs. This piece of preventative maintenance has probably saved me a few hundred dollars.
  • mariposarosadamariposarosada Member Posts: 54
    OK, I'm confused. I thought this instrument panel didn't come along until 2000. But, yesterday I saw a 1998 Diamante with this special instrumentation. Was this an option at the time, or just a limited run production?
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    How having AC problems with my '93 D. I had the freon replaced in March, but now the unit is not cooling the car...I can hear it activating and the fan works fine. Anyone have suggestions?
  • gthegreekgthegreek Member Posts: 1
    My step-daughter is looking to buy a 1994 Diamante. Everything seems to check out except when we are cruising on the highway the Anti-Lock Brake Warning Light comes on. I called a Mibsubishi Dealer but, of course, they want her to come in and pay $$$$ for them just to check it out. Anyone know how serious this warning light is?
  • vivonavivona Member Posts: 410
    gthegreek-The anti-lock warning light indicates that the ABS computer has detected a problem. It is impossible to tell exactly which problem without reading the error code. That usually requires a tool called a code scanner and that is what the dealer would use. They would need to charge your for their time, but it shouldn't take that long to read the code and give you an estimate of the fix.

    With the light coming on it is likely that the ABS system will not work and will not help you avoid an accident. You will still be able to stop the car, but the ABS function will not prevent wheel lockup and skidding.

    Mr. Vivona
  • czibertczibert Member Posts: 38
    Just thought I woud send this... : )
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