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Comments
I have been doing my own service but took my rig in to have something checked and they looked at it then. I have not had the leak yet but my Montero does not have a lot of miles on it yet.
It was service like this that made me go back and buy from them when I bought the 2003.
On a different topic and I know there is a "I hate SUVs section." Recent New Yorker and NY Times articles sound the usual SUV rollover alarm. The New Yorker article was an absolute waste as the writer compared an older Trailblazer against a Boxster in a cone test and drew the conclusion that the Boxter was safer in avoiding accidents. (I'll remember that when I'm putting two child seats in my $50K Porsche) The NY Times article from last Sunday,though, was very interesting as the writer tested an X5 with and without stability control. It seems the rollover risk was virtually eliminated by having and using stability control. The article also pointed out that in the government's revised "real world" testing procedures some vehicles (i.e. Chevy Trailblazer) improved when compared with the old statistical probability test. Now that the Montero has been discontinued, it seems as though the government won't ever test it. I'm not running out to by a Volvo tomorrow but it would have been good to have the information. However, I have been wondering about upgrading to an 04 that has stability control.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
There was some mention in this forum that the Montero, following the '03, was no longer going to be available in U.S.
Does anyone have a link to anything definite?
http://media.mitsubishicars.com/detail?mid=MIT2004022557908&m- - - - - - ime=ASC
Only Limiteds will be available now and the MSRP has been lowered. Hopefully, we'll see some additional discounts which combined with the great warranty for '04 will make the Montero a great truck to consider again :-)
EDIT: tire monitoring and rear AC are standard now - nice!!!. You pay $450 extra for the DVD system but the sunroof is deleted with that option - not good - it's still better to go aftermarket, I guess...
BTW, how's the gas mileage on that 2003 hog, phonos?
Worked very well last two weekends on wildflower observation trips to the SoCal lower desert regions. i.e. in canyons and washes of Anza-Borrego State Park and areas around Palm Springs.
Went all the way from the main road in Joshua Tree N.P. to Dillon Road in Coachella Valley by way of Geology Tour and Berdoo Canyon Roads.
Rock crawling in a couple of places in Berdoo Canyon is required between the narrow walls in a couple of spots. It appears some off-road club probably did a little road building with boulders in these areas to reduce the drop-offs.
There is one rather tight squeeze near the southern end of the trail where quick left-right, left rights are required between large boulders.
Made it through with not a scratch or bottoming out the whole way.
That sounds like fun. Forgive me if you've previously posted this information, but is your Monty pretty much stock? Or have you modified it somewhat to deal with the rigors of offroad? I'm interested in knowing if it was a stock Montero that conquered that trail. thanks.
BTW, I purchased a 2003 Montero Ltd. w/ approx. 13K miles on it almost two months ago. Very happy with it thus far. Haven't taken it offroad yet.
DCMoore
BFG All Terrain Light Truck TA KO's in 265-75x16, load range "D" size to replace the 265-70x16's, load range "C" Yokohama with highway tread. They fit fine on the stock wheels even though they are 1-inch larger diameter (which gives another ½ inch of lift). They are slightly noisy and a bit hard riding on the highway.
However, I previously owned a 2001 (same unibody that I actually bought the above suspension and tires for but never installed) that was entirely stock and it made it down Pinkham Canyon without any problem other than dragging the rear protective skid bar (which is why it is there) coming down one 10-12 inch drop off.
We also had it on quite a few of the back roads up in Death Valley without any complaints. It was great on the trip to "The Racetrack" and the back road into Darwin from Panamint Springs.
My alloy wheels are pitted, the service manager
at Darcars in Maryland said it was caused
by brake dust!! I clean my wheels on a regular
basis and I find this hard to believe. Is there
any truth to this? I have tried to clean this
stuff off but, it is under the surface. I think the wheels
were not machined properly to begin with. Thanks
for your help!
How in the world could "Oil Changers" tell there is "dirt" in the oil pan? you can't see inside there...I think they were just selling you a service and you were wise not to have it done. I never go to those type places...they way overcharge for service, locally here is 31.99 for a basic oil change...I do my own with top quality oil and filter for $13.00 and about 30 minutes of my day and a little dirt on the hands
I made it to a service station and the new parts are on the way. I'm going to replace the front brakes while they have it apart.
Has any one had any issues with their wheel bearings? Was there any memo issued about defective wheel bearings that I missed? I have owned cars with twice the amount of miles and have have not had any wheel bearing problems.
Just wondering if this is usual for a 4WD. This is my first 4WD.
I have loved the 3 1/2 years I"ve owned the Monte, Lots of good times. No problems. just the regular oil changes every 3K - 5K miles. Brakes and Tires
LEN
I went from a '99 Trooper to a '03 Monty. Bought it used in January. Had about 13K miles. I'm now just over 20K. Got a very good deal. No problems thus far. Really like the Monty. My wife drives it occasionally and she says she gets compliments on it quite often.
I always change differential fluids once a year or 12,000 miles. This is what was recommended by an independent mechanic who works on 4x4s a lot.
Any suggestions on what to do besides see Buchart Gardens?
Steve, Host
Never mind I found it --
The History and Mystery of the Nanaimo Bar: Facts, Myths
The Truth is Out There, But We Just Can't Find It
------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------
Three recipes called Nanaimo Bars appear more or less simultaneoulsy. 1) The recipe appears in "Favorite Recipes, Compiled by the Women's Association of the Brechin United Church" (1957-58; p.52), which is in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada (recipe submitted by Joy Willgress). 2) An identical recipe (with the ingredients listed in the same order) called "Nanaimo Bars" was also published in 1958 in the "Centennial Cook Book" compiled by the Welland Jaycettes (Ontario, Canada), submitted by Jeanne Murray. 3) Finally, the recipe appears in the 1958 "British Columbia Women's Institues Centennial Cookbook" (inside title: "Adventures in Cooking," Greenwood Press, p.171).
In 1986, a contest was held by a Nanaimo newspaper to find "the best Nanaimo Bar maker in Nanaimo." The winning recipe, submitted by Joyce Hardcastle, and the one that many Nanaimo Bar recipes are based on or copied from, is not quite the same as the c.1957-58 recipe. The contest organizers made no mention of the earlier recipes.
Some say the recipe goes back to the 1930s, perhaps from a recipe called Chocolate Fridge Cake that may have appeared in the Vancouver Sun newspaper. Despite searches, no evidence yet supports this connection, or at least it has not gone under the name "Nanaimo Bar(s)." Others hold that it comes from New York in the 1930s. Still others say it goes back to the coal-mining days of early Nanaimo, when it was sent to the miners from their friends and relatives in the United Kingdom as a gift; once more, no evidence is available to support this theory. The miners who came to the west coast of Canada were, for the most part, from Northern England, and no recipe like Nanaimo Bar can be traced to these locations. In short, this coal-mining connection is almost certainly legend rather than fact, and suited to promote Nanaimo's heritage. Other believe it was brought by Dutch settlers in early 1900s; no evidence has been found to support this, and it is a suspect origin.
Carol Ferguson, author of the cookbook "A Century of Canadian Home Cooking" (1992), suggests that the recipe was first called "Nanaimo Bar" in the Vancouver Sun newspaper in the early 1950s (though no evidence yet supports this), having derived from recipes published in a "The Women’s Auxiliary to the Nanaimo Hospital Cook Book" (1952). The latest research shows that there is a clear connection between a recipe in this 1952 "Nanaimo Hospital Cook Book" and the c.1957-58 "Brechin United Church" recipe--they are the same recipe. The difference is that in the "Nanaimo Hospital Book" it is called "Chocolate Slice" (submitted by Mrs. E. MacDougall), not "Nanaimo Bars." There is also be an intermediary recipe that appears in 1955 in Victoria, British Columbia, in a cookbook published by St. Aidan's United Church--it is called "Mrs. Gayton's Bars" and is more or less identical to the other two recipes. The mystery remains: When was this recipe dubbed the "Nanaimo Bars"?
If anyone out there has actual evidence of an earlier recipe for Nanaimo Bar than the Willgress one, or any documented history of the Nanaimo Bar, or even other theories, please contact Umberto Press at umbertopress@shaw.ca
Click HERE for MORE about the HISTORY and MYSTERY of the NANAIMO BAR.
If you wish to see the Willgress recipe, the only place it appears to be available is in Kim Blank's book, SEX, LIFE ITSELF, & THE ORIGINAL NANAIMO BAR RECIPE.
To receive a copy of the ORIGINAL 1957-58 recipe (but not the book), sent $2 and a SSAE to Umberto Press; if you wish to send receive some Nanaimo Bar made from the earliest recipe, or have it sent as a gift to someone, email us (umbertopress@shaw.ca) or write to:
42086 - 2200 Oak Bay Ave
Victoria, BC, Canada V8R 6T4
(research compiled by Kim
Any thoughts? I love the truck, but I am concerned about the "orphan" image if it is in fact discontinued.
The whole company is a giant orphan now with record-breaking slow sales due to its financial troubles, terrible advertising campaign, and trying to push the warranty and service instead of rebates. From thecarconnection.com today:
"Two slow-selling models in the Mitsubishi lineup are being deleted at the end of the current model year, Automotive News reports. The Mitsu Diamante sedan and the Montero Sport SUV will be dropped - and the paper adds, the brand could drop its seven-seat Montero SUV in another couple of years. Mitsubishi's dire financial straits mean that replacements for the Sport and Diamante have fallen off the planning radar, leaving the top-line Galant GTS to replace the Diamante in the U.S., and upmarket versions of the Endeavor crossover to step in for the five-passenger Montero Sport. The Montero, the paper reports, could go away if Mitsubishi cannot finance the engineering updates needed to import it to the U.S. in 2007, when new safety and emissions regulations come into play."
For those of you that have reached or bypassed this milestone of mileage I have some questions on maintenance.
1. Transmission fluid change. I read some time back that if you just drain you only get 4 of the 10 quarts and that you must blow out the remainder. Is 4 quarts sufficient for a change of fluid or do you need to replace 100% of the fluid? Does the Montero have a transmission filter that needs changing at this time?
2. According to the manual the differential fluid should be changed at 30K. I have a friend who is a mechanic that said to do it sooner on a 4x4 as this will extend the life, actually he said to change every year. Is this reasonable or is the 30K change OK?
3. For those of you that run dino oil. I normally use Castrol 10W-40 but change to 20W-50 during the hot summer months. Any comments about this since the manual says to use 10W-30 for our temps in Houston. This weight of oil just doesn't seem to make sense which is the reason why I have changed.
4. I have Iridium tipped plugs in this vehicle so will not change at the 30 K interval but at what mileage do you change these plugs? I think the maintenance schedule said you can go to 60 K but that seems too long. Has anybody gone 60 K on one set of these plugs. Any performance problems with this many miles?
5. Taking the vehicle in for a small leak underneath which I assume is the dreaded differential switch that has been discussed on this site. I believe someone said there was a TSB on it. I looked at the 48 TSB's on this vehicle and I could not find it, so how is this covered. I am obviously still under warranty so is it changed under that?
Thanks for info on my questions. And I would like to thank the Host for keeping this a Montero site.
Oil changed in Washington on the way back before a 400 mile drive in and around Mount St. Helens Nat'l Monument. What biological successional changes have occurred since we were last there about twelve years ago. Amazing how life can recover from a disaster!
Steve -- didn't eat a Nanaimo Bar in Nanaimo but did have a Nanaimo Bar ice cream cone in either Campbell River or Tofino. Very tasty.
Steve, Host
Coming home from church this past Sunday, I looked down and saw that the light on the display was still out (see msg #2473). I turned to my wife who was riding in the passenger seat and told her that I was disappointed in the reply that I received about my light not working. I think the quote was "Can you believe this guy actually said to slap the top of the dashboard??" As I was finishing my remark I hit the top of the dashboard right above the diff. light. You guessed it - the dead light blinked two times and is still shining as bright as the first day I drove my Monty off the lot. Thanks Chuckbern!!
If the prices are the same, why take an extra year of depreciation when you can get a 2004 for the same price? Mitsubishi has some problems if they cannot unload a 2003 yet.