Mitsubishi Diamante

taurus2 · October 2001

I read somewhere that the Diamante is ready for a replacement. Does this mean that it will be changed? Or a new model will take its place? Can someone please verify.

vivona · October 2001

The 2002 is a "freshening" of the current model run and is expected to continue until 2004. In 2005 a complete redesign is due. As far as I know, the decision has not been made as to the source of the new model. It could still be based on the Magna/Verada from Australia, or on a global platform to be used for several cars, including the Galant. The "platform" is the floorplan, suspension and subframes. By using different suspension tunings, powertrains and body sheetmetal, very different cars can be made from the same platform.

It is becomming standard practice for an automaker to have fewer distinct platforms and derive several cars from one platform, i.e. Toyota Camry, Sienna, Highlander and Lexus ES300 and RX300 are all from the same platform. Mitsubishi makes the Galant and Eclipse from the same platform, and builds the Dodge Stratus Coupe and Chrysler Cirrus Coupe using that same platform.

I will be checking my news sources in Australia to see what the plans are for the Magna/Verada factory in the next few years. I'll post what I find.

Mr. Vivona

aniryu · October 2001

The 2002 update is just ugly.

Why buy this car when you can spend about two thousands more and buy a Infinit?

Doesn't make sense to own one, in my opinion.

I've driven this car, by the way. It was good, but..

vivona · October 2001

I drove the Diamante and Infiniti I-30 back-to-back. There are several reasons why I like the Diamante better.

1. The Diamante has a one second faster 0-60 and is much more responsive off the line.

2. The Diamante is noticeably quieter. This is particularly so in the back where a surprisingly high level of road noise is heard in the Infiniti.

3. There is more interior storage in the Diamante and I value that a lot.

4. The Diamante looks much more attractive to me than the Infiniti. In pictures I didn't know if I would like the look of the 2002, but when we saw it for real, it looks quite good. The front is a tossup 2002 versus 1999, but the rear treatment is very elegant. Even then, I still like the rear style of my 1999. The Infiniti is just okay to my eye, nothing special. Better than the Maxima it is based on, but that's about it.

5. The Diamante adaptive logic transmission shifts very smoothly and is always in the proper gear. When I tried to accelerate from 25MPH, the Infiniti at first bogged down, then abruptly downshifted and over-revved. I expect this in a Ford Taurus level of car, but not in the Infiniti/Diamante price range.

6. I like the feel of the brakes much more in the Diamante, much more linear.

7. I like the feel of the handling in the Diamante, much more linear. The Diamante has full independent suspension, whereas the Infinity has a beam axle in the rear.

8. The Infiniti had a jittery ride, not as smooth as the Diamante.

9. I like the look and feel of the Diamante interior much more than the overly-plastic look of the Infiniti.

10. I do my own maintenance and the Diamante underhood is easily accessible, where as the Infiniti is much more cramped and harder to work on.

After driving the Infiniti which had brought out to my work for a co-worker to test drive, the salesman asked how I liked it. I told him most of the comparisions I mention above and he said "Well, of course...the Diamante is a much better car!" That surprised me since he was trying to sell the Infiniti to my co-worker. Later, when the co-worker asked how I liked the Infiniti I told him the same opinion and he agreed with me.

So, it comes down to personal needs and perceptions. For me, the characteristics I look for are well satisfied by the Diamante and not by the Infiniti.

Mr. Vivona

taurus2 · October 2001

The front of the '02 Diamante looks really cheap. The '97-01 front looked way better in my opinion. Other then that its a pretty nice looking car.

twoof1 · October 2001

I know your love of the Diamante, and I share it
but let's get the facts straight.
I owned my '98 until earlier this year.

Having said that the Infiniti I30 is rated 0-60 @ 7.8 to 8 seconds. Are you then saying that the Diamante will pull a 6.8 to 7 second 0-60??????

I know my '98 Diamante timed on my Gtech Pro ran a consistent 7.9 to 8.2 which seems to jive with the many reviews I have read.

I regards to your other comments about the I30, in Edmunds own review it pulled a 59.6mph slalom while the Diamante pulled a 55.1mph.

The new 2002 I35 now has 255 hp 246ft.-lbs. torque, a standard 4 year 60,000 mile warranty and is fully loaded with a sticker of $29,292.00 which includes everything on the Diamante LS plus some other goodies like a Nav system and rear power sunshade. I am sure the new 255hp. motor will pick up the 0-60 time considerably.

The Diamante is stuck with the same 205hp 230ft.-lbs. motor that my 5 year old car had. Not to mention the warranty of 3 year 36,000 miles along with the sticker price for an LS of $29,007.00
Unfortunately Mitsubishi keeps fallind behind the competition with this model. In todays car market 5 years is a life time and a half.
Don't get me wrong, like I said I like this car and wish Mitsubishi would get their act together and keep up with the competition because right now it is getting it's tail kicked.

Having said all that I still prefer the looks of the pre 2002 Diamante to the Infiniti. I have not yet seen a 2002 D in person yet. The pictures I have seen make the nose look like something from Karl Malden's mirror.

timtran · October 2001

I thought people have beaten this dead horse over and over already. Why would a second (1/60 of a minute) faster matter to some people? I will see you at the next light, will I not?
Some other people are still concerned about poor resale value: get a grip, the money that I had saved up front would have more than many times recouped that so-called loss of resale value.
In the present national situation, you could send the 2 grand that you saved (from buying a Diamante over the Infiniti, or Acura TL, or Lexus ES 300, or... the list goes on and on,) to the unfortunate souls in NY. Some dark minds may be asking themselves: "Would he do it?" Well, "people in glass houses should not throw stones." is my motto. I can proudly say that I DID. So,D lovers, please get your checkbook out and send the money that you (and I) had saved, destination New York (Red Cross 911 NY Disaster Relief Fund). You will feel a hundred times better.

twoof1 · October 2001

Amen to your comments about donating to such a worthy charity. I already put my checkbook where my mouth is and did so on 9/12 as soon as the shock wore off.
My comment regarding 0-60 was a question of someones opinion who usually and accurately refers to facts. I just found that surprising.
My point in the post above was not to rag on the Diamante however to point out that the competition is beating Mitsubishi to the punch. If you look at my post you will notice that the 2002 Infiniti I35 is less than $250.00 more than the Diamante LS and it comes with a much greater level of standard equipment and a much larger engine all while getting better gas mileage. NOT $2,000.00 as you were stating.
That is all. Again Facts are facts, not opinions.
BTW: I do NOT own an Infiniti however when I was looking for a new car, it was on the short list along with the Acura TL type S.

mariposarosada · October 2001

I have a 94 Diamante and was told it was difficult, if not impossible, to replace the tweeters because they're built into the dash. Does anyone know if this is true? If you've had luck doing this, let me know. Thanks.

ucsc · October 2001

Hi Mr. Vivona,

My 92 D brake squeaks for the first 10 brakes every time after the car has been parked for more than 2 hours.

The squeak sound is not loud, so I cannot figure out which brake, front or rear, squeaks. After I brake 10 times, the squeak disappears. I don't feel anything wrong with the brake even when it squeaks.

I changed all 4 Mits original rotors and brake pads and master brake cyliner etc. about 5K miles ago by Mits dealer. Torque on lug nuts was correct. I haven't noticed rotor warping yet because no big vibration when I brake at high speed.

Could you give me any clue what's going on?

UCSC

ccancio · October 2001

Hi there!
I just had a chance to have a look at my brake pads after 24000 miles.

Here are my observations:
1. The inner brake pad wears out faster than the outer pad.
Meaning: One cannot properly gauge the brake wear just by taking the wheel out and visually looking at the outer brake pad.

2. The front disc rotors is "really" just secured by the wheel lug nuts and nothing else.

The front brake calipher housing just "barely" holds the rotor in place, when you take the wheel out. When the fron wheel is out the rotor is loose and you can wiggle the whole rotor with you fingers!!!

Meaning: It is very important that the front wheels lug nuts be tightened in proper sequence and proper torque. If not there would definitely be wheel vibration at speed and braking!!!

Imagine as Mr. Vivona puts it, 200Lbs of torque is placed on a single lug nut by pneumatic tool initially and then the rest of the nuts are not done not in proper sequence. Then it is inevitable that the rotor will not run even and the rotor would warp in time. I am a firm believer of this now!

Comparing with my 1985 Accord, the front rotor was firmly held by an axel nut.

The rotors look good and seem to be of good heavy duty quality.

Knowing what I know now I will always finger tighten my own lug nuts then torque it to 80 Foot-Lbs and tighten in proper alternating sequence.

3. The rear disc brake pads look as new as out of the box at 24K miles! I even wonder if they work at all ;-).

-C-

zimonawhim1 · October 2001

I had the very same problem on my 92. They would squeak after start up for a little while. After that they began grinding. I thought I had no pad left when I heard the grinding, so I took it to my mechanic. He told me my brakes were tip top. He mentioned the pads being harder than average which is why they sqeaked and the grinding was from them being cold. He clean them off and I've not heard a peep since. I even took the D to any empty parking lot and did a few emergency stops. Solid as a rock. Hope this helps.

vivona · October 2001

First, if your Mitsubishi dealer used anything other than original parts, i.e. aftermarket pads or rotors, then you could have a compatibility problem. Ask them what they used. It is not uncommon for aftermarket pads to squeal because they use generic pad material and that doesn't guarantee noise-free operation.

But let's assume you find out you have Mitusbishi pads and rotors. Here are some causes for squealing:

1. I am not sure if the 92 model has anti-squeal shims on the pads (most cars do), but if the tech left them out, that would cause your problem. The shims are metal plates that clamp around the back of each pad.

2. If you park your car outside and dew settles on the rotors, they can get a light surface rust that will make noise until you rub the rust off by stopping several times.

3. If the tech did a dirty job and left greasy fingerprints on the rotors, that can lead to brake noise. The pads and rotors should be cleaned using special brake cleaner that degreases and leaves no residue.

4. If the tech just installed the rotors new right from the box, the original surface may have some surface rust or pitting from sitting on the shelf. A light buffing with a special brake rotor buffing wheel (looks like a ScotchPad) will clean the surface and leave a non-directional finish.

5. If the tech did turn the new rotors (he really shouldn't have, but some techs do) he may have left a poor rotor surface and buffing to leave a non-directional finish may be needed.

6. If you had to panic stop within the first 500 miles, you may have glazed a new pad or hardened a rotor. In most cases, changing out the pad will solve the problem. If the rotor was hardened due to excessive heat, it will have to be replaced.

7. If a pad mounting clip wasn't properly installed, or is bent, it may be contacting a rotor.

If you can isolate the wheel that is squealing, that will help. If it is a rear wheel, then you have to also check the mechanical parts for the internal parking brake. If the tech removed the rear rotors and didn't properly install them again, there may be a metal-to-metal contact until the brake is warm and parts expand.

Have you taken the car back to the dealer and asked them to make it stop squealing?

Mr. Vivona

ucsc · October 2001

Hi,

Thank you very much for your advice about my brake.

I think the sympton of my brake problem is a little bit different from that of zimonawhim1. After a few first squeaks, my brake works fine and doesn't grind. But I will have my brake cleaned by Mits dealer.

Vivona, my rotors and brake pads were Mits original parts (as Mits dealer told me). I have a question about grease on rotor. Because braking will make the rotors and pads very hot, the grease on rotors will burn out. So will it still effect rotors and pads?

Thanks again for your help!

UCSC

vivona · October 2001

Though brakes can get very hot, the grease will not just burn off. It can withstand very hot temperatures and can be absorbed into the pad material and change the characteristic of the pad surface. Sometimes it takes sanding the pad surface in addition to cleaning.

Only other issue here that I didn't mention in my first response is that the original pads may have contained asbestos which has a low tendency to squeak, whereas over the years the EPA has outlawed asbestos, so the replacement pads may be semi-metallic organic. Since the original setup may have been designed for asbestos, the replacement pads may indeed squeak because the braking setup wasn't designed for them. I don't remember exactly when the changeover occurred, but anytime there is a changeover in process, like the one with A/C refrigerant or brake pad materials, you run into problems when you have to replace parts.

Let me know what the dealer says and does.

Mr. Vivona

edwardoplunket · October 2001

Helow everyone,

Have had my 2001 Ls for almost a year now. Don't drive it that much, as we have only about 4k on it. From my research on the web, the only concern about the car's weaknesses I had was with the brakes. Therefore, I really, really babied the brakes the last year.

At my first service recently, I had dealer check disk runout, and it must have been out of spec (they couldn't tell me what the runout was), because they turned the rotors.

I'm going to buy a dial indicator set up so I can track this in the future. Best I can figure is that the factory is overtorqing the wheels on assembly?

I'm not real happy about having to lose rotor material after only 4k. Dealer claims they didn't have to remove much.

I have an 1989 galant GS that I drive extremely hard, and I have never had a problem w/brakes. It has 135k on it and it is on its only on its second set of oem discs up front.

The picture that I am getting from reading a year + of posts on this issue is that MITS has a bad rotor vendor or???

Any comments?

Ed

vivona · October 2001

edwardoplunket -- If you haven't read my article yet, you may find it helpful:

http://www.geocities.com/diamanteowner/article2.htm

In a nutshell, warping brake rotors is caused by improper wheel lug torqueing. I hope your dealer properly measured runout, and more so, properly turned the rotor using a caliper mounted lathe.

Mr. Vivona

edwardoplunket · October 2001

Read your article, probably right after you published it - thanks.

Bottom line - why did my rotors warp w/only 4k on them? Wheels were not off the car since it was delivered. You have to admit that there are enough people squaking about this problem to indicate SOMETHING is wrong. Are the assemblers in Austrailia screwing up the wheel installation or what?

vivona · October 2001

Did you experience brake pulsation, or did you just ask the dealer to measure runout?

If the brakes were fine, the dealer may not have correctly measured runout and turned your rotors unnecessarily.

If the brakes were pulsating, that is caused by variations in disk thickness, which takes about 3,000-5,000 miles to develop after a disk is warped. That fits in your case of 4,000 miles. That would mean that the original wheel nuts were not properly torqued, either at the factory or if the dealer had to remove a wheel for some reason. We took delivery on a new 2002 Diamante and low and behold each front wheel had a nut that was under-torqued. My guess is that in some markets they provide a locking-type of wheel nut on one lug, and in other markets they don't. My wife's new 2002 did not have locking nuts installed. My 1999 Diamante did. So if the last nut is separately installed and the installer doesn't torque it correctly, that begins a problem that doesn't show up until several thousand miles later.

Soon after I bought my 1999 Diamante I had to have the wheels balanced by the dealer. Despite my insistance of hand torqueing the nuts, they used an impact wrench. Four of each wheel's nuts were extremely overtightened (200 ft lbs. instead of 80) and the locking nut was finger tight because the mechanic forgot to use the key and go back to finish the tightening job. If I had not checked, I would have had brake pulsation 4,000 miles later and concluded the brake rotors were of poor quality. (By the way, this incident resulted in a letter to Pierre Gagnon, the CEO of Mitsubishi.) I properly re-torqued the nuts myself. I will not let any mechanic touch my wheel nuts with an impact wrench and will stand there watching to make sure.

My 1999 now has 22,000 miles on it and rotor runout is still at zero. I keep the wheel lugs properly torqued. I will do the same for my wife's new 2002 Diamante. I suggest you buy a torque wrench ($50-70) and do the same.

Mr. Vivona

mariposarosada · October 2001

I asked this before, but maybe somebody new is reading. Is it possible to replace the tweeters in a 92-96 Diamante? I was told that they are built into the dash in a way that makes this impossible. I find this hard to believe. Does anybody know, or can anybody tell me where I can find out? Thanks.

ccancio · November 2001

Hello,
I replaced my front disc pads with semi metallic "WearEver Silver" that only costs $17.99 for a pair from http:\\www.kragen.com. Total costs with shipping was $24 and it took a week.

Naturally I bought them for the price. I figured if they weren't poor quality they would NOT be sold in the US and if it was junk I'll simply return it and exchange them for the $40 variety ie. Raybestos.

Mitsi OEM pads in CA quoted me $80+ ...I don't think so!

I was going to go all out $$$ on brakes but being the calculating gambler that I am, and thought I can spend the money on other things... I took a punt!

Before ordering I tried researching the brand on the web but I did not get many hits. So I ordered more or less blindly (...ahem, folks don't try this at home.)

The only thing I can say about the pads is, they are semi metallic are made in Spain. They perform fine and braking is smooth and immediate. The pads only have a single slit on the contact surface (I guess for hot gasses to escape) as opposed to 2 slits on the OEM.

The main detraction I have on the pads is that they are a bit rougher finish than OEM. I had to sand own some flaking adhesive on the sides.

Otherwise for the budget concious Diamante owners( I can see Mr. Vivona cringe right now), they are an acceptable choice.

-C-

vivona · November 2001

The biggest problem with aftermarket pads is you never know how compatible they will be with the original equipment. They can cause noises, or worse yet, overheating which can ruin rotors. You could have saved about 25% on the OEM pads from www.magauto.com and that would have put them at about $60. Was it really worth saving $35 on something that will last you several years, especially if it can lead to other problems?

If you do experience any problems, I would recommend switching back to OEM parts.

Mr. Vivona

lngtonge18 · November 2001

Not sure if you remember me, but I used to own a 93 Diamante ES and you helped me on a few problems. Anyway, I'm back in the Mitsu family! Just bought an 02 Lancer OZ Racing Rallye Edition on the 000 deal. I have a question for you as no one has seemed to buy this car yet. My manual mentions a break-in period of only 300 miles. What does your 02 Diamante manual recommend? This seems a little short. Should I not worry about it and begin to open her up a bit more after 300 miles or should I wait till 1000 miles? I also was wondering what chances I have of getting the dealer to install an alarm free, since I bought the car under the impression it had one (the salesman, in showing me the features, said it had an alarm and an immobilizer key; it has neither)? So far, I love the car! Has a number of the luxury features my old D had, like speed sensitive intermittent wipers, auto-off headlamps, and a lit driver's window switch. It even has FULL cloth seats; no nasty hard plastic or vinly on the back or sides of the seats. It is a very luxurious and sporty compact car with plenty of room. I have tried to be as easy on the brakes as possible, hoping I don't run into the warping problems I had with the D. I was real impressed that I couldn't find one little defect with the car. Anyway, would like to hear your insight. Thanks.

ccancio · November 2001

Can anyone confirm with me if there are actually 3 horns on the Diamante LS. I saw some documentation on the web that there may be three horns, a Low note horn, a High note horn and a horn for the car alarm.

I have found the lower left horn (close to the left Fog light), I think the Low note horn and a horn that is only used for the car alarm (which is located by the washer fluid).

I am currently having a problem with my car horn. I replaced the lower left horn with an after market type and it worked initially. Now there seems to be a short somewhere and nothing is working. I 'm trying to diagnose whats happening. I wondering if the horn relay is shot. The fuses are still good.

The Chilton Schematic seems pretty straight foward and shows the dual horns are connected in parallel.

Does anyone know whats going on?

-C-

Dasto · November 2001

Where is a good board to sell a 2000 Diamante?
I don't think I can list it here.
At one time there was a special site for Diamante owners, but I don't think it got much traffic.
Any suggestions?

ccancio · November 2001

Try http://listings.ebaymotors.com/aw/plistings/list/all/category6819/index.html

Ebay Auto gets a lot of traffic.

Listings do not cost that much. You also pay a small percentage if your car sells depending on what price bracket it sells for.

-C-

regfootball · November 2001

I have a lead on a very good priced 2001 Diamante ES. Only problem, no ABS. Can a person add ABS to the Diamante relatively easily or/and cheaply?

lngtonge18 · November 2001

All '01 Diamante's have ABS standard. Its been that way since 98.

edwardoplunket · November 2001

2001 Ls

Not much info on how the traction and skid control works in the factory service manuals. Traction control seems pretty straight forward, but what about skid control? I'm getting the TRC light when I slide in a corner. What are the inputs to the system?

Thanks

Ed

regfootball · November 2001

that's intrigue-ing. But that's what I thought. Now, the dealer site said these used Mitsus did not have ABS and I confirmed that with a phone call as well.

And remember these are base trim cars. Only 10k miles.

Perhaps they are wrong saying the cars are 2001. Maybe they are only 2000's?

We know how most dealers never get their facts straight anyways.

lngtonge18 · November 2001

The dealer is just plain wrong. If the base Diamante was built from 98 on, than it has ABS standard. Are you sure they aren't thinking of the Galant, which indeed doesn't come standard with ABS unless its a V-6?

vivona · November 2001

You can assure yourself that the car has ABS by looking in the right rear corner of the engine compartment for an aluminum box-shaped mechanism with four brake lines coming out of the top and two coming out of the side. Just make sure that no one has disabled the ABS and is trying to sell the car as not having ABS. Test it by driving slowly on a dirt road and slamming on the brakes and trying to steer the car to a different direction. If the front wheels lock up and you can't steer, the ABS isn't working. If the ABS kicks in, the wheels won't skid much and you will be able to steer the car.

vivona · November 2001

Skid control, called Trace Control on the Diamante, works by processing steering wheel turning angle and vehicle speed and decreasing engine speed if you are attempting to corner at a speed higher than safe for the car. There also may be some invovement from the ABS system, but I haven't looked at the system in detail.

Mr. Vivona

mcpdoc · November 2001

Had water pump replaced in July 2000, in last 6 months replaced starter, alternator, battery, and idle speed control motor. Going to change timing belts soon. Other than the repairs I had done in last 6 months the car has been trouble free since I bought it in 96 with 20,000 miles only regular maintenance done.
What else needs or should be done at this time to keep it running trouble free for next 50,000 miles? Or is it getting too old and should I be getting rid of it while it runs well? I like the car and would like to keep it for another year or two but only if it remains reliable/trouble free.

Also there has been an oil leak for the past year. Mechanic has not been able to identify and fix it. Oil/grime builds up over several months over the front lower part of the engine, near compressor of air conditionor, and near the front 3 spark plugs. If I have the engine washed it takes about 4-6 months for it to build up again. Any ideas of what my mechanic should be looking at and repairing.
Last should I have my timing belt changed by a dealer or can my local mechanic do it, (he's the one who can't find/fix the oil leak)

By the way very useful advise here, when I had the idling problems I wish I had been known of this board, it would have saved me a lot of time and problems, the problem was intermittent and mechanics had a problem figuring out what was wrong,(had to go to 3 mechanics) after reading these posts it was a classic idle speed control motor issue.

mkc · November 2001

mcpdoc:

Mine's a '93 with 130K. Similar to you, very reliable until somewhere around 100-110K, but then what should we expect?

Did your mechanic not replace the timing belt when he replaced the water pump? I believe (perhaps I have it backwards), the belt has to be removed to get to the pump. Either way, both are often replaced at the same time because they involve the same disassembly.

At my 2nd belt replacement (110K), I also had the cam seals replaced. This can be the source of a small oil leak and had been a problem in an '86 Subaru I had. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea since they probably will have them exposed at the time, and one may prove to be the source of your leak. They don't last forever.

I went "hog wild" and had all the other belts plus the hoses, plugs, plug wires, and all filters changed along with a coolant flush n' fill and an EFI service at that point. I've always followed the recommended maintenance procedures in my manual and had the hoses and belts done as a preventative measure since they were original; plug wires had about 60K on them.

Any car with this many miles can develop "issues" as things wear out, but our well-maintained ones have the best chance of lasting well. I've had a coolant leak that turned out to be a manifold seal, the O2 sensor go, and then the idle control motor, none of which could have been predicted. While recent out-of-pocket has been higher than I'd like, if I average it out over the past 12 months, it's still less than 1/2 the loan payment on a new one.

I have always used my dealer for service. They seem to know the D by heart, and in fact when I called to have it towed for the stalling, the service advisor felt right away that it was the ICM. When I had a bad acceleration problem (bucking), his first instinct was correct as well - bad plug wire. I've always had accurate diagnoses from them and never experienced the dreaded "trial and error" parts replacement means to solving a problem.

Michelle

mcpdoc · November 2001

Michelle,

Thanks for your input.
No you are right, when the timing belts are changed the water pump should also be done. Unfortunately when my water pump was changed the belts were not. Well I guess I got a year and half extra use out of them.
I will go to a dealer for this service, its just a pain, I'm moved to a small town and the nearest dealer is about an hour away. I will let you know what I had done and how much it cost.

Getting 60K out of your Plug wires is great. My 95 has to have the distributor cap and plug wires changed every 1-2years, I've heard its fairly common problem due to the proximity of the distributor cap to heat in the engine.

How many miles do you think the diamente will go before it becomes too unreliable and expensive? I was hoping to keep it till about 150-160,000.
Overall I've been pretty happy with this car,except for the alternator burning out on a trip in the middle of Alabama, its been very reliable and I am looking at getting another one maybe a 2000-01.

lngtonge18 · November 2001

You can expect to get that many miles out of it without too much expense. I bought a 93 D with 160k on it. I sold it with 173k. The only problems I ran into was the distributor cap (common problem), stalling (dirty intake manifold caused this;again, common problem), warped front rotors (common), and the ventilation fan burned out, taking a relay along with it ($105 total to fix). The tranny intermittently shifted harshly out of overdrive, but otherwise shifted smooth. The car was very reliable and never left me stranded. All power equipment worked, including the AC and factory alarm, and it was all original. I recently saw the current owner, who stated she had no problems with the car and uses it as a daily driver back and forth to school. It now has 184k. I think the Japanese built Mitsubishi models are quite a bit more reliable than the ones built elsewhere. Seems to hold true as the 3rd-4th gen Eclipse and Galant have had mediocre reliability, whereas the Mirage and first gen Diamante have done well. Anyway, thats my experience with a high mileage Diamante.

regfootball · November 2001

both those 2001 D's are sold. Didn't get time to even go look at em.

They were excellent deals. Poor me!

I'll bet they were equipped as you all say. The dealer bought them direct from Mitsubishi, I'l bet they were unsold inventory or used for 1 year leases.

mcpdoc · November 2001

Just had the belts and oil leaks worked on.

Replaced timing belt, AC belt, alternator belt.
Also for oil leak replaced oil seal on camshaft, crankshaft, gasket, oil pan.
Parts cost $208, Labor $560, including tax and oil change, total was $797. Had work done at Mitsubishi dealer.
I sure hope they fixed the oil leak, I guess I will find out.
Hopefully the diamente will last me for another 20-30,000 miles without any major problems.
Will keep you posted.

diamanteguy · November 2001

I have a used Diamante and the car has worked out pretty well overall. Had a keyless entry problem, but it was aftermarket anyways. The performace is great and so is the comfort and options, for a 93 vehicle anyways. I'm planning on buying a 97 soon, first year for the new design diamante's. I'd recommend a Diamante to anyeone

diamanteguy · November 2001

I like the new Diamante stylings though, but dont yout think they should make it faster?

taurus2 · December 2001

Diamantes arn't that popular where I live, you seem them once in a while and thats about it. Lately I've seen a lot of 2002 Diamantes on the road. Silver seems very popular. I used to not like the styling but it's grown on me, I really like it now. I have a '99 Camry thats great but if I was looking for a new car I would consider a Diamante.

vivona · December 2001

diamanteguy -- Unless you expect to use your Diamante in competition 0-60 in 8 seconds is ample for every conceivable driving situation. I have had my Diamante three years now and I still have not had a real reason to accelerate at full power. (Not that I haven't done it a few times "for the fun of it") The punch off the line is so great that without traction control the Goodyear tires loose grip pretty easily. Pushing the gas pedal about halfway puts me way in front of the general traffic at a light. Don't get me wrong, I am no slouch when it comes to driving. I drive in a "spirtied manner", but I have learned that in everyday traffic all swift acceleration gets you is a longer wait at the next light.

So, I am very satisfied with the acceleration as it is. And I will never take the car to top speed, so that is not an issue for me either.

There is some talk of the VRX model coming to the US. It will have the sport suspension and maybe even the more powerful engine. If it was available when I bought my Diamante, I would not have opted for it, but there are always the racers out there that would.

diamante3 · December 2001

Although I read these town hall messages constantly, this is my first post. I just bought a 2001 Diamante w/7,000 miles. Got a good deal on it. Any Diamante owners out there with a 2000 or 2001 that can share some owner insight with me - problems, what to watch for? Thanks!

edwardoplunket · December 2001

I have a 2001 that I bought a year ago. Only has 5k miles and I have already had to have the front rotors turned. I expected potential problems due to research before purchase, and really, really babied the brakes during the first 4k miles.

The Austrailians must be over torquing the wheels on assembly or there is a parts problem. A wrench never touched my lug nuts after delivery until the time the pedal pulsation problem started.

While I respect Mr. Vivona's insight into this and other Diamante issues, I beleive he is the ONLY person claiming to Not have had front brake problems.

I work with two dealers in Seattle. The dealer where I bought mine (Auburn Valley Mitsubishi) claims that they see a 10% problem w/front brakes. The dealer closer to my house, Sound Mitsubishi preached the Vivona line.

Otherwise car is a good bang for the buck. Just finished a long highway cruise and thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

Ed

ccancio · December 2001

Ed...
Well I guess if you're going to make a un-scientfic statement about Diamante brakes...

...Count me in as the SECOND person in this small group NOT to have brake pulsation problems...
-Gee Wizz!

-C-

edwardoplunket · December 2001

I drove the car very easy on break-in, and pedal pulsation developed. No panic stops whatsoever. I specifically asked the dealer to measure runout on the 5 k service and all they came back with was yes, the rotors neede to be turned.

Ccancio, if you have any specs about the brake design, I'm all ears. For a data point, I regularly thrash my 1989 galant, and I can't make it break. I'm only on my second set of front oem rotors in 122k miles.

BTW, my apologies if I missed any of your previous posts defending the diamante front brake issue. I've been following this board now for almost 18 months and must have missed it. sorry

Ed

edwardoplunket · December 2001

I'm none too pleased about having lost rotor material on my brand new car!
Ed

diamante3 · December 2001

Ed - I appreciate your honesty about the brakes. Although I have only had the pulsting problem once when I really stepped down hard on them. I am having the alignment done today and am going to have the tires roted and will have them hand-torqued.

What about the transmission? Anyone had any problems with that? I have read several reviews that the transmission isn't that great. The engine seems very good however.

Thanks for your feedback!

edwardoplunket · December 2001

INVECS II is what I believe Mits calls it. It is supposed to learn your driving style and shift accordingly (more aggressive/less agressive). Usually it is fine. Just once in a while, when you would like it to downshift to swiftly accelerate, it won't.

The Trans computer has the ability to be set to the "manual mode", which according to the service manuals, is supposed to turn the "learning" function (or INVECS) off and make it shift like any normal, electronically controlled trans.

I was not able to get the dealer to do this yet.

Ed

BTW, no servicable filter in the trans. I was just a little surprised by this, but I guess I'm used to older equipment....

Mitsubishi Diamante

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