New Owner - First time driving automatic

[EricRogers]

Hi Frens,

Just picked up a 2022 Mirage Carbon with 19 000km on it.

Given the state of used vehicles here in Canada, I think I got a good deal on it. ($17 500 OTD all in). Which included a 180 day/10 000km no questions asked 3rd party warranty + the factory balance of the warranty which I believe after reading the booklets is 10yr 160 000km powertrain and 5yr 100 000km bumper to bumper. As well as a 2 week/1000km no questions asked return policy.

I picked it up as my old car (hyundai veloster turbo which I owned for 7 years) developed a severe engine issue / misfires / catastrophic damage while passing on the highway. Cases have been settled in the USA. In Canada there is still pending litigation.

I was quoted between $8500 - $13 000 to repair the engine. Just outside of warranty with hyundai giving me the 1 finger salute. So Fck them. It's in storage until the case / litigation is final. And hoping for the same result as the US, in which they will be forced to repair it free of charge. So I was looking for something that provided reliability / cheap operating expenses. Over power / high cost.

Any who, I spent a week diagnosing / quoting the job. A week of researching possible vehicle replacements. Then after 3 weeks without transportation pulled the trigger on this.

Spent the last week putting it through the gauntlet. Checking fluids. Checking for leaks. Trying to test for possible CVT issues, but I am not exactly sure how to test / signs to look out for (any suggestions?). It seems to ride fine in both D and Ds mode.

The vehicle history shows it was under sprayed on delivery new. And every 5000km had the oil change / tire rotation at the dealer. Then at 19 000km was detailed with an oil change and handed off to me. I like to go above and beyond maintenance schedules so will really be browsing around for ideas here.

What I love so far
Amazing fuel economy. Getting around 5.8L/100 (small sample) using Ds mode. 4.1L/100 highway (80km sample), 5.4L/100km city only (200km sample). Combined with all (using Ds to pass / merge) it's sitting at 5.2L/100 (300km sample)

The sheer affordability in this economy. With gas prices where they are. (Veloster was eating oil like a shiv, and doing 9.8L/100km combined using premium (currently @ $2.19/L). Not to mention cheaper tires, cheaper pretty much everything to maintain and replace.

Cabin room, believe it or not. There is actually similar/same space for driver/passenger. And more space in the back for passengers than the veloster.

What I dislike
Lack of fob / power locks. I overlooked this. While it's not a deal breaker. It is a tad annoying to make sure the trunk and all doors are locked manually before leaving the vehicle.

Lack of center console - Luckily I found something on amazon that replicates my old one. And solves this issue for just $70.

Headlights - coming from cars which always had aftermarket HIDs in them. I will be looking to change these for sure. Almost feels like you're just driving with DRLs at night.

Location of oil filter. Seems to be a nuisance if doing own oil changes with plenty in the way to create a mess when draining.

Neither here nor there is the CVT transmission. I am still in between on this. The mileage seems to be great, and I wasn't expecting the Ds mode to perform as it did for merging / passing. But I am also used to proper downshifting and having my clutch last car lifetimes, and brakes over 150 000km before wear. Still on the fence, but the mileage is amazing.


Apart from the service for the CVT oil and filter (which I will do at 30 000km @ the dealer). And the obvious Oil and filter changes every 5000km/3 months. What are things should I look into as far as keeping the car in tip top shape?

[Eggman]

Hi Frens,

Just picked up a 2022 Mirage Carbon with 19 000km on it.

Welcome to the forum.

The Mirage may be a big drop in power from a turbo Veloster but it should be a big jump in economy both in fuel savings and total ownership costs.

Were you active on a Veloster forum? This forum has been a good resource for Mirage owners, though it's usually pretty quiet on weekends. Stick around, read new posts as they sometimes refer to old posts relevant to the topic. There's lots of good info here to help you understand the care & feeding of your new Mirage.

Consider making a forum Garage entry.
Again, welcome.

[7milesout]

Eric - You sound like the perfect Mirage owner. You seem to see it for exactly what it is. It is built to be INEXPENSIVE. From my experience with the Mirage, it is NOT low quality. It is high quality for inexpensive.

I worked for Toyota as a design engineer for years, and loved it. I worked for Hyundai-Kia as a design engineer for 7 years. Hated it, and will never own a Hyundai-Kia. The Mirage is not going to plant you back in the seat like the Veloster did, but the little engine seems to communicate, "I'll get the job done, and won't let you down."

As for the key thing ... is your Mirage a POOOOOSH button start? Or use a key. In any event, sounds like you didn't get the factory set of keys / keyfobs perhaps. But there are ways around that to get you back that convenience.

I agree with your plan to store the Veloster and let the lawsuits settle out.

The filter might be a bit of a pain to get to, but it has a little drip spout thingamabob under it that directs the flow out away from running down the engine. So if you put a pan under that, in my experience, it drains right out into the drain pain real nice.

I've never understood the need for blazingly bright headlights. I've got a 1972 Plymouth Scamp running original headlights. At dusk and under street lights, you can barely tell they're on. But when it is plum dark on some country road, they work just fine. And my Mirage is WAY MO' BRIGHTUH than the Scamp. But more power to ya. I'm probably too old, codgerized with too many bills to worry about headlights that burn grass.

Welcome aboard! Sounds like you'll fit in real nice here!

[Mark]

Eric - You sound like the perfect Mirage owner. You seem to see it for exactly what it is. It is built to be INEXPENSIVE. From my experience with the Mirage, it is NOT low quality. It is high quality for inexpensive.

I worked for Toyota as a design engineer for years, and loved it. I worked for Hyundai-Kia as a design engineer for 7 years. Hated it, and will never own a Hyundai-Kia. The Mirage is not going to plant you back in the seat like the Veloster did, but the little engine seems to communicate, "I'll get the job done, and won't let you down."

As for the key thing ... is your Mirage a POOOOOSH button start? Or use a key. In any event, sounds like you didn't get the factory set of keys / keyfobs perhaps. But there are ways around that to get you back that convenience.

I agree with your plan to store the Veloster and let the lawsuits settle out.

The filter might be a bit of a pain to get to, but it has a little drip spout thingamabob under it that directs the flow out away from running down the engine. So if you put a pan under that, in my experience, it drains right out into the drain pain real nice.

I've never understood the need for blazingly bright headlights. I've got a 1972 Plymouth Scamp running original headlights. At dusk and under street lights, you can barely tell they're on. But when it is plum dark on some country road, they work just fine. And my Mirage is WAY MO' BRIGHTUH than the Scamp. But more power to ya. I'm probably too old, codgerized with too many bills to worry about headlights that burn grass.

Welcome aboard! Sounds like you'll fit in real nice here!

Entry-level Mirages in Canada don't come with power locks or remote entry.

All Mirages in the States come with both regardless of the year.

[7milesout]

Oh, Eric's a blamed ole foreigner huh? I didn't notice the marijuana leaf icon.

I guess we can let him stay.

[EricRogers]

Welcome to the forum.

The Mirage may be a big drop in power from a turbo Veloster but it should be a big jump in economy both in fuel savings and total ownership costs.

Were you active on a Veloster forum? This forum has been a good resource for Mirage owners, though it's usually pretty quiet on weekends. Stick around, read new posts as they sometimes refer to old posts relevant to the topic. There's lots of good info here to help you understand the care & feeding of your new Mirage.

Consider making a forum Garage entry.
Again, welcome.

Thanks, not super active. Since I kept it stock and am not much for aftermarket mods. But would routinely use it as a source for changes, info, and ask questions or start discussions if I was unable to find info on certain things.

[EricRogers]

Eric - You sound like the perfect Mirage owner. You seem to see it for exactly what it is. It is built to be INEXPENSIVE. From my experience with the Mirage, it is NOT low quality. It is high quality for inexpensive.

I worked for Toyota as a design engineer for years, and loved it. I worked for Hyundai-Kia as a design engineer for 7 years. Hated it, and will never own a Hyundai-Kia. The Mirage is not going to plant you back in the seat like the Veloster did, but the little engine seems to communicate, "I'll get the job done, and won't let you down."

As for the key thing ... is your Mirage a POOOOOSH button start? Or use a key. In any event, sounds like you didn't get the factory set of keys / keyfobs perhaps. But there are ways around that to get you back that convenience.

I agree with your plan to store the Veloster and let the lawsuits settle out.

The filter might be a bit of a pain to get to, but it has a little drip spout thingamabob under it that directs the flow out away from running down the engine. So if you put a pan under that, in my experience, it drains right out into the drain pain real nice.

I've never understood the need for blazingly bright headlights. I've got a 1972 Plymouth Scamp running original headlights. At dusk and under street lights, you can barely tell they're on. But when it is plum dark on some country road, they work just fine. And my Mirage is WAY MO' BRIGHTUH than the Scamp. But more power to ya. I'm probably too old, codgerized with too many bills to worry about headlights that burn grass.

Welcome aboard! Sounds like you'll fit in real nice here!

Thanks, and yeah that is exactly what I was going for as a replacement. Especially with financing rates between 8-12% in my part. Was considering a honda as well, however they were 2-3x the mileage, twice as old and either just out of or about to be out of warranty. More potential issues with previous owners. Plus about 20-25% more expensive.

When I saw the service log of 3 intervals at the dealer for oil changes/filters/wiper blades/tire rotations. Then a 4th before delivering to myself, knew it was a winner and pulled the trigger.

It's not a push button start, but just uses a regular key. Not a deal breaker, more of a convenience / lazy thing.

Solved the center console issue with this -> https://amzn.to/4bJLEMH put it in today. Works great.

I tested the compression on the veloster today. Cylinder 1-2-4 = 150psi. Cylinder 2 = 0 psi. Triple checked. Womp womp.

I won't put HIDs in and be that guy, noticed they're not projection. May try to upgrade the color and a bit more brightness with an LED or bulb swap only. But nothing worse then someone behind you with HIDs in a reflector ugh.

[inuvik]

Thanks, and yeah that is exactly what I was going for as a replacement. Especially with financing rates between 8-12% in my part. Was considering a honda as well, however they were 2-3x the mileage, twice as old and either just out of or about to be out of warranty. More potential issues with previous owners. Plus about 20-25% more expensive.

When I saw the service log of 3 intervals at the dealer for oil changes/filters/wiper blades/tire rotations. Then a 4th before delivering to myself, knew it was a winner and pulled the trigger.

It's not a push button start, but just uses a regular key. Not a deal breaker, more of a convenience / lazy thing.

Solved the center console issue with this -> https://amzn.to/4bJLEMH put it in today. Works great.

I tested the compression on the veloster today. Cylinder 1-2-4 = 150psi. Cylinder 2 = 0 psi. Triple checked. Womp womp.

I won't put HIDs in and be that guy, noticed they're not projection. May try to upgrade the color and a bit more brightness with an LED or bulb swap only. But nothing worse then someone behind you with HIDs in a reflector ugh.

I whole heartedly recommend upgrading your HB2 bulbs from 55/60w to 80/100w. The Mirage has a 10 amp circuit for each headlight. I replaced mine in my 2015 and what a dramatic difference. You still have that nice crisp cut off line on low beam which doesn't blind oncoming drivers and the light coverage is way improved. High beams are impressive. I've had my 80/100w installed for months now running hours on end with no issues. Definitely a worthy upgrade.

[foama]

Welcome, Eric!

@inuvik: Mine is a 2014 with 55/60W H4 bulbs. With the stronger sort 80/100W H4 bulbs, that BTW are illegal here, would not the plastic parts of the headlight assy become heat-damaged in the long run?

[7milesout]

I tested the compression on the veloster today. Cylinder 1-2-4 = 150psi. Cylinder 2 = 0 psi. Triple checked. Womp womp.

Maybe your veloster engine identifies as a Mirage engine?