Ebay aftermarket glass foglights w/ amber Lamin-X "impact-resistant" film. Replaced after breakage of one from a rock strike.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2014-2015-Mitsubishi-Mirage-Glass-Bumper-Fog-Lights-Lamps-w-Switch-Left-Right-/381643683694?vxp=mtr&hash=item58dbbc776e
Texas legal window tint. I believe it's 25% on the front door windows, and regular limo around the back, with a limo eye brow.
Factory Pushbutton Start, Bluetooth, steering wheel controls. ie; ES goodies
Gas-sipping factory Mitsu sewing machine
All factory. Wouldn't mind some additional travel in the suspension though, for the occasional random speed bump or pot hole.
Slightly oversized... will update with exact size and model info.
Update - Barum Brillantis 2 - 175/65/14
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)
TXmirageGUY (12-14-2017)
Yes sir! Just noticed this reply as my email is usually loaded with junk mail.
I crossed 101,000 last weekend actually. The miles keep on going up like crazy! haha.
The car has saved me a ton of money over the past 3 years, with minimal cost to maintain/repair some things.
Please forgive the filthy dash. Noticed it was crossing the 101k mark while I was driving last Friday. The snow pic is the day before me taking a road trip back to my hometown. The cord under the hood is for my trickle charger because my battery had drained on me with the rapid drop in temperature here in Texas last week!
Any issues to report?
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TXmirageGUY (12-14-2017)
Thank you for the reminder! It's nice to document this stuff and I wish I had the time to do so as they had came up.
I'm going to try to do this by memory as best as possible, so bare with me(forgive me for the EXTREMELY long-winded response, but I hope this will be helpful to anybody that's interested)
As follows:
@ Roughly 40k Miles - Factory Enasave tires had to be replaced after having them rotated regularly at Discount Tire Co w/ the certificates purchased a few weeks after getting the car. Went w/ a slightly larger tire(height and width) that cost roughly $40USD a piece.
@ 45k Miles - AC Compressor completely went on me and I had it towed into the dealership and it was replaced under warranty.
@ Roughly 80k Miles - Tires were replaced again, but with a different brand, but the same size.
(I did have to replace multiple tires due to "bubbling" or separation. Discount Tire swore that the tires are not weak, but I have never had tires bubble on me. They said that I had to have hit a pot hole or a huge rock.... haha. One of the times, I had literally had the tire on for roughly 1 week. I guess that goes along w/ purchasing tires that are less than a hundred bucks a piece. I have used the tire certs every time.)
@ 82k Miles - I had a wheel bearing going bad. It was increasingly making tons of what I thought was "road noise". I started to dislike the car after chasing issues and not finding anything wrong. I about sold the car until I started to hear a growl produce. Cost about $500 USD all said and done. I didn't have the time to fix it myself, and the warranty no longer covered drivetrain other than engine and transmission, so I gave in. They did however try to get me for $2500 dollars total in service, but I managed to have the time to do the rest myself.(those items to follow)
@ 84k Miles - I changed the front brakes. Rotors and pads. After the tires, brakes, and wheel bearing being fixed, it was like driving a brand new car again. I could hear myself think again!! I was stoked!
@ 90k Miles - AC compressor went out again. Took it to the dealership and they told me that it was not covered and that the damage would be somewhere around $2000 USD to repair and that it was bad and that the compressor, filter dryer/condensor, expansion valve, etc would all need to be replaced and obviously a flush of the system. I about choked hearing them tell me that my little Mirage that might be worth $4k would need $2k in repairs... I paid the $125 diagnostic charge, and took it home. I took to Ebay and Amazon in search of parts... Bought an R-134a O-ring kit, a brand new aftermarket filter dryer/condenser(since they are a one-piece unit on this car), some R-134a and PAG oil(can't recall the # the car calls for) from my local O'Reilly auto parts, then I located a used AC compressor w/ 1500 miles on it on Ebay for a hundred bucks. The company w/ the compressor was LKQ and they had great reviews. I had never purchased from them before, but felt like it was a small gamble at getting a good part, but a worthwhile risk considering the dealership option. I dedicated a Saturday the weekend after getting the car back, and it took me and a good friend who is very auto tech savvy(quite a bit more than myself) and we got it knocked out in about 6 hours. That included lunch, letting the vacuum hold for an hour 2 separate times after tracing down a leak in my buddies hoses. I'm sitting at 101k miles now and the AC blows colder than factory IMO. I spent less than $200 on parts, and tossed my buddy an additional $200 for helping me and letting me use his garage and gauges.
- While changing the AC compressor, I also replaced my glass fog lights because one had broken(glass) and I figured it'd be best to have the 2 bright and shiny new ones rather than having one that's slightly pitted. The ones I purchased are a set on Ebay which are also glass and were a direct replacement that came with some additional bracketry that was identical to the factory, but I didn't bother taking it all off. I went ahead and purchased some Lamin-X "impact-resistant" protective film to apply onto the lights to protect them from future rock damage. I went w/ an Amber colored film because of alleged additional visibility gained by the yellow lightwaves not reflecting off of fog nearly as bad as white light(I'll let y'all correct me here if I researched some misinformation). The film is super strong and is 12 mil in thickness.
I am probably forgetting some other parts of the saga of my little blue Mirage, but this is a dang good start! haha
Again, I am sorry for the long response, but I wanted to have this all in one post.
One thing that I forgot to mention about the latest AC compressor replacement:
The compressor itself had not failed internally, and there was absolutely no trash in the system. We found the small metal "bracket" if you will, that is on the end of the compressor clutch that connects the clutch to the compressor shaft, to be broken. Apparently after tons and tons of cycling, they fail. It is a super thin metal piece with a few rivets. I'm convinced this is the weak point of the compressor, but it did not appear to be serviceable, and I couldn't locate replacement parts(I looked them up even though I already had fixed the car). In the Texas heat, I can't be surprised due to the constant cycling of the AC for the majority of the year, but it does make me question rather the clutch can be replaced or not.
Thanks again folks!
You might want to consider turning off automatic AC control.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)
TXmirageGUY (12-14-2017)
I appreciate the feedback, but I actually don't ever use the AUTO selection on the AC. I either turn the AC on if it's too hot, or I turn it off if it's comfortable. Actually, I will even run with it off and the windows down if I'm driving by myself. No reason for me to waste the extra drag on the motor and make acceleration suffer. I will even turn it off if I'm doing a lot of stop and go traffic and especially when accelerating, getting on a long on-ramp to get on the interstate. Some might not agree with turning it off while accelerating, but I can definitely promise you that if you've ever tried to merge onto a highway in Houston, Texas w/ moderate traffic, with the AC on, you might have a tough time. Not to mention any unnecessary extra wear on the compressor.
Eggman (12-20-2017)
Excellent list of repairs. Thanks! Gives a lot of us stuff to look for in the future.
Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block
Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)
Alex1a1f (12-14-2017),TXmirageGUY (12-14-2017)
$500, I hope that was 2 wheel bearings? I had to get a new L one for my 92 VW and it was $280 parts/Labor. VW Repair Shop.