Mitsubishi Master Tech Finally Buys A Mirage For Research Purposes

[Fopeano]

Hello all,

You can call me Fope. I'm new to this forum, but not new to car enthusiast forums. I'm 41 and I've been into cars since 1999, especially German stuff. Right now I have a sorted out Jetta VR6 street/track car, a BMW E30 that I'm sorting out to be another streetable track car, and a project that's just sitting. The reason I'm here is because I just got into a first year Mirage for my daily driver.

I've been working at a Mitsu dealer in upstate NY since 2009, and I've been the shop foreman for years now. I've always loved small lightweight cars that are underpowered, so I've had a soft spot for the Mirage since I was pulling plastic wrappers from the first ones off the truck back in late 2013. We finally had a good one with the right things wrong traded in when I needed a new daily, so I went for it.

It's a stick shift with push button start, maintained at my dealership, and the engine is as quiet and "smooth" as a perfect one with 20k, but it remains to be seen if it will hold up to my driving habits. My service team thinks I'll destroy it and be putting a used engine in very soon, but I'm more optimistic. I've been working on it like crazy on the daily to get it whipped into shape in the last week


The following pics are from tonight after I've been driving it for a week in winter salt. The front wheels and snow tires are aftermarket sizes I had around. I need snow tires where I live (thank god I'm not in Buffalo) and this is what I could work out with what I already have.

[Wallythacker]

Hey Bro, where in upstate are you roughly? I'm in the Falls, Canada side.

I don't need to tell you what an amazing ride you have there. I actually prefer my 2014 to my 2017. Heated seats, climate control, fog lamps, rear seat heat, etc. Cheers!

[Jim Rogers]

Wow-- you'll be quite an asset here, Fope!

I'm pretty new here myself and am in the market for a Mirage. I'm interested in your choice of a 2014 as they are usually considered to be the scariest of all! I see lots of 14/15's available at good prices, so I'm always trying to decide if it's ok to go with one of those of if it's best to go with a 17+.

So, what do you consider to be the "right things wrong" with this one? I assume you must have some insight into the usual issues with these such as the rear wheel alignment and half-plugged heater core and that this one did not have these issues (or you knew they had been previously fixed).

Finally, with that age, that many miles, and being in the rust belt, curious as to the rust condition of yours (and any insights you might have generally on rust). I'm in the rust belt, so I know what kind of damage salt can do to cars. As such, I'm always amazed at how little rust I see on Mirages. I don't think I've ever seen on that was fully rusted out in the way I see that on so many vehicles.

I've followed the "this is where a Mirage will rust out" thread, but again, it always seems pretty minor compared to what I regularly see on many vehicles.

Looking forward to following your posts!

[foama]

Welcome!

[Fummins]

Welcome!

[Fopeano]

Thanks all for the welcome!

Wally, I'm in the Albany area

Jim,

I didn't choose the 2014, it's what was there. I wanted a stick shift Mirage since they came out, and this was the first one we had going to wholesale that was cheap and good. I paid $2000 for it, which makes it one of the most expensive cars I've ever bought.

The right things being wrong with it: It's got a CEL for a evap leak, which on every Mirage is a cracked fuel pump housing, a fairly easy and cheap fix that is not urgent at all. The ABS and traction control lights are on because one of the wheel speed sensors is missing. Who knows what happened there, but it's great for me because I disable those systems on my cars anyway. It also had the license plate light bracket rotted out, which isn't a big deal to remove the bumper cover and replace the assembly. But telling a customer that it's going to be $250 to fix those lights, that are required to pass state inspection, it just doesn't go over well and contributes to a feeling of wanting to get out of the car.

The main reason it wasn't something we could retail was the 145k mileage. It was also beyond disgusting inside. If you can imagine running a variety of snackfoods and candy through a cheese grater and mashing into every bit of carpet and fabric in the car, it was like that with some animal hair thrown in for good measure. Took 6 hours to clean, pulling all the seats and console out. Had to vacuum, scrub, and vacuum again every square inch of carpet and seat fabric. Some spots even more.

I have no idea what the rear alignment is, but I don't care because they are all out of spec and not adjustable. I also don't know if the heater core has ever been done, but I wouldn't mind doing it if it starts leaking because it's gives me a reason to pull the dash and clean the guts completely.

As far as rust, it's standard for a Mirage that's seen 9 winters (fares way better than the average Mitsu or cheap car). Like them all, the only rust on the bodyshell is where there has been damage that broke the paint. Whatever they did with that shell during production, it works.

I had the fender liners out the other night and the pile of dirt inside that cavity behind the wheel was inches thick, and when I cleaned it all out the paint and metal underneath was unaffected by years of moisture held against it in a confined area. Very impressive. A pic that shows the spot after I cleaned it out:



The subframe and suspension have normal surface rust. I flooded the subframe with anti-corrosion wax for now, and I'll TLC everything else as I go. It has many years left in it if I keep it clean underneath.

Let me conclude by saying addressing the elephant in the room. The engine purrs. Not a hint of bottom end noise that results in replacing the engine. However, it's not a big deal if I pop the engine because good used ones can be had for around $600. Also, the transmission shifts like it's still new. I know that's not saying much for overall smoothness, but it's still working as designed and seems to have no wear. I replaced the fluid with Redline MTL, which improved synchronizer performance as always, and the old oil came out clean with no visible particles or debris.

[Jim Rogers]

Thanks so much for the very complete answer! As you're probably aware, this forum is awesome as it has so many people with great experience with/knowledge of the Mirage. Having you join as a long-time Mitsubishi tech will make it that much better!

I have no idea what the rear alignment is, but I don't care because they are all out of spec and not adjustable. I also don't know if the heater core has ever been done, but I wouldn't mind doing it if it starts leaking because it's gives me a reason to pull the dash and clean the guts completely.

Some have shown alarming rear tire wear in the 14/15's, but I've always suspected that if a 14/15 has well over 100K miles (and one or two owners), by default it probably doesn't have a bad alignment issue.

At 145K miles on yours (don't know how many owners), I am skeptical that someone had the patience and budget to replace the rear tires every 20K miles, so I suspect that either the alignment was reasonable, or the axel was replaced in the recall.

Also, it looks like there is a workaround on the heater core that involves cutting the pipes and sliding it out (for those who don't need to clean the guts completely!).

As far as rust, it's standard for a Mirage that's seen 9 winters (fares way better than the average Mitsu or cheap car). Like them all, the only rust on the bodyshell is where there has been damage that broke the paint. Whatever they did with that shell during production, it works.

I had the fender liners out the other night and the pile of dirt inside that cavity behind the wheel was inches thick, and when I cleaned it all out the paint and metal underneath was unaffected by years of moisture held against it in a confined area. Very impressive.

Agree-- very impressive!

The subframe and suspension have normal surface rust. I flooded the subframe with anti-corrosion wax for now, and I'll TLC everything else as I go. It has many years left in it if I keep it clean underneath.

That will be my plan as well when I get one.

Again, I really appreciate your answer and look forward to seeing your future posts in the mix with all the other great members of this forum!

[Dirk Diggler]

Welcome! As a Mitsubishi master tech would you say Mitsubishi does a better job in terms of reliability vs Nissan since they both use their own spec versions of the JATCO CVT7 & CVT8? What are the key differences between the two? Meaning is there any differences besides programming? How often do you see Mirages for cvt failure and at what avg mileage? Also, when is the Triton/L200 going to be sold in the states?

[Fopeano]

The first questions I can only answer indirectly, so I start from the last.

The Triton/L200 is not even on the horizon for being sold here.

Mirage CVTs do not fail often, and nowhere near the rate of Outlanders and Sports. Usually it's over 100k miles, but it's rare. We keep Outlander transmissions in stock, but It would make no sense to stock Mirage transmissions.

As far a Nissan reliability goes, I have no idea. It is indeed a visually identical Jatco unit. We just had to do one in a Altima we sold, and a Nissan service manager told my service manager that it absolutely had to be programmed before moving it, that even putting it in gear without programming it would damage the new unit. We pushed the car out and had it towed to the dealer we bought the new transmission from for that programming.

In contrast, ours don't need anything to be done. It's "supposed to" be done, but empirical evidence from both our facility and people I've talked to at training classes proves that it's not necessary at all. I've personally in the last so many years replaced at least 50 Jatco transmissions without programming that have never came back and drive perfectly. Whether that is a difference in programming, I can't tell you. As much as I don't believe the Nissan needed to be programmed, I also know that Nissan can eff up a wet dream. As I discussed with the tech who did that job, it's believable that Nissan would spec a trans that needed extra work that isn't worth the trouble.

[Wallythacker]

Thanks all for the welcome!

Wally, I'm in the Albany area

Jim,

I didn't choose the 2014, it's what was there. I wanted a stick shift Mirage since they came out, and this was the first one we had going to wholesale that was cheap and good. I paid $2000 for it, which makes it one of the most expensive cars I've ever bought.

The right things being wrong with it: It's got a CEL for a evap leak, which on every Mirage is a cracked fuel pump housing, a fairly easy and cheap fix that is not urgent at all. The ABS and traction control lights are on because one of the wheel speed sensors is missing. Who knows what happened there, but it's great for me because I disable those systems on my cars anyway. It also had the license plate light bracket rotted out, which isn't a big deal to remove the bumper cover and replace the assembly. But telling a customer that it's going to be $250 to fix those lights, that are required to pass state inspection, it just doesn't go over well and contributes to a feeling of wanting to get out of the car.

The main reason it wasn't something we could retail was the 145k mileage. It was also beyond disgusting inside. If you can imagine running a variety of snackfoods and candy through a cheese grater and mashing into every bit of carpet and fabric in the car, it was like that with some animal hair thrown in for good measure. Took 6 hours to clean, pulling all the seats and console out. Had to vacuum, scrub, and vacuum again every square inch of carpet and seat fabric. Some spots even more.

I have no idea what the rear alignment is, but I don't care because they are all out of spec and not adjustable. I also don't know if the heater core has ever been done, but I wouldn't mind doing it if it starts leaking because it's gives me a reason to pull the dash and clean the guts completely.

As far as rust, it's standard for a Mirage that's seen 9 winters (fares way better than the average Mitsu or cheap car). Like them all, the only rust on the bodyshell is where there has been damage that broke the paint. Whatever they did with that shell during production, it works.

I had the fender liners out the other night and the pile of dirt inside that cavity behind the wheel was inches thick, and when I cleaned it all out the paint and metal underneath was unaffected by years of moisture held against it in a confined area. Very impressive. A pic that shows the spot after I cleaned it out:



The subframe and suspension have normal surface rust. I flooded the subframe with anti-corrosion wax for now, and I'll TLC everything else as I go. It has many years left in it if I keep it clean underneath.

Let me conclude by saying addressing the elephant in the room. The engine purrs. Not a hint of bottom end noise that results in replacing the engine. However, it's not a big deal if I pop the engine because good used ones can be had for around $600. Also, the transmission shifts like it's still new. I know that's not saying much for overall smoothness, but it's still working as designed and seems to have no wear. I replaced the fluid with Redline MTL, which improved synchronizer performance as always, and the old oil came out clean with no visible particles or debris.

Speaking of rust, have you ever used Evaporust? IMO it's the only chemical that stops rust dead by converting it to solid steel again. If I have to open up behind my rear wells I plan to flood the zone with Evap then seal it with something.