Rear Wheel Misaligned? (UPDATE: some rear axles out of spec; warranty replacement)

[mpaton]

Motivated by this thread, I took mine today to my local alignment shop. A check with no adjustment was $23, so that seemed easier than persuading the dealer that they should be paying for a check.

Ideally, I'd be posting a readout of the measured settings, however their printer wasn't working. And even if it had been working, it would have been confusing, as they hadn't updated their system's database to include a 2014 Mirage, so they used a 2002 (which of course is different, but I'm comparing the measured values to the specs you guy have posted here, from the service manual.

Anyway, I saw them do it, on a modern machine; the operator seemed to competently follow the instructions, I have a tiny crappy picture of their screen on my cell phone, and my rear toe in 0.20 degrees in on each side, so I seem to be within spec.

This wasn't a super scientific measurement, in that I didn't load up any weight in the rear, and I didn't insist on the rear being on sliding plates, although I did observe then rolling it back and forwards on the rack in response to the screen instructions. I really just wanted to see if I needed to take this up with my dealer before I get any more miles on the car, and it appears that I don't. Given the way torsion/twist beam axles work, I suspect there should be more setup conditions prior to measuring any rear suspension settings.

So I'll keep looking for tire wear, and see how it goes.
My Mirage appears to have a JAN 2014 Build date; maybe that's a useful data point.

[R01k]

Point in case,the more complaints they get,the more pressure on them to do something about it. When that happens is anybody's guess.

Spot on. That's the main reason for me to bother them.

[Madison320]

Totally agree with you!

Unfortunately manufacturers take their sweet time looking into issues and turning them into customer satisfaction/special policy operations.

I see this first hand when there is a well known issue with certain models and it takes sometimes years before the manufacturer comes out with a policy. (working at a GM dealership that is now also mitsu)

The problem in the case with the mirage is that the dealer don't know if this misalignment is customer induced or not,and even if they know it's not they probably can't just order the rear axle assembly because mitsubishi may not authorize the repair because as far as they are concerned there is or was nothing wrong with their product!

They are quite anal with the warranty repairs.

The only reason I'm not jumping up and down about getting a new axle for mine is because I know that I would be getting the same twisted crap that's on my car now.
But thinking about it maybe I should be complaining to mitsu until they approve an axle,replace it,do the alignment check and call them right back with the out of specs results to prove that it is not customer induced misalignment but manufacturing defect.

Or if I had the free time,get the keys one by one to the brand new ones on the lot and put them all on the alignment machine and start cases on all of them. Maybe that would help proving that it is not customer abuse.

Point in case,the more complaints they get,the more pressure on them to do something about it. When that happens is anybody's guess.

I wonder how this would turn out in a court case. There's a thing called an "implied warranty". For example if you buy a toaster you would expect it to 'toast' toast. If you buy a car you would expect it to drive straight without the tires wearing out prematurely.

Does anyone know how much it is to replace an axle?

I need to get my alignment checked, this is bugging me. My car tracks straight, but the tires wore out at 20K, although they appeared to wear out evenly. Also sometime I hear a slight whining noise, I thought it was the wind against the car exterior but maybe it was the tires. So far my new tires show no wear but it's only 3K.

[Cani Lupine]

With so many people having this problem and the lack of adjustment, there's no way it couldn't be proven as a defect in court.

[El Kapitan]

...if you could somehow convince them that it poses a danger...

[R01k]

The only real fix would be to change the design of the rear axle. I'm not holding my breath.

[Mistah JT]

Had a wheel alignment done today after putting in new springs.
Rear wheels had more than 1 degree of camber difference...???
Never hit any gutters or anything. Guy said it must have been from factory since you can't change the rear camber due to torsion beam setup.

[R01k]

Had a wheel alignment done today after putting in new springs.
Rear wheels had more than 1 degree of camber difference...???
Never hit any gutters or anything. Guy said it must have been from factory since you can't change the rear camber due to torsion beam setup.

That's a lot! How is your tire wear doing? As you can see here my rear left wheel is just in spec but the right one has 0.45° of toe in, what means 0.17° beyond the limit spec.

[Mistah JT]

That's a lot! How is your tire wear doing? As you can see here my rear left wheel is just in spec but the right one has 0.45° of toe in, what means 0.17° beyond spec.

They seem to be wearing at the same rate. Just when one side is at 0.37 and the other is at 1.43, that's a huge difference. I have never hit any gutters or anything, just a lot of pot holes. But it wouldn't have changed it by that much. Plus the fact you can't adjust the rear :\

[Cani Lupine]

Definitely make a warranty claim for parts replacement with a difference THAT extreme.