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Thread: Newbie Questions!

  1. #1
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    Talking Newbie Questions!

    Hi hi,

    I've recently become one of the cool Mirage owners I haven't owned a car in over 10 years, never had one with a CVT, and I'm not a very mechanical person. I have some questions that might be silly or have been asked before (if so, my apologies). Thanks for all your help!

    1 - When looking for an auto shop for service and repairs, do I need to find one that specializes in CVTs or that's not really a thing?

    2 - Anything important I need to know about CVT?

    3 - I see people on here mention rpm a lot. Do I need to pay attention to my rpm? I don't understand the significance of it.

    4 - On my Mirage, I don't see the temperature gauge/meter to watch out for overheating?

    5 - My car seems to handle pretty smoothly on the road, but I notice when I'm maneuvering in and out of the tight parking spot in my apartment building, the steering wheel seems stiffer to turn vs on the road, not sure if that's normal? Also, the engine noise seems a lot louder vs on the road, but it could be because of the acoustic in the parking garage.

    6 - When I brake, it isn't a smooth stop even when I press lightly. There's a little bit of a jerk, not strong, but it's there every time or almost every time. Is that normal for this car?

    7 - Couple times when I was at a stop and kept a hard foot on the brake, there's this noise like something grinding (not sure if that's the best description, I don't really know how to say it). Only happened twice so far and when I changed my foot pressure, the noise stopped. Not sure if that's normal?

    8 - Mine is a 2015. Does it come with hill assist? If yes, I don't see it anywhere.

    9 - Is B mode encouraged to use going up and down hill? I tried it going down hill and liked the feature, but just want to make sure it doesn't cause damage to the car.

    10 - Did you purchase any extended warranty on your vehicle? Mine is a 2015 with 63,000 miles. I'm looking at this company called Olive and it seems pretty good and not too expensive.

    11 - Not a technical question, but have you done anything to improve the comfort of the seats? Maybe it's just me but these seats feel like I'm sitting in a bus vs a car. I know it's an economy car but at the same price range, the Nissan Versa offers much better seats.

    Thanks so much!


    Last edited by newtomit; 06-19-2020 at 11:10 PM.

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  3. #2
    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by newtomit View Post
    Hi hi,

    I've recently become one of the cool Mirage owners I haven't owned a car in over 10 years, never had one with a CVT, and I'm not a very mechanical person. I have some questions that might be silly or have been asked before (if so, my apologies). Thanks for all your help!
    I have a 5 speed manual Mirage so I can't help much, but glad you're enjoying your new Mirage. Rpms are like rotations an engine makes, so if you're in lower RPMs on the freeway, you'll get better fuel economy. Like 90s cars and the overdrive.

    So...Mirage and after 10 years not having a car. How about that eh. So I have been to NYC (never California) and so I get how owning a car in Manhattan would be impossible. I have seen those multi-story car garages myself.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


  4. #3
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Pretty much everything has been asked and answered, and I'd encourage you to do a search for specific threads if you want more detail about anything in particular. A lot of this is also in your owner's manual, which you should read. But, I'll give you some quick answers.

    1 - When looking for an auto shop for service and repairs, do I need to find one that specializes in CVTs or that's not really a thing?

    2 - Anything important I need to know about CVT?


    If you're not the DIY type, you just need a shop that's competent enough to change your oil and also change the CVT fluid maybe every 50-60k miles or so. (Look up the CVT threads... I'm guessing on that mileage figure. I don't have or want a CVT, so I don't keep up with the specifics) The car doesn't need a lot of maintenance or repair, otherwise.

    3 - I see people on here mention rpm a lot. Do I need to pay attention to my rpm? I don't understand the significance of it.

    You should start paying attention and get a good idea of what's "normal" for your car with your driving style. If the car starts working outside what it's norms are for no apparent reason, you may be developing a transmission problem.

    4 - On my Mirage, I don't see the temperature gauge/meter to watch out for overheating?

    No temp gauge. Just a green light that tells you when it's cold, and a red light that will tell you if it's hot.

    5 - My car seems to handle pretty smoothly on the road, but I notice when I'm maneuvering in and out of the tight parking spot in my apartment building, the steering wheel seems stiffer to turn vs on the road, not sure if that's normal? Also, the engine noise seems a lot louder vs on the road, but it could be because of the acoustic in the parking garage.

    Probably normal.

    6 - When I brake, it isn't a smooth stop even when I press lightly. There's a little bit of a jerk, not strong, but it's there every time or almost every time. Is that normal for this car?

    That's the CVT at work. You can read about the specifics of it in one of the CVT threads. The little time I've spent with one, you can definitely feel it shift at low speeds.

    7 - Couple times when I was at a stop and kept a hard foot on the brake, there's this noise like something grinding (not sure if that's the best description, I don't really know how to say it). Only happened twice so far and when I changed my foot pressure, the noise stopped. Not sure if that's normal?

    No idea. If it keeps happening, take a video of it and start a thread. Someone will probably know what it is.

    8 - Mine is a 2015. Does it come with hill assist? If yes, I don't see it anywhere.

    Probably. Not something I've personally ever worried about. Automatics don't tend to roll back much on hills, anyway. Hill assist is more a feature with manual transmission for drivers who don't know how to drive manual transmission. (old guy here, get off my lawn!) Stop the car as you're going up a hill. Take your foot off the brake. Does the car roll backward? Then you have a hill assist. Really not a big deal.

    9 - Is B mode encouraged to use going up and down hill? I tried it going down hill and liked the feature, but just want to make sure it doesn't cause damage to the car.

    Anything Mitsubishi has given you as a feature of the car isn't going to damage the car. Personal preference. If you like playing with the shift lever and using the B mode, knock yourself out!

    10 - Did you purchase any extended warranty on your vehicle? Mine is a 2015 with 63,000 miles. I'm looking at this company called Olive and it seems pretty good and not too expensive.

    I didn't and wouldn't. Very reliable car, and cheap to repair. You likely wouldn't get the value out of a warranty, even if it's cheap. Just put that money in the bank to help pay for repairs if you need them. And if you don't need them... that's money you can put toward your next car!
    Simplify and add lightness.

  5. #4
    1-any competent shop should be able to replace the fluid and filter(s). It’s pretty straight forward. Some may not be aware that there are 2 filters though so you may have to make note you want both replaced if you do.

    2-not really. Drive it. They do act a little differently than a regular automatic at times. They’ll shift to neutral sometimes and lurch forward. That’s normal. Read the owners manual or download one if you didn’t get one.

    3-no need to pay attention to rpm. I do attempt to get decent economy like the cool kids though. I found on mine once I get up to speed 55-60mph the rpm will hang around 3000 but I can get it to upshift(drop rippems) by letting off the throttle a little.

    4-they don’t have a temp gauge. There’s a green thermometer light that comes on when it’s cold and a red one when it’s overheating. I’ve never seen a red one.

    5-those wider tires could make it a little harder to steer, but I wouldn’t imagine it’d be that be too bad. Check your air pressure, low profile tires are hard to judge by looking at them.

    6-need more info? Steering wheel shakes, brake pedal pulsates/shakes? Could be warped rotors.

    7-you hear noise once you are stopped or while coming to a stop? Any abs lights on? Is ac on when it does this? Could be Ac compressor or rad fan kicking on.

    8-it should have hill start assist. I’ve really only notice it working a handful of times. Look up how it works. There’s probably a thread around here.

    9-dinner time
    Mirage videos:

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


  6. #5
    Scratch that for number 6. Loren nailed it
    Mirage videos:

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


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    Welcome

    Hello newtomit. I'm somewhat new to the forum as well. I've drove a CVT Mirage a couple hundred miles as a rental in Colorado and I've owned a 5-spd for a little about 3.5 years. As long as you're not doing any drag-racing, it's probably the best value you can get from a car in North America. Let me try to answer your questions:

    1. I think most mechanics can handle CVT fluid changes but if you want to make sure it's the OEM transmission fluid, you might have to order it yourself or go to a dealer. If the transmission needs a rebuild I would cross that bridge when you get to it.
    2. CVT is "Continuous Variable Transmission." You will notice smoother acceleration over most cars from 10 years ago because the engine will not rev up and down. CVT keeps the engine in the torque bands so the revolutions of the engine stay pretty constant.
    3. RPM is "revolutions per minute" of the engine/motor. If you put the pedal down to the floor, the engine will rev higher. You really don't need to pay much attention to this with the CVT.
    4. Someone one here will sell you ScanGauge if you really want to track the coolant and air temps. You'll notice a green temp warning light when you start the car cold. Don't drive too aggressively until that light goes off as the engine will then be up to operating temperature.
    5. There is very little sound deadening/insulation in the car so it will seem pretty loud so you will hear the engine when there's little ambient noise and you will hear traffic and road noise a lot on the highway.
    6. Could be worn rotors if you notice a shimmy or jerking when braking down from speed.
    7. Could be worn rotors or pads. My guess is rotors are rusted and need to be replaced. Pads may have never been replaced within 63,000 miles.
    8. I thought Hill Assist was just for manual trans, but I would not put an Automatic car in Neutral on a hill anyway.
    9. You are using the "B" gear correctly. If you going down a steep grade and want to save your brakes, you should use the "B" gear.
    10. I personally don't think extended warranties are worth it but you should look around the forum threads. There are a lot of contributors on here who have posted extensively about warranties, brakes, CVTs.

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    Quote Originally Posted by newtomit View Post
    . 8 - Mine is a 2015. Does it come with hill assist? If yes, I don't see it anywhere.
    8. HSA (hill start assist) is found on all 2020 trim levels. Thus, CVT models will have it. It is the first item listed under "safety & security" features.

    https://www.mitsubishicars.com/mirag...specifications

    Does HSA exist on older models? I don't know for sure. Easy to test yourself.

    I teach my driving students to use their left foot on the brake pedal while giving the car a little gas with their right foot on steep hills. This is why manual vehicles have hand parking/emergency brakes. You can control the car's brakes with your right hand while manipulating the clutch and gas pedal with your feet.

    Since I am a manual Mirage owner, others will have better CVT advice for you.

    You now own a vehicle that's affordable, reliable, economical, & nice forum following!

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    When you get a chance, look on one of the tire sidewalls and tell us what size tires are on your car.

    Name:  16_inch_wheels.jpg
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        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by Top_Fuel View Post
    When you get a chance, look on one of the tire sidewalls and tell us what size tires are on your car.

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    https://nankangusa.com/passenger-tir...ll-season-uhp/
    It’s the 205/40R17 one. Never heard of this brand before. I hope it’s good lol

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  12. #10
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    Ah, I see, the HSA is an automatic built-in feature. I was looking for a button or switch to turn it on

    It’s interesting the Mirages don’t have temp gauge. It makes me feel better to see some kind of temperature meter while driving vs suddenly the red light comes on and puts me in panic mode lol



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