Now that I've got the hard-shifting problem sorted , it's time to whine about the wonky rear axle on Mirage #3!
My first two cheap, used 2014 Mirages had good rear axles -- based solely on monitoring rear tire wear, which was even across the back tires. (I never had alignment checked).
But if you play Mirage-rear-axle Russian Roulette long enough, you're gonna get burned!!
Right side of tire in the pic is the inside tread.
Both summer & winter tires that came with the car are new-ish, and both show obvious wear on the inside shoulders. I'll get a better pic tomorrow.
Just eyeballing the car from behind, you can see the excess camber...
^ Haha! OK, not quite that much.
More along the lines of some stock BMW's. Know what I mean? Like this...
I confirmed Mirage #3's camber was off with a quick 'n' dirty comparison to Mirage #2 before I sold it...
I dropped a plumb line centered over the dust cap and measured the distance from the top & bottom of the rim to the line on both cars (same actual rim swapped between cars, both of which were parked in the same spot). Measurements confirmed what the eyeballs were reporting.
It's too bad the previous owner didn't clue in to excessive rear tire wear as a problem or she could have had Mitsu replace the axle under warranty.
What will I do? Haven't decided yet! I know I'm not planning to replace the axle. I might try to fix it... but it's not a big priority.