Lurker Finally Joins!

[Princess_Bishi]

Hello All,

After lurking on this forum for the past month, I've finally decided to join the conversation surrounding the Mirage. I have had my 2017 ES 1.2L since 2019. As a teenager I always wanted a small hatchback, and now in my late 20s I finally have one of my own! People often say that the buzz after a big purchase is fleeting, but I still get a spark of joy every time I drive it and think "This is my car". So glad I chose the Mirage as it has been SO reliable and fuel efficient.

I've taken a special interest in car maintenance lately and have found that much of the information about car maintenance from manufacturers is incomplete. This is probably because:

A. 75% of people do not properly maintain their cars and
B. The car can last past the warranty without proper maintenance.

Manufacturers are often demonized by car enthusiasts over long service intervals etc. but if you think about it, people that do not maintain their vehicles will not buy a car if they are told to do any more than change the oil every 7,000 miles. I know this because I used to be like this! But I love my Mirage and want it to last forever, so I am learning to perform all of the maintenance myself.

[Mark]

Hello All,

After lurking on this forum for the past month, I've finally decided to join the conversation surrounding the Mirage. I have had my 2017 ES 1.2L since 2019. As a teenager I always wanted a small hatchback, and now in my late 20s I finally have one of my own! People often say that the buzz after a big purchase is fleeting, but I still get a spark of joy every time I drive it and think "This is my car". So glad I chose the Mirage as it has been SO reliable and fuel efficient.

I've taken a special interest in car maintenance lately and have found that much of the information about car maintenance from manufacturers is incomplete. This is probably because:

A. 75% of people do not properly maintain their cars and
B. The car can last past the warranty without proper maintenance.

Manufacturers are often demonized by car enthusiasts over long service intervals etc. but if you think about it, people that do not maintain their vehicles will not buy a car if they are told to do any more than change the oil every 7,000 miles. I know this because I used to be like this! But I love my Mirage and want it to last forever, so I am learning to perform all of the maintenance myself.

Welcome to the forum!

Some car critics have done the public a real disservice by bashing a car like a Mirage. Affordable, reliable, economical cars should be embraced by everyone. The Mirage doesn't have to be the car for everyone, but it fills a nice niche that most auto companies are choosing to ignore. I'm 59, and I really like the Mirage for what it is.

I feel a well taken care of Mirage can easily go 300,000+ miles without major issues. In the past, I never kept a vehicle for that many miles, but I don't plan on making that mistake with my Mirage. I wish I had learned to be content with what I already have earlier in life. Sounds like you may be there already! Good for you!

Personally - I like to change my oil/filter every 5,000 miles. It's only 3 quarts, & I am not comfortable keeping it in there any longer than that. I don't think the brand of oil matters as much as changing it more frequently. I make it a habit to check my engine air filter & cabin air filter every time I change oil, too.

I changed the front brake pads & rotors on my Mirage today. It's such an easy car to work on. Instead of paying a mechanic, buy some tools!

"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a life." (Chinese proverb.)

I think we could twist that proverb for a Mirage. It's a good car to learn how to work on! I'll let Fummins come up with the proper Canadian Proverb for the Mirage.

Our world is somewhat backwards these days. I respect the sensible person who sees value in a vehicle like the Mirage. Average new vehicle transactions are over $47,000 these days. If that's the new norm, I may be done buying new vehicles in my lifetime.

[davidricardo86]

People often say that the buzz after a big purchase is fleeting, but I still get a spark of joy every time I drive it and think "This is my car". So glad I chose the Mirage as it has been SO reliable and fuel efficient.

I've taken a special interest in car maintenance

I couldn't agree more! I like wrenching on my Mirage, but i also like driving it. It's incredibly reliable.

Welcome

[Princess_Bishi]

Welcome to the forum!

Some car critics have done the public a real disservice by bashing a car like a Mirage. Affordable, reliable, economical cars should be embraced by everyone. The Mirage doesn't have to be the car for everyone, but it fills a nice niche that most auto companies are choosing to ignore. I'm 59, and I really like the Mirage for what it is.

I feel a well taken care of Mirage can easily go 300,000+ miles without major issues. In the past, I never kept a vehicle for that many miles, but I don't plan on making that mistake with my Mirage. I wish I had learned to be content with what I already have earlier in life. Sounds like you may be there already! Good for you!

Personally - I like to change my oil/filter every 5,000 miles. It's only 3 quarts, & I am not comfortable keeping it in there any longer than that. I don't think the brand of oil matters as much as changing it more frequently. I make it a habit to check my engine air filter & cabin air filter every time I change oil, too.

I changed the front brake pads & rotors on my Mirage today. It's such an easy car to work on. Instead of paying a mechanic, buy some tools!

"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a life." (Chinese proverb.)

I think we could twist that proverb for a Mirage. It's a good car to learn how to work on! I'll let Fummins come up with the proper Canadian Proverb for the Mirage.

Our world is somewhat backwards these days. I respect the sensible person who sees value in a vehicle like the Mirage. Average new vehicle transactions are over $47,000 these days. If that's the new norm, I may be done buying new vehicles in my lifetime.

I have been changing the oil every 5-7k miles, but now I feel foolish for doing so when changing oil yourself is so easy. I found out recently that for less than the price of a full synthetic oil change at a shop, I could afford the oil, a way better oil filter, and a quart or two of OEM transmission fluid. So I plan to start changing more frequently! I recently replaced my engine air filter and gained 5 mpg. I was very happy about that. Cabin filter replacement is on my radar, probably after trans fluid/filters and brake pad replacement. I took an air compressor to it a few weeks ago to get a little more action out of it.

[Princess_Bishi]

It seems to be a good modern car that doesn't have too many computerized things going on with it. Mine has the FAST start system and the CVT, which are nowhere near as complicated as the stuff you see going on Volkswagens of the same year. I'm glad it's easy to work on. Good learning experience for me.

[7milesout]

Welcome Princess Bishi - I enjoy doing the maintenance too. Here lately I'm not liking it as much. I don't know if it is because I'm becoming more codgerized, or my lard is curing and making things more difficult, or that I have so many cars and I'm about sick of them, or if it because I'm so busy in my schedule I'm about tired of the rat race. But, have you done an oil change on your car yet? Removing the oil filter is the most difficult part. For me, it's because I have to curve my arm around weirdly to get my hand on the filter. And in doing so, there are a couple things I guess on the radiator that are jabbing and cutting into my arm. I think the last oil change I did, I played around with an oil extractor. Had a hard time getting the thing to extract properly. Anywho, if you have skinny arms, maybe it will be a pleasant enough job for ya.

[Mark]

I plan on keeping my Mirage for a long time (15+ years hopefully).

Since I always do my own oil changes, I invested in a Fumoto (F106S) oil drain valve. I don't have to mess with drain plug washers now. I just roll under my Mirage with a cheap plastic tray & open the drain valve (no wrench needed).

I like using a mechanic's creeper (surely not needed to do an oil change, but I have one). So I made a cheap wooden ramp out of old 2" x 6" boards. I drive my Mirage up the height of three boards when changing oil. I feel the slight angle helps the oil pan drain better, too.

While the oil is draining, I remove the oil filter from the top. I reach both arms around both sides of the radiator hose. Even though I don't have skinny arms, I find that I can manipulate things well enough from above. I invested in a 65 mm/14 flutes 3/8" drive oil filter socket ($5-10 investment), because it was needed to remove the super tight factory oil filter. It also makes removing & tightening replacement oil filters with a short stubby racket so much easier. If I wanted to really grip the oil filter by hand, I would have to do it from the bottom. I prefer using the wrench while standing.

I typically do 2-3 oil changes a year on my Mirage. Since I plan on keeping my Mirage for a long time, the Fumoto oil drain valve & oil filter socket are well worth the investment.

I have a manual, & I change my transmission fluid (Redline MTL) @ 30,000 miles, but I plan to do it every 50,000 miles from now on. If I had a CVT, I would do 30,000 mile intervals for the life of the vehicle. Manuals are easy to change (no filters). Only investment for that job was a $2.49 plastic funnel with a long flexible hose.

Engine air filters & cabin air filters are easy to check. I spend more time moving stuff out of my glovebox than removing/checking the cabin air filer itself. I tend to check them more frequently now.

Last fall, I had 52 walnuts stored in my engine intake resonator & air filter housing. I didn't put them there, but some hard working little creature did. Now my nuts don't rattle any more!