oil change and ultra racing front strut bar before a road trip to portland
oil change and ultra racing front strut bar before a road trip to portland
Well, I finally got my DOHC MiVEC decals installed after nine months. I have also repaired the damage to my front bumper that I did last fall when trying to put it on a dolly after the engine went away on me at 74K miles. I have included a picture of the decals and pictures of the front bumper showing some of the fiberglass work. I got the oil changed yesterday. I am planning another trip in June. I now have 117K miles on my Mirage. My trans has a bad 3rd gear in it. The parts are on National Backorder. Unknown when they will come in. The new engine took 43K miles to finally break in to my satisfaction. The compression is 200, 195, 190. These numbers have done a very slow crawl upward. I had a 70 mpg tank on my last drive which was 7.2K miles. 115 miles on 1.5 gallons. 80 mph with a 40 mph tailwind. Lots of fun. I saw a cougar on that drive. Really neat and probably a once in a lifetime event.
GOD Bless and Thanks,
rich!
2019 G4 Wine colored. 'Burgundy'
130K miles, 37MPG average at 75-80 MPH with A/C and Lights
I am on the second engine and trans! 4.5 months out of 18 in the shop!
Not so happy any more!
I forgot to write that once you get used to the roll a Mirage makes quite a CA Canyon Carver. I am able to take 25MPH rated curves at over 50. Lots of fun!
GOD Bless and Thanks,
rich!
2019 G4 Wine colored. 'Burgundy'
130K miles, 37MPG average at 75-80 MPH with A/C and Lights
I am on the second engine and trans! 4.5 months out of 18 in the shop!
Not so happy any more!
Turned off the ECO light because I'm sick of being judged for maintaining speed up a hill. Plus it's super bright at night and I prefer to be in a dark cockpit, which is why the radio fuse got pulled too.
twister77 (05-25-2021)
^ Shoulda bought a SAAB!
I was impressed when I drove a SAAB [couple of decades ago?] that had a button on the dash that switched off EVERY light in the cockpit except for the speedometer backlight.
PS: you should make a garage page... Garage empty: add car
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 62.4 mpg (US) ... 26.5 km/L ... 3.8 L/100 km ... 74.9 mpg (Imp)
I gave my 2017 Mirage ES manual some TLC today.
I did my 50,000 mile oil/filter change (every 5,000 mile interval).
Checked my engine air filter & still plan to replace @ 60,000 miles (every 30,000 miles).
Blew out the cabin air filter & reinstalled it. (check during every oil change & replace when necessary).
Engine air filter is quite substantial on a Mirage. I have no problem paying $15.66 for a decent quality Wix (WA10125) engine air filter every 30,000 miles.
Cabin air filter is quite small & wimpy on a Mirage. I would never pay $17.25 for a Wix (WP10125) cabin air filter. There's nothing to these cabin air filters! I'd much rather buy a cheap UAC cabin air filter (who cares where they come from or who makes them) for $4.06, because they aren't even worth that! It's nuts that a Wix cabin air filter is priced higher than the engine air filter.
I used today's rockauto.com prices for this comparison.
Today was my 10th oil change. Fumoto drain valve is worth the added cost! A stubby handled 3/8" drive ratchet with the correct oil filter socket works perfectly for me. I use both hands/fingertips to spin the filters on & off. The ratchet/socket gives me the grip/leverage to start/finish the job from the top. Some complain about the mess, but this is one of the easiest/cleanest oil changes I do. I just reach down & wipe the drain tray below the engine oil filter before adding the new filter.
I use two cheap plastic trays to catch the oil. While the Fumoto valve is draining the oil pan in one tray, I change the oil filter which drains some into a second tray. Once I change the oil filter, the pan is drained out pretty well. Time to close off the valve. No wrenches necessary!
After I add oil & start the car back up, I let it sit for time. Meanwhile, I check my engine air filter & blow out the cabin air filter (or replace it). Then I go back & top off the oil to the upper mark on the dipstick. Fill washer fluid & check radiator fluid level. Should be good for the next 5,000 miles.
I did switch to SuperTech 5W-30 Full Synthetic for the summer months again. I put approximately 10,000 miles on my Mirage since last fall, and the past two oil changes were SuperTech 0W-20. I see myself sticking to this rotation. I do some longer, harder trips during the summer months, & I just feel better using 5W-30.
On a vehicle like my 2011 Subaru Forester, I just use 0W-20 year round. Since I am racking up most of my mileage on my Mirage, I only change oil in my Forester once a year now. I don't change oil frequently enough to warrant changing things up for the Forester. I also haven't investigated if other oil viscosities are used in Subaru vehicles in other parts of the world, & I am only putting a few thousand miles/year on my Forester. I can justify owning an AWD vehicle where I live, & I tow quite often with it, too! I wanted to save some wear & tear on my Forester, & my Mirage has been doing that quite nicely!
dragon2knight (06-17-2021),inuvik (05-25-2021)
I did 2 things. 1 helpful, the other fun. To start the day I helped a lady out who ran out of gas. On the way to the drugstore (so my mom could shop) I saw a lady walking down the road. Ya see people walking all the time, so I didn't give it much thought. While my mom was shopping, I went back to the gas station to get a pizza. The lady walking down the road came in, and then went to the pump with a gas can. It hit me that she had ran out of fuel. I offered a ride and she said yea. So I took her back to her car.
The fun was I raced a UPS truck. These two trucks were just getting off work, heading back to their base- at about the time I was going in. They had to make a right turn about a mile up the road. I could see in my rear view mirror they were kind of racing/jockeying for position. There's 3 lights, and ya barely catch a red, but this time I did. There was a UPS truck behind me and one beside me. Upon green, I pulled out and the one beside me gunned it. I knew if he got in front of me he was then going to turn right, which would then make me slow down. Skip that. I gunned it too. Get behind me buddy.
I can say with a smile that a Mirage is faster (at least off the line) than a UPS truck.
In full disclosure here, I should also say I turned down a race with some kid in a Camero about a week ago. We were at a light, kid looks at me, is rocking back and forth. Ya can tell he wants to race. I pointed that I was going to the building just across the intersection- which I was- and declined. That kid can pick on someone his own size. He gunned it. I turned into the parking lot just after the light. Ya can tell summer is coming up.
Installed a cheap ebay purchased armrest, it fits and will work but is a bit wobbly. For under $30 I can't complain.
Casey (06-17-2021),dragon2knight (06-17-2021),inuvik (06-16-2021)
Put in a wood bead seat cover to see if it keeps me cooler. It was $18 after speed perks discount at advanced auto and was delivered to my home free the same day. The young man who delivered didn't work for advanced. He was on a road trip and the delivery popped up on his Roadie app. He got $15 to bring it to my house !
I also hooked up the scangaugeII that I bought the day before.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 48.5 mpg (US) ... 20.6 km/L ... 4.8 L/100 km ... 58.3 mpg (Imp)
dragon2knight (06-17-2021),inuvik (06-17-2021),MetroMPG (06-27-2021)
How did anyone make any money with a cost of $18 and delivery of $15? Well ... the delivery guy made a few bucks.
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View my fuel log 2020 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.4 mpg (US) ... 18.0 km/L ... 5.5 L/100 km ... 51.0 mpg (Imp)
Casey (06-17-2021)