Ok so here is my rant.

I bought a 2008 Mitsubishi Evolution with 81,000 back in February. I paid about $3,000 to get the extended warranty with One care I believe.
I have since installed just a basic intake and exhaust/High flow cat. I was driving it a few nights ago and the check engine light came on. I used my code reader and got the following codes:

p0016 Power train
crank-cam position correlation

p0011 powertrain
"A" canshaft position -timing over advanced or system performance

I checked online and it all points to the timing chain stretching. This is apparently a know issue with the Newer Lancer/Evos. I took the car back to where I bought the car. They told me that the aftermarket warranty would not apply because the power train warrant still applies as I am under 100k.

The place I bought the car suggested I took off my mods before going to the dealer so I went home and took off the intake. I still had the oem exhaust but noticed that it was cut off so figured it was more drama then it was worth to remove so I decided to take my chances.

I went to the Erin Mills Mitsubishi and dropped my car off. I ran into one of the mechanics on my way in and showed him the codes. He suggested it sounded like it is the timing chain but they had to check.

So they called me an hour later and said that they checked the codes and that the timing chain was stretched. Then he went on to say that one of the codes also indicated that the car was over reved so they will not honor the warranty. WTF?? So I went on to say that I checked the code and proceeded to read them off to them. I then asked then which of those 2 codes indicated that I had over reved the car. He then back pedaled and said that he didn’t say that. But that the chain would only fail for 2 reasons. Abuse or neglect. I debated back and forth thinking that I was making a strong case for myself. He said that he would look into it and get back to me. He then called about an hour later. He said that he can see iinstalled a high flow cat so I have now void my warranty!! You cannot modify your car in any way! So he basically said come pick up your car or pay me $1200. So I said go faek yourself and got my car.
What are my next steps? Can I call the better business bureau? Head office? Or am i just screwed? Seems like such an easy cop out to say that i have a cat so they wont fix me?

I have heard the same from lot's of people. Any modification to the car will void the warranty. I would say the only thing you could do is put the old exhaust back on and try again and see if that works. Other then that I would call the head office first and than the better business bureau and see what they can do. Make sure you go through your papers you signed and see what voids warranty.

There is legislature to protect you in this situation. I don't know enough about it to be the person giving you first-hand advice, but I did some poking around before modding my old cobalt (was under warranty at the time). Definitely push for the repair.

According to the law (5 years ago when I read it..), if you've modified your car then the manufacturer has to be able to prove that your modifications have caused or encouraged the damage. Obviously, there isn't a high-flow cat in the world that will stretch a timing chain. And he forgot the third possible cause of failure: Mitsubishi facked up!

As for next steps... this is when someone else needs to chime in. I would call head office next, but then I get a warm fuzzy feeling when I get to tear a strip off "the man" (or one of his underlings).

You can call customer relation or try a different dealer. The dealer is just a middleman. Don't tell them you pulled your own codes. Play dumb.

And i would asume that if i can tell if any 2000 and up Acuras have been over reved that Mitsu could aswell. Doesn't set a code just stays in freeze data.

The TSX used to jump teeth al the time mostly due to low oil and gear wear, According the powers that be at Honda a chain can not stretch it slips because of gear wear.

That was my stance, if you prove that the cat broke it i will gladly pay to fix it. I also found out that they have revised the chain and came out with a new one. Why redo it there were no issues with it??

At this point i would NEVER buy another mitsu! I have a Mazda tribute and the transmission went at about 60k. Ok they had my car WAY longer then they shoudl have but they gave me a rental while the fixed it. They did not ask me for service records and try to prove that i was an asshole and broke it. I had the car for 2 months and bought it second hand. Name me one dealership in the world that sells a used car along with ALL the service records from the previous owners???

Try a different Dealer. I wouldn't never refuse warranty work even if the car was modded. Unless it was an RSX with a Turbo or supercharger on it.

A CAT wouldn't make a chain jump.

Well what I'd like to know is how he managed to over-rev his engine with the factory rev limiter in place. Tim doesn't come off as the type of guy to downshift to second on the 401...

But there is definitely be much to be gained by finding yourself a good dealership. When I was fixing my buddy's RX8 (it blew a coil on startup and flooded), I got everything done then called Guelph Mazda to tow start it. "We don't use improper techniques here". Yet I have a friend who's a tech there, owned an RX8, and told me that 80%+ of the floods get tow started. They told me it would be a week before they could look at it.

CAA towed the car down to Brantford Mazda for him; 2 hours later he drove it home.

I am not saying Tim did anything. The car is 4 years old with 80k on it.

What yahoo owned it before is unknown.

see this is EXACTLY what i said. We talked in cirlces for almost an hour. I said that if i over reved the car then that means that the rev limter failed and this is a fault in the car.

Anyone have any Mitsu dealers that would be more understanding?? I tried calling the Brampton site but they said i would need all my service records. I told then i got the car used and they said i need to find that or they could not help me.

It has nothing to do with reving it with your right foot it is over reving with your left foot and right hand.

Inproper downshift.

I have seen 18921rpm when the first 6 speed RSX's came out. Blew the valvetrain apart.

They didnt mention that. Just that i have a cat so the cars modded. Such a weak cop out! At least try to determine what caused it to fail. When i called the customer support they said that the dealer had to prove that it failed premature due to a factory default. WFT?

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply I thought you were putting fault on Tim. I was just mentioning the strangeness of the situation. I know with the rev limiter, over revving would have to be an improper downshift, which Tim would of course remember doing.

Definite brain fart forgetting that they store that kinda info forever though; Stephen makes a very good point. It's likely the previous owner over rev'd it, assuming that the guy wasn't just completely full of it.

I've had good luck with Cambridge Mitsu, but I've only ever gotten parts through them.

oh i thought you said they said it was over reved. Still ifyour service was done at a Mitsu dealer all dealers should have access to that info(at least Honda works that way)

there is legislature in place for that sort of thing,
the long and short of it is they have to prove that you goofed and broke your car.

If they cant, you win.

correct me if I'm wrong

According to mitsu it is the opposite. The mechanic has to determine that the part failed due toa defect in order to be covered. I would love to find this legislature

Find the legislature stating otherwise (that they have to prove it was something you did, etc.) and get a lawyer-friend to write an intimidating letter. Nothing gets peoples' minds changed like some fance legalese and the chance of losing in court.

As Jeremy said, I've also had good luck with Cambridge Mitsubishi as far as parts go - never been there for service though.

They've got ~6 or 7 brand new Evo X's that have been sitting on the lot for ages. 3 or 4 MRs and 3 GSRs. Actually went to 'test drive' one yesterday but they close at 6

Find this legislature and any TSB's, going through a similar thing with Ford (My girlfriend has a 2011 ecoboost f-150). There has been new software releases for drivability (shift points etc) and they won't update it just because there is no codes being thrown. Yet we experience shuttering and sluggish shifts at certain speeds.

I haven't gone in yet but when I do they will be updating it. I don't know why the mechanics fight these things it keeps them busier/employed!

Try a smaller town dealership.

Good point. Forgot to mention - any 'proof' that this problem is an 'issue' (whether it be a TSB or links to a thousand different forum posts with people having the same problem) - is going to be incredibly beneficial to your case at this point. No different than when insurance gives someone an offer for a car and they reject it and provide proof that it's worth more (i.e. similar cars priced higher, etc.).

From my research they Released a revised chain in 2011. I had same experience. I asked if there were any recalls. They said yes a critical ecu update so I asked for it. He said that our only under warranty for 60k so I have to pay $99! Wtf? If it was critical then they should do it. Soon saidI wanted documentation on what the ecu was updating. if thereare revised timing maps how do they know that did not cause my car to fail early

The law you guys are referring to is called "magnuson-moss". As far i know it's an American law. Been a while since I researched it..

Ask them for an Owner Inquiry whick is the list that shows vehicle maintance history all the way back to the PDI.


You could also get an Alldata or Mitchell subscription for 20 bucks and they list all the TSB's

Or throw me your vin and i will see if my buddy is still at Mitsu.

The problem is the previous owner was a mechanic and did his own service. They used that too. I need proof of maintenance

Eric that law I looked at but it is american

Do you have any bills from oil and filter purchases? If the filter is the same as your 2g you may get away with it. But they do have the right to not fix it if your maint was not done(Mitshu not the dealer)

Our ask the prev owner if he has anything.

I don't think there is a Canadian equivalent, sadly.

I think there is a class action law suit against mitsu regarding their timing chain

I think i may have found something:

The Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan Canada - Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan is the dispute resolution program for consumers in Canada that have problems with the assembly of their vehicle or with how the manufacturer implements its new vehicle warranty. CAMVAP covers new or used owned or leased vehicles that are from the current model year and up to an additional four model years old.

http://www.camvap.ca/eng/consumers_guide.htm

What do you guys think?

Mitsubishi is not a participating member.

You can try another dealership but I know that in our dealership I had a yahoo come in with 2 pairs of different sized tires and blew his transfer case we told him we couldn't warr it due to this. He then came and stole his vehicle off the lot. (left with out paying) as it turns out while we were waiting to deal with his truck we left the diff cover off of the front (also destroyed)
When he left we had the right and excercised it and put a note on his Canada side Chrysler Canada warr indicating that his warr on that component is void. We also had to contact Coverage 1 for his aftermarket warr and let them know. So as much as I'm in the favor of helping out a customer to the ends of the world I think that you want to make sure to try other areas (dealerships) first to see if you can get it covered and hope that buddy didn't leave a note in the warr area of mitsu that would void it all everywhere.
Not what you wanted to read I know but just letting you know the dealerships abilities as well.

So who is the aftermarket warranty with ?

Coverage 1 I think

If the repair goes over $1000 or near there they will send an appraiser in to look at the car which will tie it up for a few days. I don't have horrible luck with coverage one but they still can be pricks

But it will not kick in till the OEM expires in 12k

Anything is better than mitsu

See if its fine to drive like this for another 12k.

Try another dealership first then look at the other possibilities.

I would call and talk to Cambridge Mitsu. Just mention that the light came on and you had it scanned and things seem to be pointing to the timing chain. Ask about your warranty coverage so they bring up your file. If it has any notes, they'll mention it to you.

I'd try to get your stock exhaust on for taking it to another dealership.

I don't know how it is today, but when this program first came out I was being pushed by a dealership to go this route. I didn't because:
a) it was BINDING arbitration, you have to sign away all your other rights.
b) the program was paid for by the auto manufacturers..so what are chances is it is impartial?
c) you had to sign a confidentiality agreement saying you would not disclose the outcome. I know I had nothing to hide, what are the manufacturers trying to hide?

It might have changed a lot in the meantime, though...that was a little over 20 years ago.