99 Lancer SLXi - Prelude to a dream

Tassem · 30th September 2009, 18:11

Hi All!

My name's Tassem. I'm from bangalore and I recently (<month) bought a 99 Lancer SLXi with 95k on the odo.

The test drive was smooth and the engine didnt show any signs of age while the car had many cosmetic deficiencies.

I got the tyres upgraded to 205/50-15 and got a new set of Alloys to go with it. The windscreen had a crack and I had it replaced. Mated a JBL Amp/Woofer and satellites to the existing Pioneer head-unit. And installed a HID head-lamp unit.

Then the trouble started. First, the wiper failed on a drive back from the bangalore airport.The owner had tried some DIY fixing using some putty to hold the wiper linkage in place. Which promptly failed. The result was that I had to pull over and wait for the rain to subside. The wait lasted a nice 6 hours. Yes, you did read that right. 6 Hours!

I drove the car straight to Sundaram Motors, got the wiper linkages and blades replaced. There was a problem with the dipper switch for the headlamps which resulted the lights being on high all the time. They took apart the instrument console, tried to fix it, failed. I had them align the headlights so that they do not put traffic from the opposite side at risk.

On the drive back, I noticed that the left indicator does not work anymore. The hazard lamps work, so its the switch - figures since they'd taken it apart in their vain attempt at fixing.

Now for the bummer.

A little while ago, I was driving to work and the gear wouldn't engage! If i exert force, it goes into gear. Second is easier to engage than first. Once engaged, with the clutch depressed, if I rev the engine, the car doesn't move. So I'm hoping the clutch is engaging properly. When I try reverse, the car goes into gear with the same amount of force, but makes a loud grinding noise - sort of like when someone engages the gear without the clutch fully depressed.

I called Sundaram Motors and he said that my fears could be unwarranted as it may be a minor issue with the gear slotting perhaps.

But as it is, I'm worried.

Oh did I mention that the previous owner had some local battery installed? Yeah, I need to get that replaced as well.

I wanted my first post to be a nice intro, but bad times struck and I need help now!!

Any help/Suggestions will be greatly accepted!

Thanks a bunch!

Tassem.

karizma_devil · 30th September 2009, 18:29

Taseem - Congrats on your car .

Well dont get upset, have patience.
Am sure you must have known a 10 + years car and 95 K on odd got to have some or the other problems.
I suggest give your car for a scheduled service at the A.S.S.
Repair/replace whatever is essential.

These are sign of old age, you can only take preventive measures, but these would show up now and again.

Good luck.

prince_pervez · 30th September 2009, 18:48

Congrats on the Lancer. Since you are in Bangalore I'd suggest you get it checked at Southern Motors. I hear their service has improved by leaps and bounds. The down side is the bill. I'm sure Lancer experts here would help you here.

Tassem · 30th September 2009, 19:40

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies.

I expected problems, but so quickly since the car ran like a dream for a week or two. Then it was like a domino effect.

I did speak to a service advisor (Harsha) at Souther Motors/India Garage. He asked me to get the car over tomorrow for a quick look since he felt it has to be something minor.

He also gave the number of a tow service in case the car cannot be driven over.

I've got my fingers crossed.

Tassem.

mnhegde · 30th September 2009, 19:43

Congrats for the car Taseem. Get the car checked and serviced in a good service centre . How much you paid for the car?? Can you post some pics please?

pramodkumar · 30th September 2009, 20:13

I have a 2000 Lancer 120k on odo and still holding strong. I assume this must be your first car as i was complaining the same way when i brought my first esteem couple of years back. i used to speak of reliability well here is something, i drove it from delhi to hyderabad with 0 breakdowns/flats in>36 hours. The lesson the previous car taught me was a valuble one, a lot of botox may make a old lady look young but still under the skin she is the same old lady. I assume you brought this car because you must have got a sweet deal, but remember it is a premium car and spares are little expensive(depends upon your defination of expensive). my lancer is currently undergoing a facelift, its basically a second life, mostly fixing issues if you ask me how much i like this car, i just love this car but my previous car taught me that how easily a used car can become a bottomless pit but it also made me join Team BHP and taught me a lot of things, please go through Vid's long term ownership review, all your problems are very much common to all old lancers, you would get a lot of your questions, BTW even i am interested in seeing your car mind posting some pics.

Pramod

jkdas · 30th September 2009, 20:20

Well said Pramod.

People jump at Lancer thanks to the image it has but forget to check how much it will cost to maintain. A colleague of mine bought a second hand diesel one for 4plus lacs and is now crying when he sees the cost of parts which he has to replace now and then.

Hope the one's you got are minor ones and can be sorted out easily & is pocket friendly.

fast_elegance · 30th September 2009, 20:29

Congrats Tassem on your buy.

These are the small niggles that one has to face after buying a 2nd hand car. Give it for a thorough servicing and am sure everything will fall in place.

Post some pics and also mention the price you paid for it.

silver_shadow · 30th September 2009, 21:27

take your car to united motors (they are bosch authorised) in rajajinagar for a thorough service.

prince_pervez · 30th September 2009, 22:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by silver_shadow

take your car to united motors (they are bosch authorised) in rajajinagar for a thorough service.

Hi @silver_shadow. Who are United Motors ? And are they Lancer specialists ? There would be a lot of people interested.

Tassem · 30th September 2009, 23:50

Hey Guys! Thanks for the replies!

Now here's the surprise, I checked the car a few minutes ago and the gears are engaging super smooth again! Wonder whats happening!

@Pramod: Hey bro, nope, this is not my first car. I have an eclipse in dubai. Always been a fan of Mitsubishis. For me reliability is really important as I drive down a lot to kerala and back. So its gotta be dependable. I dont have any pics on me right now. Will click a couple tomorrow at the service centre. The car is green now. I'm getting a painjob as well. Lots of little kinks that need ironing out. I jus dont want any major pains. The engine seems good though. So a relief there.

@jkdas: I hope the niggles are minor too. I really wanna fall in love again!!

@fast-elegance: Thanks bro. I will post pics tomorrow. I paid 1.6lacs for the car. Plus another 1.5 on the extras I mentioned above.

@Silver Shadow: Are they authorised? I want to do the first service from an *** if possible. (That sounds wrong, doesnt it?)

Tassem.

pramodkumar · 1st October 2009, 09:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tassem

Hey Guys! Thanks for the replies!

@Pramod: Hey bro, nope, this is not my first car. I have an eclipse in dubai. Always been a fan of Mitsubishis. For me reliability is really important as I drive down a lot to kerala and back. So its gotta be dependable. I dont have any pics on me right now. Will click a couple tomorrow at the service centre. The car is green now. I'm getting a painjob as well. Lots of little kinks that need ironing out. I jus dont want any major pains. The engine seems good though. So a relief there.

.

Tassem,

The cars in Dubai are very well maintained because of the availability of Cheap spares and Trained workforce and thats not the case here in India is if you take your car to the A S S, they will not repair anything, they will just replace. my friend in Dubai says bushes for the suspension are available in Dubai as separate kits but here in India we have to replace the whole arm for small bush issues, it is costs like these that makes our ownership experience little painful. Lancer is a car which is mostly sort after by young kids for the sheer looks and road presence, something which is very essential in college life, this is the main reason most of the lancers are beaten up badly. I picked up mine from my previous company when I switched jobs, so I know the cars history and I got an excellent deal because of the tax benefit the company gets due to depreciation, else I would have never ventured near this one. There is no doubt that this car makes every owner fall in love with it, I always get a salute from our office security guards when I come in, besides all this when someone ask me a question what do you drive, I proudly say I drive a Mitsubishi . Mine has also started acting up, the suspension has gone soft, and there are leaks in the engine (oil seals). i am currently getting a complete paint job next in line is the suspension and complete fluid change with plugging all the leaks, probably next year I would venture into the alloys zone as my tyres would hold good for another ~5k kms. Apart from all this >40k Rs work still pending I never complain, as I drove the car from Hyderabad to Trivandrum with zero stops and 6 redbulls. It returned 15KMPL with AC, which other car would take that after 120K kms? I took her for a complete south India trip after that, she performed extremely well on the Ghats, if you ask me if I sell this car. I would never, I understand I made a trade off with reliability when I brought this one but so far it has not given me any issues, touchwood.

Pramod

ImmortalZ · 1st October 2009, 11:47

I think you should take your car for a complete check up and fix up. Make the A.S.S people do a full shake down and find all the little niggles and issues that may become major problems in the future. It'll make a big dent on your wallet (considering most Mitsubishi parts are direct imports from Japan and the A.S.S mentality for replacing parts wholesale), but it'll get you set for a long period of calm ownership.

@Pramod : Bhai, paragraphs please :P

silver_shadow · 1st October 2009, 15:12

united motors are not mitsubishi specialists, rather they are bosch authorised and throughly professional with all the diagnostic equipment that you'd find in an authorised center and with spares to boot. give them a shot. they are recommended for all makes of indian cars. someone even told me they've got daewoo spares in stock!

pramodkumar · 1st October 2009, 15:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

@Pramod : Bhai, paragraphs please :P

Sorry, i kinda got carried away writing that

.

Pramod

30th September 2009, 18:11	#1
Tassem BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 608 Thanked: 1,429 Times View My Garage	99 Lancer SLXi - Prelude to a dream Hi All! My name's Tassem. I'm from bangalore and I recently (<month) bought a 99 Lancer SLXi with 95k on the odo. The test drive was smooth and the engine didnt show any signs of age while the car had many cosmetic deficiencies. I got the tyres upgraded to 205/50-15 and got a new set of Alloys to go with it. The windscreen had a crack and I had it replaced. Mated a JBL Amp/Woofer and satellites to the existing Pioneer head-unit. And installed a HID head-lamp unit. Then the trouble started. First, the wiper failed on a drive back from the bangalore airport.The owner had tried some DIY fixing using some putty to hold the wiper linkage in place. Which promptly failed. The result was that I had to pull over and wait for the rain to subside. The wait lasted a nice 6 hours. Yes, you did read that right. 6 Hours! I drove the car straight to Sundaram Motors, got the wiper linkages and blades replaced. There was a problem with the dipper switch for the headlamps which resulted the lights being on high all the time. They took apart the instrument console, tried to fix it, failed. I had them align the headlights so that they do not put traffic from the opposite side at risk. On the drive back, I noticed that the left indicator does not work anymore. The hazard lamps work, so its the switch - figures since they'd taken it apart in their vain attempt at fixing. Now for the bummer. A little while ago, I was driving to work and the gear wouldn't engage! If i exert force, it goes into gear. Second is easier to engage than first. Once engaged, with the clutch depressed, if I rev the engine, the car doesn't move. So I'm hoping the clutch is engaging properly. When I try reverse, the car goes into gear with the same amount of force, but makes a loud grinding noise - sort of like when someone engages the gear without the clutch fully depressed. I called Sundaram Motors and he said that my fears could be unwarranted as it may be a minor issue with the gear slotting perhaps. But as it is, I'm worried. Oh did I mention that the previous owner had some local battery installed? Yeah, I need to get that replaced as well. I wanted my first post to be a nice intro, but bad times struck and I need help now!! Any help/Suggestions will be greatly accepted! Thanks a bunch! Tassem.
	() Thanks

30th September 2009, 18:29	#2
karizma_devil BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: mumbai Posts: 421 Thanked: 21 Times View My Garage	Taseem - Congrats on your car . Well dont get upset, have patience. Am sure you must have known a 10 + years car and 95 K on odd got to have some or the other problems. I suggest give your car for a scheduled service at the A.S.S. Repair/replace whatever is essential. These are sign of old age, you can only take preventive measures, but these would show up now and again. Good luck.
	() Thanks

30th September 2009, 18:48	#3
prince_pervez Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Redwood shores, CA, USA Posts: 4,210 Thanked: 51 Times View My Garage	Congrats on the Lancer. Since you are in Bangalore I'd suggest you get it checked at Southern Motors. I hear their service has improved by leaps and bounds. The down side is the bill. I'm sure Lancer experts here would help you here.
	() Thanks

30th September 2009, 19:40	#4
Tassem BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 608 Thanked: 1,429 Times View My Garage	Hi Guys, Thanks for the replies. I expected problems, but so quickly since the car ran like a dream for a week or two. Then it was like a domino effect. I did speak to a service advisor (Harsha) at Souther Motors/India Garage. He asked me to get the car over tomorrow for a quick look since he felt it has to be something minor. He also gave the number of a tow service in case the car cannot be driven over. I've got my fingers crossed. Tassem.
	() Thanks

30th September 2009, 19:43	#5
mnhegde BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: B E N G A L U R U Posts: 473 Thanked: 0 Times	Congrats for the car Taseem. Get the car checked and serviced in a good service centre . How much you paid for the car?? Can you post some pics please?
	() Thanks

30th September 2009, 20:13	#6
pramodkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Gods own country Posts: 2,302 Thanked: 2,208 Times View My Garage	I have a 2000 Lancer 120k on odo and still holding strong. I assume this must be your first car as i was complaining the same way when i brought my first esteem couple of years back. i used to speak of reliability well here is something, i drove it from delhi to hyderabad with 0 breakdowns/flats in>36 hours. The lesson the previous car taught me was a valuble one, a lot of botox may make a old lady look young but still under the skin she is the same old lady. I assume you brought this car because you must have got a sweet deal, but remember it is a premium car and spares are little expensive(depends upon your defination of expensive). my lancer is currently undergoing a facelift, its basically a second life, mostly fixing issues if you ask me how much i like this car, i just love this car but my previous car taught me that how easily a used car can become a bottomless pit but it also made me join Team BHP and taught me a lot of things, please go through Vid's long term ownership review, all your problems are very much common to all old lancers, you would get a lot of your questions, BTW even i am interested in seeing your car mind posting some pics. Pramod
	() Thanks

30th September 2009, 20:20	#7
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,492 Times View My Garage	Well said Pramod. People jump at Lancer thanks to the image it has but forget to check how much it will cost to maintain. A colleague of mine bought a second hand diesel one for 4plus lacs and is now crying when he sees the cost of parts which he has to replace now and then. Hope the one's you got are minor ones and can be sorted out easily & is pocket friendly.
	() Thanks

30th September 2009, 20:29	#8
fast_elegance BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mangalore/Bangalore Posts: 437 Thanked: 248 Times View My Garage	Congrats Tassem on your buy. These are the small niggles that one has to face after buying a 2nd hand car. Give it for a thorough servicing and am sure everything will fall in place. Post some pics and also mention the price you paid for it.
	() Thanks

30th September 2009, 21:27	#9
silver_shadow BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 366 Thanked: 3 Times	take your car to united motors (they are bosch authorised) in rajajinagar for a thorough service.
	() Thanks

30th September 2009, 23:50	#11
Tassem BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 608 Thanked: 1,429 Times View My Garage	Hey Guys! Thanks for the replies! Now here's the surprise, I checked the car a few minutes ago and the gears are engaging super smooth again! Wonder whats happening! @Pramod: Hey bro, nope, this is not my first car. I have an eclipse in dubai. Always been a fan of Mitsubishis. For me reliability is really important as I drive down a lot to kerala and back. So its gotta be dependable. I dont have any pics on me right now. Will click a couple tomorrow at the service centre. The car is green now. I'm getting a painjob as well. Lots of little kinks that need ironing out. I jus dont want any major pains. The engine seems good though. So a relief there. @jkdas: I hope the niggles are minor too. I really wanna fall in love again!! @fast-elegance: Thanks bro. I will post pics tomorrow. I paid 1.6lacs for the car. Plus another 1.5 on the extras I mentioned above. @Silver Shadow: Are they authorised? I want to do the first service from an *** if possible. (That sounds wrong, doesnt it?) Tassem.
	() Thanks

1st October 2009, 11:47	#13
ImmortalZ Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 2,179 Thanked: 488 Times View My Garage	I think you should take your car for a complete check up and fix up. Make the A.S.S people do a full shake down and find all the little niggles and issues that may become major problems in the future. It'll make a big dent on your wallet (considering most Mitsubishi parts are direct imports from Japan and the A.S.S mentality for replacing parts wholesale), but it'll get you set for a long period of calm ownership. @Pramod : Bhai, paragraphs please :P
	() Thanks

1st October 2009, 15:12	#14
silver_shadow BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 366 Thanked: 3 Times	united motors are not mitsubishi specialists, rather they are bosch authorised and throughly professional with all the diagnostic equipment that you'd find in an authorised center and with spares to boot. give them a shot. they are recommended for all makes of indian cars. someone even told me they've got daewoo spares in stock!
	() Thanks