Ever seen a grown man cry?

[Jimbo]

To say I've had a bit of trying week, what with the fiasco of a 45K service youy all know about, well that would be a bit of an understatement, but nothing on earth could describe the devastated feeling I now have.

Yesterday I posted replies about how good my car felt after it's service - the power steering belt change especially.

Today at 2pm? Total gearbox failure.

Can't type any more, I'm distraught.

[Kieran]

Oh Jimbo.... That's terrible:( I feel like I've been kicked in the teeth as I type this, so god only knows what you feel like! :sad3: :Cry1: :Cry1:

I really hope it's nothing too bad Jimbo. Jesus, it's gearbox silly season at the moment. :(

Maybe it's something silly like Simon's old car when one of the gearbox solenoid plugs worked loose - couldn't select any gears and looked very dead but was fixed in minutes as I remember - so there's hope.

[Spirit]

OMG Jimbo ! WTF is going on....can you be more specific - like what happened, is it electrical or mechanical failure, what led up to it ?

[HJM]

Oh jeez, Jim, don't know what to say - let's pray it's not as sinister as it seems, thinking of you mate :(

[Nick Mann]

Fingers crossed......

Hopefully a loose wire, dodgy sensor, or something else daft.

:sad3:

[Jimbo]

Thanks everyone, thanks for the messages of support - it's very much appreciated.

I'm holding onto the hope that this isn't as bad as it seems or that my Xtreme warranty comes through for me. I'm being realistic too though, and I'm not really expecting either of those things to really happen. :(

I picked the car up yesterday morning and on two occasions, once on the motorway and once on the way home from work last night, the kick-down caused a far more pronounced lurch that it ought to do. I shrugged this off at the time - the garage could easily have disconnected the battery and reset the ECU requiring it to reset and relearn again.

At lunchtime today though i was running an errand and found myself having to accelerate sharply onto a main road to get in ahead of some temporary lights. I pressed the accelerator about two thirds and got the usual splurge of power, however this time with an almighty lumpy clunk from the gearbox as it shifted down a couple of cogs. It was 200 yards later that I realised the car wasn't changing up to 4th, it had stuck in 3rd.....worse still, and unlike the time I overcooked my gearbox oil and got a flashing N light, I had an empty display on the P-R-N-D and 1-2-3-4-5 LED banks - nothing!

I pulled over and checked the gearbox dipstick - mint oil and fine levels. I stopped and started the car, but still nothing. I left it running a while with the bonnet open just in case it had overheated......still nothing.

Shifting from P to R was causing the whole car to lurch and was making a nasty grindy noise as it do so.....same still moving from R to D.

I drove it to the Mitsi garage which was, ironically, just around the corner from where I had stopped and got them to take a look.

Their analysis - oil pump seizure. :sad3:

[Jimbo]

I was just chatting with Kieran bringing him up to date on the fiasco I've had with Xtreme over the ATF flush I asked them to do.

In sept they flushed only the sump, just 1/3 of the total ATF in the system.

This week on the 45K service I asked them to do it properly, but they admitted to me that they had no procedure for this and that flushing the ATF in the sump was the only way they knew.

(as a side bar, this really is scary, it has to be said and I can't help but think this lack of knowledge on their part about how an INVECS-II works has had an effect on the health of my gearbox).

Anyway, they went as far as checking the fluid in the sump using their usual procedure...."the oil was mint condition, there was no point even considering changing it".

So this is question, the piece of the jigsaw I have yet to put into place: How can 6 litres of age old ATF mixed with 3 litres of 4 month old ATF that has done 3500 miles of "agressive" driving, how can this appear "mint" or "clean"? If I hadn't checked this myself I wouldn't have believed it, but trust me, it's pristine.

Has there been some sort of flow problem? Maybe the sump oil has somehow been diverted away from the torque converter causing the 5.9ltrs in that to become contaminated and ultimately blocking up the pump???

[Dan_G]

OMG!....... this has to be more than coincidence.... I mean, if they dont change the gearbox fluid correctly its just asking for trouble...... my bmw 735 had a blocked filter and it would lurch between gears and hold onto 3rd for to long.... thabkfully I caught it before anything catastrophic happened

does the VR4 have a gearbox fluid filter that should be changed at a specific service interval........ did they change it? that could starve the pump of fluid......

[Kieran]

does the VR4 have a gearbox fluid filter that should be changed at a specific service interval........ did they change it? that could starve the pump of fluid......

Mitsubishi fiddled with the INVECS-II on the UK models throughout it's life, so I wouldn't be surprised if the VR-4 one was the same. Some UK models have an internal (non-changeable) filter, others have a screw-on external filter and ones like my old GLS that were built around 2000 had both!! :rolleyes5

[Polabear]

Jeez Jimbo, just got back and read this, TOTALLY gutted for you mate.....it is absolutely heartstopping when anything out of the ordinary drastic happens...:sad3: hope Xtreme come through for you mate, and you get sorted ASAP... ;)

[pezza]

Really Sorry to hear you've had more problems .. :sad3:

what a nitemare start to New Year really hope you can get it sorted without incurring more costing pains...

Any update today?

[ritch_w]

Jim

that sucks big time

your warranty should come through for you - is it red zebra?

sounds like xtreme have stuffed it with incorrect service procedures :(

good luck with getting it sorted

[enigma]

OK, stating the obvious, but your other posts says you had 6.5l of AYC oil.........they didn't put it in the gearbox did they? (Or is it the same stuff?)

:lipsrseal

[nick-f1]

OK, stating the obvious, but your other posts says you had 6.5l of AYC oil.........they didn't put it in the gearbox did they? (Or is it the same stuff?)

:lipsrseal

According to the service manager at Poole Mitsubishi Ayc fluid and Atf are vastly different. Ayc fluid also has more additives to cope with the extreme pressures generated in the ayc diff.

[Jimbo]

Well folks, no real update today I'm afraid. No calls returned from Xtreme.... :noshake: , but then that's what I'm become used to in these past 5 days.

I have the all important ball-joint recall on Weds (providing I can get the car to start uphill in 3rd through the 4 or 5 sets of lights that you just know are going to be red when you get to them). That's something I desperately want to see done as well, and the semi-plan I had from talking to Holdcroft Mitsy and Xtreme on Friday afternoon was to get the Mitsy service-manager/mechanic to talk the problem over with Xtreme's service manager (and ironically, their "warranty coordinator") and see what he suggests.

Definately not the ATF that 6.5ltrs, Dave - they went as far as saying they didn't even consider changing the ATF as they thought it was fine......looks like I've still payed for it though - I'm going to ring them all day tomorrow about the overcharging too, damn p**sed off at not getting a call back today :dozey:

Thanks to everyone for their messages of support - you've no idea how much it means to me at this moment :)

[RED]

Jimbo have you been sitting on the phone all morning and giving someone hell? How are you geting on? Any news yet? Really sorry to see you having so much grief mate :sad3:

[jalford]

It sounds like you're having a real nightmare.

I hope you get everything sorted out soon and can get back to enjoying your car.

[Jimbo]

Spoke to Xtreme again this morning about my overcharging....promises to ring me back later, etc, etc....nothing :wall:

And yet another interesting twist to my plans.....what's all that bloomin white stuff on the road?!?! 3rd gear starts, uphill, very low moving traffic......oh well, if it's broke, it aint gonna get any more broke :)

[HJM]

You go steady out there - good luck today :)

[Kieran]

:veryangry: I think it's about time to pay them a visit... :sad3:

[Jimbo]

Some progress to report :)

Car went in for it's balljoints this morning - my Mitsy garage, even though they weren't footing the bill (and acknowledged this as much), reported the arms were well within tolerance :rolleyes5 .......they still changed 'em though :-b

I was then on the phone to Xtreme who arranged for a low-loader to come up to rainy, snowy Stoke and take my baby away.... :sad3: Just watched it going down the road wondering whether I'll ever see it again. :rolleyes:

Oh I'm so, so anxious now.......will it be fixed under warranty, will it not be warranty, will my car be stripped for parts and be on sale on eBay in 2 hours time...!?

Fingers firmly in the crossed position!

[Jimbo]

Haha, my RAC trackstar works!!!

Just had a phone call...."Hello sir, has your car been stolen? It's alarm is going off, the engine is off, but it's moving quickly down the M6 at this precise moment" :lolz: :wall: :dunce: :$

My colleagues have been rather amused by this :laugh:

[Simon]

" Hello sir, has your car been stolen? It's alarm is going off, the engine is off, but it's moving quickly down the M6 at this precise moment"

Funny as F**K! :laugh: :-D We are all waiting to hear their response to your problem....... :headsc: :shrug:

[The Vee]

Jimbo, sorry to read about all this, surely the warranty must cover it - not had it that long have you? Good luck with your efforts, hope it all turns out OK.

[Trow]

SEEEE!!! VR4's are sooooo fast we don't even need the engine running :D
I wish, imagine the fuel we could save!!

[HJM]

Some progress to report :)

I was then on the phone to Xtreme who arranged for a low-loader to come up to rainy, snowy Stoke and take my baby away.... :sad3: Just watched it going down the road wondering whether I'll ever see it again. :rolleyes:

Oh I'm so, so anxious now.......will it be fixed under warranty, will it not be warranty, will my car be stripped for parts and be on sale on eBay in 2 hours time...!?

Fingers firmly in the crossed position!

At least something is happening - when will they let you know?

Everything crossed for you!

[Jimbo]

Funny as F**K! :laugh: :-D We are all waiting to hear their response to your problem....... :headsc: :shrug:


SEEEE!!! VR4's are sooooo fast we don't even need the engine running :D I wish, imagine the fuel we could save!!

Oh it was a hilarious, I've not laughed like that for ages!!!

Yeah Trow, that's exactly what my mate said!!! His exact words were, "well it's the first time that things moved above 30 without killing a rain-forest!"

What makes it even funnier is that the RAC couldn't get through to me initially and were seconds away from calling in the police.....I had visions of this poor recovery guy being poleaxed by 6 police cars and it all being shown live on Police Camera Action :laugh:

Damn impressed by this tracker, DAMN impressed - it must have been 5 minutes of elapsed time before they reacted :)

Well I best remember to give them a call when we get on the ferry to France at Easter "Sir, sir, your car's being exported!!!" :$

[Jimbo]

Jimbo, sorry to read about all this, surely the warranty must cover it - not had it that long have you? Good luck with your efforts, hope it all turns out OK.

Hey Andy, how you doing mate :)

The cars 10 months old and I got a 12 month warranty which is Xtreme's own thing, not underwritten that I can see - that's where my worry is about them paying out.

I mean, lets face it. it's always easier to pay for something when it's somebody elses money......probably why no-one's ever given me a company credit card :$


At least something is happening - when will they let you know?

Everything crossed for you!

Thanks H&J....not sure yet.....it'll probably be early next week before I hear a way forward.

If it all goes south on the warranty then there is one more avenue to pursue with Xtreme :lipsrseal , and then it's possibly a replacement pump or box.....thanks to this excellent club I have possible options there from Mo and Dave. Time will tell....I just hope it doesn't take months....what am I saying?!? I hope it doesn't take WEEKS, I miss it desperately already :rolleyes5

[Spirit]

Good luck mate, mine and Shaz's thoughts are with you and we have our fingers crossed for you too !