Help! Total brake failure!

[Nick Mann]

Another apathetic Mitsubishi Dealer. Such a shame that they let the brand down. The only other dealers I have had the misfortune to deal with is Peugeot and they are worse! I agree with Kieran - give them a good old safety recall kick and spit your dummy out. You have nothing to lose and will hopefully get your car back to where it should be.

[HowieP]

Kieran,
This will indeed be my next move as I have to sort the problem, truth being that if the failure on my car had happened on a motorway or perhaps approaching a pedestrian crossing then lives possibly/probably would have been lost, I had no braking at all, the pedal did not move 1mm and it took 50m odd to stop as I was on a downhill using only the gear shifter and handbrake, from about 25mph. I do think however that the UK importers and the dealers should be striving to identify and repair these cars in view of the very serious potential of these faults. Had they been more proactive then customers like me would remain and not go and buy an old Merc for a few hundred quid.
Regards,
Howard

[HowieP]

Nick,
I have worked in motor industries for 24 years and have to say that some dealers are absolutely excellent but, the old scenario applies, you only hear of the bad ones (usually anyway). My dealer has only passed on the comments of Colt Cars staff as they are the ones taking the decisions, quite why they cannot accept a photographed part number I don't know!
Cheers,
Howard

[Physician]

My letter from Oct 2004: ( The matter was sorted within days)

Attention: The Managing Director

Dear Sir,

Having already visited my local Mitsubishi dealer (Leicester) and written to your service department without any action (since the beginning of August) I am sorry to have to bring this matter to the attention of your office.
You will note from the attached photocopy that my Galant VR4 (Imported) is one of a number that needs the ASC mending or replacing and that Mitsubishi have advised that the car should not be driven in the meantime.
I believe that some 8 weeks is more than enough time to have this fault rectified and I would now like some action. The consequences for Mitsubishi, let alone myself and other road users, should an accident occur due to a known fault are considerable.
I would appreciate your intervention and to ask one of your staff to respond to this matter within seven days.
Thankyou.

Yours faithfuly,



Richard Davies
Encl: Mitsubishi recall database details
Cc: Andrew M Ford Solicitors (Ref telecon 4/10/04)

[WildCards]

And out come the big guns...

[HowieP]

Car now in dealer. Will post reports as progress is made!

[HowieP]

Update as promised! Car still in dealer...

All recall parts eventually fitted following protracted discussion regarding my car having already been fixed in Japan in Dec 2004, strange as I have owned it here since 1999. Apparently there are several known examples of grey exports having their details cloned...be aware.

So, technician road tests the car and... the brakes fail again! Exactly the same symptom as I had ie. solid pedal and no retardation but with one important difference, the new components switching to "safe mode" very quickly and giving the driver back normal braking albeit with the ABS warning on. A check on the fault codes showed the actual fault on the car to be two solenoid valves/switches that control the system power assistance. When these failed in conjunction with the original brake/traction control components "safe mode" did not happen.

Several weeks later the new valves are on and the test drive begins... with the ABS on all the time! More fault code reading and it is found the os/f ABS reluctor ring is missing a tooth! Now begins the task of identifying the outer joint so we can source a new one as Mitsubishi only supply complete shafts.

I have been in touch with Camskill who are reasonably confident that a joint can be matched once dimensions are ascertained.

What else will we find once the ring is sorted?

I'll let you all know!

[richy rich]

bloody hell mate that is a long list

[HowieP]

At last!!! My car is OTR again, 10:00 today!!!

The cv joint apparently cannot be obtained in the aftermarket so, yet more research using some contacts found in the forums put me eventually in touch with Paul at Reco-Prop in Luton. Confidence of a solution was increased so I dropped the joint in and a week later a new phonic ring has been grafted onto the original casting. A great result after all the problems and everything now works (when it should I think!).

I cannot establish if the new ECU contains any changes that affect the drive but is it really as ballistic as this? Or has over two years deprivation affected the old memory? Left the dealer site and broke the speed limit, instantly. My merc must be slow...

Many thanks to all who contributed to my original posting, without your help I would probably have binned the car. Cheers.

[Nick Mann]

Hope the smile as you drove it away was worth the hassle and lost time. Glad you got there in the end!

[Paul Beazer]

Cool result Howie, you are a patient man!