Service Intervals

[ileonc]

Hi there! Long time no post from me...

I have a question regarding service intervals...

I have a 96 VR4 Tiptronic which I think needs a service.

A few months ago I had the 54,000 mile service done with the associated remortgaging to pay for it (£550).

I'm coming up to the magical 4,500 mile mark since that service but I'm getting conflicting advice from dealers. One says that the interval is 9,000 the other says 4,500...

So the question is do I get an 'official' service done at 4,500 or just drop the oil and flush it out myself.

Looking around the threads there isn't a definitive answer, most people seem to drop the oil and replace it themselves at around 3k ish.

So an answer would be great since I need to get it officially serviced to keep my warranty valid...

If not, how much fully synth do I have to get hold of to replace the stuff thats in there.

Thanks

[ritch_w]

I'm sure some of the VR4 boys will confirm this - the VR4 needs a service every 4500miles - and its the normal V6 N/A every 9000miles

be wary of dealers (or muppets if you want to use a technical term) who dont know what a VR4 is or the servicing schedules

[pjjohnson]

5 litres should do it.

[RED]

Hi there! Long time no post from me...

I have a question regarding service intervals...

I have a 96 VR4 Tiptronic which I think needs a service.

A few months ago I had the 54,000 mile service done with the associated remortgaging to pay for it (£550).

I'm coming up to the magical 4,500 mile mark since that service but I'm getting conflicting advice from dealers. One says that the interval is 9,000 the other says 4,500...

So the question is do I get an 'official' service done at 4,500 or just drop the oil and flush it out myself.

Looking around the threads there isn't a definitive answer, most people seem to drop the oil and replace it themselves at around 3k ish.

So an answer would be great since I need to get it officially serviced to keep my warranty valid...

If not, how much fully synth do I have to get hold of to replace the stuff thats in there.

Thanks

Hello :wavey:

My local Ralliart garage have said that the car is to be serviced every 4500 miles. However the AYC fluid now only needs changing every 9000 miles. So it's a "full" service every 9000 miles which gives you twice the time to be able to afford it (i wish ) :rolleyes5 But you will still need it serving every 4500 miles to keep the warranty up. Hope this clears the confusion a bit :-D

[enigma]

Hello :wavey:

My local Ralliart garage have said that the car is to be serviced every 4500 miles. However the AYC fluid now only needs changing every 9000 miles.

Why is that then? Have they made enough money? I dont understand.............If originally it needed doing every 9000 and now it only needs doing every 9000 then one of the 2 statements below is true

It never needed changing every 4500 and Mitsubishi were ripping us off

It still needs changing every 4500 miles but they were not getting enough broken ones so now they change it to 9000 so they can rip us off even more

[RED]

Why is that then? Have they made enough money? I dont understand.............If originally it needed doing every 9000 and now it only needs doing every 9000 then one of the 2 statements below is true

It never needed changing every 4500 and Mitsubishi were ripping us off

It still needs changing every 4500 miles but they were not getting enough broken ones so now they change it to 9000 so they can rip us off even more

Good point but the answer to that is I don't know. Just tried service at the garage and they've gone home for the night - lucky buggers I'm still at work Marcus is cracking the whip :whip:. To be honest I think the first is partly true. It doesn't need changing every 4500 and so they've just let us know? or am I just being kind or naive even! Mine wasn't changed at the last 4500 service and I've had no problems and she does tend to get a little stick from me :-D :$ but I will ask to see the state of the fluid just as a matter of curriosity when it's changed which is at the end of this month. Mmmm more bills something else to look forward to :rolleyes5 I love this car but she don't come cheap!!

[SGHOM]

I love this car but she don't come cheap!!

I've now spent more on mine, than I paid for it !! all in 1 year. :$ :$

[Brind]

Why is that then? Have they made enough money? I dont understand.............If originally it needed doing every 9000 and now it only needs doing every 9000 then one of the 2 statements below is true

It never needed changing every 4500 and Mitsubishi were ripping us off

It still needs changing every 4500 miles but they were not getting enough broken ones so now they change it to 9000 so they can rip us off even more

Apparently, according to what I read a while ago (and unfortunately can't find where I saw it) there were issues with older AYC systems on the EVO's which is why the intervals are so close, but it is since said that our AYC system isn't the same as the ones that have issues so aren't in need of the same treatment.

To the original poster, you don't need to take it to a dealer to have the general service done to keep your warranty!
BUT the service must still be carried out at exactly the same interval as a dealer suggests and the parts used must be like for like and a VAT registered mechanic is only allowed to service your car and stamp the book.

Mine is due next month and a friend of mine will be doing it who qualifies for the above and it will be the best treat my car has ever had!!! dealer servicing is crap in my opinion as none seem to be trustworthy.

[Rally205]

I was told that the reason for extending the service interval for AYC was because the latest AYC fluid has far better friction additives and lasts longer.

I can thoroughly recommend my local Mitsy dealer Oak Tree Mitsubishi. I do everything myself on my cars and always have done because I know it will be done right. The VR4 is the only car I have ever trusted to a main dealer and they have never let me down. The price is always right too :-D

[simpsonm]

Just a question, how come the 54,000 mile service cost £500+.

The big service is at 45,000 miles when the cam belt needs changing. The 54,000 mile service cost me £230. The regular 4,500 mile service is £190.

I have a document somewhere that tells us the stuff thats needed at each interval. I will dig it out and scan it in.

[i3ooyah]

my mechanical warranty says i have to service my car every 10,000km's so i follow that

[KiwiTT]

my mechanical warranty says i have to service my car every 10,000km's so i follow that

The warranty is just the minimum for them. The Minimum service intervals for a VR-4 are much shorter. I would not want to risk the longevity of the car.

I change my oil every 5000km (3000 miles).

For Full Members: See spreadsheet in Members Section

[ileonc]

Thanks for the answers guys...

I will be trying to find a VAT registered garage to see if they will drop the oil and replace filters etc etc. I will basically supply the filters and oil and hopefully won't be charged too much labour!

In answer to the question of the 54,000 mile service, I had the cam belt replaced anyway because I received the car from Japan, the documentation was in Japanese and after consulting a Japanese friend he said it hadn't been done at the earlier service. The cambelt change at the earlier service is voluntary according to Mitsy, to spread the cost. Although at 54,000 you have to have it done if you haven't done it earlier.

I will take a look at the membership section for the spreadsheet

[Roadrunner]

The big service is at 45,000 miles when the cam belt needs changing

Cambelt change is now at 54k miles (and every 54k miles thereafter ).

I have my AYC actuator fluid changed every 18k miles now. I use Castrol TQ Dexron III and I've never had a problem. IIRC, diff oil gets changed every 36k miles, but I'd need to check to be absolutely sure. Changing the AYC every 4.5 miles might have been necessary with the Evos, and I used to have the fluid changed every 9k miles, but it was my dealer who recommended moving the period between changes out to 18k miles. Mind, that's every 8 months for me - for you guys who only do 6k miles a year, I don't know if the fluid goes off over three years ...

Brian

[Rally205]

It is not the actuator fluid or diff oil that is important it is the AYC clutch fluid that needs changing regularly . You can only use proper AYC fluid for this job as it has friction additives to stop the plates slipping and burning up. If you use normal ATF fluid you will bugger up your diff. Trust me I know!

A dealer that I used once put normal ATF fluid in and it killed my diff within a few hundred miles. I couldn't prove it though so they got away with it. The mechanic that used to work for them told me that they did use ATF but charged for AYC fluid. So beware :-D

[nick-f1]

It is not the actuator fluid or diff oil that is important it is the AYC clutch fluid that needs changing regularly .

This is what my local mitsy dealer ( Poole mitsubishi) told me as well, its essential to have ayc clutch fluid changed at the service intervals. I had mine done a few weeks ago and it was over 10k miles since it was done before, and they reckoned I was pushing my luck. Not my fault tho' it was the previous owner. They charged about £80, over half of that was the fluid.

Nick

[Roadrunner]

It is not the actuator fluid or diff oil that is important it is the AYC clutch fluid that needs changing regularly

The AYC actuator fluid and the clutch fluid are the same - I use Dexron III. Diff oil is SAE90. For me, it's 18k intervals for the AYC and 36k intervals for the diff. wirdy wrote an excellent article about this - see here. Really needs to be hooked up to the Mitsubishi MUT II computer to ensure the system is bled properly.

Brian

[nick-f1]

My dealer reckons the ayc plates are under tremendous pressure in cornering and the additives in the oil break down very quickly, rendering it little more than useless, which is why the intervals are 9k. My ayc fluid was filthy after 10k miles , so I think 18k is pushing it- especially with the cost of a new ayc unit. And you read some of the horror story threads on this forum regarding this, the cost of regular fluid replacement is money well spent in my book. But I do agree Wirdy's article is excellent.

Nick

[Rally205]

It is up to you to use what you want in your diff but I would strongly advise you to check that it is the right stuff. Mitsubishi AYC fluid is definitely not Dexron III. As I said AYC fluid has friction additives. ATF does not have these additives.

Your AYC clutches are constantly engaged whilst moving. They do not just operate when the little lights come on. Only if you are driving in a perfectly straight line (never) are they not doing any work. The clutch packs are under extreme pressure hence the need for constant changes.

If you would like to come and have a look at the effects of using ATF in your diff I will show you the one that I have in bits.

Check your manual. It says in black and white that you must use AYC fluid and not ATF. I am just trying to save you some money and a whole lot of heartache

[Roadrunner]

It is up to you to use what you want in your diff but I would strongly advise you to check that it is the right stuff

I'm prepared to stand corrected, Rally205, because I haven't done the work myself. I can only say what my dealer told me, which could well have been a load of pi$h . Anyhow, the dealer won't be doing any more work on my car following the report I got yesterday from the guy who's replacing my head gaskets - missing bolts, clamps, plates, covers, brackets, etc. - which can only be a result of the regular servicing that the dealer has done. If you can't trust a Mitsubishi dealer to look after one of these cars properly, who can you trust? :headsc: :rolleyes:

Cheers,
Brian