[New EVO]

Just got quoted $1095 for 30k service from dealer.

$550 from local shop that asked "does that have a differential"....doesnt make me feel confident about that shop.

for those that have done the service, what would be best to have the shop do? and what would you recommend I do myself? I am confident I can do some of the basic stuff, oil/trans fluid etc.

Is there anything in the 30k service that isnt totally neccessary? replacing dry belts seemed a little overkill.

 

[Sequence]

you can do it yourself... a bunch of how-to on here... and get a buddy or 2... and a bleeder so you keep air out of the lines

 

[97laxlude]

Just got quoted $1095 for 30k service from dealer.

$550 from local shop that asked "does that have a differential"....doesnt make me feel confident about that shop.

for those that have done the service, what would be best to have the shop do? and what would you recommend I do myself? I am confident I can do some of the basic stuff, oil/trans fluid etc.

Is there anything in the 30k service that isnt totally neccessary? replacing dry belts seemed a little overkill.

I'm assuming the $1095 the dealer quoted is including parts and labor and the $550 the local shop quoted is just for labor. Am I right? The service table I'm looking at says it's a 5.2 hour job and let's assume they charge $110 an hour that would equate to $572 for just labor.

Anyways, if you should do this yourself is really up to if you have the time and patience to do it. To be quite honest the things that need to be replaced are pretty simple if you can do a basic oil change. The only thing you might want to pay for is the labor to do the serpentine belt and I suggest replacing the pulleys with the metal hyundai pulleys as the mitsu. pulleys are plastic and wear out over time.

Is replacing the belt overkill at 30k? IMO yes.

 

[New EVO]

I'm assuming the $1095 the dealer quoted is including parts and labor and the $550 the local shop quoted is just for labor. Am I right? The service table I'm looking at says it's a 5.2 hour job and let's assume they charge $110 an hour that would equate to $572 for just labor.

Anyways, if you should do this yourself is really up to if you have the time and patience to do it. To be quite honest the things that need to be replaced are pretty simple if you can do a basic oil change. The only thing you might want to pay for is the labor to do the serpentine belt and I suggest replacing the pulleys with the metal hyundai pulleys as the mitsu. pulleys are plastic and wear out over time.

Is replacing the belt overkill at 30k? IMO yes.

both quotes are P&L. I have used the shop for a while now for my wifes jeep and for my previous car as well.

on my srt-4 i did my own oil changes and trans fluid along with some basic maintenance so i think im going to do the fluid stuff on my own.

thanks for the info, this is what i was looking for.

 

[turbobrian]

Where do you live? Maybe we can direct you to a local Evo guy that can help you.

 

[RotoryGuru]

To keep the warrenty you must take to dealer for most services

 

[New EVO]

I'm in the east bay (sf). Ive researched a couple shops around here which are reputable for tuning but haven't heard much as far as maintenance.

 

[freethriftyz]

To keep the warrenty you must take to dealer for most services

sheeeet...so what do I do if I have a bunch of mods? I was hoping to never visit the factory again for any reason. Do I have to revert to stock to do this bs overkill maintenance check? That'd mess with my tune pretty badly I think.
Doesn't lube stop look up your factory recommendations and do the services for you?

 

[trick3d]

^what? are you serious?

 

[Evo Time]

Definitely do it yourself if you have time to have your car on jack stands.

 

[Malves85]

I personally would go to the dealer for most of it. I took my car in for the 15k mile severe service at the dealer. I change the engine and transmission oil myself so that saved probably $200 on the bill.
Yes the dealer charges a lot but its done by the dealer with OEM parts and its on record that you had it done. I'm sure some will argue against this but it could help in a warranty case or if you sell the car in the future. So to me

 

[trick3d]

I personally would go to the dealer for most of it. I took my car in for the 15k mile severe service at the dealer. I change the engine and transmission oil myself so that saved probably $200 on the bill.
Yes the dealer charges a lot but its done by the dealer with OEM parts and its on record that you had it done. I'm sure some will argue against this but it could help in a warranty case or if you sell the car in the future. So to me

I did the same. I take it to cobb for oil changes and other minor service, but major service I take it to the dealer. I also keep receipts of everything for the warranty work if needed.

 

[Journeyman_steve]

I personally would go to the dealer for most of it. I took my car in for the 15k mile severe service at the dealer. I change the engine and transmission oil myself so that saved probably $200 on the bill.
Yes the dealer charges a lot but its done by the dealer with OEM parts and its on record that you had it done. I'm sure some will argue against this but it could help in a warranty case or if you sell the car in the future. So to me

The dealer cannot refuse warranty because of someone doing the service that isn't Mitsubishi.

The 30k recommendation of the belt is stupid. I've done 30k TWICE now, belt is fine, no reason it won't last me til 90k.

There's a mitsu writeup on service items, I think it's on EvoM tho, but it's a scanned PDF straight from the service book. Other than the oil change, what you're looking at actually changing out are 4 drivetrain fluids:
1) Manual gearbox - non GL5 manual gearbox, fully synthetic. I use Redline
2) Front differential - Diaqueen LSD, right mix of anti-chatter, straight 90w gear oil. -- can buy a gallon online for about $45
3) Rear differential - More diaqueen LSD. A gallon lasted me more than two full service change outs
4) Rear diff torque transfer mechanism - ATF, good new Mercon Dexron III.

(There is a chance that your rear ACD thingy needs to be checked that's accessed in the trunk, right hand side behind a panel. I've not had this needed to be serviced or filled ever, but there's a chance of needing to bleed if its being filled.)

Print out the service interval, keep it updated with your actual maintenance, it will serve as your service record. I printed that plus the how-to guide that's got pictures and step-by-step dealer tech instructions. This is not a $1000 job; it only takes 1/2 day and a good part of that is removing the stupid access panel up front and the carpel-tunnel you get when pumping the stuff in the rear of the car. The front fluids can be filled from above using a long funnel.

http://forums.evolutionm.net/evo-x-engine-turbo-drivetrain-258/

 

[SilverJester]

Wow $1000 to change some fluids?! That's ridiculous!

 

[Ki11erDAWG]

30k service for my wife's Lexus was only $560 for everything. These cars are expensive to maintain

 

[TheBlade]

To keep the warrenty you must take to dealer for most services

This is entirely false. This would directly violate the Magnussen-Moss Act. The manufacture/retailer of a vehicle can not mandate you do your maintenance at their facility in order to honor your warranty. They also can not mandate you use specific parts (however it must meet all the requirements and ratings of the OE part).

Ultimately, you can buy the fluids from anywhere that sells it, and do the labor yourself and your warranty would not be invalid. However, I would suggest to take it to some sort of shop so there is a receipt showing parts and labor separate (or indicating the parts were provided). If it includes your mileage and a general inspection of other parts on your vehicle this really helps should you have a major warranty issue.

Personally, I'm even the sort of person to pay the dealership to do the service, just so it's all in their records if there's a warranty issue. But, 1k for service is painful. But, it's not legally required.

 

[TheBlade]

The dealer cannot refuse warranty because of someone doing the service that isn't Mitsubishi.

The 30k recommendation of the belt is stupid. I've done 30k TWICE now, belt is fine, no reason it won't last me til 90k.

There's a mitsu writeup on service items, I think it's on EvoM tho, but it's a scanned PDF straight from the service book. Other than the oil change, what you're looking at actually changing out are 4 drivetrain fluids:
1) Manual gearbox - non GL5 manual gearbox, fully synthetic. I use Redline
2) Front differential - Diaqueen LSD, right mix of anti-chatter, straight 90w gear oil. -- can buy a gallon online for about $45
3) Rear differential - More diaqueen LSD. A gallon lasted me more than two full service change outs
4) Rear diff torque transfer mechanism - ATF, good new Mercon Dexron III.

(There is a chance that your rear ACD thingy needs to be checked that's accessed in the trunk, right hand side behind a panel. I've not had this needed to be serviced or filled ever, but there's a chance of needing to bleed if its being filled.)

Print out the service interval, keep it updated with your actual maintenance, it will serve as your service record. I printed that plus the how-to guide that's got pictures and step-by-step dealer tech instructions. This is not a $1000 job; it only takes 1/2 day and a good part of that is removing the stupid access panel up front and the carpel-tunnel you get when pumping the stuff in the rear of the car. The front fluids can be filled from above using a long funnel.

http://forums.evolutionm.net/evo-x-engine-turbo-drivetrain-258/

I agree with Steve. And it's a chain, not a belt on the 4B11T. If you are replacing a chain less than 90k, something is wrong. Seriously. Most vehicles won't show chain stretch until over 150-160k, and most vehicles (not the Evo, or cars with valve timing I bet) will run with slightly retarded timing with a slightly stretched chain. Had a buddy with a 89 Saab 9000 turbo with 220k miles on his OE chain, had less than 1 degree of bad timing. I would at least check it out on the Evo though, just because of all the probs people have had with bad programing for the stretch sensor, and other people actually getting lots of chain stretch. But for "normal" maintenance at 30k or 60k shouldn't need to be reviewed.

 

[irmerm]

I agree with Steve. And it's a chain, not a belt on the 4B11T. If you are replacing a chain less than 90k, something is wrong. Seriously. Most vehicles won't show chain stretch until over 150-160k, and most vehicles (not the Evo, or cars with valve timing I bet) will run with slightly retarded timing with a slightly stretched chain. Had a buddy with a 89 Saab 9000 turbo with 220k miles on his OE chain, had less than 1 degree of bad timing. I would at least check it out on the Evo though, just because of all the probs people have had with bad programing for the stretch sensor, and other people actually getting lots of chain stretch. But for "normal" maintenance at 30k or 60k shouldn't need to be reviewed.

The service calls for the replacement of the accessory belts (alternator, AC compressor, Power steering pump), not the timing chain.

 

[Journeyman_steve]

The service calls for the replacement of the accessory belts (alternator, AC compressor, Power steering pump), not the timing chain.

Yep, that was the 30k service item I refered to. My check of it at 60k showed it looking as good as new, still pliable rubber, soft to bending with the fingers. If I heard a squeall EVER, I'd know for a fact there's hardening. Considering my car is the exact opposite of a garage queen, the rubber's handling the midwest weather variations quite well after 3 1/2 years.

 

[TheBlade]

The service calls for the replacement of the accessory belts (alternator, AC compressor, Power steering pump), not the timing chain.

Oh good deal. Yeah...I replace acc. belts when they either make noise or I can see visible cracking starting, and especially if the cracking is closer than an inch.