Let me start of by saying hello to everyone on the forum. Hello. Thanks for having me. I'll state straight up that I'm no car buff so if I say some dumb *&%^ or ask stupid questions please forgive me. Almost everything I do know about cars I learn from the internet as I need to know.

Ok with that out of the way lets get to it.

This week I purchased a 2004 Magna TL ES Sedan from a used car dealer in Perth.
115 000KMs on the clock. Service history to 2008 and 50,000KM's (unsure of between then and now). Running well (as far as I can tell). A few little dints and dings on the body, but nothing that stands out too much. I had to take apart the center window control panel and clean the switches with some CLR to get electrics up to 100% working in the car (only 1 window switch was malfunctioning, but they all needed a clean).

I got it for less than $3K. Now I'm only bragging a little here. Mostly I was wondering if that raises alarm bells to anyone. You know what they say about things being too good to be true.

I have some questions that I was hoping y'all could help me out with. I've been googling this stuff for the last 2 days and not getting any clear answers. So I decided to ask you knowledgeable lot. If I ask anything that is answered somewhere else on the forum I apologise. I browsed the first four pages and didn't see anything that seemed to answer them. Also If anything I ask can be answered by going to some website then by all means let me know, I probably missed it when I was googling.

First. The Car has a flame red paint job but you can tell that the bonnet, boot and the rear panel are all a slightly different, duller, colour. They match each other. Also the boot has a little panel on it that matches the rest of the body perfectly. Does anybody have any ideas what happened here? The dealer told me that they didn't know why. If they are replacement parts then they've done a very good job fitting them because the distance between the the bonnet and the front panels is pretty much uniform the whole way around. Same for the boot. They move and lock into place perfectly. The car was originally bought over east by a company, judging by the log book. Could that have anything to do with it? Like a company paint job that got removed?

Second. It's got the stock steel wheels and Mitsubishi caps on. If I were to scrounge up enough money for some alloy wheels what size do I need? On that note when I go to a lot of websites they don't list 'Magna' in the drop boxes when they ask you your car model. Is Diamante what I'd use or something else?

Third. I'm taking it in for a full service ASAP. Is there anything I should get the yard to look at in depth? I think It'll probably need a new timing belt, just judging by its age. Also probably a full transmittion fluid change. On one hand I've heard the Magna's are unkillable on the other I've heard that a wave spring in the tranny is a ticking time bomb. Any thoughts on this? I hear the Magna's love Mitsubishi Diamond, Is an Automasters likely to have this or should I bring it in myself? Or should I just take it to a Mitsubishi service yard (way out of the way for me to get to one).

Fourth. I'd like to install an aftermarket radio, mostly so I can get bluetooth media playing and calls from my phone. I'm thinking this Pioneer MXTX376BT from JBHifi looks like a good deal. https://www.jbhifi.com.au/gps-car-audio/pioneer/pioneer-mxtx376bt-digital-media-bluetooth-receiver-6-speaker-pack/642128/.
My question is if I install an aftermarket unit will I loose my warning chimes, or do they come from a seperate unit? For example if I leave my lights on and turn the car off will I get the alarm? If I do loose the chimes what radio replacement interface should I get to suit the Magna?

Thanks In advance for any and all the help you can give.

-June

I think you're right on the money re: timing belt needs changing. Probably why it is bit cheaper. Do the full 105k major service would be my advice.

The tyre side wall will have some numbers that will tell you what size tyres you have (which tells you the diametre of the rims of your wheels) here is a decoder that may be useful http://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/passenger/care/markings.aspx.

After market radio looks Ok and I don't think will affect warning chimes, etc (it didn't on mine - but mine is an older model than the TL).

Hope this helps.

Thanks a bunch!

Let me start of by saying hello to everyone on the forum. Hello. Thanks for having me. I'll state straight up that I'm no car buff so if I say some dumb *&%^ or ask stupid questions please forgive me. Almost everything I do know about cars I learn from the internet as I need to know.

Ok with that out of the way lets get to it.

This week I purchased a 2004 Magna TL ES Sedan from a used car dealer in Perth.
115 000KMs on the clock. Service history to 2008 and 50,000KM's (unsure of between then and now). Running well (as far as I can tell). A few little dints and dings on the body, but nothing that stands out too much. I had to take apart the center window control panel and clean the switches with some CLR to get electrics up to 100% working in the car (only 1 window switch was malfunctioning, but they all needed a clean).

I got it for less than $3K. Now I'm only bragging a little here. Mostly I was wondering if that raises alarm bells to anyone. You know what they say about things being too good to be true.

I have some questions that I was hoping y'all could help me out with. I've been googling this stuff for the last 2 days and not getting any clear answers. So I decided to ask you knowledgeable lot. If I ask anything that is answered somewhere else on the forum I apologise. I browsed the first four pages and didn't see anything that seemed to answer them. Also If anything I ask can be answered by going to some website then by all means let me know, I probably missed it when I was googling.

First. The Car has a flame red paint job but you can tell that the bonnet, boot and the rear panel are all a slightly different, duller, colour. They match each other. Also the boot has a little panel on it that matches the rest of the body perfectly. Does anybody have any ideas what happened here? The dealer told me that they didn't know why. If they are replacement parts then they've done a very good job fitting them because the distance between the the bonnet and the front panels is pretty much uniform the whole way around. Same for the boot. They move and lock into place perfectly. The car was originally bought over east by a company, judging by the log book. Could that have anything to do with it? Like a company paint job that got removed?

Second. It's got the stock steel wheels and Mitsubishi caps on. If I were to scrounge up enough money for some alloy wheels what size do I need? On that note when I go to a lot of websites they don't list 'Magna' in the drop boxes when they ask you your car model. Is Diamante what I'd use or something else?

Third. I'm taking it in for a full service ASAP. Is there anything I should get the yard to look at in depth? I think It'll probably need a new timing belt, just judging by its age. Also probably a full transmittion fluid change. On one hand I've heard the Magna's are unkillable on the other I've heard that a wave spring in the tranny is a ticking time bomb. Any thoughts on this? I hear the Magna's love Mitsubishi Diamond, Is an Automasters likely to have this or should I bring it in myself? Or should I just take it to a Mitsubishi service yard (way out of the way for me to get to one).

Fourth. I'd like to install an aftermarket radio, mostly so I can get bluetooth media playing and calls from my phone. I'm thinking this Pioneer MXTX376BT from JBHifi looks like a good deal. https://www.jbhifi.com.au/gps-car-audio/pioneer/pioneer-mxtx376bt-digital-media-bluetooth-receiver-6-speaker-pack/642128/.
My question is if I install an aftermarket unit will I loose my warning chimes, or do they come from a seperate unit? For example if I leave my lights on and turn the car off will I get the alarm? If I do loose the chimes what radio replacement interface should I get to suit the Magna?

Thanks In advance for any and all the help you can give.

-June

Welcome June

In regards to the wave spring, I read about that after I bought my 2000 model KH Verada 4 years ago, so I was concerned about it but my car has done 275,000 k's now and the auto still seems fine no problems, so if the auto did die tomorrow I can't complain with that amount of k's. I think I have read the wave spring was improved from the TL model but I maybe wrong, theres other things that can go wrong with the auto but with my experience I can say its very reliable but i know others haven't had the same luck. If you want some alloy wheels cheap, checkout ebay for Verada alloy wheels, from KE-KW they are 16" wheels and will fit your car fine, I got a set of 4 KF Verada EI alloys wheels for $100 with reasonable tyres a couple of years ago of ebay. All the best and happy motoring, cheers

Sounds like you got a good deal, $3K is a pretty good price at the lower end of expectations, probably not low enough to ring alarm bells but worth getting it checked out fully by a good mechanic. The body colour issue is difficult to judge without pics, could be faded or oxidised paint or could indicate that some panels have been replaced. Agree re timing belt, needs doing every 100,000 so if you don't have evidence of it being done, it'll need to be. Re the wave spring, don't concern yourself with this. Sure, they are one thing that can damage your transmission, but like all transmissions in all cars there are numerous causes of transmission failure, none more likely to occur in Magna boxes than any other car. The wave spring is a recognised weakness, more so in some models than others, but there are a great many Magna's (including mine) with three times your mileage still happily running on their original transmission and wave spring with no problems (I believe the spring was re-engineered in later models, I'm not sure if this includes the TL but other members should be able to provide this info).

There are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of tranny failure, primarily ensuring your fluid is kept in good condition by replacing at scheduled intervals (always use original fluid, it's no more expensive than other brands and is just better. It's worth going out of your way to get). Many 3rd Gen Magna owners also fit aftermarket transmission coolers, the standard equipment is a bit under-engineered and fluid overheating can happen on long hauls, which your tranny won't appreciate. There are several threads on this site about coolers, it could be something worth considering if you are planning long trips or towing as their benefits are well documented.

Re the radio, again I'm not certain with the TL but I don't think the radio is involved in warning chimes (it isn't on the TJ). It looks like JB have taken that link down, but in any case any hi fi should do as long as it has the things you need (eg. electric antenna signal wire if your car has an electric antenna). Not sure re wheel size, others will be able to help you there.

Chimes - nothing to do with the radio. It has it's own little speaker behind the dash and is not connected in any way to the radio, so put in whatever you want.

Paint - the faded red is either due to Sun exposure, accident damage and repaint, or the previous owner had some touch-ups done.
Solution: hit the whole car with some polish, the faded paint will regain the deep red of the other sections and it will all look nice and even again. Needs doing regularly.
(Paint ends up looking pink if you leave it for years. lol)

Wave spring - your decision if you worry about it or not. lol I have a TJ and a TL, not worried at all.

Timing belt - if no records, assume it hasn't been changed.
My TL ES bought at 136,100 km needed the timing belt and one of the idlers changed, everything else under the covers was ok. It also had leaking rocker cover gaskets and spark plug tube seals. Worth a check.

Window switches - due to the location of the switch block, they can collect a lot of gunk. Fun cleaning it out, but do-able. I cleaned the dirty/burnt contacts with some fine wet and dry sandpaper and greased the pivot points, it was like yours, passenger front switch stopped working. Some people have found the pivot points of the switches break off, so treat them gently.

Welcome to the club and a big hello from the rest of the WA group.

I'm the state rep for W.A, so if you feel like getting to know some of the other like-minded members then keep a close eye on our WA section of the forum or join our facebook group which is more active then here.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/513647325418035/

As the others have said, that price doesn't ring any alarm bells, TL's are cheaper these days.

The colour issue will most likely be from sun damage as Magna's are notorious for clear coat and paint damage, and the red colour only amplifies that

The colour issue will most likely be from sun damage as Magna's are notorious for clear coat and paint damage, and the red colour only amplifies that

If it is the solid red, and has no metal flakes in the paint, there is no clear coat.
The colour is called Flame Red.
It won't peel like metallic clear coated Magnas, but it sure does fade in the Sun!

Looks like this fresh and wet.

Excuse the acrylic lacquer lack of shine! lol

http://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac19/rons105/DSCF3953.jpg (http://s881.photobucket.com/user/rons105/media/DSCF3953.jpg.html)

4 year old photo, some fade over the years but still comes good after a wash and polish.

You got a cheap car there - but you can spend $1000 and still be near market price - so yes - get the Cam belt, cam tensioner and transmission flush, might be a bit tight on $1k but a good garage will do it for near that. otherwise since the car hasn't done a lot of distance I'd say you have a good buy

with my TW, I fitted the bigger brakes from the AWD, which are more powerful than the stock ES brakes. Or you could fit the 380 brakes, better still. This requires 16" wheels, and yours probably has 15". I got a set of 16" verada wheels on Ebay for $100. Mitsfix -on this forum- is the person to speak to re better brakes. Or, if you're happy with the brakes, you could just leave them alone.

Hi June, and welcome. These forums are a wealth of information, but vBulletin's search function is a major let down. To get the best results, use Google to search these forums for you by using their "site:" keyword function. Basically you do a normal Google search, but with one main difference, you include site:aussiemagna.com at the end of your search terms (see the example below, or watch it written here (http://bit.ly/1aC42bN)). I use this tip all the time, and I get all the info I need straight away.


example search terms site:aussiemagna.com

Nice buy with the car, by the way. You've done well. Most of the answers I'd give have already been stated, so I won't repeat them. I look forward to seeing pictures and following your build progress.

Wow! Thanks for all the feedback and info guys. Much appreciated.