So a few weeks ago i bought my lovely TH Altera LS (which i am stoked with). Anyway after that i had a major service done on the car by dutton mitsubishi (SA).

They came up with the following 'faults that required, or would soon require attention.

Ive put them in order of what i understand to be their priority (just my guess)
1 - Camshaft & Crankshaft Seals Leaking
2 - Power Steering Rack Leaking
3 - Oil Leaks from Rocker Cover & Spark Plug Seals
4 - Front Brake Pads Approx 3mm Left - Discs Require Machining
5 - Crack Around Center Muffler - Rear Muffler Baffles Gone
6 - Plastic Undershield Missing (supposed to keep updraft away from radiator)

Anyway my question is that if i take it down to this place on Wednesday or whatever (bear in mind that this is a used car lot and i already got them to take about $2000 off the lot price)

A - Which of these definitely are warranty items and which ones can they maybe wriggle out of
B - i want this done properly so is it worth saying to them that i want them to use new parts and i will pay the difference
C - and if so for which faults

Please help me out here as i know enough about cars to keep them running and do minor repairs but these guys are typical used car salesmen and quite capable of talking circles around me.I want the job done right and would rather pay a bit extra to have quality parts used but dont want to get taken for a ride.

Hmmm....always a tough question.

None of these appear to be warranty issues. They all appear to be general maintenance issues
you always need to make an allowance for mechanics when you purchase a car second hand.

Having said that...the car should have been in a roadworthy state if those leaks were there when you bought it then it wasn't roadworthy. But as a few weeks have passed it is hard to see you being able to make your case now.

I'd fix the leaks....and put it down to experience. Next time make sure you have the car checked thoroughly before purchase or allow for it in your purchasing budget.

If something MAJOR happens to your car...then I'd be making a case under warranty.

Ive been a bit busy lately but the service in question was done only days after i bought the car (and i informed the dealer of the findings immediately so they cant say it happened since then). I had a motacheck (like the RAA check) done prior to purchasing, it turned up a few little issues but those were fixed before i picked the car up originally

The motacheck guy did not put the car up on a hoist though and that would explain why these issues were not noticed.

1 - Camshaft & Crankshaft Seals Leaking
2 - Power Steering Rack Leaking
3 - Oil Leaks from Rocker Cover & Spark Plug Seals
4 - Front Brake Pads Approx 3mm Left - Discs Require Machining
5 - Crack Around Center Muffler - Rear Muffler Baffles Gone
6 - Plastic Undershield Missing (supposed to keep updraft away from radiator)


1,2,3,5 Should be repaired under warranty.

4 should be replaced under warranty if it was like that when you bought the car

6 Who cares?

Gee, it doesn't sound like motacheck is worth the piece of paper they should have given you. Did they give any sort of guarantee, or just a bunch of disclaimers?

The muffler on my TF was gone and that was replaced under dealer warranty, so that's a definite!

6 Who cares?

Apparently can cause the car to overheat (in summer) due to preventing air circulating around the radiator, something to do with the air taking path of least resistance or something.

But yea, ultimately something i can do myself easily, the other things are my main concerns

Gee, it doesn't sound like motacheck is worth the piece of paper they should have given you. Did they give any sort of guarantee, or just a bunch of disclaimers?



Yeah, Have you been onto Motacheck yet?

No i haven't, not sure what good it would do now though :disgusted

Since you have already informed them....

Make sure you know your consumer rights.....ie Department of Fair Trading

Make sure you join a Motoring Association NRMA RACQ etc ....

Talk to their tech departments. :D

No i haven't, not sure what good it would do now though :disgusted

Some places, (RACV anyway), offer a 30 day guarantee on checked items should they fail/ need replacing & they haven't picked up on it.

G'day True Blue, Best to always get an independant opinion re these matters. The mitsubishi dealer may over elaborate on a problem to get the business. Join the RAA, and they will do a vehicle warranty check and follow it through for you if you have any problems with the dealer not coming to the 'party' re fixing the warranty problems.

Pablo