Came up to the 90K service on the trusty tl- had factory service all its life- to maintain factory warrantee. Got quoted $1645 from dealer- to cover timing belt, auto trans flush, brake system flush and all the othe little bits. Thought this was a bit high so set about doing it all my self. So with help and advice from various members on this forum spent a few hours (actually a bit more than a few hours) and did it all myself- except for the auto trans flush (put that one out to auto trans specialist- cost $280- did front diff{as part of the trans} tranfer case, and rear diff).

@ 90k found the timing belt to be in surprisingly poor condition (pro-torque kit went in), plugs looked brand new (replaced with NGK irridium), replaced top engine mount (not expected- but totally knackered), new bendix brake pads and new battery (totally out of the blue- started one moment- would not the next time).

Total cost- about $850- but that included items not covered in the usual 90k service (about $250 for engine mount and battery and another $110 for brake pads). So 90 k service was a bit under the $500 mark.

Result- fuel consumption for the daily grind - pre service 16 to 16.5 l /100

Post service (after 3 complete tanks- 13.1L/100km.

While everything was apart did the Alan J cam advance- went on the conservative side of his instructions so have not noticed a big difference under the right foot (did not expect to) but fuel figures are a good sign at the stage.


Big thanks to Alan J and Mad Magna (Mal) for advice and guidance.

While everything was apart did the Alan J cam advance- went on the conservative side of his instructions so have not noticed a big difference under the right foot (did not expect to) but fuel figures are a good sign at the stage.

Interested in knowing more about this...

My 90k TL AWD dealer service was ~$1200. My battery went at about 95000km. One day it was fine, the next it would barely turn over the motor. I suppose that 5 years is a good service life for a battery.

I'm interested in what you found with the top engine mount. After the service, the car ran rougher, so I took it back and asked them to look at it again, so they reckon that they repositioned the motor and retightened the engine mounts. But the car now rattles when cold and under load (it sounds like stones in a tin can), so I'm wondering if they should have replaced an engine mount. The car is out of warranty now, so I'm probably up for a bun fight to get it sorted out.

Ken

Top engine mount is quite easy to replace, not a big job at all. If it is rattling as described I would be having major alarm bells going off about the quality of the work provided. Battery in mine started the car in the garage (a bit slow), drove for about 9km- pulled over to the side of the road to take a mobile call- turned the engine off, went to go again- dead as! Just died. Doing the service work yourself certainly saves money and you know what is done and what is not. It also gives you a greater familiarity with the workings of your own car. Cam belt job I found a fairly big job for home DIY and unless you have some mechanical familiarity I would not recommend taking this one one. Good luck sorting out the problems.

Just got mine done Yesterday at Autralian Motors here in Adelaide. Cost me $650.00 which includes a proper power transmission flush. However, have to take it back to change the rocker cover gaskets and spark seals which will set me back another $340.00 as they did not have the parts. Not back considering the trans flush was $240.00 alone.

what exactly did you get done? I need to get timing belt done, already did 90k service, am looking for someone to do timing belt properly at a reasonable price
Just got mine done Yesterday at Autralian Motors here in Adelaide. Cost me $650.00 which includes a proper power transmission flush. However, have to take it back to change the rocker cover gaskets and spark seals which will set me back another $340.00 as they did not have the parts. Not back considering the trans flush was $240.00 alone.

am surprised timing belt and engine mount were in such poor condition, do you have any pictures?


@ 90k found the timing belt to be in surprisingly poor condition (pro-torque kit went in), plugs looked brand new (replaced with NGK irridium), replaced top engine mount (not expected- but totally knackered), new bendix brake pads and new battery (totally out of the blue- started one moment- would not the next time).

Total cost- about $850- but that included items not covered in the usual 90k service (about $250 for engine mount and battery and another $110 for brake pads). So 90 k service was a bit under the $500 mark.

Result- fuel consumption for the daily grind - pre service 16 to 16.5 l /100

Post service (after 3 complete tanks- 13.1L/100km.

While everything was apart did the Alan J cam advance- went on the conservative side of his instructions so have not noticed a big difference under the right foot (did not expect to) but fuel figures are a good sign at the stage.


Big thanks to Alan J and Mad Magna (Mal) for advice and guidance.

What is the 90K service? What should be done at that time?

Thanks

Best to look in the owners service manual that specifies all the items dealers are supposed to go through when the car reaches this mileage- timing belt is the big cost item- specified @ 100k km service. 90k service includes things such as transmission flush, brake system flush and new plugs- but there is lots more than just these. I choose to do the timing belt @ the 90k service and very glad I did- considering the poor condition of the belt that came off. Had I had a dealer service for timing belt and been shown the part when car is picked up (I always like to see the parts that come off the car and I am charged for when paying for service work) I would have thought they had got a worn belt off a much higher mileage vehicle- crtainly not something I would like to leave or try to stretch the service interval on.

OK, here goes the list of things done:
1. Replaced engine oil and filter.
2. Checked drive belts.
3. Checked cooling system and replaced coolant.
4. Checked battery electrolyte and fluid level.
5. Replaced front spark plugs.
6. Checked all oil levels.
7. Inspected fuel filter.
8. Auto transmission oil flush and replacement.
9. Replaced rear diff oil.
10. Replaced transfer case oil.
11. Checked all brake, fluid and fuel lines and hoses.
12. Checked ignition cables, distributor cap and rotor.
13. Checked steering and suspension components (road test).
14. Checked brake pedal for freeplay.
15. Checked all lights, wipers and tyre pressure.

All that for $627.00

Still to be done this wednesday as they did not have the rocker gaskets:
1. Rocker cover gaskets.
2. Spark plug seals.
3. Timing belt and rear sparks (I asked these to be done now as they have to remove the plennum anyway).
The above should come to just over $400.

Was in the local mitsubishi dealer to get the warranty extension done. Enquired about the 90k service, was quoted $1275 for the 90k service including 6 plugs and timing belt. The service manager even apologised about the price. Considering the 45k service cost $400, it does seem a bit pricey, $800 for a timing belt.

Cheaper to do it yourself, or shop around for a cheaper rate. The expense of this service the next time round, at 180-200 thousand km, is why a lot of Magnas hit the used car market at that number of Km.
As a DIY exercise the 90,000 km service adds up to $200 to $300, if you shop around for parts (oils, filters, cam belt, spark plugs etc). The killer is the labour, have a look at your service manual for the time allocated to this job. The next one at 180,000 is more expensive again as you need seals, idlers and water pump.

Unfortunately with 5 years and/or 75,000km left on the warranty a DIY job is not an option.

Spoke to my usual mechanic and he is talking over $1000 for the full service.

Moonee, you need to look at this a little differently, is not 800 for a timing belt, the 90k service in the book is actually split up over 2 services to keep costs down so this dealer has quoted you for both services together, the extras over the 45k are things like platinum plugs in the rear, timing belt etc

Remember also that a dealer, for that price, is only changing the belt, not the seals and idler/tensioner pulleys

My price for the 100k (both combined) is $1050 including all the above parts

Also remember that not only Magna's have an expensive magor service, most cars do especially ones with a timing belt. It is simply part of owning a car

Getting the parts yourself is fine if you are going to risk fitting them yourself but most workshops will not fit customer supplied parts

Also remember that not only Magna's have an expensive major service, most cars do especially ones with a timing belt. It is simply part of owning a car


Absolutely agree. Check out the price of the 100,000klm service on a Nissan 300zx. Over 5 years ago it cost me, I think, about $1300 just for the parts, and that was buying them cheap from the USA. From Nissan Aus they were about another $500. Labour was another $1100 I think.
bollie7

i don't have an awd but have been considering one, i have an 02 TJ and i have posted in the other forums about cam belt changes If you are getting a rattling sound you should check the tensioners as the new belt will show up a dodgy tensioner because the belt doesn't have the 'give' of the old one. my tensioner was exceptionaaly noisy from50000~ kms and it was noisy from cold, the noise would go away if i stopped the engine straight away and then restarted it. it seemed to 'reset' the tensioner as it couldn't keep the belt tight overnight.

i don't have an awd but have been considering one, i have an 02 TJ and i have posted in the other forums about cam belt changes If you are getting a rattling sound you should check the tensioners as the new belt will show up a dodgy tensioner because the belt doesn't have the 'give' of the old one. my tensioner was exceptionaaly noisy from50000~ kms and it was noisy from cold, the noise would go away if i stopped the engine straight away and then restarted it. it seemed to 'reset' the tensioner as it couldn't keep the belt tight overnight.

Are you talking about the lock in tensioner or the hydraulic tensioner?

No what happens is the tensioner gets weak like that faulty one you had. The pressure from the valves on the cam make the belt slacken on the back side and the belt will be slightly loose on the back side. One engine starts tensioner then takes up slack and will cause the bracket to bounce thus the noise. Hard to explain but hope gets picture across