First,I'd like to say hi to every Mitsubishi owner at this forum.Second,I'd like to say hi to every Outie owner.Hope I'll join you by tommorow's evening.In case to do so I need as much info on 03 Outies as possible.I spotted a nice looking XLS for my girlfriend.It's a really nice car not only for the money but design-wise also.IMHO,neither Honda nor Toyota can touch it[8D]Anyway,the car has 74Kmi on the clock.I test drove it-feels very solid,tranny is smooth also.It's a one owner car.Overall I have a very positive impression about it.But I checked(it was dark already)under the hood and found the engine a bit greasy on the left side next to the belts/pulleys.Possible a valve cover gasket starts to give up?What else to expect from thecar withthe mileage and what kind of maintenance/problems to expect?Thanks in advance for the answers

 

The valve cover gasket is pretty much normal lol. I laugh when i see it, its kind of a trademark. However, you can use this to your advantage!! The gasket is also super easy to replace, so dont worry.

What you want to make sure is that the oil has been changed regularly, and the 60k maintanance has been done. This includes timing belt, water pump, timing belt tensioner, transmission flush, transfercaseflush,and things like that.

You should check for things like any oil from the exhaust (blue smoke, or any other kind of smoke for that matter), any check engine lights etc. Check that there is no white goop from under the oil cap. Also, remove the radiator cap and rev it up just a little to make sure the head gasket is good (if its not you will see bubbles)

Check under the car for any signs of leakage from the transmission or any oil. Check how much life the brakes have on them. Check that the wear on all tires is even and normal.

If the 60k maintaance hasnt been done, this is a good reason to make them chip off the price. Believe it or not, the 60k maintanance costs well over 1k, so bare that in mind. I actually enjoy when they havnt done it, it makes grinding down the price a LOT easier. "Well, im a little worried that the 60k maintanance wasn't done, thats a costly step, and if it hasn't been done then how do i know the car has been properly maintained (insert low offer here) (keeping in mind that just because the 60k maintanance hasnt been done doesnt mean the car has been abused, its just an excuse). The timing belt is actually designed to last 100k, how ever, they are recomended to be changed at 60k. Why you ask? Because if they break... you are in for a very costly repair bill, and possibly a new engine.

Its important to ask how often they change the oil etc. It should be changed every 3-4k miles. Anything over 5 i think is a little excessive.

 

Wow,great reply.I'll definitely keep an eye on the list above.Just wondering how much it costs to replace the gasket.It cost me 100$ on my bimmer.Not at stealership of course

 

You got ripped off dude. The gasket is like 20 bucks and its only a few bolts to remove the valve cover... then replace the gasket and bolt the cover down again. Simple. Like i said, make a bigger issue of it than it really is, grind that price down : )

 

The valve cover gasket is only $17 but the spark plug tube seals are 9.85 each. So your looking at $55+ in parts but it is easy to do.