Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Sedans Mitsubishi Galant Mitsubishi Galant
2438 messages, Last post on Oct 29, 2009 at 11:04 AM
You are in the Mitsubishi Galant Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
| I bought my 2002 Galant LS in September of last year from my nephew's wife, who had used it to travel 300 miles round trip once a week to drive to school on Monday and return home on Friday. It had 67,000 miles on it. Since then I average about 6000 miles per month using it as a business vehicle. Right now the odometer is on 124,210. This model, while designated the LS on the trunk, actually has the 2.4 ltr engine, and is loaded, sunroof, airbags, premium sound, etc. I've been very surprised at the durability of this car, with few exceptions. It averages about 28 miles per gallon on regular fuel, slightly better on premium, even in this hot Texas weather with the air conditioning running full time. PROBLEMS: Right headlight "burned out", had the local Advance auto store replace it for me (I couldn't figure it out, duh); after that the light stopped working after 1 month but I determined it was loose wiring, I jiggled and shoved the wiring in to the housing and no problems since. AIR CONDITIONING/HEATING. I get an occassional problem with the heating control: does not function. No problem here in summer, but back in Jan thru Mar I could not get the heat on. Datyimes it was hot, so I ran the AC, but mornings then were nippy, so I wanted heat. But turning from Cold to Hot did not work. Try as I might, rotating the knob back and foth, it did not work. Then by accident, I discovered a fix. I had pulled in to a convenience store to get coffee and when I came back out, I restarted the car, this time rotating the knob slowly and WALLAH! IT WORKED. Since then when I have this problem I do the following: pull over and stop the car, turn off the ignition and wait about 2 minutes, then restart the car. Then I rotate the heat knob back to cold and then slowly back to hot. You will actually hear a fast clicking noise as the gate inside the mechinism opens. No problem after that. ONE OTHER PROBLEM I HAVE...the check engine light stays on. Shortly after buying the car, I took it to my Ford Mitsubishi dealer and he said it was a tranmission warning light but he would not know for sure until he opened it up, meaning $$$$$ later. I took it over to AAMCO transmission for a second opinion and he told me the light read TORQUE converter. He put it on his computer, and said the converter was operating within acceptable limits and that the message had a history of coming on. He said unless I wanted to spend the money or unless I noticed a decernible problem, to ignore the light if it came back on. Well, it did, that afternoon. BUT....that's been 9 months ago. The light is on all the time, but the car runs great, performs very well and like I said, gets great gas milege. About the only other problem, the remote key fob broke in half, I didn't have another spare and I only have one key to the car. I have since found out that another key will cost me $140.00 and another remote entry unit $100.00. As for the remote entry, I can get an aftermarket system with two units for about the same money, but I have not yet bought another ignition key. Overall, I love the car for milege. But with my 6'4" frame, I still love my Dodge 1500 quad cab betteer. If only it got better than 12 miles per gallon........ | |
|
Folks, here's my dilemma. My car was running wonderfully. I have a 2002 Galant ES that I bought used in 2003 with under 35k miles. The only problem I've ever had with it is a sticky starter. I've always taken care to keep up on my maintenance obviously to prevent problems. So, yesterday I brought my car to a shop to get the timing belt changed. It was still the original belt and I had reached 82.5k miles on the car (in previous maintenance checks i was told i could probably go to 90k on the timing belt). I asked them to let me know what else needed to be replaced since I had not needed to replace anything on my car since buying except for my brakes. In addition to the wheel rotation, alignment, oil and air filter change, they suggested taking care of the water pump, the balance belt, upper and lower radiator hose and two serpentine belts. I suppose some of these belt changes go hand in hand with a timing belt change. I feel like i can trust these guys and they charge a fair price for work done. What do you think? They said putting back in the old pump may create problems because once it's taken out of the car to replace the belts it may not fit snuggly back in. As for hoses they just said they were getting old. Well I went ahead with it because I didn't want anything to happen to my car. But of course, after the repairs my car now has problems that I've never had before. My engine sounds a little deeper and louder than I'm used to. And now it shakes and trembles a little when I drive and a lot when I sit idle. In the past 30 hours I must have stalled out 7 or 8 times. I hear a squealing sound now when I press the gas (not every time though). I brought it back to the autoshop this morning and they said that they should have warned me but when this type of work is done they had to cut the power which reset the 'computer' (i assume they are refering to the OBD since all my warning lights come on when i stall). I this normal? They said it would take a while for the computer to relearn how to accelerate and sit idle which is why my car is stalling out and trembling. As for the squealing and the louder engine they didn't think there was anything wrong. If this is "normal" how long do i have until my car runs like it used to? 
|
|
|
Regarding the previous posts requesting info and opinion on the older Galants: mine is a 2001 ES, now with close to 107K. I consider it a good example of how a car is as good as the maintenance done. Car still runs and rides nice, and as far as repairs, I think for all that time and mileage I've spent on repairs no more than 1K, including around 500 on replacing inner tie-rods just recently. I'm pretty happy with the car, hope it will last another few years with the mileage we put on it. Will continue to maintain it well and would not be surprised if it takes me past 150K. Re: suncolony's post. Although the dealers charge more and try to push repairs the car does not really need, I tend to use them for major services like timing belt replacement, since their staff have more experience working on your type of car, so chances for a screw up are smaller. I think the shop that worked on your car messed up something, not necessarily with the timing belt. From what I've heard if the replacement is not done right the car would not run at all, but I'm not sure. For sure it should not stall, and I think they are trying to sneak out of correcting whatever they did. New belts will stretch and squeal after a few months, which is corrected by a simple adjustment under $80. (Somewhere earlier on this thread I think I shared that in detail). I replaced my timing belt at 60K, I think did other belts too along with that, but they were pretty cheap, so I'm not sure, but recently was told they look great, so I probably did. I did not replace the water pump at that time, but the common opinion is that it's not a bad idea to do it when you replace the belt since there's no extra labor to be charged (they're taking it out anyway). I plan to do that at 120K. Hope this helps. Let us know. I'd be happy to go into more details. Chris
|
|
|
Replying to: suncolony (Jun 08, 2006 7:21 pm) Timing belt replacements are recommended at 60,000 miles for the Galant's interference engine. I did my first one at the dealership and a second one with an independent shop. After the first one, there was no difference in the car's sound/drive but the second one was much like you described...minus the stalling. The engine was noticeably rougher. I made a vow to always get the major engine work done by the dealership and currently get all my minor/major car repairs done at my Mazda dealership (01 Protege). I feel better doing this and you have more recourse should anything happen that was done by a certified dealership technician. I am currently in the market for a new/newer car and have decided against any new Mazdas. I am seriously considering another Galant...car is definitely safer than my current car, yet is still efficient, full of warranty and I know what to expect with a Mitsubishi engine. Mitsubishis are rather misunderstood since their looks are always a little removed from the look of many Hondas/Toyotas...but I like being "different" and for me personally, the insurance will be cheaper on a Galant than on an Accord or Camry.
|
|
|
Replying to: oskwi (Jun 09, 2006 12:08 pm)
|
|
|
Replying to: suncolony (Jun 10, 2006 9:47 pm) I have found over the years, that cars rarely "self-correct" after repair work. What you observe after a repair is most likely what you'll be forced to live with...this was the case with a Buick, a Chevy, a Mitsubishi and even the current Mazda I have. Hopefully, you can pursuade the independent mechanic to "fix" the problem...although I would be hesitant as he/she sounds unfamiliar with the nuances of a Japanese engine. Good luck.
|
|
|
Replying to: oskwi (Jun 11, 2006 7:44 am) I had my dealer replace the timing belt and other belts at 60K. When I hit 120K in a couple of months I'll have them do the same and probably go ahead with the water pump as well. |
|
|
Hello all, my first post, hope it is in the right section. My 2001 Galant 4cyl ES w/88k has been great, very few problems, have maintained it according to the manual. Recently I've noticed a thump/squeak from rear left tire area when going over bumps. Any thoughts on most likely problem? Never been in an accident, shocks seem OK(no excessive bounce) pulled the tire off and yanked on SB and control arm nothing seemed loose or too worn. Bushings? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. |
|
|
On most cars, the AC runs whenever a defrost mode is selective. This is because the AC acts as a dehumidifier and thus can speed the clearing of fog from the windows. Easy way to test: With the car parked & idling, turn on AC normally. You should note the compressor kicking in as it will induce some drag on the engine. Turn the AC off and wait a minute or two. Now turn on the defrost. You should note the same engine drag. |
|
You are here:
Forums
Sedans Mitsubishi Galant Mitsubishi Galant
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 Mitsubishi Galant
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
