Mitsubishi ASX Problems

It all depends on what you call bouncing and how you define bumpy country roads. But one thing’s for sure, if the car really is leaping about more than it should, it has nothing to do with the fact that the engine is in the front. Don’t accept that sort of nonsense from anybody; a modern car should be balanced to drive and that’s that.

There has to be a degree of movement over bumps – that’s why cars have suspension in the first place - otherwise, they’d be very uncomfortable to ride in. But excess movement means there’s either a problem with the suspension itself (bushes, ball-joints or maybe even the springs themselves) or the shock absorbers aren’t doing their job by controlling and arresting the normal movement over bumps.

Again, though, it’s important to set parameters for what’s normal and what’s not. The parlous state of this nation’s country roads at the moment means it’s possible to encounter some truly momentous bumps and potholes, many of which are enough to damage a car’s suspension, not just test its limits. Meantime, start with a check of the shock absorbers and work from there. If they’re worn out or tired, they can certainly allow more movement than there should be.

Intermittent problems like this one can be very annoying as they rarely emerge when a mechanic is looking at them. However, you need to have the Mitsubishi dealership mechanic with you for a test drive as you try to make the problem occur, however long that takes. Perhaps you could video the car's behaviour next time it happens and show the workshop that way.

Common causes for a manual car to refuse to select a gear are usually down to a worn, maladjusted or damaged clutch or a poorly adjusted gear linkage. If there's a horrible graunching noise when this happens, I'd suspect the clutch, if not, it could easily be a simple matter of adjusting the selectors. Either way, this shouldn't amount to rocket science in 2024.

Just be sure not to take no for an answer; if the car has a problem, it's under warranty and it's Mitsubishi's problem, not yours. 

This is a pretty common type of question these days. Once cars are out of warranty (and often before that time) many owners elect to use an independent workshop for their servicing rather than a dealership. But some non-dealership workshops don’t always know the little tips and tricks including how to switch off the service reminder after the scheduled service has been performed.

But here’s something you can try at home which should cancel the service light on your ASX. Turn the car’s ignition off. Now press the info button (down low on the dashboard near the steering column) until you see a small spanner icon appear in the info panel on the dashboard. Now hold down the info button until the little spanner symbol starts flashing. Once it’s flashing, release the info button again and the word `clear’ should pop up next to the spanner icon. With `clear’ displayed, press the info button one more time and you should be done. Now start the engine to make sure the service reminder light has gone out. If none of that works, a Mitsubishi dealership should be able to switch off the light for you.

Both the petrol and diesel versions of the 2018 ASX used a timing chain rather than a toother rubber timing belt. That means both engines’ timing chains should be good for the life of the engine, although in practice that hasn’t always been the case and some engines do, in fact, need new timing chains if wear develops in the chain or its tensioners. Neither Mitsubishi engine has thus far demonstrated that trait, however, and it’s far less common if the engine has been serviced correctly.

The task of the timing chain or timing belt is exactly the same: They take drive from the engine’s crankshaft to the camshaft and, in the process, keep all the moving parts in harmony. Many car makers moved away from a timing chain to the rubber, toothed drive belt as a way of simplifying engine design and driving down the cost of each engine. The rubber timing belt is also quieter in its operation and is also less prone to stretching (as a timing chain can) so the camshaft stays in perfect synch with the rest of the engine’s rotating parts. It’s a simpler design because it doesn’t need to be tensioned via oil pressure from the engine as many timing chain systems are.

The timing chain, meanwhile, is preferred by some manufacturers because it should last the lifetime of the engine and never need replacement. This isn’t always the case, however, and some engine designs from a variety of manufacturers suffer problems in this regard. But, in a properly maintained engine of sound design, the timing chain should never need attention, while the rubber timing belt generally requires periodic replacement, typically between 60,000 and 120,000km depending on the manufacturer.

For the record, there really is a global shortage of semi-conductors; a shortage that has already seen some big car-makers trim production and even close some plants. As the electric car phenomenon grows, and the average conventional car has anything up to 100 micro-processors, the shortage will only become more critical, so the next few months will be very interesting.

However, I spoke to Mitsubishi Australia about this and it seems your dealer might not be telling you everything. For a start, to even offer you an ASX LS without the safety gear it comes standard with is, according to head office, an impossibility. Why? Because Mitsubishi claims it has never built such a car. The spokesperson I talked to said that, had the correct semi-conductor (or any other part) not been available for that car in that specification, the car would not have been built. Simple as that. I’m not sure what Mitsubishi dealers are saying, but that’s head office’s view.

Which brings us to the question of your contract. Put simply, if the vehicle you’re being offered does not match the vehicle as described in the contract of sale, then you can call the deal off with no ramifications. And since this is major safety gear we’re talking about being AWOL, the car on offer most certainly does not match what you signed up for. So you can stop worrying on that front.

Then we move on to what the dealer is really trying to sell you. There’s a feeling within Mitsubishi that the dealer probably has stocks of a particular variant of the ASX, but one which doesn’t have the LS model’s standard safety kit. And that’s what they’re trying to unload on to you. So don’t have it.

If you go through with the deal, you’ll inevitably be buying a car that doesn’t live up to the safety levels you wanted when you originally ordered the LS model. It will be worth less as a trade-in in a few years, too, as used-car buyers (like everybody else) are increasingly interested in safety. As it stands, being offered a $300 discount on a car that doesn’t exist smells very odd to me. I’d be talking to Mitsubishi Australia’s customer service department and explaining your case. Sometimes you need to go to a higher court than the dealership itself.

Mitsubishi quotes a power output of 110kW at 3500rpm and torque of 360Nm at 1500rpm for that vehicle. All these figures – and plenty more - can be found within the Carsguide website by clicking on the prices and specs tab and entering the make, model and year.

The 4B11 (official code-name) engine in your ASX used a timing chain rather than a toothed, rubber timing belt. That means the chain should be good for the life of the engine, rather than requiring periodic replacement as a timing belt does. While the timing chain in this engine seems to be of a good design and hasn’t caused widespread problems, the accessory drive belt (which drives the water pump and power-steering pump, has been known to jump off its pulleys, leaving the car with no power-steering and no pump to operate the cooling system. At least it’s obvious when it happens (so the car can be shut down with no further damage) and the fix is an easy one.

Your problem may be related to a relay, but the usual cause of flickering DRLs and dashboard lighting (the LED type) is a faulty capacitor within the vehicle’s wiring loom. A faulty capacitor will deliver an unstable (fluctuating rather than steady) voltage to the LEDs and that’s what causes them to flicker.

Some owners choose to add an aftermarket section of wiring loom with a capacitor within it, but I’d first try to find the offending component in the car’s existing wiring and tackle the problem that way.

An MY18-model Mitusibishi ASX LS should set you back between $15,000 and $20,000 depending on kilometres and its overall condition. Whether you look at a 2WD or 4x4 model it doesn’t seem to change the 2018-model’s valuation.

With the ignition off, press the info button repeatedly until the service screen comes up. Then press and hold the info button until the spanner icon flashes, press the info button repeatedly until the schedule starts to flash. Press and hold the info button until off is displayed, then press and hold the info button until the flashing stops. The service reminder will then be turned off.