LandoCommando

Evo Owners,

I am in the market for a used 08+ Evo X and have been doing a lot of research online and getting GREAT information on this forum. As part of my searching I have seen a few post on "maintenance cost" but nothing to really help me out as to what to expect if/when I get an Evo.
Some people say maint is EXPENSIVE while others say it's not that bad as long as you: 1. Do all preventative maint and 2. Don't beat the sh*t out of your car.
First, if/when I get an Evo, I will be one of the rare owners who won't do too many, if any, mods to it until later on when it's paid off and I have a 2nd car to be my DD. I don't want to void any warranty or have mods lead to potential other problems with the car. I have a few questions about maintenance and any info you can give would greatly be appreciated.

1. Stock Tires on Evo are Yokahama Advan A13C ($1,404/set on tirerack.com). Since I'm not going to track the car OR really drive it hard, couldn't I save a good bit of money on other tires? Ex. Hankook Ventus V12. I live in Phx, AZ and don't really need all season tires or tires that perform well in the rain.

2. I was talking to a tech who works at one of the local Mitsubishi dealerships here. He said a NEW OEM clutch for the Evo X + labor was $2,600 ! ! ! ! I could have sworn I've seen other people on here who said average price was $800-1200 for a clutch replacement. What are you guys paying?

3. If I drive the car tamely, would it be safe to say a stock clutch would easily last me around 50K - 60K miles?

4. Mitsubishi tech also said brake jobs are a killer (about $1,500/axle). Again, if I drive the car and don't abuse it, how long would you say I could go before needs a major brake job?

5. Oil change, brake pads, other fluids, I'm not really worried about. I will change those out as needed.

I know these questions will lead to a variety of answers. I just want to know what I'm getting to when I drive that car off of the lot. I expect to pay more for maintenance than I would on a car like an Accord, Sonata, Scion TC, etc but the way some people talk on these threads make it sound like I'll be dropping about $2,500+ per year just for the upkeep.

rrstlevo

iTrader: (14)

1. You can find other tires for cheaper.

2. Dealer pricing at about 100/hr labor should be about 1500 for a clutch job i believe. The job pays a little over 10 hours and parts can be about 500.

3. If you drive the car tamely-50K - 60K miles-Yes

4. Depends, if you go to the dealer and have pads replaced AND have rotors replaced, yes thats the right price. it makes a difference with the rotor pricing if it is an MR or not...like $315 vs $680 kinda difference. Pads are very pricey and there are several aftermarket options that meet or exceed OEM quality...DIY if possible.

LandoCommando

Thanks for the info rrstevo. That makes me feel a lot better about buying one. I was planning on starting with $1,000 in my "Evo Maintenance" account and adding about $50 each month to have money set aside for all maint issue. Just worried me a bit because some of these posters have said they have been thru 2-3 clutches in 40K miles of driving, go thru tires every 8K miles, and have to replace brakes and rotors frequently.

thegoodservant

iTrader: (5)

Dealer here quoted me $1800 for brakes on all four corners.

thegoodservant

iTrader: (5)

As with any car maintenance is in direct correlation with how you drive the car. If you launch the car at every light yeah you'll go thru clutches. If every stop is a hard stop you'll go thru brakes etc. if your just doing a little spirited driving here and there and the car is mainly just a DD no big deal. If your not used to an AWD car tires go fast. Don't ever expect more than 15k out of a set and that might be a little high. Again as with all cars taking it to the dealer will always cost more than your local quality tuner, whom will quite often do a better job at servicing your car especially if it's a specialty tuner.

LiQuIdCrAzN

iTrader: (3)

1) OEM tires will always be more expensive because the number of tires that the manufacturer makes is MUCH fewer than aftermarket replacements cuz they're ONLY made that one car. So yes, change them out to whatever you want in the correct size.

2)No idea i'm still on my stock clutch... grabbing strong at 41k miles =)

3) 41k miles and still strong =) I bought my car with 9mi on the odo and have never launched it. I get on the throttle every once in awhile and haven't had any problems with clutch yet!

4) I replaced my brakes around 25k cuz i heard squealing from them... looked at the pads and i think i still have atleast 40% left lol. Replaced them anyway with Stoptech street pads. Stoptechs only ran me 120 for all 4 corners (hookup price from a friend). Still haven't had to replace rotors... will probably do that before the end of the year though cuz its looking pretty grooved at this point.

Hope this helps =)

ugakirk

iTrader: (14)

1. Tires- I wouldn't buy the Stock A13Cs for a DD ever. There are so many better bang for your buck as tires for the cost. The stock tires are great, but only last around 10k miles. That being said, I wouldn't go with a tire lower than the V12s. They are pretty good in general, and really good for the money, but IMO, they aren't quite on the level as other tires around the same price point.

2. I haven't had to replace my clutch yet.. And I have a little over 40k miles and it doesn't slip at all. But labor will range from 8-12 hours for an install. Dealer cost of hour per labor is around $100/hour and at most shops it's like $80/hour. A good, cheaper clutch like an ACT HDSS is around $650 i think so, you do the math (should be around $1400-$1600 at a good shop).

Clutch life is all how you drive it. You have to learn to slip and ride the clutch as little as possible. I see people who have been driving stick for years buy an Evo and burn through a clutch in 20k miles. This is my second Evo and I've never had to replace a clutch. If you think about it, an Evo is a heavy AWD car with 300hp.. A clutch isn't supposed to last 200,000 miles..

3. See above, but yes I could get 60k miles out of a stock clutch. Some people might max out around 20k miles. It's all driving style and learning the car.

4. Brakes- $1500 is idiotic, but to be expected from the dealer. Replacing brake pads on an Evo is EASY. It takes me about 30 mins with just hand tools and my jack. I bought new pads from Maperformance, Racing Brakes ET500 pads to be exact, spent around 200 shipped for both the front and rear together, so roughly $100 per axle, and put them on myself. Rotors can get a little pricey, but that depends on if you get 2-piece rotors or regular ones. Check out Girodisc for rotors (they are a vendor on here). For all four rotors, you can pay around $800ish but that is for quality slotted rotors. You can even go by a parts store and get them for much cheaper.

5. Other maintenance- Oil changes and such can get expensive, but it's worth it. If you keep up with the maintenance then you shouldn't have many problems. I change my oil every 2500 miles with AMSoil sig series and OEM filters (yeah a little early, but better safe then sorry).. The T-case, diff fluids, and tranny fluid I change around every 20k miles.

Basically, you save a TON doing all the maintenance yourself, or at a good tuner shop. Tires get a little expensive because IMO, it's not worth it to buy a world class handling car and then put a set of $100 tires on it. But the tires that are sticky don't last too long.. But you could easily get around 20-30k miles out of some decent tires. Brakes arent that bad really if you can do it yourself.. I'm pretty sure a monkey with the right tools could do the job rather quickly. Just make sure to do all the maintenance on time or early.

dek0026

This may seekes like a hasty post but the truth is that if you're just street driving, you don't need any major maintanence until every 30k miles. If you want to be ****, other awd cars call for 60k miles. Don't read these forums and believe you need performance parts for the street; you'll never come close to ever needing them (this goes for tires/brake mostly. Save your money and buy something that'll give you most life and get you around town comfortably).

ugakirk

iTrader: (14)

^^ Well yea, an Evo isn't the most practical car to DD on the street. In a perfect world, everyone would drive a Prius..But there isn't anything really wrong with driving a fun car everyday or owning an expensive Mercedes, or Lexus or something like that. It's all preference and how you want to spend you're hard earned cash.

Windforce18

1. You can definitely get tires for a lot cheaper. I'm picking up my Evo this Tuesday and I've already done a little research for the maintenance. I don't expect to spend more than $150 or $200 per tire when I replace them.

2. Dealerships are going to charge a ridiculous amount for labor. If you know a good shop, they can probably do it for a lot less.

3. I think the clutch is based a lot of driving style and skill. I've seen people using the stock clutch go over 60k miles and I've seen people replace it around 20-30k.

4. Not too sure about this on Evos but based on what I've driven, AT LEAST 30k if you're driving it tamely like you said.

m0nkie

1. I use V12 Hankooks.. got it for 700$ installed... also used some other brands.. all average 700$. they don't last long.. tires wear out every 15-20k miles for me..

2. my clutch blew at 30k mile... but that's because i ****ed up on a few launch.. new exedy clutch and install costed about 1400$ total. at a local shop. NOT DEALER

3. depends on if you have any mods or how tame.. You might make it last to 50.. but pretty hard.. oem clutch blows.. my new Exedy has about 40k on it and running strong.

4. I don't get what you are trying to ask for brakes.. are you refering to 1500$ pads?? because you can get front and back pads for 300$ and install it yourself.. just make sure to bleed the brakes after. Rotor replacements cost more.. but haven't had issue yet.. I have an 08 also.

Remember... never take it to Mitsubishi unless it's warranty fix. The car is high maintenance.. tires will wear out every single year... I did not expect the fee to be this high.. a lot worse than my previous Nissan Z.. but the car is totally worth it to DD.. I drive her around LA in traffic.. bah

TheBlade

iTrader: (1)

I'm a Phx Evo owner ^__^ ! Welcome not many of us around here.

Big Two charges me $82 for Mobil1 oil changes.
Tires...yeah not staying with the A13's and the V12s are a really great option (even for a little time at the HDPE events.)
Brakes...yeah the labor is expensive, but there's lots of shops and places around that can do it for a lot less.

Hit up Phuong over at WingzPeformance in Chandler, F.A.T in Central Phx or UMS in Mesa. All great places that can do work to your car and save you a bundle. (I would highly recommend if you plan on a tune hitting up Phuong, he's amazing)

Also if you want to save a lot of dealership costs on stuff by working on your own car, there's a great local site called azawd.org mostly subie guys, but it's all like family.

Just my opinion on major repairs, honestly even the basic Hyundai or Focus uses individual parts that are crazy expensive. It's just the world we live in. However, Big Two in Mesa has been really honest about being okay with bolt-ons on an Evo when it comes to warranty coverage. So, at least you don't have to live in fear or some stealership and the warranty whoas which can be worse in other states.

If you see me driving around, wave hi.