New owner - can I get some advice?

[OverTyred]

Hi folks, I take delivery of my GX4h on Tuesday and am trying to get all my affairs in order. I was wondering if I could pick the brains of some more experienced users about the following.

1 Protection Pack
Is it worth it? I am leasing the car, so I need to hand it back in reasonable condition - do you think this will all help? Do I need all the things it comes with? Can I buy alternative separate parts (that are of reasonable quality) at a lower cost?

2 Charging
The dealership mentioned that British Gas will fit an external socket for something like £115 - but I think I've seen others discussing free or better alternatives? What do people think is the best option?

3 Cables
I've seen some scary prices for power cables - is there a better value alternative?

4 Servicing
Is the 3 year £500 pack worth it? What is the cost of an individual service with Mitsubishi and how many times would I need to do this over 4 years/up ot 40k miles?

Finally, what is the one thing you wish someone had told you when you first picked up the keys? And what are the must-do changes to the settings?

Ta

Dave

 

[BeeJay]

I am leasing too (PCH).

1) I ordered this, paid dealer direct for it - mud flaps are good, floor mats are cheap, stick on metal strips look OK but I believe there are better on the market. However I figured going with this would stand as best endeavours on return...

2) Get the external socket. I started with an IP65 extension lead and the included cable and that worked, but it takes up to 5 hours to charge. Now have the charging unit fitted (got the 32A untethered Type 2) and it charges in 3 hours and is much tidier and more waterproof. Got mine through Phoenix Works - excellent service.

3) The only one you will really need to buy is a 5m Type2 to Type 1 if you are serious about public charging, and this is currently on offer for £150 at NuWorldEnergy (I paid a bit more as mine wasn't on offer, but this is the cheapest I found and they are great cables) - http://nuworldenergy.co.uk/shop/mitsubishi-outlander-phev.html

4) The £500 servicing pack only covers first 3 services (3 years or 37,500 miles) so should do for you - I again paid the dealer direct for this, just for peace of mind and predictability more than anything else.

As to what to do before picking it up - spend some time reading these forums, I did and I found it really helpful - too much info to shorten into one tip.
That said - top tip if you are picking up on Tuesday is turn off the auto folding mirrors as some are getting stuck in the freezing weather (see other threads).

 

[MHS]

I had the protection pack fitted. Personally I wished I'd only had the mudflaps fitted and sorted the rest myself. The mats are cheap carpet mats, and I've stored them and am using some Ebay rubber ones. The boot liner is ok, but was replaced after day 1 as it was badly creased. The cill protectors are tiny, and although I've not looked, I'm sure there will be better ones out there.

Also bought the service pack. I hope it proves to be poor value, as then the car will have been ultra-reliable!!

 

[BeeJay]

Likewise, carpet mats that came with the pack replaced with rubber ones off web until the summer at least.
Boot liner is OK, actually grips things quite well, forgot that was part of the kit.

Still miss the really good, thick rubber mats I had in my Range Rover (but not the fuel or repair bills...)

 

[maddogsetc]

I'd echo what others have said about the protection pack - waste of money apart from the mudflaps.

I'd try living with the car before you bother spending money on a cable - I haven't bothered and in 6 months there's only been one occasion I could have used it. Not worth spending hundreds unless you are going to be charging away from home very often (and bear in mind the economics of paying for a charge don't really stack up with this car).

Whether you use BG or someone else (I used [email protected]) definitely get the charge point. It might seem little advantage in terms of charging time but it comes in to its own if you make multiple trims from home during the day. I quite often make 3 or 4 short-ish trips in the day (dad's taxi service!) and the ability to get half or two thirds charge in between makes the car much more economical overall.

I think the service pack is good value, 3 services for £500, but then, my last car was a Land Rover and each service was more than that (still loved it though :? ).

In terms of settings changes - get the MMCS set to PsideP - looks odd at first but ok once you get used to it. Main advantage being that this is the only way to get the car to remember your last used screen. And you can also get to and back from all the other screens quicker and easier using the EV button in PsideP mode than going through the menus in full screen.

 

[MHS]

Still miss the really good, thick rubber mats I had in my Range Rover (but not the fuel or repair bills...)

Surprising that the original Mitsubishi Outlander mats are so poor, as the Shoguns I've owned had superb, heavy, sculpted rubber mats.

 

[aitchjaybee]

i'd second the comment on charger. I did 75 miles yesterday on EV being Dad's taxi in and out all day, topping up charge when able. I have a BG 16A version.

Likewise urge caution on charge cable. In the UK it comes with a standard 3pin 10A charger and cable, If you get a free (or near free) charger at home it will have a dedicated cable too, meaning you are thinking of spending £150 on a cable. Thats a lot of charging to get same equivalent of petrol. I worked out I'd never recoup the cost over 3 years. The CHAdeMO chargers have a tethered cable in them, its only the standard chargers in car parks / parking bays that you'd need to park for 5 hours in to get 25 miles worth of elec (eg equivalent to £5 of fuel).

the one bit of info I'd had was where is the petrol flap release lever (drivers floor, right hand side on RHD model) EV flap has no lever, just spring loaded. Mine was the first PHEV the lease company had ever delivered so they had no car mats, they put some from a Mondeo or something in, hacked to fit which hid/covered the fuel flap release lever. Didnt help in the petrol station having helpful people point out the fuel flap on the EV side, thinking I was being dim! (lease company posted mats out 3 weeks later)

enjoy the car.

 

[steve2001]

I had a Rolex 32A tethered charger installed last week for free by The Phoenix Works. It's a doddle to use compared to faffing about with 3 pin 16amp charger and unlocking my garage door etc, its quicker to charge (3.5hrs vs 5hrs) and its future proofed. The Phoenix Works engineer was excellent he did a good quality installation within 2 hours. If you are leasing there is an extra form that your lease company will need to supply on their letter-headed paper.
There are several posts on this forum that go into great detail about chargers and cables if you want to dig a bit deeper before taking the plunge.
I do all my charging at home have not been in a position where a I could have used an additional cable as yet. I echo others comments - see how you get on for a few months and then buy one if you think it will get used enough.
My lease is two years so I did not go for the £500 service plan but it would be worth it over 3 years. I asked at local dealers - the first years service is £199 and the second service is £278.

 

[chindley]

Add the service plan to your lease £10 per month for peace of mind and no big shocks when you take it in for service. I think you save about £200 doing the MSP so it is worth it

I'm in 2 minds about spending £150 on another cable, but went to take my wife to hospital last week and the only space that was available was an EV charging space. I parked in it anyway to the annoyance of ICE drivers looking for spaces and security came over to me, when I pointed out it was an EV but didn't need charging he let me stay there anyway but if I had the cable and plugged it in then it wouldn't have been a problem. Just depends how many times you may be in this situation.

 

[MHS]

Went into Sheffield city centre last night. Only two spare spaces in the car park. Both for ev only, with free hook up. Didn't have a cable, so didn't want to risk parking there. Will have to look at cables to see if it's worth it. Cost us £1 to park elsewhere on street as Sunday night, so no big issue.

 

[Ozukus]

I'm surprised you need to but a cable I thought all PHEVs came with one in the top tray in the boot. I have one and its only a lowly GX3h.

 

[maby]

I'm surprised you need to but a cable I thought all PHEVs came with one in the top tray in the boot. I have one and its only a lowly GX3h.

The supplied cable is on a 13A plug which is not suitable for most public charging points

 

[Ozukus]

That makes sense then, never looked to use one as my home charging covers all my local driving anyway, just assumed the cable would work with it.

 

[maby]

That makes sense then, never looked to use one as my home charging covers all my local driving anyway, just assumed the cable would work with it.

There are a few public points on 13A sockets but the majority are on the round 5 pin type.

 

[user 258]

Went into Sheffield city centre last night. Only two spare spaces in the car park. Both for ev only, with free hook up. Didn't have a cable, so didn't want to risk parking there. Will have to look at cables to see if it's worth it. Cost us £1 to park elsewhere on street as Sunday night, so no big issue.

Hi,
I'm from Sheffield and wasn't aware of any EV charging points in the City Centre. Nor so any show up on the OpenChargeMap. Can you say where they are as precisiely as possible? I'll check them out and add them to the database.
Kind regards,
Mark

 

[MHS]

Went into Sheffield city centre last night. Only two spare spaces in the car park. Both for ev only, with free hook up. Didn't have a cable, so didn't want to risk parking there. Will have to look at cables to see if it's worth it. Cost us £1 to park elsewhere on street as Sunday night, so no big issue.

Hi,
I'm from Sheffield and wasn't aware of any EV charging points in the City Centre. Nor so any show up on the OpenChargeMap. Can you say where they are as precisiely as possible? I'll check them out and add them to the database.
Kind regards,
Mark

Its classified......I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you!!

Carver Lane car park. Oops it slipped out. There are two charging point that don't have tethered cables, therefore I couldn't use them, as I haven't bought a cable yet.

Cheers

Mike

 

[Ozukus]

Shame that the standard 3 pin cable that comes with the car couldn't be a 5 pin cable that can be used at the charging stations with a 5 pin to 3 pin converter that could be used on a traditional socket.

Current Cable layout is

13Amp Socket -- cable -- Vehicle Comms Module -- cable -- J1772

Why not have the following

13Amp Socket -- cable -- Vehicle Comms Module -- cable -- 62196-2 Female Connector -- 62196-2 -- Male Connector -- cable -- J1772

Would make it ultimately more flexible and reduce the number of cables you needed to lug around with you.

With a cost of £160 for the J1772 to 62196-2 cable then it needs to replace about 1,500 miles worth of ICE driven miles to make it worthwhile, and as I can't see that happening really doesn't justify the cost.

 

[maby]

Shame that the standard 3 pin cable that comes with the car couldn't be a 5 pin cable that can be used at the charging stations with a 5 pin to 3 pin converter that could be used on a traditional socket.

...
With a cost of £160 for the J1772 to 62196-2 cable then it needs to replace about 1,500 miles worth of ICE driven miles to make it worthwhile, and as I can't see that happening really doesn't justify the cost.

You are quite right - it is very difficult to justify purchasing a cable just for charging at public points. I really didn't want the cable dangling from a tethered charging point at home, so I got an untethered point installed - which then required that I bought a cable - so I am covered for most public charging points. It's just a pity that they make so little sense that I've never used one!

 

[greendwarf]

I'm surprised you need to but a cable I thought all PHEVs came with one in the top tray in the boot. I have one and its only a lowly GX3h.

The supplied cable is on a 13A plug which is not suitable for most public charging points

Some of the Polar/Chargemaster points use a standard 3 pin - at least the one in Southend I tried (and failed - faulty) did. It also usefully closes about the plug stopping casual theft, when charging. :?

 

[maby]

The trouble with 13A public charging points is the rate of charge - how many owners are going to sit on the point where long enough to take on a useful amount of charge? It's bad enough on a 16A point.