Wheel Bearings & Battery report

[fatnat]

Hi Guys

I am an old member just had 60k service (2.5yrs old without a previous hitch) but after the service by my independent mechanic he indicated the rear noise was coming from left wheel bearings in rear axle which required fixing under warrantee.

Yesterday after booking phev into local mitsi and they confirmed rear left bearing required replacing and was covered under warranty and could be fitted on the same day. They rang back later in the day with bad news, their mechanics had apparently stripped/destroyed the rear axle assembly? to be confirmed but this required replacement of the rear axle assembly, parts need to come form Eastern States of Australia and Japan, I am located in the West, and may take 2 months before I can have my car back.

If interested I will keep forum posted on progress including status of battery as max charge was now averaging 35km rather than average 40-50km in previous years? (note often do recharging after full discharge of batter doing averaging 1-2 refills a month)

 

[greendwarf]

Is this sort of wear unusual in Western Australia? I imagine the local driving environment is harsher than downtown Tokyo.

 

[zzcoopej]

I am located in the West, and may take 2 months before I can have my car back.

I hope Mitsu are providing you with a loan vehicle for that long period?

If interested I will keep forum posted on progress including status of battery as max charge was now averaging 35km

Although Range is not a great indicator of battery SOH, it sounds like you've dropped to about 70% (35/50). Would be very interested in hearing what real capacity is left in the battery, either from dealer analysis or EvBatMon App.

 

[jaapv]

Hi Guys

I am an old member just had 60k service (2.5yrs old without a previous hitch) but after the service by my independent mechanic he indicated the rear noise was coming from left wheel bearings in rear axle which required fixing under warrantee.

Yesterday after booking phev into local mitsi and they confirmed rear left bearing required replacing and was covered under warranty and could be fitted on the same day. They rang back later in the day with bad news, their mechanics had apparently stripped/destroyed the rear axle assembly? to be confirmed but this required replacement of the rear axle assembly, parts need to come form Eastern States of Australia and Japan, I am located in the West, and may take 2 months before I can have my car back.

If interested I will keep forum posted on progress including status of battery as max charge was now averaging 35km rather than average 40-50km in previous years? (note often do recharging after full discharge of batter doing averaging 1-2 refills a month)

I know Australia is large, but two months across the country? Are the parts coming by Camel caravan?

You probably need to have the battery conditioned by Mitsubishi.

 

[IAmTheWalrus]

You probably need to have the battery conditioned by Mitsubishi.

Excuse my ignorance please, but what does having the battery conditioned involve and how does it affect the battery capacity / life / mileage / etc?

 

[anko]

You probably need to have the battery conditioned by Mitsubishi.

Excuse my ignorance please, but what does having the battery conditioned involve and how does it affect the battery capacity / life / mileage / etc?

They fully charge and discharge the battery a few times in a controlled manner, hoping to optimise battery capacity and with it EV range. Compare it to defragmenting a harddisk hoping to increase its speed.

 

[fatnat]

Is this sort of wear unusual in Western Australia? I imagine the local driving environment is harsher than downtown Tokyo.

Well no not harsh perhaps hot sometimes (eg 43 c) as 99% travel done on excellent paved roads.

1% done on gravel roads dusty but not rough.

Every now and then long distance for camping purposes with camping trailer around 500kg but not often.

 

[fatnat]

I am located in the West, and may take 2 months before I can have my car back.

I hope Mitsu are providing you with a loan vehicle for that long period?

If interested I will keep forum posted on progress including status of battery as max charge was now averaging 35km

Although Range is not a great indicator of battery SOH, it sounds like you've dropped to about 70% (35/50). Would be very interested in hearing what real capacity is left in the battery, either from dealer analysis or EvBatMon App.

Yes one was offered but I have a spare so in lieu I requested they fix minor body paint and dents, said okay but will see. Also parts from Japan ordered will take 4-6 weeks via their off the road crisis ordering system?

Mitsi will get back to me on SOH one day but they say they have been given special instructions from HQ on how to analyse this so TBA, they must follow a procedure and not just fog it off. Will look at getting the EvBatMon when I get the car back for sure.

 

[fatnat]

Good News - mostly

Had phone call car is repaired and ready for pickup this afternoon its only been a few weeks, apparently they have repaired rear end under warranty - well done. I guess they allowed 2 months for a margin of safety as they never had to do that sort of repair on a Phev type care before.

No news yet on Battery, they want me to bring the car back a week later with the battery discharged? I do no know why they could not discharge the battery themselves during all that time all they had to do was turn on car and turn on the air con let it run down, the car does not have to move to do that.

Anyway I want them to complete the paint restoration so not arguing.

They have not said but I am guessing perhaps the bearing issue was causing friction and therefore the car was using more power then anticipated for the number of km travelled?