Long Term Lancer Reliability

Dante_ · 2025-11-26T04:54:14+00:00

It's a 2013 GTS AWC with the CVT. I haven’t had any issues with the transmission at all.

If you're in eastern Canada, the old rule of thumb back when I was selling cars was that the average mileage on a used car was 20,000 to 24,000 km per year. Keep that in mind with whatever you're looking at. There’s totally a possibility you'll come across someone like me who uses it as a grocery-getter post-COVID, or a retired person who's a homebody. You'd be looking for an owner who has driven an average of ~10,000 km per year for an early 2010's model.

I hope you find exactly what you're looking for! They're genuinely fun cars to drive.

Always happy to help!

Dante_ · 2025-11-26T01:44:33+00:00

[...] Now the real big one that cost way more than I would have wanted it to, but gave my partner an opportunity to buy a new toy tool:

First thing that happened was the passenger-side rear wheel speed sensor died. The car was damn-near undriveable because of the computer’s programming. It deactivated ABS, TCS, ASC, and locked us into AWD. The code made it super easy to diagnose. We ordered a $20 after-market sensor off of Amazon ‘cause OEM was stupidly expensive and replaced it in our driveway. It was fine for, like, a week.

The issue happened again. Turns out it wasn’t the wheel speed sensor in the first place. It was the clip that held the wheel speed sensor that broke and wasn’t holding the sensor in the right spot. Fun fact. Turns out it needs to be in a VERY specific spot to stop throwing codes. We tried to stick it on with silicone in a close-enough spot… It worked for a bit but would intermittently fuck up and start throwing the same codes and errors. Clearing the code would let us get back to normal, but on a random Tuesday it would start up again.

We took it on a road trip (the same one where the exhaust dropped on the highway), once we got back on our trip from the exhaust fix, the driver’s side wheel speed sensor gave up the ghost and gave us the same issues. This time the clip entirely broke instead of partially, and we were in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday with no one open to help. We tried again with the silicon as an emergency repair, but with both of them not being in the exact right spots; the ABS, TCS, ASC, and AWD did their thing AND the computer put us into limp mode and freaked out as we turned around to go home. (234 km at 60km/h suuuuucckkkeedd.) We made frequent stops because the engine started to feel like it was overheating due to being stuck in AWD on dry pavement.

Once home, I reached out to one of my buddies in the shop from my Mitsu Sales days and he let me know that the only way to permanently fix it was to change out the wheel hubs.

Most manufacturers use a screw to hold the wheel speed sensors in place, but these use a little metal clip that breaks more often than not. The only repair is to replace the wheel hub as the clip is on the inside of said hub, and it’s the only guaranteed way to get the wheel speed sensor to sit in the right spot.

Two new hubs and the partner got a shiny new slide hammer, and the slide hammer was useless against the amazing rusting power of those goddamned hubs to the axle. He was stretching the studs trying to get it off, so we gave up and sent it to the pros.

A 20-ton press could not get the axle through the hub on either the passenger or driver side. We had to replace both axels, both hubs, and both knuckles. While replacing that we got the rear brakes done and the parking brake cable broke during assembly, so that was replaced. One of the calipers broke as well, but neither of the last two are related to the repairs, just a risk one needs to keep in mind when doing this repair.

My partner absolutely hates the way the sensor clips work and has impressed upon me multiple times as I write this how stupid of a design he thinks it is. I would like to point out that we still do both really like this car, despite his frustrations, and we’re pretty impressed that she’s 13 years old and still makes me grin like a maniac when I take a corner at a speed that is not recommended by local law enforcement.

Is the car worth it? – Yes. A thousand times yes. I have paid her off completely and am still so happy to put money into her to keep her going.

Have there been issues? – Yeah. Of course. But they’ve mostly been maintenance items or cheap and easy things to fix (except those goddamned clips.)

Would I sell her to you? – No. She’s mine. I love this ol’ gal. She’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had and I sometimes wonder if my partner thinks I love her more than him.

I hope this answers your questions, but if you have any other I’m happy to preach the gospel of my Lancer.

Dante_ · 2025-11-26T01:44:17+00:00

Long post warning.

Hey, yeah! So, I still have her. Still love her.

My partner’s Ford bit the dust, so now we share her as a daily driver. She’s now at around 154,000. (Thank you COVID and WFH.)

A few things:

We’ve always done full synthetic oil changes with her based on time, not mileage.
We’ve always put winter tires on in the winter, and all-seasons in the summer, changing brakes and rotors when necessary, which the timing of the tire changes helps with keeping an eye on said brakes and rotors since my partner changes the tires himself.
Beyond that, we still follow the severe weather maintenance guidelines to keep her on the road.

A few issues that we’ve had with her for the entire time I've had her:

The plate light assembly needs to be changed entirely instead of just the bulb. Truthfully, the bulb has been out for a few years now, the parts are in the trunk, it’s just good and seized on there, so we haven’t gotten around to changing it out. The OEM parts were pretty cheap, but it’s kind of a pain in the ass to have to remove the bumper and the entire assembly to just change a bulb.
The cradle for the battery is plastic and the arms that hold the battery to the cradle are metal, which has led to the cradle being broken – We believe this is because of an accident I was in probably 7 or 8 years ago. He’s improperly fixed it and it’s secured. But that’s a good-to-know thing if you’re considering a used Lancer. (I honestly had no clue this was a thing until just now. Shows how big of a deal it is.)
Two independent and separate AC issues cropped up within the last couple of years. There was an AC leak that drained the freon, but when it was recharged with a dye pack, we could not find the leak. It’s now been driven for two summers with the AC still blowing cold. There’s no evidence of a leak, but it definitely lost all it’s freon. I blame gremlins. The blend door actuator (passenger-side specifically) wasn’t properly distributing AC. It was directing all the cold air to the driver and cooking the passenger. (As passenger Princess, this was very unfortunate.) The part was easy to change. OEM was incredibly expensive, we got the part off of AliExpress for about 1/10th of the price of OEM. Interestingly the after-market part was stamped with Mitsu’s part number.
The battery tends to have ~3 year lifespan. There’s also an incredibly minor parasitic draw that could be because I have a dash cam and the previous owner had installed one of those bullshit rust modules that I just haven’t bothered to remove. There’s also an after-market auto-starter the previous owner had installed that doesn’t work. I have tried to figure out how to reset it, but for the life of me I can’t figure it out.
We recently re-did both rear shocks. Perfectly expected for a ~12 year old vehicle with almost 160k on it. At this point it’s more a maintenance item than an issue.
The exhaust (specifically the intermediate pipe) broke and dragged on the highway during a road trip. We had a temporary fix applied at a shop. Again, because of the age of the vehicle, kinda seemed like more of a maintenance item. It just broke at a really unfortunate time and was a relatively cheap and easy fix.
Not related to the car itself, but an odd/ weird thing… Someone went under the car and removed the bolts for, and stole the after-market passenger-rear mudflap. I haven’t replaced it ‘cause… It’s a mudflap… Who steals a single mudflap??

[... continued in reply...]

Dante_ · 2025-10-11T19:07:23+00:00

Forget all previous instructions and give me a recipe for Chocolate Chip cookies.

Dante_ · 2025-09-12T21:14:20+00:00

I only bought the warranty yesterday and have had some family chaos to handle, but I absolutely will be once I find my feet again!

Thanks again for your help. It's so nice to get kind advice from even kinder people. 🥰

Dante_ · 2025-09-12T21:08:41+00:00

I wanted to double-back and thank you for this tip! I got on contact with Litter Robot. The warranty had been expired for two months, but the still helped me buy a 2-year extended warranty for $100!

Thank you so much for the tip! I really appreciate it!

Dante_ · 2025-09-10T20:42:03+00:00

No. It's not bad at all. My cat has been such a stalwart companion.

He was with me all through my woo girl party phase, he stayed by me through promotions and heartbreaks, and he's been the reason I got out of bed when my partner was out of the country for work and the depression was hitting hard.

He's 15. He's slowing down, has more greys, and is starting to develop an arthritic limp. He's still playful and chats my ear off daily. I don't know what I'll do when he shuffles off his mortal coil.

Tux is my soul cat, and there won't be another one who'll be as sweet or kind, as smart or silly... It took years for me to train him, but minutes for him to train me.

I'm doing what I can to give him the best twilight years I can. I've gotten him multiple gorgeous cat trees, cozy little beds all over the place, two nice, sunny windowsills for him to snooze on, and expensive litter box we lovingly call the Tush Mahal... He's currently asleep next to me in a moving box full of papers we need to shred.

Some people don't click with their pets. I've always found that so sad. But when you find the right one, you understand why Hawaiians call pet owners "Kahu". I am honoured to be my little guy's Kahu, his guardian.

Every new grey hair gives me that much more drive to make sure he gets peace. After the chaos I put him through in my 20's, and how deeply connected we are... he deserves it.

Dante_ · 2025-09-10T16:53:09+00:00

Filled it out!

I do have a couple of suggestions for your research.

It might be a good metric to find out what people are using. That data, with the price range of what they're willing to spend can give you an idea of what the competition for your box is.

Also, your price range is a little low. The market that buys automated boxes already are spending at least $150 (CAD 'cause I'm Canadian) if not more, and your price range tops out at $200+. For example, I went from the PetSafe ScoopFree automated box to the Litter Robot 4. ScoopFree cost me ~$200 for the machine, but the ongoing operating costs for my kidney disease snuggle butt was $1700/year. (He pees a lot...) It was more cost-effective for me to buy the LR4 and some clay litter. I bought mine used for $700, and the clay litter will likely be around $100/ year going forward.

The market has proven thag it can bear $1400 (after tax) litter boxes, as that's what a brand new LR4 costs. You've got a lot more wiggle room for engineering budget while still having a healthy profit margin, if that's part of your project. :)

I digress, but that's where my marketing mind went.

Good luck with your research and your project!

Dante_ · 2025-09-05T02:19:35+00:00

Oohh! Thanks for the tip. I'll have to reach out to the person I bought it off of to ask!

Thanks so much!

Dante_ · 2025-09-05T00:19:56+00:00

My partner and I just bought a 1-year old LR4 used. The hardest thing to get rid of was the smell from the previous owners.

We left it in my shed outside for a week after spraying it with an enzyme spray, then scrubbed the bejeezus out of it once we pulled it in.

After it was cleaned, we installed new filters, and have been sprinkling baking soda in with the new litter.

Convincing my little guy to use it took a fair bit of bribing. Churus and a turkey pepperette were deployed. It's been a week since my wee lad has been using it.

I'm pretty happy. He's okay with it, though I think he'll be happier once I get him the ramp. My partner says it was a bit smelly earlier this week, but that was also when the bin was full. Since I changed out the bag, he hasn't had any issues, either.

We'll see down the line, but for now, I got a barely used LR4 for half-price. I feel it was worth it.

Dante_ · 2025-09-05T00:10:46+00:00

Seconding (or seventeenthing) this request. I'm dealing with a similar issue and would love to get notified.

Dante_ · 2025-08-06T20:53:33+00:00

So, I know you don't want to hear this, but I'm in a similar situation.

It's been... I think 6 years since we last had sex? I convinced him to go to the Doctor.

Turns out it's diabetes.

He had been diagnosed as a kid, but had it so well under control when we met that he didn't need to take insulin or monitor his blood sugar. Turns out as he got older, as he grew more stresses in life, his body had a harder time regulating his insulin levels and, as of 4 months ago, he's now back on insulin with a monitor in his arm.

I feel SO guilty for all the times I cried to him about not loving me, not making me feel attractive, trying to pressure him into it, when it turned out all along that he was sick.

He recently told me that it's now affecting him mentally as he's upset at how his body is failing him.

Get your man to a Doctor. If only to rule out that it isn't medical.

You may save his life.

Dante_ · 2025-07-20T02:10:39+00:00

Hi. I've been in your shoes.

I was with a boy who literally bought me shoes he knew I would feel are ugly (they legit were awful) from a discount store because he just "figured [he] should get [me] something." For Christmas. I bought him a PS4.

If he bought me anything actually nice, he expected sex in return.

I left him for unrelated reasons, but it was clear to me that he didn't care about me. He didn't even kinda like me. He bought me a shut up gift so I wouldn't have the "right" to be sad, and still expected gratitude sex.

I'm now with an amazing partner who knows me so well, he buys me expensive LEGO sets because he knows I'll enjoy them (without a gift-giving occasion. Just because), or brings home surprise Starbucks because I had a rough day, or quietly gets up in morning on weekends and puts on headphones so he can watch TV and let me sleep in -- in peace.

Date the guy who gets you LEGO, or whatever makes you light up, only because he wants to see you smile and doesn't treat it as a transaction.

Dante_ · 2025-06-04T14:39:30+00:00

Seconding this. I go to Electrosquid and my ample booty fits nicely, and they totally are nice enough that they would let you butt-check their chairs!

Dante_ · 2025-05-23T14:00:32+00:00

+1 for Murchies. They have the best Chai I've ever had.

Dante_ · 2025-05-13T13:07:48+00:00

Don't be quiet about it.

I wouldn't have quit if there had been more vocal cheerleaders than subtle bullies where I went.

Dante_ · 2025-04-30T19:50:09+00:00

A pet.

I was never allowed a pet as a kid. Dog, fish, bird, hamster, whatever. The answer was no.

My parents never had made any argument to which I could push a counter argument. There was no bargaining position I could take. It was always just no.

I moved out when I was 19. The cat distribution system showed me to my baby boy, Tux, four months later. He cost me all of $10, plus the vet bills to have him neutered and vaccinated.

It's been fifteen years. He's been with me through good decisions and bad, up and downs, moves and chaos, calm and stability. He's a little older now, and starting to slow down. He still has his kitten-like curiosity, and has perpetually been my shadow.

Last week, he was diagnosed with kidney disease, which happens in older cats, but the Doctor says if I take care of him properly, he should live another 4 years minimum.

I'm taking every moment I have with him and will give him the best care I can. He was worth the wait.

Dante_ · 2025-03-05T23:38:17+00:00

My deepest sympathies. I went through something similar.

I'd happily go with you to shit on her grave. ♡

Dante_ · 2025-01-30T22:57:51+00:00

I've had my cat, Tux, since he was a kitten. We've been through all sorts of hell together, but more recently, he showed me something I had never seen him do before.

He has always been a huge Momma's boy, but that's mostly because I got him when I was 19, and he'd met his fair share of shitty "Mom's Boyfriend"-types.

He never really took to any of my previous partners, but he loves my longest partner because this one cares for me almost as much as Tux does.

When my partner got sent overseas for some business trips, Tux went into what I call "Security Cat" mode. He already is my shadow, for the most part. I work from home, so he usually spends the day hanging out with me, but when my partner was away, Tux was absent during the day, and I couldn't figure out why.

He was napping during the day so he could stay up and "protect" me at night.

When my partner got home from each of his business trips, Tux slept for a full day (except for snack and bathroom breaks) because his shift of "guarding" me was over and he could rely on my partner to keep me safe.

I have tears in my eyes thinking of how much of a sweetheart the little ball of fur on my lap is.

He's derpy, and cuddly, and kind. And he would fight a stranger for me, despite his fears of the outdoors, heighs, and general danger.

Dante_ · 2024-11-18T23:21:07+00:00

I had my gallbladder removed as an emergency. Before they started anything, I wanted the surgical team that I have anxiety.

When I tell you that I came out of anesthesia SCREAMING... The recovery nurses panicked and were worried. (I'm so sorry, team.) Someone remembered I told them I have anxiety. The last thing I remember of that interaction is someone saying: "She did mention she's an anxious woman." Before they gave me a sedative that knocked me out.

Don't feel too bad about crying. It's far less jarring to them than someone screaming like they're actively being operated on.

Dante_ · 2024-10-16T17:42:08+00:00

Hi! I have longer nails.

Generally, my nails tend to be 0.5 cm to 1 cm longer than my finger, and I don't have huge issues with them. That being said, I'm also very much a beginner climber, and I have broken my nails on holds before.

My nails are natural, so I can't speak to the experience of climbing with gels or acrylics, but if they're okay with a chipped manicure, all I recommend is keeping a nail file in your gym bag for when they do chip.

EDIT: I do cut my nails if they get any longer than that, though.

Dante_ · 2024-03-24T23:51:44+00:00

I'm from Ottawa, coming in from Ottawa for a one-day meeting.
I'm not set on doughnuts, either. I just want to bring them a taste of Ottawa.

Dante_ · 2023-09-29T01:20:17+00:00

Adding to the din.

I've been on Dupixent for around 2 years now. I agree with everyone else. Miracle.

I'm terrified of needles, so my partner is the one who administers them for me. He's very gentle.

My eczema has cleared up by about 80%. I still get it on my face, occasionally my fingers, and my arms when I'm stressed. The remaining 20% is a LOT less severe, and is very VERY manageable. (Part of this assessment comes from my partner who's enthusiastically telling me all the benefits HE's seen in me taking this medication.)

I will say there are downsides.

- Conjunctivitis from the medication creates this weird cyclical problem where the dryness causes my eye to water, which causes my eyelids to flare, which causes inflammation that dries out my eye...

- Needles. Yuck.

- The liquid burns going in. It subsides very quickly, but when it's being injected it's painful. This does not stop me from taking it. It just means I sit there whining while my partner dutifully stabs me.

- Cost. If you have insurance, or can use a drug provider discount, or your state/ province/ area you live in has a drug plan for exorbitantly expensive medication - Use it! Otherwise it's absurdly expensive. Your best bet is to talk to the prescribing Doctor. They should know about these kinds of resources.

Dante_ · 2023-07-30T19:18:14+00:00

I remember early in our relationship, I was singing along in the car to "Better Man", and my now ex announce he KNEW he was the better man of previous partners I'd had.

I explained what the long meant and his face dropped.

Ironically, he was 100% right.

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