Adam's i-Miev Jelly Bean experience

[adam]

Adam here. I got this 2012 I-Miev SE in 2015. I live in Quebec, Canada.

I still have the car and it's still running, although replacing parts on this Mitsubishi is very expensive, so I did most repairs myself when possible.

First problem appeared in 2016. The rubber brackets that hold the AC compressor in place failed and the vibration noise against the car frame was unbearable.
I replaced the four small rubber spacer by a larger piece of rubber ( with zip ties ) and never had issues with it anymore.

Second problem appeared in 2017. One cell died in the battery pack. Fortunately, the battery was still under warranty and got replaced at no charge from Mitsubishi.
It's a good thing as the battery pack alone was evaluated at 17K$ back then... ( more than the entire car's value )
Mitsubishi replaced the entire battery pack and not only the defective cell.

Third problem appeared in 2018. The car start beeping loudly and the brake stopped working...
The brake vacuum pump was quoted 1000$ at Mitsubishi dealer ( not including the labor ) and was not under warranty at that time.
I bought one from GM at 150$ and made an adapter. This one is still working flawlessly after 5 years and draw way less current.

Fourth problem appeared in 2022. The car stopped charging...
The two snubber capacitor on the lower board from the On Board Charger died.
I was able to open and replaced both. This was a long process though.

Fifth problem appeared also in 2022. The AC died ( probably some moisture in the AC box and the car didn't want to move at all after that... )
Reaching the AC unit is a nightmare with all the rust under the car and I had to give up.
I disconnected the AC high voltage cable under the car, capped it and flushed the U1116 / B1106 error seen on the CAN bus.

Finally in 2023 the front left bearing started making a lot of noise. It felt like driving a loud ICE car again...
The quote from the garage was 800$ for the repair. I decided to do it myself, although I regret now... the snap ring holding the bearing in place was literally welded in place with all the rust in this area, it took me 12 hours to replace it...

I also had Mitsubishi replace the thermostatic fan's motor and the gear shift selector just before the AC died... I think it was around 600$ total.

One final note, the PTC heater's performance used to be disappointing at low temperatures, but now it is pretty much completely dead...

In 2015 our second car was a PT cruiser and money wise, I evaluated that the cost saving in gas alone more than entirely repaid the I-Miev purchased cost after 6 years.

I am still happy to have experienced the electric driving in this car, but I would not buy another Mitsubishi.

 

[Mars]

Thanks Adam for sharing your story with us, i live in Quebec La Prairie and do enjoy the Silver 2012 i-Miev and do enjoy the car and do most of the repair myself until now ( snubber cap , driver front brake seezed ).I did like the car so much or it’s operating cost that i did bought one for my 84 years old mother. We didn’t taught that we could enjoy an Électric car for that reasonable cost if your goal is in urban driving 40km around your house. I am planning some custom modifications ( radio , rear camera , heated right front seat ). I am glad to have found this I-Miev forum this makes for the abandonment from Mitsubishi .

 

[kiev]

Good job on the repairs Adam, and thanks for sharing your experience with the little jelly bean.

 

[JoeS]

Adam, thank you for your writeup and I echo kiev's congrats. for the good job fixing the OBC.
You were lucky that you had a total cell failure and thus had a free main battery replacement with the newer-generation battery cells (LEV50N), which should last you much longer than the originals.
Regarding your vacuum pump, I was surprised that the failure was not covered by warranty as in the USA there was a recall of all the pumps very early on.
The A/C compressor rubber mounting bracket standoff failure was quite common in colder climates. Nice solution!
Your AC unit fix certainly worked and I guess you really don't need aircon in your neck of the world. Sorry the heater doesn't work well and this may be related to the AC as the heater defrost setting kicks in the AC to dehumidify the air.
I'm shocked at the price quoted by a shop for replacement of the wheel bearing. With their experience and equipment they should have been able to replace it well under the time it took you. I'd have tried getting a quote from another shop, but good on ya' (as the Aussies would say) for doing it yourself and persevering through the ordeal.
Presumably you've replaced the 12v battery by now; if not, now might be a good time to do that...
Wish you many more happy and hopefully more-trouble-free miles with your i-MiEV!

 

[adam]

Sorry the heater doesn't work well and this may be related to the AC as the heater defrost setting kicks in the AC to dehumidify the air.

I gave it a quick try today ( - 7 deg C outside ), with max setting, recycling air and position set to "defrost", it took 10 minutes to raise the cabin temperature by 11 deg C. Next time I will plug the CaniOn app to see how much current the heater pull on the battery.

It still work, but it used to be much better.

The 12V battery got replaced 2 times so far.

Thanks for the advice's and the kind words!

PS. It seems I can't edit the first post anymore. I forgot to add the mileage : 57 000 miles ( 91 000 km )

 

[israndy]

Boy I wish the CaniOn app was available for iPhones. But perhaps NOT knowing is a good thing as we have NEVER had an issue with our 2012 iMiev that we have had since 2015 (couldn't help but buy a $10k EV as Teslas were $100k at the time). Have only put enough miles on it to burn thru the first set of tires last year, but it's great to have a vehicle to go shopping with that fits in the smaller spaces at the mall.