Critical Mitsubishi Replacement Parts to Keep Your Ride Safe
Your Mitsubishi is loaded with safety features. Basics like Active Stability and Traction Control (ASC) for better control over the ride quality you love. Smart driver-assist features like Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM) and Rear Automatic Emergency Braking to help prevent accidents. Just about all the latest bells and whistles you can think of.
But for all the tech that goes in to helping avoid accidents, plenty of parts factor into keeping the effects of impacts to a minimum, too. Our advice: keep up with regular service, so they all stay in top shape, and upgrade where needed to make your Mitsubishi as safe as it can get.
Here's a few key places to start.
Bumpers
These are some of the first lines of defense in an accident, absorbing some of the impact, front and rear. They get damaged, cracked, or broken, or if use and age have worn them out, or even if they've just come loose, or worse, fallen off, it can make your vehicle both illegal and unsafe to drive.
Luckily, bumper replacement's straightforward, not to mention a little easier on your wallet than a lot of other repairs. Sometimes, it only runs a few hundred dollars. End up having the job done at a Mitsubishi service center, though, and it could cost $2,000 or more. Cost may even vary depending on the model you drive.
Our suggestion: get tougher, sooner -- upgrade from an ABS bumper to polypropylene. On, say, a truck like Mitsubishi Mighty Max, one with a protective aluminum or steel reinforcement bar, plus a longer overhang. It'll go a long way toward protecting what matters most.
Fenders
These are another safeguard for your vehicle's body during a collision. As quarter panels extending between your car doors and the bumpers, fenders help cover the wheels themselves and shield them (plus, to some degree, the undercarriage) from kicked-up road debris. They get cracked, dented, or worse, rusted out, though, and you can end up paying anywhere from a few hundred dollars per fender to several thousand to get them replaced.
That's just to start with, too; usually, everything behind them takes the brunt of the damage -- meaning, even higher repair costs. We recommend offsetting that as much as possible: going from basic plastic, aluminum, or rubber to a more durable fiberglass or alloy. As protection for, say, a Mitsubishi Outlander that frequently heads off-road, it's critical.
Brakes
Your brakes go bad, and you're sure to get into an accident. Thing is, brake warning lights on the dash, shuddering, brake pressure and pedal problems, grinding when you try to brake, pulling sideways -- none of these signs tell you exactly whether it's the brake calipers, brake pads, or brake rotors that need replacing, and that's unnerving.
Fortunately, there are better ways to tell what needs to be changed. Find buildup around the brake caliper seals, or corrosion, or hear squealing noises, or see brake fluid leaks, and it's probably the calipers. Feel vibrating when braking, notice that it's harder to slow down, or start taking longer to stop, and it's probably the pads. Brake rotor warp or damage, though: it's the rotors.
On average, calipers can run $800 plus, rotors can run $350 plus, and pads can run $300 plus. However, cost can also depend on the model you drive. We suggest heading off brake failure by updating from everyday organic pads and blank & smooth rotors to metallic/semi-metallic pads and drilled, slotted, or drilled & slotted rotors. They're especially important for sports cars like Mitsubishi Lander or Lancer Evolution.
Lighting
The right lighting can mean the difference between seeing what's around you, on the road and off, and a fender-bender. A lot of lights factor into that, too -- headlights, taillights, and daytime running lights (DRLs), obviously, but signal lights ("blinkers") and brake lights, too. Your start to dim or flicker in low light, or worse, the bulbs go out in the dark, and the results can and likely will be catastrophic.
Stay ahead of that by replacing bulbs according to the maintenance schedule in your owner's manual. Halogen, for instance, you replace every couple of years, while LED lights get changed if their electronics fail. An HID/Xenon bulb, however, you replace every few years. The job can run tens to hundreds and even thousands of dollars, depending on your model and what it's got.
We advocate customizing for best results: go from older, less reliable halogen to Xenon/HID or high-efficiency LED, and add fog lights for bad weather while you're at it. On a model like Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, made for getting through the thick of it, it's all-important. You can even add an extra layer of safety for getting in and out of the SUV: puddle lights, for illuminating the areas under the doors.
Roadside Emergency Kits
Your Mitsubishi breaks down, a mobile phone's usually all you need to get help. Whether that help's from a Mitsubishi Roadside Assistance Plan or AAA, it can take time to get to you. Keep an emergency kit in the trunk to be safe.
Some -- first-aid kits, tire-repair kits, general safety kits -- come ready-made, and may have much of what you need, but not always everything you want; so, making your own kit's advisable. Base your packing decisions on your vehicle's age, its condition, the kinds of driving you do, and your weather and climate, and be sure to include everything from basics like food, water, first aid, and a blanket, to motor oil, antifreeze, and windshield washer fluid, a flashlight with extra batteries, a triangle reflector, tire sealant, a tire pressure gauge, a tire inflator, jumper cables, and flares.
There's plenty more you could add -- a tool kit, for instance, plus a multi-tool, even a pocketknife. A kit put together by Mitsubishi, however, should have a lot of what you need to start with.
Shop OEM Safety & Security Parts at Mitsubishi Motors North America
There's a lot more in the way of updates that you can do, too. Stock up, and take care of anything outstanding on the maintenance checklist, and you and your ride can get back on the road in safety.
We carry everything you need, too -- all genuine Mitsubishi, top quality, guaranteed to fit, and covered by warranty in most cases Not sure how to go about an install? A Mitsubishi dealer can help out -- get in touch with one, anytime.
Order now; we'll ship fast, anywhere in the US, right to your door. Contact us if you have any questions.