i've made quite a ruckus lately with my recall adventure, and the long and short of it is: i got my control arms replaced even after they already closed the recall when they repacked the ball joints.

mitsu policy on the control arm recall was that if your car wasn't actually broken yet at the time of the recall service, they only repacked your ball joints at the control arm. if it was broken, you didn't just get replacements, you got redesigned replacements as mitsu knew the boot on the control arm/ball joint assembly was faulty and caused the system to fail.

when my ball joint went, it made a creaking noise from the slightest turn, just like you would expect an ungreased joint to sound. taking the wheel off eliminated the problem, but as soon as the wheel was back on, the noise would pop up intermittently.

i called for the recall info, and the dealer i dealt with built a nasty nest of lies and told me to basically screw off, and my first call to mitsu corporate was basically the same. they said everything they could to just try and scare me off. the first person i dealt with at mitsu corporate actually resorted to telling me i was arguing "based on my own uninformed opinion" when i used her own facts and reasoning against her! it was the most irrational, upsetting, offensive and plainly obvious blame diverting conversation i ever had in my life. but kudos to that person for pissing me off enough to get serious.

i did some asking around and had a friend give me the legal info i needed pertaining to my complaints about mitsu policy regarding the recall. armed with some legal research, i called mitsu again and got what i wanted: the lower lateral arm assembly replacement as per the recall. once the legalese was injected into the conversation the next person i was dealing with at the mitsu corporate line was extremely helpful. these people are trained to discern harmless angry loudmouths from potential lawsuits, and i have filled both roles while trying to get my car fixed; don't waste your time being loud.

the replacement solved my mechanical problems, tightened up the front end, and eliminated the aggravating notchiness in the steering. though the effect is subtle, it is very rewarding to have a better handling, safer, and more reliable front end.

if anyone runs into the bs problem i originally had with the dealer or the corporate help line, i am willing to help as much as i can on an individual basis, or you can bone up on products liability law on your own. technical knowledge and rational argument will get you nowhere with these people, you need to be aware of your legal rights and you need to let them know you have this awareness. pm me if you need help.

power to the people and stuff.