so here you are about to read this horrible story of an Ev0, and  I need everyone’s help.
******* this is long painful..not kidding it is long and may be       very confusing please for the love of god read through
              the whole thing I could use people’s help.. it
             requires a lot of information to be presented
                                  so good luck.

It start back when I bought it, dec 2005, (used) I bought a Lancer Evolution VIII MR edition.

The prior owner broke it pretty good and treated it nicely.  He was at HIN in MN a few days ago, (ralliart) I thought it was one of the greater cars for the winter very fun to drive. Like most people I have 2 sets of rims and tires.

March or April 2006 I put my summer set of rims and tires on and began to appreciate the better points of this car, with the help of Advon tires.  May or June came, and I replaced all four brake pads.  In June my clutch started to slip, and I babied this car till I could find a aftermarket clutch kit.

But, in July it was impounded.....

guess what happened,

The tow company thought it was a REGULAR LANCER instead of an Evolution, or a Evolution 8 MR at that matter. (why you ask? simply that the decals were missing on the car making it not recognizable as a Evolution.... yea I know the punch line to this joke is that the decals are still there, in fact there still stock and don't appear to have been removed and then put back on.)

So naturally when they towed it like a FWD lancer the transfer case was destroyed.  Well, let’s be honest here, before he got to his destination (traveling from 494 and lake rd (woodbury), to 694 and high 5 (oakdale)) there was smoke coming underneath the engine compartment..... *GASP*  Not sure what he did first, call the OD Fire Department or get the car off the lift and set all 4 wheels on the ground.


Either way when the fire department arrived on scene he noticed the all 4 tires were on the ground.   (this is all in a letter the fire chief sent me) after the car was deemed safe to transport the tow truck driver decided he should tow with the rear wheels still on the ground.  He began to tow it with the rear wheels on the ground for a short distance (5 feet or so), which the chief noticed that the rear wheels were not moving but rather dragging.  so after this short distance the tow truck driver stopped got out and then said ohh I know what the problem is

he began to put the awd dollies in placed (which I was charged for) then proceed to the impound lot maybe 2 miles away.

so that’s the setup...

keep reading this were it starts to get confusing

when I picked it up 2 days later, I asked them if they used a flat bed, he said no, that they used the awd dollies system which he pointed to on the bill sheet.  so with a sigh of relief  I paid him, then when he got my receipt he proceed to tell me that the fire department was called to my car, (funny key information exchanged AFTER I paid.. funny)

so I asked what happened and the guy at desk said he didn't know.

So I grabbed my car and drove it to Kline Mitsubishi, maybe a mile or so away...yea I wish they would of towed it there instead I think I might have made things worse.  Well the initial damage report was that yes the transfer case was done... So thank god ESURANCE is a good insurance company which they said they would pay for the repairs, well just the transfer case. So 6 weeks later I get my car back, and the first thing they say is your going to need a new clutch kit.  I figured the clutch was still slipping from before and took the car and drove to work.  well needless to say the CLUTCH KIT was F'ed and very soon it was back into Mitsubishi for a whole new stock clutch kit.

After that I got it back and noticed right away that the ride was a little uneven.  So I kept it for a few days to see if I can't figure it out.  Well before I could do that the car kept shutting completely off after I turned off the car, i.e the battery was not giving any power to the car... well I jumped it and then drove it to KLINE...   we then noticed that the battery connecter was busted at the bottom, they said if I popped the hood and messed with it, I could get it to power the car and what not...  It took them a week to get the part in and no rental car so every day I had to get up, pop my hood, and mess with the connecter till the car started....

After I got the new connecter I drove it maybe a couple of weeks before I noticed that the ride was really unbalanced.  Not to mention my radio wasn't working right, the cd player (stock) won't play any cd, it either errors, or skips ever 2 secs( what caused that to become like that)..  But more importantly it vibrated when I drove 55mph+ and as well as braking 65 - 40 mph. as well as the steering column vibrated (always to the right first) when I took a curve at highway speeds.  So I bring it back to Mitsu, and we realize that the shaking, vibration and the unbalance ride of the car is due to the tires.  The rear tires were so bald, that there were metal threads sticking out of the rubber.  So since I have no money due to the repairs plus lawyer fees, I put my winter set on my car and left it at that...

For 3 weeks after that I still noticed these vibrations in the car but more importantly I notice it vibrating while taking a curve on the highway was getting worse and worse....
so I take it in and they balanced my tires and noticed that TWO of my rims were very noticeably bent(never told me which ones) but, my winter tires and rims were only one season old.  So I put my magnesium summer rims back on the car with winter tires.  Again I noticed that there was a vibration there, a little less but noticeable.  So I take it in and now the most noticeable vibration is when I brake...so when Mitsubishi tested it they felt nothing...(reminder 65 - 40 mph braking) they never took it past 35 miles.. after they told me that I insisted that there truly was something wrong, they said it might be my pads. well oddly enough I just had all 4 replaced maybe end of may early June 2006..so no try again...

They said that it could be my rotors and that he could machine them for me...thankfully they did it for free.  I get the car back and still notice the problem...not as bad as before but still noticeable.  So I take it in again and they machine the rotors one more time.  Now there at there bare min. requirements.

I would say I averaged one trip to Mitsubishi every 3 to 4 weeks.  Then winter hits and wow does this car sucks.  It feels totally rear biased.  Above 40mph on a slightly slick service this evo's rear kicks out, not joking this car blows.  Nothing like the first winter I had this car.  

Feb. hits and so do I.  I was taking a right turn exiting off the highway and turning on Robert trail, around 20mph 2nd gear tarmac and winter ACD selection (5am), as I moved into the left lane and starting pressing on the gas...the rear end slid out left, then I tried to compensate and it quickly caught traction and spun me out.  So I spun out going under 25mph up and over the curb and the center slab of concrete.  drove it to work..maybe a 3rd of a mile at 10 mph and called AAA...


This repair was monstrous...6 or 7K I believe (bent 3 magnesium rims and broke 1, which had to be shipped from JAPAN 1K a piece for shipping and painting) I swear the whole rear of the car had to be replaced.  After the repair of the rear and before the new mag rims, I still noticed a vibration there.  This led us to the see that three bent rims were the problem. now they say that the vibration in the brakes is due to the rotors being warped.  Yet I’m told that these Brembo brakes are pretty good.  A thing about insurance is they won't pay for brake inspection cuz there considered wear and tear items.  Yet while discovering why its shaking in the brakes we found that the rims were bent, and the problem still exists. Which leads me to believe that this problem from after the tow wasn’t fixed yet.

I don't drive much but seriously go hire a lawyer and fight for 15 months at around 200 a hour... pay a car payment and try to get your car in for repairs...its tough seriously around 1600 a month tough...I’ve had a few of my mechanic buddies look at my car and say yea the rotors are probably warped...but its more like the steering column is fighting with the brakes.. that’s the best way to describe it...

also my new summer tires are starting to wear funny on the front, hopefully I can get pics to show this, maybe some vids to.

OKAY THATS THE SITUATION

NOW FOR THE CAUSE


I want to sue for my cars worth....Mitsubishi corporation told me that in 2005 only a 1000 Evo 8 MR’s were produced in the USA, and 13 in the state of MN.  At around 45K miles it was towed wrong resulting in a transfercase and a clutch to be repaired and also a battery connecter.  I can't prove that the 2nd accident is because of the tow company. I swear to god that it is but thus cant prove it..so those damages can not be included in the lawsuit.

WHAT I NEED FROM EVERYONE AND ANYONE

I don't believe this car is worth more then a pet rock... now.... but my question to everyone is this

#1     If you were looking into buying a evo 8 mr with 45k miles, and I told you about the tow incident and the repairs that were immediately done to the car, would you purchase this car from me at the blue book value?

#1b  What reason would you purchase this car for? (ie would you purchase this car with these damages so you can have a daily driver. would you buy it, garage it and customize it with aftermarket parts, ect.)

#2     If the transfer case was truly the only thing that was wrong with the car, why would I have had to replace the whole clutch kit as well?

#2b   Most important is, how did the clutch kit get to that condition where I HAD to replace not just the clutch, but the whole clutch kit. Do you think he put it into gear and towed it? could the heat caused by the transfer case play any role in this situation

#3     If in fact the transfer case was the only damages that resulted because of this tow, why would the rear tires appear dragging when he towed it like a FWD the second time, after the fire department came out.  Shouldn’t the rear wheels brake free and spin?

#4     What’s wrong with my car? Why the vibration?  This is a tough one I know.. no one can seem to figure this out...but please give me some suggestions as to why or what would cause the brakes to feels as if they are fighting with the steering column?


If you have made it to here I greatly appreciate you spending the time to read this.  I really need help, the tow company is doing some weird stuff with this case and they aren't really taking blame for the towing.  But more so saying they did it wrong because of something I did, the decal thing.  So please everyone and anyone answer those questions. I am going to court in Dec.  please help in proving a limited cars worth.
***

if you want the complete list of repairs let me know and I will create the list.  

Your almost SOL. After reading this I wouldn't give you much, and it would basically be a parts car.
sue the tow company and then part the car out.  

How would towing it incorrectly damage the wheels and brakes? Do the back wheels lock for some reason other than the parking brake when you park it, because anyone who knows about cars, especially someone who tows them, should know to deactivate it. They should also have checked for a rear differential just in case, even if it wasn't explicitly noted that it was an Evo. My brother worked for a tow company because he wasn't college material, and anyone at his towyard would get fired and charged for the damage if they did that. Plus, a front wheel drive Lancer shouldn't have a wing and the aggressive Evo bodywork. The differential might lock when the engine is turned off, but then how would you push it when it's broken down? Bottom line, either the car is poorly designed, or there must be something that the towing company isn't telling you, because towing an AWD car just a few miles shouldn't muff up your driveline so much. But you probably knew that already.  

towing an AWD car PERIOD will destroy it.  all four wheels are connected...

sorry to hear about your loss, sucks man, the only thing i would have done was go after the tow company right away!

a little late, but you need something like this in the future -

 

well it wasn't a couple of miles...it was for maybe 15 or so...and the transfer case started smoking. the wheels should have broke free but, when the firedepartment arrived and cleared the scene, he noticed the rear wheels were not moving while the tow truck driver tow the car the 2nd time with the rear wheels on the ground.

i wish it was a couple of miles, but yea the tow driver should of done alot of stuff to figure it out.  

that sucks, I'm sorry for your loss.  uny updates?  

yea im *** broke and the tow companyies really starten to *** me off... as for the paper weight i got sitting in the drive way, well i took it in for the vibrations and they say my brand new tires are bad..say that the metal is shifting causeing the tire to become un balanced.. WTF so now thats 10 tires 6 rims a T case, clutch, and whole rear end..

come on somebody with mech skills please give me a better reason why my car vibrates..ohh and my rotors are warped on the back side not the front... how does that happen..  

how strong is the vibration and when does it occur?  if your wheels are out of balance, the car will vibrate more with higher speeds all the time.  if it only happens when braking, i think you know whats causing that.  towing an AWD car improperly even for a very small distance will severely effect the transfer case and center diff.  the brakes and wheel weights should not have been effected by the tow.  

I know this is late, but I just read your post. If the center differential got hot enough, it can weld itself together or to the case itself and prevent the rear wheels from being able to turn. I've seen it happen before. Did they check for any driveshaft imbalance at the dealer, or a broken or bent driveshaft u-joint?  

k I'll try this in the way you asked it.

#1 - I have a 2005 Evo 8 MR with about 25k on it now.  I paid 21k for mine.  For yours i'd think maybe 10k with the damage, perhaps more if other parts seemed to be in good condition. you also have what seem like good rims.  If you have the stock ones i'd put them on instead and keep the nice ones for your next car.

#1b - If the car is driveable i'd probibly buy it for a daily driver.  But i'm a family man and i need dependability so i'd need to dump money into it for a restoration.   Of course with all these problems you're having i think i might look somewhere else.  I believe a track driver would be interested in your car for parts or just to race?

#2 - Well i definitly dont believe that it was JUST the transfer case.  Clearly your car is having other issues.  The clutch on evo's in notoriously the worst thing about them.  at 25k i had to replace mine and i went with the ACT clutch kit because it was recommended by this magazine.  The stock clutch is noted for generating heat.  If you were incorrectly towed i'd not put it past the clutch and transfer case to smoke and possibly destroy themselves.  If you were in 1st gear and your car was towed past 40 mph you'd see serious serious damage.

#2b - Most of this i explained above but usually when you replace a clutch you replace the clutch plate, and the clutch spring.  You can also replace the flywheel but you can also just have it turned like a rotor on your brakes because essentially thats what a flywheel is.  the spring and the plate are sometimes called a "clutch kit"

#3 - well i dont believe it was just the transfer case.  If you ever try to push your car with a gear engaged you'll notice you can't do it.  I can't even really do it on my motorcycle and its only a 600cc.  thats what a clutch is for.  By towing it like that the operator engaged the rear tires the drive shaft the tranny the clutch the flywheel and the possibly the crankshaft.  if your clutch was already slipping this basically ended your clutch because all it was doing was trying to dry run your car.  your transmission could also have issues and i know your broke but you might want to check that out as it MIGHT be a cause of the vibrations you were talking about earlier.

#4 - The damage to your car is massive.  A simple breakdown of the path of power to the rear wheels goes like this.

Engine - Crankshaft - Flywheel - Clutch - Transmission - Active Center Diff - Driveshaft - Rear Diff - Wheels

The flywheel is the only friction restriction.  Meaning that everything else is REQUIRED to turn before you have any slippage.  Essentially this means that anything after the flywheel could be bent, stressed, unbalanced, or warped.  And all of them could cause a vibration at highway speed.   I'd also have your alignment checked and get someone into your tranni.  If you do all this and still can't find the problem.  Take it somewhere and trade it in to a dealer or part it out.  

I'm truely sorry about your car.  I love my 2005 Evo 8 MR, and it sucks to see a fellow owner going through so much turmoil.  SUE SUE SUE that tow company for all you can.