1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS from North America - Comments

Windows rattle, battery had to be replace twice, water pump, sunroof shade broke at 36200 and they would not cover it.A/C went out at 50,000 and you have to replace brakes every 20,000 and turn the rotors. The car has been taken to the shop 4 time for leaking anti-freeze, and has still failed to fix it. Other than that it has been a great car.

Needs a little work on acceration, but hey I could have bought the turbo.It's one of the best handling cars I have ever own. I love the looks that I get in this car. I am not sure if they are looking at me or the car, pretty sure it's the car. I don't think I would buy another one due to all the repairs.

I just got be used 98 Eclipse Spyder this past June. So far, I haven't had any problems, other than leaking when I open the door when its raining. That's not a big deal to me though. I am wondering if I should get new brakes.. I kind of get a shaking feeling when I slow down. Is this normal for eclipses or is it a sign that I need some new ones? I took my car when I first got it and the mechanic said I had about 60% left on my brakes. That just worries me that you said you had to have new ones every 20k miles!! email me please!

Asearchingsoul1@hotmail.com.

My 98'spyder eclipse has 65k miles and I haven'thad any real big problems with it except for water getting in when it rains. I added bigger rims and the brakes have held up. Everything else seems to be working fine.

I have a '99 Mitsubishi Eclipse with 83K miles on it. Granted much of my mileage are highway miles, however, I've only replaced the brakes once, and will probably have to replace them again soon. Hence, I've gotten 30-40K out of each set of brakes on average. What are these drivers doing to the brakes to wear through them at 20K? Maybe they can't downshift like I can since I have a 5-speed standard transmission... Another repair I've done is replacing the front left (driver's side) axle for some reason. I do not have any issues with water entering the car when it rains like I've read in a couple of these reviews. I believe that problem would easily be solved by the dealer if you have them adjust the canter on the windows. This car is the best handling car I've ever owned or driven with the exception of a '01 BMW 325i.. but that's to be expected. My Eclipse is still a sweet ride, even now that it's 4 years old.. plus it beats the heck out of the styling of the newer Eclipse's. ;)

I got my 98' spyder in summer of 2000. At first the rain leaked a little from the front corners of the convertible top. that didn't bother me too much. every year the rain gets much worse. it is now may of 2003, and when it rains the water almost runs in a stream. I have taken different steps to fix the problem, I got new weather strips on both sides, $180. and was told that would fix it. and I have had window adjustments 2 times to press the seal closer to the strips so water couldn't get through. that helped, but has not solved the problem. When I asked the dealer to fix the problem he said 1 in every 5 will just leak, there is no way around it. I guess I will have to get a whole new top. I wanted to avoid it. other than the rain problem, I love the car.

I have a 98 Eclipse Spyder with 74k on it. For the past year I have had major problems with leaking. Every time it rains the water soaks both the passenger seat and the drivers seat. I brought it to one dealership and they did some adjustments and replaced some weather stripping. This did not fix the problem. I brought it back because now I was having problems putting the top down. Some brackets were bent causing it to not go down all the way. They refer me to some specialist who is not a Mitsubishi dealer because they cannot fix the problem. They tell me they can't do anything more for me. So, I bring it to this guy and he tells me right off the bat that he probably can't fix it. He's seen this problem in many of these cars. Says that something gets out of alignment and it doesn't seal properly. So, again. No luck. I then call Mitsubishi and explain my problem and all they can do is refer me to a dealership. (and they were rude) I tell them I've already been to the dealership and they weren't able to help. So, they say go to another one. Is this crazy? Shouldn't they ALL be trained Mitsubishi Certified Technicians and all be able to fix this problem? I guess not. So, a few weeks pass and I decide to take it to another dealership because I am sick to death of driving around a wet car. They tell me I need some brackets replaced and a strap kit and if this doesn't fix the problem I'll need to replace the entire canvas top for about $2200. I've already spent $1273 and it's still leaking. Well, I just had the brackets and strap kit installed yesterday and it's STILL leaking. I am at my wits end. HELP!!! Has anyone had any luck with the leaking stopped after replacing the canvas top??

I am the original owner of a Red with Black Convertible 1997 Eclipse GS Spyder. As of 7-2004, the car has $170,000.00 miles. I have had to make many repairs such as: Rotors at 30,000 miles. Timing Belt at 60,000 miles. Throttle body at 100,000 miles. New automatic transmission at 150,000 miles. The center post of the convertible roof broke at 110,000 miles. Stereo amplifer under passenger seat burned out at 90,000 miles. Interior knobs and handles have broken off.

The brackets are a common failure on the convertible tops. Basically, the straps that retract them lose their elasticity and when you lower the top, they fail to pull back one of the ribs that supports the roof from driver to passenger side. Since the rib doesn't get pulled back, the roof gets jammed up and the brackets that hold this rib get bent. You can bend them back yourself a number of times (its not rocket science and is obvious) until finally they fatigue and break.

I'm embarrassed to say I am an expert on this now.

One solution is to stop about half way when opening the roof and reach up and back and push the rib back, then continue opening the roof. The roof will now fold correctly and evenly. Works every time and prevents jam-up.

Other (temporary) solution is to get under the liner and loop the strap around the rib once to add more tension. This lasted me about 1 year, but the straps eventually stretched out again. Brackets and straps cost app $250/side. I tried welding a bracket once to repair it, but the weld failed.

Regarding leaking, can't say I recommend replacing the roof. We had ours replaced twice (someone cut into it to steal something). It now leaks much more than it ever did when it was "new". Maybe it depends on who changes the top, but no way to predict that. If you can, please let me know who to take it to.

I have a 1998 Spyder GS and have experienced problems with the brackets, straps, and leaking at the driver side and passenger side windows. The bending bracket problem is because the strap was not installed. A local trim shop, recommended by the Mitsubishi dealer, bent the brackets back into shape and installed straps. The top folds correctly now. As far as the leaks, replace the rubber moldings, but have all windows aligned making sure that the windows seat properly in the tracks. Additionally, the top may be bent or skewed to one side just enough to compromise the seals. A good trim shop specializing in convertible tops should be able to realign the top. This problem is generally a result of the bracket/strap issue and pulling or tugging on the top to get it to close properly. Getting wet when the door opens is just one of those convertible top quirks... happens on most inexpensive convertibles.

I own a 98 Eclipse Spyder and I got it in August of 99. It was the prettiest car I saw, but was the biggest mistake I ever made. I had so many problems with my top leaking, the brackets bending and breaking, a new transmission, a new torque converter, starter, fly wheel, timing belt and chain, and various other expensive repairs. The most recent and still haven't fixed is I was driving down the road one day and my top (was up) flew off and bent backwards and all the metal bars broke!!! Brand new top? $3170 The car probably isn't worth it now, and my insurance wouldn't pay for it because they said it was a mechanical problem!! I had full coverage and I wish I had gotten something else...

Moral of the story? DON'T BUY A N ECLIPSE!!!