Mitsubishi Problems

YES it is. And I'm told all spark plugs in the 380 are platinum-tipped, not just the rear plugs, as was the case in the Magna.

THE KS Verada is generally a good car and if the one you are considering is in the condition you describe I wouldn't see a problem with it. The engine is smooth with good performance and driveability and the transmission is reliable. But at that mileage you should carefully road test it to make sure there aren't any glitches when it comes to shifting, up or down, at light and heavy throttle, and that the chassis is well balanced.

LOOK at the fuel system. It's usually the cause of the problem. It could be a number of things, from a faulty fuel pump to a faulty fuel pressure regulator and dirty injectors. The temperature in the engine bay builds up after you turn the engine off and can cause the fuel in the fuel lines to vaporise. When you come to restart the engine, there isn't enough fuel getting through to fire up. It's not until the temperature comes down again and enough fuel can get through for the engine to start. Take it to a Mitsubishi specialist and have them go through the fuel system for you.

IT SOUNDS like a fuel problem rather than an electrical one. Make sure the battery is still delivering full cranking power, then I would have the fuel-pressure regulator and fuel pump checked.

THE Civic is generally a reliable and well-built car that should be cheap to run. As far as your trade-in goes I would think you would be offered about $2500 for the Magna.

YOU are correct. The 380 is LPG-compatible and Mitsubishi dealers will have systems available for installation. Two types of LPG systems are used, a vapour mixer system, and gas injection. The injection system is state of the art and that's the one to have. I have driven a 380 fitted with the Impco system developed for Mitsubishi and it's a beauty. It starts, idles, drives and performs without fault.

WITH little registration and no roadworthy certificate, your Sigma is going to be difficult to sell. At best, if it is running well and is in reasonably good condition it would be worth about $500. If you sell it without a roadworthy certificate, on the understanding the buyer will arrange to make it roadworthy, you should sign the transfer papers and advise the authorities that you have disposed on the car, even giving them a copy of the paperwork. That way they can chase the buyer for the paperwork and you will be in the clear in the event the buyer gets a parking fine or speeding ticket. As for the wreckers, you will get only a couple of hundred dollars if they're interested in taking it off your hands.

LIKE all carmakers, Holden advises against converting their cars to LPG unless the engine has been modified by the factory. But there are plenty of LPG specialists who will convert your car to dual-fuel. Impco has an excellent dual-fuel system for the 5.7-litre V8 using Sequential Gas Injection.

MODERN engines are designed to be driven away from a cold start with no warming up, so doing that doesn't damage the engine. Your problem is probably the carburettor or the supply of warm air. Warm air is normally piped into the carburettor in the first few minutes of driving, and this is often dumped when the engine is worked on later in life. It could also be wear in the carburettor or simply an incorrect adjustment of the carburettor or choke. Have the carburettor settings checked, and check it for wear.

THERE is really only one way to do it so it doesn't happen again and that's to remove the headlining and have it re-installed. Any trimmer can do it. If you don't do it properly, it will only come adrift again.