1999 Mitsubishi Pajero Exceed review from Australia and New Zealand
"It does the job I bought it for - towing"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The auto gearbox was replaced at 200,000kms, just before I bought it.
Some overheating occurs when towing uphills.
A slow water leak has just been traced to the water pump.
The vehicle just started to vibrate quite badly at idle.
The leather driver's seat is starting to wear.
General comments?
Receipts for work done at 200,000kms included a re-built auto gearbox and radiator. At 220,000 kms the TPS on the gearbox now requires adjustment due to slight flaring in lower gears.
Up hills, when towing a half-tonne boat, the temp gauge goes up to about 3/4 but comes down to 1/2 once you level off. Not sure if this is the "new" radiator not being up to the task, or if the temp sender is faulty as the engine doesn't seem to get overly hot. Radiator is always full of water even though I may lose water in the overflow bottle over a week (see next paragraph). I think this car needs a bigger header tank on the radiator, just not sure if one is available.
Re the water pump gasket leak. My mechanic said that the water pump replacement is a fairly big job. It is located behind a pile of shrouding and also may require the removal of the radiator. I just need to top-up the water level in the overflow bottle every week until I can get a mechanic to do the job - it's Xmas week 2007 after all!
Regarding the inlet manifold leak, you can hear the sucking wind noise under the bonnet, just cannot figure out the exact source of it. It may also be coming from a split vacuum hose located under the manifold? It has also lost a little power. Removal of the complete inlet manifold is a largish job on a V6, so this has to wait until mid-January 2008 when I can get a mechanic back from holidays. Car still goes reasonably well although down on power a fraction. I've been advised by my mechanic not to do long distances or tow anything until they can fully diagnose what went wrong with it. This caution is to prevent further damage.
Front leather seats should last another year before they need recovering.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1999 |
| Year of manufacture | 1999 |
| First year of ownership | 2006 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.5 petrol Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 4 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 205000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 220000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Ford Falcon |
| Date of Entry | 18th December, 2007 |