Mitsubishi Pajero Problems

It's impossible to say that it will occur at increasing frequency, but the vehicle is now getting towards the end of its useful life when things are more likely to fail. I would consult a mechanic experienced in four-wheel drives and have them diagnose the problem for you.

You can't blame the dealer for not picking it up if the vehicle wasn't playing up when it went in for service. As for the goodwill payment, it does seem a small token only, but the car is six years old and has notched up a fair few kays, so I think you would pushing uphill in trying to get more money out of Mitsubishi.

I don't believe there is a way of detecting the problem before it actually happens, except maybe to remove the EGR valves and manifolds and clean them, and that's probably worth doing if you're concerned about it happening on your car. I do also think Mitsubishi should come to the party and cover at least part of the cost of repairs.

I would strongly argue the case that the failure is a safety related issue and shouldn't affect the warranty. Besides the company has already admitted to you that there is a problem, which it seems to me leaves them with nowhere to go.

No. The manufacturer determines the vehicle's towing capacity taking into consideration things like the design of the vehicle, its rear axle load, tyres and the effect the trailer will have on the vehicle's attitude and stability. You can measure the tow ball weight using bathroom scales, or putting the laden trailer across a weighbridge and getting the weight borne by the axle/axles. The tow ball weight will be the total weight minus the load on the axle/  axles. It's generally about 10 percent of the total weight of the loaded trailer.

You're right, a seal is meant to seal, not leak. My guess is that if is a weep and not a full blown leak the dealer will want to continue to "monitor" it, whatever they might mean by that. I would get on the front foot with them and demand that it be fixed, it is only likely to get worse and probably leave you with the bill to fix it after the warranty has expired. Get it fixed now and should be no further concern about it.

Timing chains do not need to be replaced regularly as timing belts do, so there is no requirement in the service schedule for such a replacement. But they do wear and can become slack over time, and when that happens they do need to be replaced. If you don't replace them in that situation you risk them breaking or jumping teeth on the drive gears and if either of those things happened you could do serious internal damage to the engine. I'd be inclined to follow your mechanic's advice.

That's correct, the 3.2-litre turbo-diesel engine has a timing chain, not a belt, so doesn't need to be replaced.

Clutches are a regular complaint item at Carsguide, but determining what is acceptable life for a clutch is difficult because it depends so much on use and that varies from owner to owner. I would regard 39,000 km as unacceptable in normal use, but to argue your case would be a long and frustrating thing to do and I would fit a heavy-duty aftermarket clutch, which should give you better service.