Mitsubishi Pajero Problems

You need a proper four-wheel drive and, with that budget, I'd suggest a Mitsubishi Pajero.

The importer of Cooper tyres from the US, Terry Smith, was disappointed to hear of your problem and is sending an expert to find a solution.

It has a timing chain, which doesn't need to be replaced as a toothed belt does, but it's worth checking the timing chain guides as they wear and if the wear is allowed to become excessive they can fail and possibly jam the chain, which could cause significant and expensive damage to the engine. Around 90,000 km seems to be the danger period where failures can occur.

I would return the disc back and demand my money back because it is not fit for purpose. If enough people did that I believe they would eventually get the message.

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.