Mitsubishi Outlander 2010 Problems

The used Captiva does appear to be great value, but their shaky reputation for reliability would lead me to consider other options. The Territory would be a better bet, but they are known to have electrical and front suspension issues in the long-term.  If you're after an SUV, a seven-seat 2006-12 Mitsubishi Outlander is smart buying at the moment, but if you're just after the seven seats, I highly recommend taking a look at a 2008-13 Kia Rondo. These represent excellent value at the moment. Hope that helps, and keep us posted with your progress.

Without listening to the engine and hearing the noise I couldn't speculate on what it might be, but any mechanic worth his sale should be able to give you an accurate guide as to where the noise is coming from and what might be causing it. What you appear to have been told by your dealer sounds like complete rubbish to me, a "noisy charcoal canister", really. Take it back to the dealer and demand their proper attention to the problem.

If it still isn't fixed, and you feel the dealer can't or won't fix it, then take it to VCAT as you have been advised. It's best if you can sort it out with the dealer, but there are no short cuts if that doesn't work out.

It sounds like it is going into limp-home mode for some reason, and by turning the engine off and re-starting you are resetting the computer so it drives normally again. It is probably a sensor playing up, but because it only happens intermittently it's hard to trace. I would sit down with the dealer and explain the conditions when it happens and give them as much information as possible to trace the cause of the problem.