Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2016 Problems

Cracked cylinder heads and blown head gaskets are not completely unknown on this engine, but exactly how big a problem it is is the real question. There’s one theory that the cylinder heads crack when mechanics over-tighten the fuel-injector hardware or try to remove stuck injectors with too much force.

The good news is that replacement cylinder heads are readily available and can be had in bare form or in fully built-up form including all valves and springs.

This type of problem can have any number of causes. The best option is to have the car scanned electronically to see what fault codes have been logged by the on-board computer.

You could be looking at a fuel issue, something purely mechanical (like the idle-speed set too low) a blocked air-filter, a computer issue or any number of sensors that are not playing ball. But until you interpret the fault codes, you’ll be flying blind and potentially replacing things that aren’t the cause of the stalling problem.

I’d certainly be taking the vehicle back to the workshop that serviced it and pointing out that the problem only occurred after they'd 'fixed' it.

By and large, a car should perform the same day in, day out without any huge (or even noticeable) changes in its performance. So I’d say, yes, something is wrong with your car. As for the cause, well, it could be anything from poor fuel to a faulty battery to a park-brake that is sticking on. It’s impossible to diagnose problems like this one remotely, so have it checked out at a workshop. Continuing to drive it with a fault is asking for more damage to be done.

You haven't given us the weight of the caravan you want to tow, which goes a long way to determining the best car for you. We'll err on the side of caution and go for cars with a towing capacity of at least 2500 kg that fall within your budget. It's always best to go for the latest model you can afford, which means around 2103 in your case. I'm guessing you're over the Pathfinder given your experience with the holed piston in your current car, but the Nissan is an option for you. So too are the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Mitsubishi Pajero, although the Pajero's rear suspension is prone to sagging when heavily loaded and I would rule that out on that basis. If you can stretch your budget a little you could consider the Landrover Discovery 4, which does everything you want well, but is the most expensive of this bunch. For me the pick of the bunch for me is the Toyota Prado, for performance, economy, and reliability. The only issue for you could be that the Prado's towing rating is 2500 kg, the lowest of the cars we mention here.

A Mitsubishi spokesman told us "the Pajero Sport has an audio system called Smartphone Link Display Audio (SDA) for both Android Auto (TM*1) and Apple CarPlay (TM*2). SDA allows users of either Android smartphones or iPhones to connect to the seven-inch built-in touch screen using a USB cable." From that the answer to your question would seem to be 'no'.

They all have child seat anchorages in the second row, but you're right that the Everest has anchorages in the second and third rows. The Everest would be the one to go for; it's got the most up-to-date cabin and would be best suited to your needs.

Under consumer law, provided the servicing is done "by the book" with the correct standard of parts, all car companies must honour the warranty as if the car was serviced inside their dealer network. Some dealers might be a bit reluctant to help if you have not been loyal on servicing with them, but the bottom line is clear.