A shoulder to cry on!
Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 9:24 am
Good morning,
On this very beautiful Sunday morning, I need a shoulder to cry on.
This is a long and sad story but I will try and keep it short. In November 2011 I bought a 1998 Gen 2 Pajero, 3000 V6 SWB. (I always wanted one badly). Nice looking car with a rear diff-lock and OME suspension upgrade, FSH and documentation of work done. 198 000km for R75k. The car had a engine rebuild done on 160 000km because of an oil leak. As well as a new clutch fitted, etc, etc.
In January 2012 my roller coaster relationship with this car started. First it was the clutch and a very noisy bearing in the diff. On opening it all up it was found that the clutch was gone, non-existent, finished. R20k later having all the diff and gearbox bearings, some worn gears, the clutch and various seals replaced, I was back on the road.
One month later it was the tie rod ends, upper and lower as well as all the wheel bearings. Another R5k.
Back on the road again and a wonderful 4x4 trip later, the engine overheated so badly that it seized piston 4,5,6 and 1. This one is a mystery. No indication that it was heating up. The cooling system still had water in it, approx 60%..... the rest boiled out when it overheated. The oil level was normal, the oil pump, water pump, thermostat, all functional. It however had "blown" the top gasket. Anyway, R18k later and I got it back on Friday. Now here is the sad part....
I drove 80km on a very wet dirt road to get home. I had it in 4H, kept the speed low as it was extremely slippery. On arrival I parked the car in the garage and had a big smile on my face. Happy again.
On Saturday morning I wanted to go to visit a friend 500m away, the car still in 4H (we have no paved roads in Hondeklip Bay) it made the most horrific noise. It sounded like someone has put 10 bricks in an oil drum and was rolling it down Piekeniers Kloof Pass. The sound came from the transfer case. No 4H, 4HCDL, 4L .....nothing, only 2H. the car have now done 220 000km
Being 600km from Cape Town, you can now understand that this is not fun. My wife want to do things to me that I can not mention on this forum, ...... apparently all related to something that sounds like "money spend on this bloody car"
I had this car for 9 months, of which it was for 5 months in some or other workshop or while it waited for me to collect it.
The moral of the story...never trust the guy you buy it from, no matter the documentation and the overall "look" of the vehicle. This one had one small dent, no scratches, the leather seats were perfect etc. Some people just have the ability to take a car and pass it through the "place were the sun never shines" Not all of us look after vehicles the same way.
So on Monday it is back to Cape Town. All I need now is to find someone that can sort out all the things still non-functional on this car. I am really tired, but still don't have the guts to get rid of it. I enjoy it to much....when it works.
On this very beautiful Sunday morning, I need a shoulder to cry on.
This is a long and sad story but I will try and keep it short. In November 2011 I bought a 1998 Gen 2 Pajero, 3000 V6 SWB. (I always wanted one badly). Nice looking car with a rear diff-lock and OME suspension upgrade, FSH and documentation of work done. 198 000km for R75k. The car had a engine rebuild done on 160 000km because of an oil leak. As well as a new clutch fitted, etc, etc.
In January 2012 my roller coaster relationship with this car started. First it was the clutch and a very noisy bearing in the diff. On opening it all up it was found that the clutch was gone, non-existent, finished. R20k later having all the diff and gearbox bearings, some worn gears, the clutch and various seals replaced, I was back on the road.
One month later it was the tie rod ends, upper and lower as well as all the wheel bearings. Another R5k.
Back on the road again and a wonderful 4x4 trip later, the engine overheated so badly that it seized piston 4,5,6 and 1. This one is a mystery. No indication that it was heating up. The cooling system still had water in it, approx 60%..... the rest boiled out when it overheated. The oil level was normal, the oil pump, water pump, thermostat, all functional. It however had "blown" the top gasket. Anyway, R18k later and I got it back on Friday. Now here is the sad part....
I drove 80km on a very wet dirt road to get home. I had it in 4H, kept the speed low as it was extremely slippery. On arrival I parked the car in the garage and had a big smile on my face. Happy again.
On Saturday morning I wanted to go to visit a friend 500m away, the car still in 4H (we have no paved roads in Hondeklip Bay) it made the most horrific noise. It sounded like someone has put 10 bricks in an oil drum and was rolling it down Piekeniers Kloof Pass. The sound came from the transfer case. No 4H, 4HCDL, 4L .....nothing, only 2H. the car have now done 220 000km
Being 600km from Cape Town, you can now understand that this is not fun. My wife want to do things to me that I can not mention on this forum, ...... apparently all related to something that sounds like "money spend on this bloody car"
I had this car for 9 months, of which it was for 5 months in some or other workshop or while it waited for me to collect it.
The moral of the story...never trust the guy you buy it from, no matter the documentation and the overall "look" of the vehicle. This one had one small dent, no scratches, the leather seats were perfect etc. Some people just have the ability to take a car and pass it through the "place were the sun never shines" Not all of us look after vehicles the same way.
So on Monday it is back to Cape Town. All I need now is to find someone that can sort out all the things still non-functional on this car. I am really tired, but still don't have the guts to get rid of it. I enjoy it to much....when it works.