Picked Up Grand Daddy: Mitsubishi Montero (Pajero MK4) Drives In

[Iron Rock]

Hello Gentlemen - please welcome the grand daddy Montero to our forum.
Long story short - We sold the farm bolero recently as we had no use for it and wanted something else in lieu.
I was all over the place trying to find a replacement :-

Here is a list of vehicles(both new and old) i scoured :- Gurkha/ Gypsy/ Pajero SFX/ Fortuner/ Nexon/ Hexa/ XUV/ LC(lol)/ Scorpio

Frankly i was all over the place looking for a good replacement from new compact so called SUV to used car market, its a long story!
I even offered for buying a used XUV and Hexa - but as luck had it they got better offers and were sold.

I came across this Montero in Pune and while i was more keen on a SFX as a replacement (i saw several btw) - this one charmed me in the first meet. Spent an enormous amount of time researching and after spending a day underneath the car in the garage i made the move!
This grand daddy is now home - well over 10 years old if you can believe it - Dont ask me the price on the forum

What I liked :-

• Legendary 4m41 block - 3.2 litre Diesel Gen4 Pajero - MK4 as they call it.
• Proven 4x4 Super Select 2 paired with a 5 speed automatic (yes an AT!) - working supremely well - pretested offroad as part of purchase.
• Fully Loaded - Including an astonishing Rockford Fosgate 12 speaker set up
• Unique Monocoque and BOF integrated
• Lot of active and passive safety features including Airbags/ABS/EBD, Mitsubishi active traction control and all the electronics(that work).
• Heck front seat heaters to warm the buns(in Leh, not MH) !
• Err, front headlight washers !
• Absolute bulletproof build - if i thought PS was phenomenal - this one is quite simply over-engineered to the hilt! Probably twice over.
• Beautiful driving dynamics and ride quality - built for armageddon! All Independent suspension - both front and rear sporting a double wish bone set up!

What i fear:-

• Exorbitant part costs and service impediments/maintenance - well figured this out well since i already own the PS, have figured ways to manage.
• Old school engine and noisy - may be thats why the stonking rockford system!
• Old gearbox 5 speed - not as slick shifting as some modern ones but decent for the age!
• Its a guzzler compared to PS, but time will tell - lets see how much i manage out of it.
• Minor interior noises - which i need to sort out.

All in all I simply couldn't resist this - makes me an even more biased Mitsu fan - i am quite simply blown away by the engineering in this in terms of build quality and the extent to which mitsu went for each and every part.

Started off with a few things , will update the thread in a few days, the first thing was to restore the body glory and under-body coating - second was a full service including all fluid replacement and replacing any wear and tear items as needed.
Some pictures for starters (this is after the external restoration/polish) :- I am currently on a mission mode to have it back to full original glory (well atleast close!)

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[350Z]

Finally the much awaited ownership review is out. Congrats @Iron Rock. The Montero is an ideal addition to your garage. It looks quite well-kept. Can’t believe they now sell it for Rs.80+ Lakh.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[Gurrala74]

Excellent acquisition IR wish you happy miles ahead and well maintained does not look so old. Itching to put my hands on its steering soon sometime in pune

 

[Ambylovers]

Hi,
Congratulations on your used Montero. Wishes to clock many more miles without issues.
Interior are outdated, but it will work flawless of years.Old school technology may sound different, but carries more value for peace of mind.

 

[mayankdixit]

Many congratulations for this acquisition. It doesn't look that aged as you mentioned! Not at all. Nice colour too.Easy to maintain.Lucky you.
Please show us the engine compartment pics.
Those tyres!! Are they 285 section Michelin or what?

 

[Iron Rock]

Finally the much awaited ownership review is out. Congrats @Iron Rock. The Montero is an ideal addition to your garage. It looks quite well-kept. Can’t believe they now sell it for Rs.80+ Lakh.
Drive Safe,
350Z

Thanks a ton 350z, yeah new one onroad is atrocious thanks to the genius of HM in bringing it in as CBU with full taxes - but i really want what they are smoking, must be good stuff!

Excellent acquisition IR wish you happy miles ahead and well maintained does not look so old. Itching to put my hands on its steering soon sometime in pune

Yes this old is really gold!
Sir your pune visit is pending for years now, whaaaat sir!
Let me instead visit you shortly.

Hi,
Congratulations on your used Montero. Wishes to clock many more miles without issues.
Interior are outdated, but it will work flawless of years.Old school technology may sound different, but carries more value for peace of mind.

Thanks Ambylover - the interiors are all black not what indians typically prefer - but the vehicle as such is fully loaded, it has far more electronics than a relatively modern PS(last gen one, not the current gen) - the only thing it misses is a touch screen and bluetooth - i have added a fm transmitter bluetooth for now - now working on adding a more well integrated bluetooth to the rockford system itself.

Many congratulations for this acquisition. It doesn't look that aged as you mentioned! Not at all. Nice colour too.Easy to maintain.Lucky you.
Please show us the engine compartment pics.
Those tyres!! Are they 285 section Michelin or what?

Thank you Mayankji, mitsubishis age very very gracefully even when abused(which is what most bumpkin owners do) - montero is even more hardy, the underbody , the engine bay, the plastics everything is built to last forever.
Also the lights makes it look good in pic :)
Here is the engine pic you ask for the legendary 4m41 - 3.2 litre, about 165ps and 373nm(AT) torque in stock - Also tyres are michelin latitude force AT 265/65/17, which the previous owners has put in.

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[Ramanathan]

Congrats @Iron Rock Car looks very neat and well kept. defo worth the purchase, happy miles and post pictures if you go off road

 

[Iron Rock]

Thanks Ramanathan, will definitely do.

Here is a list of to-do items post purchase, post observing closely for a month :-

1) Full service including all liquids flushing and replacement and filters(air, ac, atf, oil, fuel) change, engine oil, differential, AT transmission, transfer case, coolant, brake, power steering.
2) Service the EGR and potentially do a EGR delete mod later
3) Full body and under-body coating including silencer to arrest further rust(if any) or ageing (this is already done)
4) Certain part replacements - ac vents (partially broken)
5) Bluetooth and Aux adapter
6) Seat restoration
7) Brake Disc skimming and Brake pads check (its a bit noisy)
8) Ecu Relearning , then later this year remapping
9) Minor internal rattles check and correct if at all
10) Bonnet rubber beadings and noise insulation
11) Install TPMS
12) High Beam LED
13) Brake lights LED
14) Missing Wheel cap
15) Front mud flap/air dam
16) Brake bleeding screws(replace a broken one)
17) Underbody torquing and front shaft greasing
18) Wheel Alignment

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

Small suggestions sir ...
1.Check with all rubber bushes too under the full service ( From door beadings and bushes to other major players like Suspension bushes)
2.While installing LED's make sure the existing headlamp wiring power output matches LED's requirement (If not new relay maybe needed)
3.Brake Discs maybe replaced , rather than skimmed , as its a bigger vehicle , skimming won't provide a durable life , maybe another 5-10k km only

Wishing you the best with this ride.

 

[A.G.]

With an all Japanese garage, congratulation @Iron Rock san. What a replacement you have to the humble workhorse the bolero

 

[Iron Rock]

With an all Japanese garage, congratulation @Iron Rock san. What a replacement you have to the humble workhorse the bolero

Thank you sir all japanese all 4x4 :)

Small suggestions sir ...
1.Check with all rubber bushes too under the full service ( From door beadings and bushes to other major players like Suspension bushes)
2.While installing LED's make sure the existing headlamp wiring power output matches LED's requirement (If not new relay maybe needed)
3.Brake Discs maybe replaced , rather than skimmed , as its a bigger vehicle , skimming won't provide a durable life , maybe another 5-10k km only
Wishing you the best with this ride.

Thank you so much sir, points 1 and 3 already checked in detail prepurchase - point 2 yes agreed - also mitsu is a canbus, so need canbus ready relay.

 

[Iron Rock]

So a little background on my search - i have been searching not so actively for 2 months then very actively for 4 months - so about 6 months overall
Here is the list of vehicles as i mentioned in my previous post and my rationale :-

Gurkha/ Gypsy/ Pajero SFX/ Fortuner/ Nexon/ Hexa/ XUV/ LC(lol)/ Scorpio

As you see from the above list i was all over the place - but i was clear that if i go for a certain type of vehicle then i need it to be 4x4 whereas for XUV or Hexa or Nexon i was ok with 4x2 but needed them to be automatic.
Sometimes in car purchase its a mix of heart and head!
My key criteria was :- 4x4, Preferably automatic, decent reliability and durability, ability to take the rough and abuse on and off the road, long term usage work horse, decent comfort

Gurkha - I wanted to buy the Xtreme - did a full day TD(both on and off the road in very extreme terrain ) as i have been waiting for it - but the on-road pricing completely put me off, its still a half baked hand made product in my books. i like it still but not at this price - they arent anyways going to sell much at this price.

Gypsy - A friend had a completely done up gypsy with a 1.6 on offer - reasonably priced - liked it but somehow felt the ride comfort et all might be a put off and the practicality is a question mark for my purpose. Like it but didnt go for it.

Fortuners - Saw a few used fortuners looked at 4x4 Automatics they were just priced crazily so didnt go forward.

Nexon - Went to concorde motors, asked them for a TD - nobody responded for 2 weeks - i got a call after 2 weeks asking me if i was still interested, i told them i already purchased, the genius got surprised said thanks and kept the phone!

Hexa - The only vehicle i like from the Tata stable is the Hexa currently - was keen on the XTA preowned top end - saw a few, was negotiating a low run 1 year old vehicle and came close, but the owner got a 50k better offer than what i put and he made the deal.I dont want a new Hexa as depreciation is crazy and used one someone else takes the depreciation hit partially. Some Aria's came to my notice at throw away prices but i steered clear.

XUV - Saw a few AT , liked it - but the pricing was more than what i was prepared to offer

LC - Saw an old LC - pricing was more than newer Hexa - for the age and price felt it was vintage pricing for what is not yet a vintage car - anyways owners prerogative i passed.

Scorpio - I didnt really seriously consider - but given my usage conditions and purpose this was a good fit but i wanted something better

SFX - Saw many SFX but most weren't maintained well, odo tampered and high running ones - so passed them all.

Finally Monty happened - the quality and engineering and how it ages is what attracted me - in my books it was better than all of the above put together(i have my biases, my advice to others vs what i do for myself differs for good reasons) - i wouldn't normally consider a 1 lakh run car in a used purchase but with a mitsu a one lakh run car is like something which has just finished its running in period! The price was attractive, i know a big 3.2 old school vehicle with AT isnt exactly going to be fuel efficient but my target is to bring it to a condition wherein it does double digit FE figures.

 

[Iron Rock]

So first thing first, wanted to sort out the brakes, purchased new pads, discs were having aberrations - so decided to skim them.
I didnt want to skim it at any local lathe given how these things can screw up the balance further, i found a guy in pune(Sachin Ugale - Kwik Kut Performance) who restores classic cars and has incredible machinery - Rottler/Norman (probably one of a kind in India) - he is a pilot who does this as a hobby/passion - he kindly agreed to skim my discs and here are some pictures. With the skimmed disc(it had more than enough life and didnt need to replaced), i also put in new pads, the older pads has aberrations and i will sand them and use them next cycle as they have enough life.

Hand Brake liner needed to be adjusted, there are worn but still have enough life left

Some Incredible machinery at a private garage :-

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[mayankdixit]

Where is this place? This man has all the big tools and proper equipment it appears!

 

[Iron Rock]

Mayank sahab this is at balewadi near mitcon, the guy(a pilot) is expensive but a genius and finicky on quality.
Yes 3 floors of pornographic equipment like cylinder head/block surfacing/boring bar/flywheel grinder/ cnc machining stuff - this is like advanced mechanical engineers lab, you dont see such stuff at any garage !
His garage is full of old school beauties, currently restoring some ex maharaja 1920 something classic! I spent 3-4 hrs ogling at all his stuff!