THE SAGA OF THE MALICIOUS MITSUBSHI

Mitsubshi to the left

JohnS is off to Zambia and we now have the use of a Pajero that does not creak groan or rattle! Unheard of luxury! Abusa David is going to Mfungu with Margaret as navigator about one hours drive or a little more away. I was at the garage with Patrick working on the Synod fleet peacefully enjoying myself, when Patrick got a call from Mary, could I call David “The Pajero” has stopped by the side of the road, my phone was back at Grace Bandawe, so a fast return walk to Grace Bandawe and back and I called David.  The mighty Mitsubishi had been getting slower and slower and now would not climb hills, I spoke to Patrick who said we will go out and get it. I then rang David and told him the Malawian Cavalry were on the way and he said that after a rest the Pajero would move under its own steam at 40kph so.

After changing the plugs in an Abusa's car we set of in Patrick's 1.3 litre Corolla to tow a two and a half tonne Pajero home.  About ten minutes later we got a call from David saying that the Pajero was now maintaining 40kph and he hoped to get home under his own steam. Five minutes later we saw David with a stream of traffic following. He pulled into  a petrol station and the four of us decided that Patrick and I would follow David to the Synod Garage.

The following day Patrick and I put new spark plugs and oil and fuel filters into the Mitsubishi. After this kind treatment the Malignant Mitsubishi ran even worse. On the following Monday we, Mary riding shotgun in the Rav 4, Patrick and I took “IT” to its usual garage to be told it needed Computer Analysis and the only people who could do this were the Mitsubishi agents so we then Kangaroo'd, stalling every now and then, the five or six hilly kilometres to them. They took it for a test drive of a few hundred meters and informed us it was a GREY IMPORT and as such they would not work on it, and when asked who would we were told to speak to the mechanics.

The mechanics when asked  said that they had come across these symptoms before and they would come out on Friday after work and fix “IT”  They then rang later on and said if we came and picked them up after work they would look at it. So we did, and they did, and then then quoted One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Kwacha ($US535) to fix it. They then stripped the engine, working into the night, using mobile phones for torches. They informed Patrick and I that the high pressure fuel pump was broken and a new one was $US 800, but they could get a reconditioned one. We then drove them home.

On Tuesday I purchased an extension lead and rewired the Synod lead light to suit and picked up the mechanics again and reassembly started. When the light faded we found we had no power for the light. It came back fifteen minuets later but not to our power point! More phone light untl we discovered a working power point and ten minuets later the power went off again! Five minutes later it came back and stayed on and at last we had a going Mitsubishi. So we paid our very helpful mechanics and drove them home, getting lost on the way back!

Jim Burfoot