Newbie with a thirst for detail

[Yakuza61]

Hi,
I recently just purchased my First 4WD ... 2013 NW VRX Pajero LWB after having a 2006 Triton 2WD duel fuel for the past 6 years. I am very happy with my choice of vehicle and would love to know about all the necessary mods that can be done to achieve more torque/power for towing etc....
the best roof rack system ( without having to remove the rails & headlining )....
exhaust mods for performance .....
and what am I up for cost wise for a service at the 105k mark & what should I expect done for my money ...
what size rims should I actually have on my vehicle as the best for off road & on road conditions ( currently have the standard 18" alloys with road tyres )
As you can tell ... a newbie / greenie with an appetite for the right guidance of information relating to my Paj...... Thanks.

[baida88]

Hi,
I recently just purchased my First 4WD ... 2013 NW VRX Pajero LWB after having a 2006 Triton 2WD duel fuel for the past 6 years. I am very happy with my choice of vehicle and would love to know about all the necessary mods that can be done to achieve more torque/power for towing etc....
the best roof rack system ( without having to remove the rails & headlining )....
exhaust mods for performance .....
and what am I up for cost wise for a service at the 105k mark & what should I expect done for my money ...
what size rims should I actually have on my vehicle as the best for off road & on road conditions ( currently have the standard 18" alloys with road tyres )
As you can tell ... a newbie / greenie with an appetite for the right guidance of information relating to my Paj...... Thanks.

Hey buddy,

Roof rack wise - the pioneer system is you best bet but they are quite expensive. for more power its gotta be a re-map ecu. you can get chips but there getting to the point where there obsolete now that alot more diesel mechanics have the ability to do remaps and usually give a better result. If your going to get the exhaust done, get it done at the same time as the tune otherwise your not getting the most out of it. Wheel size for off road would be 17" preferable but not essential. Alot more tyre brands are making more sizes available for the 18" rims and prices are starting to come down thanks to the newer breed of 4x4 coming out with 18's.

Then its just the usual preventive stuff like egr block (will raise your exhaust gas temps) oil catch can, watch dog fuel filter and maybe a few gauges for egt and boost wouldn't be a bad investment especially if you towing a lot.

[06PAJ]

Do what everyone else does ....
Cover it in ARB accessories and never need them ... but hey, it'll look good.

Ive found bitumen towing they're very capable now

Walk through any caravan park in QLD when the grey nomads migrate north and you wont find many, if any modified pajeros towing vans

Your question wasnt very specific

Dont join the "all the gear, no idea" club

[Yakuza61]

Do what everyone else does ....
Cover it in ARB accessories and never need them ... but hey, it'll look good.

Ive found bitumen towing they're very capable now

Walk through any caravan park in QLD when the grey nomads migrate north and you wont find many, if any modified pajeros towing vans

Your question wasnt very specific

Dont join the "all the gear, no idea" club

06PAJ .... I was merely after some help in answering a few questions that I had ... unfortunately you missed the mark as you appeared to brush me aside with a generic answer ... I am sorry if this question wasn't specific enough as I thought it was ! ..... I scrolled thru pages & pages on this forum yesterday to try to assess the best solutions for my vehicle & do you know what? there were NONE that jumped out at me that were the same answer all the way throughout about the questions that I had asked ... hence me asking the forum.
It was also nice to know that baida88 out there in PAJ LAND was forthcoming with info that appears to be what I was looking for ... so thanks baida88.
As far as doing what everyone else does ... that wasn't the question at all & NO I am not a gunna join the herd.

[old Jack]

How many kms do you do a year?
What will be the split between lightly loaded and loaded?
Will the towing be a solid block of 4 to 6 months or on a regular basis?
What weight are you planing to tow?
What is the towball download?
Are you staying on the bitumen or dirt roads and or off road?
What are the roof racks going to be loaded with?

I would be setting up the suspension and tyres first for your needs then if you are not happy with the performance then look at engine mods.

OJ.

[jkwpajero]

I have recently purchased a near standard white 2014 VRX. It came with a steel Mitsubishi accessory bullbar, towbar and Redarc brake controller. My mods so far are:

EGR delete module and Provent 200 catch can.
Taipan XP exhaust (to be fitted next week)
Upgraded Euro spec headlight globes from Powerbulbs in the UK (awesome light improvement) and 24" lightbar (flood/spot combo)
Wetseat neoprene seat covers (ordered) and Sandgrabba mats (fitted)
Under vehicle protection for intercooler, sump and rear bar protector fitted.
Scangauge 2

To be done:
Second battery install in folding seat footwell.
Off Road Systems luggage platform with fridge slide and BOAB 50 liter water tank behind the rear seats.
Upgrade for tyres and suspension upgrade (for towing mainly) from either Ultimate Suspension or the usual Bilstein/Lovells combo, with Firestone HD airbags.
Last cab off the rank, to ensure the suspension is specified to the weight of the vehicle with all accessories fitted. (Absolutely must be done after the final vehicle weight is known)

The plan is the have a comfortable, reliable touring vehicle that does not say "Look at me". The mods that you do should be to suit your circumstances. Take advice but chart your own course.


James

[rotare]

Welcome to the forum,

I scrolled thru pages & pages on this forum yesterday to try to assess the best solutions for my vehicle & do you know what? there were NONE that jumped out at me that were the same answer all the way throughout about the questions that I had asked ... hence me asking the forum.

There is a wealth of information on this forum on most, if not all of those topics you're seeking answers for. But being a forum full of diverse people that use their vehicles for different purposes, and set their vehicles up for various different reasons, you're unlikely to find threads that discuss products or vehicle modifications that reach a consensus, or singular 'best' solution. What's best for one person may not be the best for someone else, and in most threads it's not difficult to understand the pro's and con's of what is being discussed.

On this basis search the forum, remembering that a lot of the mods and products for your NW Paj may also be the same for other models (NM through to NX for example) and not just specific to your NW, so there's plenty of threads to read with some great advice. Really the only person that will know what is the 'best' solution for you, is you.

Cheers.

[06PAJ]

06PAJ .... I was merely after some help in answering a few questions that I had ... unfortunately you missed the mark as you appeared to brush me aside with a generic answer ... I am sorry if this question wasn't specific enough as I thought it was ! ..... I scrolled thru pages & pages on this forum yesterday to try to assess the best solutions for my vehicle & do you know what? there were NONE that jumped out at me that were the same answer all the way throughout about the questions that I had asked ... hence me asking the forum.
It was also nice to know that baida88 out there in PAJ LAND was forthcoming with info that appears to be what I was looking for ... so thanks baida88.
As far as doing what everyone else does ... that wasn't the question at all & NO I am not a gunna join the herd.

No need to apologise, your only new

[Woollybutt]

Hi,
I recently just purchased my First 4WD ... 2013 NW VRX Pajero LWB after having a 2006 Triton 2WD duel fuel for the past 6 years. I am very happy with my choice of vehicle and would love to know about all the necessary mods that can be done to achieve more torque/power for towing etc....
the best roof rack system ( without having to remove the rails & headlining )....
exhaust mods for performance .....
and what am I up for cost wise for a service at the 105k mark & what should I expect done for my money ...
what size rims should I actually have on my vehicle as the best for off road & on road conditions ( currently have the standard 18" alloys with road tyres )
As you can tell ... a newbie / greenie with an appetite for the right guidance of information relating to my Paj...... Thanks.

Hey mate, welcome.
Just reading through the replies there.
A couple of notes that I've learnt from setting up our 2013 NW:
- if you want to do your exhaust, make sure you decide if you want an aux fuel tank or not first as they go under the 3rd row seat compartment and the after market exhausts can impinge into where the aux tank sits.

- tyres, as mentioned above, the 18inch tyres are starting to come down in price but the 17inch options seem to be broader. If you're looking at doing a bit of off-roading you would do well investing in a set of light truck tyres ie load rating 120 or more. We've got the Toyo OPAT2 on and they're fantastic in my opinion.

- rims, the factory 17s are pretty pricey but there is a good range that fit the Paj's brake calipers from CSA.

- the egr resistor mod seems to work really well (that's been written up in this forum) or you can buy one of the plug and play systems. With either option, once you've done it, you will probably benefit from having your intake manifold professionally cleaned to remove the 100k kms of soot that will have built up.

- roof racks, I'm pretty sure you can fit the pioneer roof trays to the factory rails but keep in mind that the roof rails are quite weak and have been reported to cave into the roof. From memory they are only rated at 80kg and that wouldn't be on corrugated roads.

Hope that helps

[DyrtyDyk]

and what am I up for cost wise for a service at the 105k mark & what should I expect done for my money ...

Hey Yak,

I'll jump in on the question nobody has tackled as yet
I recently had 105k service performed by Mitsi on my NT (and the 2nd airbag fix completed). Time quoted was 5 hours for the service.
hey kindly relieved me of $1200 hard-earned for the privilege and also offered to change brake pads for another $400. I trolled the forums for a bit beforehand and this did seem to be around the usual price. There wasn't a lot of large items on the invoice, but I understand adjusting the tappets made up a good percentage of the time taken and therefore the bill.
If I can find the invoice at home I'll update this post to list what was done.

hope that this helps,

DD

PS - I bought some pads from Repco for under $200 & changed them myself - very easy.

[spot01]

Hey Yak,

I'll jump in on the question nobody has tackled as yet
I recently had 105k service performed by Mitsi on my NT (and the 2nd airbag fix completed). Time quoted was 5 hours for the service.
hey kindly relieved me of $1200 hard-earned for the privilege and also offered to change brake pads for another $400. I trolled the forums for a bit beforehand and this did seem to be around the usual price. There wasn't a lot of large items on the invoice, but I understand adjusting the tappets made up a good percentage of the time taken and therefore the bill.
If I can find the invoice at home I'll update this post to list what was done.

hope that this helps,

DD

PS - I bought some pads from Repco for under $200 & changed them myself - very easy.

For diesels only: As mentioned, the full manual tappet adjustment (not just the "audible check) is the regular big ticket item in the services.

There is an inconsistency between the km intervals - to the best of my knowledge, it is as follows:
Some NW cars are specified for tappets at 45k, 75k, 105k, 135k, etc.
Other NW cars plus all NS, NT & NX are at 30k, 60k, 90k, 120k, etc.
The only difference is some NW have the first adjustment at 45k instead of 30k, then every 30k, due to MMAL's wisdom? (speculation centres around getting the 2nd adjustment outside the Capped Price Services)

Check the Service Book for your car to determine which intervals apply to each particular car.

If the car is used in harsh conditions (refer handbook), there are some extra items to be done more frequently, eg, auto fluid, etc. which will increase the cost of some services, so not everyone's bill will be the same.

[Yakuza61]

For diesels only: As mentioned, the full manual tappet adjustment (not just the "audible check) is the regular big ticket item in the services.

There is an inconsistency between the km intervals - to the best of my knowledge, it is as follows:
Some NW cars are specified for tappets at 45k, 75k, 105k, 135k, etc.
Other NW cars plus all NS, NT & NX are at 30k, 60k, 90k, 120k, etc.
The only difference is some NW have the first adjustment at 45k instead of 30k, then every 30k, due to MMAL's wisdom? (speculation centres around getting the 2nd adjustment outside the Capped Price Services)

Check the Service Book for your car to determine which intervals apply to each particular car.

If the car is used in harsh conditions (refer handbook), there are some extra items to be done more frequently, eg, auto fluid, etc. which will increase the cost of some services, so not everyone's bill will be the same.

Thanks to all ... this info is invaluable to a newbie like me as this is my first diesel & everything is 10x the price of what a normal Petrol vehicle service is worth & 4 x the gas service price ... WOW i wasn't aware that it was so expensive to keep these buggers on the road .... I only get a tax return once a year .. how the @#$% am I going to pay for the upkeep ( LOL )

[Hatto]

Take the tappet adjustment schedule with a pinch of salt. I've only done two (myself) in 140000 km and both weren't anything to worry about. Not far out.
Bash plates are a worthy investment IMHO. The factory ones aren't much chop. Bushskins and Boo's are the popular choices on this forum.
17" rims are still the choice for a wider tyre selection at better prices. 18"s are catching up though apparently.
As for performance upgrades, I have a cheap chip (sorrybbrand unknown) from another very kind forum member which has restored all power and economy lost from all my accessories. I have no exhaust upgrade either.
EGR block and or catch can are going to save you in the long run from having your intake manifold cleaned.