So says Steven Terblans, General Manager After Sales Service at Mitsubishi Motors South Africa about their initiative to give recognition to owners with extremely high mileage vehicles.

“We have a high customer retention base of about 65% of Mitsubishi owners who keep on servicing their vehicles at our dealerships after the warranty and service or maintenance plans have expired. It tells the story that our dealerships are tried, tested and trusted by Mitsubishi owners. Our own independent customer-satisfaction surveys also indicated an excellent satisfaction rate towards our dealers.

As part of the new programme, we recently serviced three Mitsubishi Pajeros – at different dealers - with more than 500 000 kilometres on the clock and still performing faultlessly.

Two of those Pajeros were serviced regularly by Mitsubishi dealers, while the third one was serviced privately but used original OEM parts. The three Pajeros, two long wheelbase-models and one with a short wheelbase, all have our legendary 3.2 diesel powertrain, which is known for its reliability and ability to deliver high mileage without any drama,” says Steven.

Steven says that as a token of Mitsubishi Motors SA’s appreciation for this achievement, the owners were presented with a gift pack comprising of, among other things, a branded portable braai and cool box combo. “We will see how this initiative develops, and we treasure the interaction with the owners as well as the trust they have in our products and our dealerships.”

They are also waiting for a Mitsubish -bakkie that has done around a million kilometres to be serviced soon. “I am excited to see the vehicle and hear the story behind the high mileage it has completed. In the past, before we had this programme targeting our high mileage vehicles with special recognition, there were a number of our products with similar achievements over the years.

“The achievement of the three Pajeros once again proves the importance of using original parts and servicing through our dealer network. The longevity of any vehicle is not only in the way it is engineered, but also the way it is treated by its owner. And then most importantly, adhering to service schedules and doing it at a dealer network that is geared especially for this with the necessary back-up and guarantees in place,” says Steven.

He ends by saying although the Pajero has completed its life cycle, these vehicles will for many decades to come still be criss crossing roads in Africa.

“And the good news is that all indications are that our newer 2.4 diesel motor used in the new Pajero Sport and Triton bakkie range, is quickly becoming a legend in the tradition of the reliable 3.2 diesel motor, which remains a favourite with many an adventurer in the outgoing Pajero,” he concludes.