Alignment and rapid tire wear issue.

[gaww]

The dealer went on the phone to Suzuki, and based on what he told them, they said they would not cover it. And of course, what he told them was not correct.

He said there was other 'damage", but when he showed me under the car (on the lift) - there was not actually any damage to the suspension that he was able to point out (including those tow marks I mentioned earlier).

I believe you are right about the tie-downs - either on the boat or the shipping within the US to the dealer.

In a few hours I will see what an independent alignment shop has to say and will post.


Update - surprise - surprise!

The independent shop (with a mechanic/shop owner who has done alignments and frame inspections most of the day for 35 years) did not find any suspension component damage from being driven "off road" (was a short muddy unpaved stretch) much less frame damage (the Suzuki service manager also said it might have to go to a frame shop - unbelievable!!).

He did find both the front and rear were out of spec - both toe in/out and surprisingly not camber. The rear was toed-in while the front was toed-out (this is where I had seen abnormal tire wear on the inside treads of both tires. He also tweaked the cambers within specs to better balance the setup.

I am going to contact US Suzuki to set the record straight, as they might have my vehicle flagged as damaged which could be a problem if i ever need any related warranty service.

[GREG]

I hope they get it straight, I also had my alignment checked by an independent shop and guess what, there was a lot of red on the screen (red is bad) well both toe and camber were out. Not at all four corners though and the rear could only be taken to -1.0 degree camber before it ran out of adjustment. the technician said its a lot closer to what he would like to see and it may wander or feel loose (less drag on tires) which is what i was looking for. Actually its not really noticeable and i can sleep better knowing whats there. I recommend everyone get theirs checked early on. I'll have it done again when i get better tires.

[ACMAN90GSR]

IM ALSO PISSED i have been complaining of abnormal tire wear since 10k mies, now that tires are almost bald on all 4 insides (i rotated every 3k) they say wont do anything, the car is set up with extreme rear camber due to the way they set it up for handling. now its about to snow and i have bald tires and pissed!!! the car has already been in for numerous recalls and problems....love the car but this is enough!. btw i bought the first one in my area off the showroom floor and 2 days later bought a sx4 sport touring brand new...and 3 recalls on that also...

[Ronzuki]

I can say that I will be keeping a very close eye on the Kizashi tires this go around. I did not on the SX4 and they wore out quick (guess I just got lazy w/ the wife's car). I attribute it to the fact the alignments are never dialed in 100% at the factory and should be checked, but are not, prior to delivery. That and the tires are simply not the best. You gotta give up something to get these cars priced where they are with the featurs they have. My Kizashi has Dunlops on it...never had any kind of Dunlop hold up well ever. How you drive and tire pressure are just as critical on these very low profile tires as the alignment itself is.

[ACMAN90GSR]

I do understand that, and used to be a manager @ a tire shop for many years. My car , if you look at the rear has the tires tipped in so far at the top that its destroying the insides. I rotate every 3k miles, have been having this problem since 10k miles and now the car has 23k miles and all 4tires are shot

[mapeterson2]

Wow, they are that bad? Maybe an alignment at the dealership? Or are they not fixable?

[Ronzuki]

ACMAN,
I just took a good look at the rear of my GTS sitting on level ground and the wheels are pretty much straight up and down and parallel with one another. The build date is March 2010. Your sig line doesn't indicate your car's year or model. Sometimes there are variations in parts and specs in a model year that you'll never 'see'. Suzuki has done this many times in the past. I'm curious now if it is a different set of specs for the SLS/GTS vs. S/SE models. Sounds like you do have a problem. Any chance you could try a different dealer to plead your case to, or, go the route gaww went to get a second opinion? I know you shouldn't have to but... Good Luck.

[Ronzuki]

Wow, they are that bad? Maybe an alignment at the dealership? Or are they not fixable?

Once a tire is worn irregularly, it will never come back to normal no matter what is done to the balance, alignment, tire pressure or suspension.

[ACMAN90GSR]

I've taken mine to another dealership and they could just see the neg camber by looking at it. Mine is the sls model with the 18s, I just got off the phone last nite with the owner of the suzuki dealership. He said if suzuki can't stand behind me on this one, knowing how many vehicles I have bought from him over the years and he strives for customer service, he will come out of pocket and take care of it personally . That would be awesome to see

[mapeterson2]

What year is your SLS?