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Re: My 2010 Suzi won't start

Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2018 1:11 pm
by Ronzuki
So how did you make out? Had I seen your post sooner, I might have taken a jaunt down there to observe the voo-doo in person and to say hi. Tony's never had a problem with me being in the shop while they're working any time I'd asked. Wow, $50 is only about a 1/2 hour's labor...find it hard to believe that's all it would take. Did you check out any of the Alfa's while you were there?

Re: My 2010 Suzi won't start

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2018 9:48 pm
by Ronzuki
Any update? Success, failure or draw?

Re: My 2010 Suzi won't start

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 4:44 pm
by fyrbry25
OK Ron and all here is an update on the issue,

06/02/2018-I drove down to d'ambrosio Alfa Romeo (used to be Suzuki) in Frazer PA for an 8:30am appointment.
I got there at 8:20, waited for them to open and introduced myself and explained all to Tony/Mike (the guy behind the desk) that I had done to keep my car driveable and what research I had done and the conclusions I had made and what I learned from the kind persons on the internet (KizashiClub). Then they took my car into a bay to begin working on it, I spoke with Mike/Tony (the Tech) and explained everything to him as well.

Around 10:30, my car was outside so I said to Mike as he got out of it "see i guess it wasnt that hard to fix" and he said did Tony talk to you yet? I said no he said go talk to Tony...so I did. I go in and wait for Tony to be off the phone, he then hands me key, and says did Mike explain what happened, I said no, and he proceeded to tell me in the two hours I was there they could not get the computer needed to connect to Suzuki corporate and they didnt know why.

Two days later, on a Monday I called and was told it still didnt work and they werent sure why....then near the end of the week I called again to find out that they were missing or had an outdated token that would not let the computer in Frazer speak to the computer in Japan, but we should have it fixed by next week.

A week and half later I can and am told that now they are waiting for it to work because they have another customer that her fob died and her car was running and she cant get into the car and she cant use her car. So now I guess this makes them try harder to get the token and pass thru to work, I dont know how this was relevant to me. (maybe we start a support group or something)

So I have called on 6/5, 6/8, 6/9, 6/11, 6/15, and then on 6/28 I called and was told that it is functioning and I can schedule for next week. I schedule for 07/05/2018 and will drop it off on the 4th so they can work on it and have it on the 5th without me waiting around for it. Just like the other dates above I was told that they would call me when it was done, but that they closed at 6pm, so I didnt need to call them back at all. Well at 5:56pm I called yet again to be told that now all of the components are hooked up to read the code and he only needs another 30 minutes, but it is the end of the day so it should be done by tomorrow 07/06/2018 at 11am.

Ok, now I am sitting in a meeting at work on 07/06/2018 and they call me, (note this is the first time they have ever called me in the entire saga since June 2) and leave a message to call them. I get excited I excuse myself from the meeting and call hoping to hear that I can pick up my car and that it is done. So I call back and I am put on the phone with the tech who "wants to pick my brain" about how I did this and how I did that and what my solution was for getting around the steering lock and the door button". We get off the phone with the understanding that he will call when it is all finished, and functional as requested...unless something doesnt work out as expected.

Ok so now I wait for them to call me back....(it may happen) but I will probably call them before they close if I dont hear from them..

I will update tonight if I am able to take a fully functional car back home tonight, detailing what the said it would cost and what the end result is in terms of the bill.

At this point, I am not bitter about the experience, more concerned so far.

thank you for your time and interest in my efforts to keep one more Kizashi on the road.

Bryan Bassett
Fyrbry25

Re: My 2010 Suzi won't start

Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2018 1:26 am
by Ronzuki
Wow, but not surprising at all. I'm sorry you are experiencing such difficulty.

This ordeal simply exemplifies my grievance's with the overuse of technology in the everyday automobile. One can hardly hold any 'mechanic' at fault for such problems. Certainly not a dealer that, through no fault of their own, was essentially nearly put out of business because the manufacturer pulled out. Those guys are certainly not computer geniuses', electronics experts or IT pros as most are not. It appears due to the low volume of cars experiencing even fewer problems requiring a direct link to Japan, they haven't had to get practiced at this 'connecting' business. Skills, or anything else, not used are generally lost. I had mentioned that their factory trained guys are long gone as a warning. This episode is remarkably similar to what we experience in the automation world constantly. Far too many things changing randomly, with out any direct knowledge, results in 'things' ceasing to function or operating predictably, including the 'tools' required to connect to, program, diagnose or query the tech. Everything needs and internet connection to somewhere anymore to gain permission, the token, to allow one to simply to observe what's going on inside just about anything. They may have simply taken a windows update, with or without their knowledge or understanding or awareness that something so innocuous could cause a problem with something the rarely, if ever, use. Believe me, that's all it would take to cause their failure to connect or a host of other issues with this entire process.

I wish you all the luck and hope that they can straighten out your car w/o breaking the bank. And please keep us up to date. Thanks.

Re: My 2010 Suzi won't start

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 2:26 pm
by fyrbry25
I am hear to report that my car is fixed, and reprogrammed.

I now have three keys that are programmed, the one that I given when I bought the car, and the two I bought on EBAY.

They also reprogrammed the steering wheel lock so I dont have my make shift setup any more and the reconnected the door ajar button.

All said and done for 115.00 plus tax.

While it was there they also completed the recall on the transmission shifter.

thank you to everyone who helped me through this "process". My next step will be to get HID and better LED setup in low and high beam and possibly sand and clearcoat the headlamp lenses to get rid of the oxidation.

I will continue to be as active on here and the SX4 forum (my daughters car) as I am able to be and assist and hopefully pay back for the help I have received.

thank you again and Be Safe.

Bryan

Re: My 2010 Suzi won't start

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 3:01 pm
by SamirD
Great to hear!

One thing I am curious about is the headlights though as I haven't heard of this happening as of yet on most cars. What environment has the car been in?

Re: My 2010 Suzi won't start

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 3:22 pm
by fyrbry25
I bought the car used and dont know what environment it was in prior, but I drive more then 35,000 miles a year just commuting. I live in PA north of Philadelphia. I just know that I dont have an extra 500$ to replace the lenses and I can barely see at night even after moving to LEDs because they kept burning out.

I will start a new thread and post pics now and after I am done so all can see that this process actually works where toothpaste doesnt, lol

thank you for your time,

Re: My 2010 Suzi won't start

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 3:38 pm
by SamirD
I have this kit from probably almost 10 years ago when headlight refinishing was simply those gimmick polishes that didn't really work for more than a few months:
https://pilotshq.com/micromesh-acrylicp ... gIM8vD_BwE

This kit is the real deal. At first I was skeptical as when I was almost finished sanding down the headlights it still looked worse than when I started, but by the time I was finished, they were like glass. And the light output was many, many times brighter on my Galant after this fix. The best part is that the lights never yellowed ever again. 8-)

Re: My 2010 Suzi won't start

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 5:25 pm
by Vitra
I have same issued for my Kizashi 2011. I went to dealer early this year and said my car is fine. They thought your FOB issued. I read the message from Kizashi club and said steeling lock issue. The best way to change the lock.

Now I am confused to fix this issue. Just checked with Boby shop and said around $800 to change the lock.

Is anyone can help me for this issue?

Re: My 2010 Suzi won't start

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 11:27 am
by Woodie
Not sure what more could be said, everything you need to know is already here in this thread. You need a new steering lock module. You can buy it yourself online for about $300. Takes about two hours to replace it. $800 is high, but not ridiculous, $600 would be a good price to get a shop to replace it. I got a discount from bbowens, a Suzuki parts guy who hangs out on GeoMetroForum and put it on myself, total cost about $250.

BandAid fix is to disconnect the door switch while the lock is unlocked. The overhead lights and the chime that tells you you left the lights on will not work if you do this.