Rear Shock failure issue and TSB & Warranty Repair

Ask technical questions or post on problems/issues related to the Kizashi under this topic. Symptoms and pictures of your problem are a good idea.
NOTE: Any car related technical question can be posted here.
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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

johnhenrydale wrote:
old tech wrote:On the bump stop issue, the sb113 is a universal fit . Ived used many of these but never on a Kizashi . The Kizashi top mount, in my opinion, is a bit weak by design . I wouldnt alter it. If you can wait awhile, the revised oem part 42250-57L03 can be purchased for less than $20 bucks each through fitinpart.sg the bad news is it may take 6 weeks. I recently bought the oem belt tensioner for only $67 and rear sway bar bushings for a few dollars each.
So I ended up going for the KYB SB113 's because apparently there's literally only ONE OEM 4225057L03 bumpstopper in the USA right now. I also ordered a pair of the 4225057L03's from thatgmpartsguys.com but they will take 6-8 weeks to arrive because COVID.
I also bought the KYB SB113 rear bump stoppers. I'll compare them with the OEM 4225057L03 I have currently installed from the time I had the warranty work done. I thought about reusing the OE revised bump stoppers but I've put about 65,000 miles on them, including some offroad duty. Given I now live in one of the most arid climates in the US, I don't think I'll have to worry about corrosion caused by bump stoppers, regardless of design. I got the KYB SB113 for about $14 each on RockAuto.com. I'm replacing everything related to the dampers that I can find on the aftermarket. I went with Moog front bump stoppers/sleeves given RockAuto didn't have the KYB ones in stock. I don't think the fronts matter all that much given they were not subject to the corrosion issue like the rears. I'm doing the rears myself and taking the fronts to a pro so they can reuse my springs and then do an alignment. I'm excited for the all new suspension given the car's been rather rough lately with the ride.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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johnhenrydale
Posts: 100
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 6:08 am
Location: Miami Beach, FL

Very Cool, will be good to compare notes after installation. I finally got the last of all my KYB suspension components delivered today and am headed to Bill Seidle Mitsubishi (formerly Suzuki) to have everything installed early AM tomorrow. I had hoped to save some money installing some components myself, but I really don't have ay suitable space to work on the car here at the condo building where we live - they even start looking at me funny when I drop the bumper to change the headlights. I will document everything pretty thoroughly, including taking some side-by-side photos of both sets of shocks and struts just to compare and have a visual record for what is probably one of the most active topics on this forum. I'm changing rear shocks, front struts, rear bumpstops, front (top) strut mounts and bump stoppers and all sway bar linkages, as well as adding the RRM front strut bar, which was apparently the last one they had in stock (sidenote: I am DONE dealing with that company - their owner is completely out to lunch / on drugs / unprofessional / unhinged). I'm also adding some Borla mufflers to give it just a little extra growl. Next week I'm adding some SP Performance rotors and that should complete my upgrades for now. Stay tuned!
2011 Kizashi Sport "GLS" 2WD
(GTS Upgrade project)
6sp MT
Azure Gray Metallic
Anthracite Gray Vossen CVT 19" / 5 x 114.3 +32
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Ronzuki
Posts: 2382
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 5:33 pm
Location: Lancaster County, PA

I'm truly jealous...
Ron

2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded :D :D )
1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top ( :| sold)
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johnhenrydale
Posts: 100
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 6:08 am
Location: Miami Beach, FL

Update: apparently the master mechanic at the Suzuki dealer is in the hospital so repairs are on hold for the moment. Hoping to have them finished this week.


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2011 Kizashi Sport "GLS" 2WD
(GTS Upgrade project)
6sp MT
Azure Gray Metallic
Anthracite Gray Vossen CVT 19" / 5 x 114.3 +32
User avatar
KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

Last weekend, I replaced my rear shocks. I had them replaced several years ago for the TSB issue and the Suzuki Service Location installed the revised rear bump stoppers. I've since put over 60,000 miles on the rear shocks and now at 100,000 miles on the car, they felt rough so I replaced them.
I replaced them with aftermarket KYB shocks given I could find zero information indicating that the OE Suzuki part (made by KYB) was any bit different than the KYB aftermarket part which was a fraction of the cost. I compared them during the swap and found no noticeable differences other than the part numbers stamped on them.

I reused the shock mounts, the solid rubber piece that goes on top of the mounts, and the washer that goes in between the mount and the shock rod. I decided to get the KYB SB113 boot kit (bump stoppers included) given they were way easier and cheaper to source than new OE bumper stoppers of the revised design. I figured this way, I could use the new KYB parts or elect to reuse the OE bump stoppers installed from the TSB warranty work.
The KYB SB113 are made in Germany (both the bump stopper and the boot which both have different designs from the OE parts).
KIMG4220.JPG
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The process of replacing the rear shocks was quite easy. The hardest part was removing a corroded nut on top of one of the shocks after it came out of the vehicle. It was a foreshadowing to the condition of the shock once the bump stopper/boot was removed. The shock was quite corroded at the top which made me question how well the revised bump stoppers really addressed the issue of moisture retention on top of the shocks. Both shocks were corroded at the top, but the pictured one from the driver side was worse. Fortunately, there was no oil leakage but it was evident comparing with the new shocks that the rebound rate was significantly diminished.
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The KYB SB113 bump stopper/boot have a different shape and design from the OE part. A major difference is the diameter of the bump stopper in that the KYB part is larger and this posed a problem: it's too big for the Kizashi's rear shock mount. It literally did not fit into the recessed housing on the mount given the larger diameter.
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KIMG4219.JPG
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The picture below is the mount on the top of the bump stopper. The top of the bump stopper was too large to fit into the mount without some cutting modification.
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While I considered reusing the OE part given it was in good condition, I considered the fact that, A) the revised part didn't really prevent corrosion, B) I already paid for and had brand new SB113 parts, and C) I no longer live in a climate where humidity is any significant consideration. Thus, I opted to cut around the top of the KYB SB113 bumper stopper's foam to make it fit. There was no way it was going to fit without this modification. Once I trimmed a bit to make the top of the bump stopper fit into the mount, I installed everything. During the installation, the bump stoppers and the shock mount did not stay mounted to each other so I had to rely on simply driving on the road and subsequent suspension travel to place the bump stoppers back into the mounts naturally. Both sides are now properly seated into the mount and fit nicely. Though I did not reuse the OE bump stoppers, I kept them. I cleaned them and will keep them stored in case I ever need to resort back to them for whatever reason. They were in good condition and could be reused.
KIMG4210.JPG
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Given the rears are done and all properly in place, I'll be seeking a shop to install my new front struts, having them reuse my springs. I'll be providing the KYB struts, shock boots, and the mounts I already have in hand. I'll have the shop then to do a four wheel alignment. I'm looking forward to the restored ride quality.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
Tom Kizzie
Posts: 210
Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2018 11:04 am

Shame the kybstoppers werent plug en play right away. You can easily do the frontstruts too if you have something to compress the springs. You can buy the right tool for 15,-. I got this "heavy duty" one: https://www.hbm-machines.com/producten/ ... spannerset
kizashi 6mt black
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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

Tom Kizzie wrote:Shame the kybstoppers werent plug en play right away. You can easily do the frontstruts too if you have something to compress the springs. You can buy the right tool for 15,-. I got this "heavy duty" one: https://www.hbm-machines.com/producten/ ... spannerset
I thought about it but decided against it. It just didn't seem worth the risk and investment. One doesn't change struts often and most other vehicles have the option of changing the whole assembly with new springs already in them. I've done that for a Mazda3 by buying KYB's Strut-Plus which is the strut assembly with the spring in them. It makes the replacement process a lot easier, safer, and faster. KYB didn't offer Strut-Plus' for the Kizashi so we have to reuse the old springs. I figured given I need to get an alignment anyway after the front struts are installed, I'll just have the same shop install them. Pros seem to use floor-mounted spring compressors which look a lot safer to use.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
bootymac
Posts: 1602
Joined: Fri Jul 19, 2013 1:04 am

Our rear left shock was leaking oil after 50k miles so I went ahead and replaced both with KYB 349141 Excel-G (made in Japan) for ~$45 each from RockAuto. Easy job with each side only taking 30 minutes to do - most of the time spent threading the lower shock bolt in and out. A ratcheting wrench is helpful.

The leaking shock had no rebound but it also had no corrosion (probably due to the leaking oil lol). Despite having the original bump stops without the updated drain channels, the upper shock mounts didn't have much corrosion. I ended up reusing the factory bump stops after modifying them with DIY drain channels.
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