I just washed my car. Most came off easily given I carefully waxed the vehicle before the trip. That helped with removing the bugs more easily. As for the more stubborn stains, they'll come off with polish especially when used with a DA polisher.redmed wrote:Great trip report!
I just spent the afternoon polishing my Kiz and a hour of it was spent getting the bugs off the front. Seeing that picture of the bugs after your trip makes me feel for the job ahead of you. Unless you know of a easy way to get those pesky things off.
DC to OC, The Kizashi Way
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
Thanks for this great write-up and sharing your trip across the US. It was fun being right there in Colorado with you as I mentioned I was there earlier this summer. I actually recognized the mountain near Georgetown as I not only went but it on multiple occasions but rode the Georgetown Loop train which is directly across I-70 from it. Best of wishes in California!
2011 Kizashi SLS CVT (silver)
2005 Honda Odyssey
Priors:
2009 Suzuki SX4 Cross AWD 5-speed Tech package (vapor metallic blue)
2005 Honda Odyssey
Priors:
2009 Suzuki SX4 Cross AWD 5-speed Tech package (vapor metallic blue)
I finally got around to ordering a replacement fog light. What took me a while was doing the research on it. It turns out that the fog light is made by OEM Valeo and the same fog light is shared with a number of Toyotas, including the Yaris. I was able to determine this by running a search on the Valeo part number. Searching for the part as a Toyota Yaris yielded a much better selection and lower prices than for a Suzuki Kizashi. In fact, I was able to find a brand new genuine Valeo replacement for less than used fog lights pulled from totaled Kizashis on eBay.
While there were some aftermarket fog lights available for both the Kizashi and the Yaris for much cheaper, I could tell they weren't OE and had plastic lenses instead the OE's glass. This is why I opted to search for the OEM part and broadened my results by searching for a Yaris instead of the obscure Kizashi.
I'll follow up on this once I get the part and install it. Let's hope it's a perfect match as the fog light design does look exactly the same between the Yaris and Kizashi for the same model years.
While there were some aftermarket fog lights available for both the Kizashi and the Yaris for much cheaper, I could tell they weren't OE and had plastic lenses instead the OE's glass. This is why I opted to search for the OEM part and broadened my results by searching for a Yaris instead of the obscure Kizashi.
I'll follow up on this once I get the part and install it. Let's hope it's a perfect match as the fog light design does look exactly the same between the Yaris and Kizashi for the same model years.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
This is great info on a high mortality part. Is there any way we can sticky this since it's buried in another topic? Can you post the part numbers and other details. On some of these things I like to get proactive an buy before I need. Before I can't get them at all. So I have brakes, belt and shocks in my garage even though I don't need them yet.
2011 Kizashi SLS CVT (silver)
2005 Honda Odyssey
Priors:
2009 Suzuki SX4 Cross AWD 5-speed Tech package (vapor metallic blue)
2005 Honda Odyssey
Priors:
2009 Suzuki SX4 Cross AWD 5-speed Tech package (vapor metallic blue)
Sure, but let me get the part and install it to confirm that it is indeed a 100% compatible part. After that's verified, I'll post it somewhere as a sticky.LPSISRL wrote:This is great info on a high mortality part. Is there any way we can sticky this since it's buried in another topic? Can you post the part numbers and other details. On some of these things I like to get proactive an buy before I need. Before I can't get them at all. So I have brakes, belt and shocks in my garage even though I don't need them yet.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
Here it is: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=4399KuroNekko wrote:Sure, but let me get the part and install it to confirm that it is indeed a 100% compatible part. After that's verified, I'll post it somewhere as a sticky.LPSISRL wrote:This is great info on a high mortality part. Is there any way we can sticky this since it's buried in another topic? Can you post the part numbers and other details. On some of these things I like to get proactive an buy before I need. Before I can't get them at all. So I have brakes, belt and shocks in my garage even though I don't need them yet.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
I can't believe I missed this thread!
Seeing your car in such great shape makes me long for the time, energy, and effort to make ours look as good as yours. Being they're almost twins (we don't have the hood deflector), it was as if I was looking at our car at its best.
I've done quite a few road trips including going from CA to AL and back twice (4 legs total). If you have a time deadline, you're right about just having enough time to eat, sleep and drive. On my last trip, I had no time deadline, so I wandered wherever my heart wanted--took me 3 weeks to get from CA to AL.
I can only imagine how awesome that red Kizashi along side your black one would have looked on the highway. That would have been a killer photo of both cars on the open road.
800 miles is solid for a single day's drive. Looking at the map, you travelled about 1/3 of the US in one day--impressive, most impressive. The longest segment I ever did was Irvine, CA to Amarillo, TX in one day. I was beat!
Bummer about the fog light.
Interesting to know the lens was made of glass like it is on my Altima fogs. Looking at your detailed pictures it seems like the lens had to take the full impact of whatever hit it because there's not even a scratch on the surrounding plastic. Luckily, I think the factory fog light kits are still available so a factory replacement part shouldn't be too hard to source. (I even think someone on the forum has one for sale in the classifieds.)
The flatest and most boring state that I've driven through is Arizona from the California side. The road becomes just a straight line to the horizon for hours on end on this stretch. I'm glad you enjoyed Kansas and that sunset stop seemed quite picturesque.
That was a very dangerous situation you were in when that girl drove off at the pump. There are disconnects that are designed to break away, but they require a lot of force and sometimes snap back like in this video:
And when a breakaway doesn't break away, it can pull the whole $20000+ pump off its island. Luckily, there are actually 'shear valves' that stop the flow into the pump if this happens But the shear valves also need to be inspected yearly. The fueling infrastruture we take for granted is actually very, very complex with so many different connected systems working in harmony. I know this because we own a Chevron branded station.
900 miles in a 13hr day is utter exhaustion. I can only imagine what you felt like when you hit the bed at the end of that. My record I believe is DC to Athens, AL in 12hrs 45m. I don't even know how many miles it was because I was too exhausted to even unpack the car and immediately just crashed.
That was a great way to start off day 3 with the Jeeps at the hotel and the parade of Porsches when you headed onto the highway.
I miss starting off days like that. Every Saturday with a sunny sky is like that in the HSV area.
Great to hear the brakes held well. At some point soon I'm sure I'll be looking to do our brakes as well since our mileage is almost identical and I can feel the fronts are slightly warped now. How bad to the Power Stop Z23 Evolution Sport pads dust? I typically like a high-metal content pad that won't dust, even if it does eat the rotor.
Interesting how your segment through Utah reminded me of that desolate and utterly straight section of Arizona. It also has some segments that are without services for 100 miles or more.
Those amazing geographical formations are so irresistable and almost impossible to capture the full grandeur on camera. I took so many photos on my last trip from CA to AL where I stopped wherever my fancy took me, and so many of the Grand Canyon and other formations just couldn't do the places justice.
I've learned that if a car is speeding around with its lights off, it's doing it for a reason and just to stay away. There can be a lot of crazies that do things like that for the thrill of it or to commit a violent crime.
1000 miles and 17hrs--wow, just wow.
What a way to finish off the trip!
As far as the rear scrapes, I know how you feel. But since you have some on the front as we do on ours (#@$%!!), you know the feeling of anger, dissappoinment, sorrow, and acceptance. Sometimes you get a good story out of them, so they're akin to 'war wounds'.
It's always nice to see dangerous law-breakers get their just dessert. I wish that would happen here in Chicago--almost all of the drivers would be off the road. The only place I've seen more rash and uncivilized driving is in India. The drivers here are the worst and that's why insurance is sky high in Illinois, even more so than Wisconsin.
The Michilin Pilot Sport was the original tire on my Boxster, and the PS3s were supposed to be even better. I opted for a Continental for a replacement on the Boxster however as it was $100 cheaper and came highly recommended by a fellow Porsche owner and enthusiast that had run both the PS3s and Continentals. It definitely doesn't disappoint and would probably do the Kizashi just as much justice as the PS3s do.
I must say from the opinion of someone that regularly used to write journalistic pieces such as this--I loved it. Great reading, great stories, great details, great picture, and the best signoff. Hats off to you on an awesome writeup that will be a tribute to the Kizashi for years to come.
Seeing your car in such great shape makes me long for the time, energy, and effort to make ours look as good as yours. Being they're almost twins (we don't have the hood deflector), it was as if I was looking at our car at its best.
I've done quite a few road trips including going from CA to AL and back twice (4 legs total). If you have a time deadline, you're right about just having enough time to eat, sleep and drive. On my last trip, I had no time deadline, so I wandered wherever my heart wanted--took me 3 weeks to get from CA to AL.
I can only imagine how awesome that red Kizashi along side your black one would have looked on the highway. That would have been a killer photo of both cars on the open road.
800 miles is solid for a single day's drive. Looking at the map, you travelled about 1/3 of the US in one day--impressive, most impressive. The longest segment I ever did was Irvine, CA to Amarillo, TX in one day. I was beat!
Bummer about the fog light.
Interesting to know the lens was made of glass like it is on my Altima fogs. Looking at your detailed pictures it seems like the lens had to take the full impact of whatever hit it because there's not even a scratch on the surrounding plastic. Luckily, I think the factory fog light kits are still available so a factory replacement part shouldn't be too hard to source. (I even think someone on the forum has one for sale in the classifieds.)The flatest and most boring state that I've driven through is Arizona from the California side. The road becomes just a straight line to the horizon for hours on end on this stretch. I'm glad you enjoyed Kansas and that sunset stop seemed quite picturesque.
That was a very dangerous situation you were in when that girl drove off at the pump. There are disconnects that are designed to break away, but they require a lot of force and sometimes snap back like in this video:
And when a breakaway doesn't break away, it can pull the whole $20000+ pump off its island. Luckily, there are actually 'shear valves' that stop the flow into the pump if this happens But the shear valves also need to be inspected yearly. The fueling infrastruture we take for granted is actually very, very complex with so many different connected systems working in harmony. I know this because we own a Chevron branded station.
900 miles in a 13hr day is utter exhaustion. I can only imagine what you felt like when you hit the bed at the end of that. My record I believe is DC to Athens, AL in 12hrs 45m. I don't even know how many miles it was because I was too exhausted to even unpack the car and immediately just crashed.
That was a great way to start off day 3 with the Jeeps at the hotel and the parade of Porsches when you headed onto the highway.
I miss starting off days like that. Every Saturday with a sunny sky is like that in the HSV area.Great to hear the brakes held well. At some point soon I'm sure I'll be looking to do our brakes as well since our mileage is almost identical and I can feel the fronts are slightly warped now. How bad to the Power Stop Z23 Evolution Sport pads dust? I typically like a high-metal content pad that won't dust, even if it does eat the rotor.
Interesting how your segment through Utah reminded me of that desolate and utterly straight section of Arizona. It also has some segments that are without services for 100 miles or more.
Those amazing geographical formations are so irresistable and almost impossible to capture the full grandeur on camera. I took so many photos on my last trip from CA to AL where I stopped wherever my fancy took me, and so many of the Grand Canyon and other formations just couldn't do the places justice.
I've learned that if a car is speeding around with its lights off, it's doing it for a reason and just to stay away. There can be a lot of crazies that do things like that for the thrill of it or to commit a violent crime.
1000 miles and 17hrs--wow, just wow.
What a way to finish off the trip!As far as the rear scrapes, I know how you feel. But since you have some on the front as we do on ours (#@$%!!), you know the feeling of anger, dissappoinment, sorrow, and acceptance. Sometimes you get a good story out of them, so they're akin to 'war wounds'.
It's always nice to see dangerous law-breakers get their just dessert. I wish that would happen here in Chicago--almost all of the drivers would be off the road. The only place I've seen more rash and uncivilized driving is in India. The drivers here are the worst and that's why insurance is sky high in Illinois, even more so than Wisconsin.
The Michilin Pilot Sport was the original tire on my Boxster, and the PS3s were supposed to be even better. I opted for a Continental for a replacement on the Boxster however as it was $100 cheaper and came highly recommended by a fellow Porsche owner and enthusiast that had run both the PS3s and Continentals. It definitely doesn't disappoint and would probably do the Kizashi just as much justice as the PS3s do.
I must say from the opinion of someone that regularly used to write journalistic pieces such as this--I loved it. Great reading, great stories, great details, great picture, and the best signoff. Hats off to you on an awesome writeup that will be a tribute to the Kizashi for years to come.
Thanks for the kind words, SamirD. It's this small but great Kizashi community that we have that makes posts worthwhile. I greatly enjoy the Kizashi and while the brand and model are no longer around for us Americans, it doesn't mean we can't enjoy what we have. The cross-country trip was an adventure and one I'm glad I did with the Kizashi.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
Agreed. This is one of my favorite online 'homes'.
I just saw a scan of our original window sticker while I was looking for something else and noticed the powertrain warranty--100,000 or 7 years. I can almost hardly believe that our 2011 is still under a powertrain warranty as it feels like we've had the car forever now.
I just saw a scan of our original window sticker while I was looking for something else and noticed the powertrain warranty--100,000 or 7 years. I can almost hardly believe that our 2011 is still under a powertrain warranty as it feels like we've had the car forever now.
ran my car super smooth the first 2+ years averaging around 28 mpg. Mostly rural driving, very little highway. I won't lie, it's rather annoying driving that way. As of late, I just drive the car, enjoying it for what it is, in a normal fashion and am seeing the 24-25 mpg numbers through winter and plus 1 maybe 2 in the warmer temps. The accelerator is your enemy from dead stops. Long, slow, progressive accelerations while keeping the rpms as far under 2k as possible, at all times, yields the best efficiency....but it sucks, is annoying and very boring. I too don't believe any of the 'usual upgrades' will yield any significant economy improvement, especially for the ROI you won't see. Kuro's advice list is the best for any car to yield the maximum potential fuel savings.read a full review here: https://autodecorlab.com/best-tires-for-prius/