unpleasant Kizashi warranty surprise...

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LPSISRL
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Location: Chesapeake, Virginia

Didn't know that, Ron. But my Kizashi was past the 3/36K bumper to bumper so no rental car was mandated by the warranty. I wonder how they go Suzuki to pay for that.
2011 Kizashi SLS CVT (silver)
2005 Honda Odyssey
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2009 Suzuki SX4 Cross AWD 5-speed Tech package (vapor metallic blue)
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Ronzuki
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Location: Lancaster County, PA

They may actually still have loaners...their insurance rates would reflect that fact, or, they haven't been burned yet. Buick Olds Pontiac GMC dealer I used since 94 gave up loaners back in the 2000s. The Heep, Toy Ford dealer near me had an Enterprise desk right in the repair center in the mid-2000s. Dealer paid the bill under warranty. Still had to go through the motions of the rental contract. This Jeep dealer near work here I use makes people fill out their own rental contracts. They copy license and proof of insurance. Under warranty Jeep paid the bill.
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)
Kizzy13SLSAWD
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2017 6:53 pm

I got the car back from the dealer, who has been really good. Ray Skillman (Indianapolis West) if anyone needs a Suzuki tech in Indiana. Despite being denied the warranty repair by Suzuki, the dealer didn't charge me for the nearly 2 weeks of rental car, and the leak did turn out to be the internal seal on the front differential as I suspected... a $5 part. Walked away with a total bill of $335, which I find to be kind of amazing, all things considered.

My only complaint with the dealer is that they have twice left off the driver's side splash guard and bolts (About $95 worth of parts). So, I may have to drive an hour back to the dealer to get that... which stinks. However, in the grand scheme of things, that's a pretty minor issue.

I'm still taking this to arbitration against Suzuki as I believe I'm in the right with the warranty (and I like to argue). :) If I lose, I'll just eat the repair and move on. $335 is a pretty small loss if that's how things pan out. Mostly now, I'm just concerned that any future problem won't be covered as a result of the warranty denial. Hopefully I can rectify that matter.

Other note, my wife was so happy to have her car back. The rental was a brand new 2017 Kia Optima with every option but leather... she hated it. She was gushing about having her beautiful, powerful car with all the feature back. Lol. The Kizashi really is an underrated car.
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LPSISRL
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I noticed that you wrote that you like to argue and then mentioned your wife. How's that working our for you? :lol:
2011 Kizashi SLS CVT (silver)
2005 Honda Odyssey
Priors:
2009 Suzuki SX4 Cross AWD 5-speed Tech package (vapor metallic blue)
Kizzy13SLSAWD
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Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2017 6:53 pm

Lol... My wife has a flawless memory, so arguing with her never works in my favor. :)

As for the Kizashi, bad news... The "fixed" gear oil leak is back. If anything, it's leaking faster than before the dealer "fixed" it. On top of that, the dealer is trying to claim that they did install the splash guard and that it just flew off... Along with the 6 threaded metal bolts... As my wife drove the car home. Based on this,I rescind my recommendations for this dealership at the moment....
Waiting to see how things pan out, but it's really frustrating to continue dealing with this at Christmas time. I'm broke and busy... Not an ideal combination for a car that needs work. :)
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Ronzuki
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Kizzy13SLSAWD wrote:The "fixed" gear oil leak is back. If anything, it's leaking faster than before the dealer "fixed" it. On top of that, the dealer is trying to claim that they did install the splash guard and that it just flew off... Along with the 6 threaded metal bolts... As my wife drove the car home. Based on this, I rescind my recommendations for this dealership at the moment....
:roll: Why is it that none of this surprises me...especially that it's leaking worse than before? Seal replacements are not hurry-up, slap it in there endeavors. Great care, and patience, must be taken in order to not damage any of the sealing surfaces, even the slightest scratch or knick, lest the leak immediately returns and with vengeance.

Sorry to hear you're still having difficulty with all of this.
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)
golftango
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OP, any updates?
2019 Kia Optima EX Premium
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Knightstruth
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Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2013 10:22 pm

I am also curious if you have any updates. I also would like to know what specifically your wife did not like about the Kia, as I heard a lot of positive things about them?
SamirD
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Ronzuki wrote:
golftango wrote:If you can prove to Suzuki USA that the vehicle was initially registered and titled as personal / non-fleet use, than they have to legally stand by the powertrain warranty.
Unfortunately, Suzuki has no interest here anymore and their lack of response via your service centers would force you to file a legal claim
"Lack of interest" or Suzuki's current "status" in the US is completely irrelevant and therefore moot. They legally have to honor the warranty. I'm sure a quick filing of a small claim in your state to Suzuki will light a fire.

https://www.in.gov/judiciary/files/smal ... manual.pdf
Yeah, yeah, and 'legally' you're not supposed to speed, j-walk, roll through stop signs and a never ending list other things.
I agree with you, all I'm implying is that, as with any "legal" responsibility, we, the consumers, are going to have to want to spend the time, money and endure the aggravation to pursue this wonderful legal relief from the incident. Moot or not, the question is, is it worth 600 bucks? Not worth my time alone, and moreover the aggravation, I can tell you that. The 'vacation day' I'd have to waste (if simply just one) is worth more to me than that. If I were Suzuki, in their current status here, right now (nothing to gain or lose), I'd wager the average consumer wouldn't want to commit on following through...legally and all. So I'd say "no, not going to cover it", sit back, and wait for your next move.

I've often found that having a warranty is one thing, getting anyone to honor a warranty is a completely different matter, legal or not. All this goes to prove is that when it comes to purchasing used vehicles, buyer be aware. That would be the pessimist (realist) talking now.
And this is exactly why companies try this tactic all the time--forcing the consumer to take the loss. I've seen enough of it in my lifetime to add up to at least 5 figures I've lost.

It's terrible to see Suzuki taking action like this for warranty issues. I just hope they don't try to pull any more stuff like this as the car ages. I guess sometimes a little leak is just fine as long as you watch it. :roll:
Kizzy13SLSAWD
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2017 6:53 pm

Sorry this is so late. Things were resolved mostly to my satisfaction. First, the dealer admitted that they had forgotten to bolt the engine splash shields back on and FINALLY got a new set to me (mailed from Japan). I put them on myself with new stainless bolts. They still tried to offhandedly blame my wife claiming the giant sheets of rigid plastic and threaded bolts had all magically fallen off the car as she drove home... but the fact that they were willing to capitulate and send the $150 parts was admission enough for me.

Second good news is that I took Suzuki to arbitration, arguing that regardless of purchase intent, my car was never used for a single mile as a fleet vehicle. The arbiters agreed (all done via e-mail/mail) and awarded me compensation. They not only paid for the repair, but also reimbursed me for the rental car. Bam ~$1500 back in pocket. It came with a real snotty letter from a Suzuki manager stating that my car wouldn't be covered by warranty stuff in the future since it was a fleet car... lol, that's what I just officially disproved, thank you very much.

Third good news, after all that messing around, I fixed the leak in the transfer case myself. It had continued leaking after the dealer "found and replaced a leaky seal." Well, I hopped in the passenger seat one day (it's my wife's ride) and immediately noticed an off-balance shaking that could not be felt AT ALL from the driver's side (or the steering wheel since it's electric). I got out and found that the right passenger tire was practically destroyed. I immediately sent my wife to a local chevy dealer for new tires and a balance (they have a Hunter Roadforce balancer, which is awesome). They took her out to the service bay and showed her how badly out of balance her wheel was... it was a severely BENT WHEEL. It turns out that the bent wheel, combined with a slightly overfilled transfer case = leak. Got a replacement wheel from a junkyard for $100 (in mint condition too!) and refilled the transfer case with the correct fluid level. No more leak. It's been perfect ever since.

It's a little hard to believe that the technicians didn't notice that the front passenger tire was virtually destroyed and causing the car to shake ... with an input directly into the transfer case. Nonetheless, we're all good now, and the only thing the car is leaving on the ground is condensation from our 100F summer days.

I got a new recall letter over the weekend for a CVT controller... I want to get it swapped out, but I'm not sure I can handle another experience with the same dealer. Maybe there's a way for me to do it... I'm pretty sure it's right on the top of the engine bay. We'll see. For now, all is good, and the Kizashi pushes on. :D

For the guy asking what we didn't like about the Kia Optima... it was fine. It was smooth, reasonable, basic transportation. Compared to the more compact, nimble, and communicable chassis of the Kizashi, it was a floaty boat. The ergonomics were also a little off compared to those of the Kizashi.. seats, armrests, switches, etc are all better positioned in the Suzuki. Overall, my wife just wasn't a fan. She wanted her "sporty car" back. Oh, it also smelled like a heavily perfumed Russian cab driver; that didn't help, lol.
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