New Rattle--Please call American Suzuki to report!

[Hawkzilla]

I wish you could say that too, since I would be extremely frustrated if I had to experience what you are going through... I'm very sorry to hear that.

Come to think of it, I do hear some odd noises coming from under the car when backing out of my driveway and turning from a stop. I have to have my radio off to hear them, but it sounds a lot like something is getting ready to go wrong eventually... but I sure hope not.

I'd say I am 99% happy with mine, the 1% being that damn lag issue. I'm leasing mine and won't be sure about buying it outright when it's up, but if I had to guess today if I would I would probably say yes. If this car is still holding up in 3 years, I would love to put some body mods on it with some under the hood and get a custom paint job. Then again, if I can find a really good condition used Lexus GS 350 for around $20K, I'll probably go that route. AWD with 300 hp and 0-60 under 6 seconds? I say hell yeah. I'll be due for a mid-life crisis about then anyway.

[VicLikesCars2]

Report of FOURTH (4th) visit to Suzuki Service to correct/fix "clunk" from R/F.

Magic words did it...!! A suzuki rep declared that my problem was "Insufficiently Objectionable" for any further effort to be made by them. POOF! Magic words.... Problem solved.

And then, they replaced the R-side engine mount AGAIN. AFTER saying they could not detect a problem, they installed my 3rd R-side engine mount. As you may have guessed, this third mount did nothing whatever to affect the clunk. Anyone wanting the play-by-play of my 6-hour wait that resulted in no improvement at all, please just ask.

Admission of error on my part: Above, I said that a video camera recording of the "clunk" as it was occuring would be "helpful". I was wrong. I played my recording for the Suzuki rep. He heard nothing... I played it over again 3 more times. What I described as "... is plainly audible on Play-back." was not audible AT ALL to our Suzuki friend. I did it 4 times; he heard nothing unusual at all 4 times. As stated above, I apologize for my error. The phrase "let's go to the video tape and see what happened..." doesn't apply to automobiles.

In conclusion, AFTER declaring no significant problem existed; AFTER denying an audible problem on the recording, AFTER denying any noise on several road trips, they put the THIRD new engine mount (counting the original one as the 1st) in a 6 month old car. It had no effect whatever. The noise remains.

P.S. As his opening gambit, the tech offered the "they all do that" ploy. I'll be glad to explain why this did not work well for anyone interested.

[Hawkzilla]

Vic, I'm very sorry to hear that. I hate to say this, but have you looked up the "lemon law" in your state? If I were you, I would start looking at that route rather than deal with those a-holes again.

No way should anyone have to drive a brand new car that clunks!

[chockysmudge]

Is the video too big up be uploaded here, or somewhere else with a link? Mine has travelled only 700 km at the moment and keen to hear what I need to listen for. I have about 1 km of unsealed road that my povo "home brand" local council will not seal, so I expect that with all the expected stone chips, underbody scrapes, extra washing etc, I will be a canditate for the Kizashi Krunch! or Kizashi Klunk!

[VicLikesCars2]

Hawkzilla: "...have you looked up the "lemon law"...".

Yes, I'm aware of that. The Suzuki rep said that if he couldn't fix my noise, he would then process the paper-work for Arbitration. I went through this process with a '96 Honda Accord EX 5-Spd Coupe that lost all hydraulic brake fluid on the highway resulting in complete brake failure at 160 miles on the odometer. I got a new car.

My problem now is that, after 6 months, and 6K miles, I have emotionally bonded with this particular car. And, it makes me crazy just like a woman would. (If you want to know the whole sordid truth, I view this Kizashi as a PlayMate of the Month with a great big pimple on her butt... ) I'm going to live with it/her as is, with no more complaints. I am so pleased by every other aspect of the car that I'm going to be exactly like Suzuki Service: I simply will not any longer hear the noise; it will be "insufficiently objectionable" for the remainder of my ownership period. Poof! Magic words. Problem solved.

[VicLikesCars2]

Chockysmudge: "Is the video too big...?"

No, I'm too dumb... I am not computer-literate. If I can't get it done with left clicks, it don't get done. I don't use the computer for the video camera at all. I use a 4 gig Sandisk chip to record on, and then use the three-color (red, white, yellow) cable to connect to Video Input on the back of the TV.

If you REALLY want to hear the noise, the best I could do would be to set up the camera and play it back while holding a cell phone up to the speaker. If you want to grab my sign-in e-mail address and shoot me your telephone number, I'll do what I can to help out.

Just for the record, if your car did have the "Kizashi Klunk", as opposed to just random, ordinary car noises, I'm pretty sure you'd know it. I get the noise every time I cross Ulmerton and Starkey, and also with Belcher. I get it EVERY TIME, 5 to 6 "KLUNKS" going out, the same coming home. Every time...

PS: I you don't mind, I'd like to steal the term KIZASHI KLUNK from you to use whenever I can fit it in. I like that term...

[chockysmudge]

If nothing else in my life can I contribute anything else to mankind, I can at least fall back on the Kizashi Klunk. When i stand at the Pearly Gates before, St Peter shuffling my feet and he asks, what is it that you have given to mankind, I can at least try, I named the Kizashi Klunk! Thats probably all I have.

Feel free to adopt, the Kizashi Klunk. Hopefully I will never be burdened it.

[drbios]

any news about the damn noise ??
can someone post a video ??
can someone see under the car take some pics and see if exist some kind of scratch or hit on some thing ? with a noise like this, some thing must have visible damages
can someone place a camera on the car and record inside , under the wheel? i will try this and post the video

[VicLikesCars2]

drbios:

I'm not sure I should respond to your questions. Officially, I no longer hear the Klunk! You may recall that Suzuki's factory rep drove my car and said, more or less, "Rattle? What rattle? We don't hear no stinking rattle! WE DON'T GOT TO FIX NO STINKIN RATTLE!! And they didn't.

Yes, the noise is still there. Everyday. I actually do try to ignore it. When I hear it I say: SUZUKI: A 6-letter Japanese word meaning FORD. (OUCH!! That's gotta hurt....)

If there is some way you could make a video from the under-side, that would be good. I made one from the inside looking up at the bottom of the glove-box. The rattle/noise was plainly audible as the car went over Belcher Rd and at Starkey. The rep didn't hear it... Four (4) times he didn't hear it. Maybe you will have better luck. I hope so. I know I'd still pay out of my own pocket to get it fixed. (I offered to pay for the tech-time to find this clunk; the shop refused to even look. Oh well...)

"... or hit on something?" This is where I am currently at, theory-wise. I think the shop was looking for something normal that would happen in the ordinary course of assembly. Now I'm thinking something unfortunate may have happened in transit, and nobody said anything.
That's part of why I wanted to pay the shop to just start tugging on stuff and banging on things (gently, of course) and see what they could find. They declined to do so...

[drbios]

dear VicLikesCars2

my noise sounds like a hollow plastic tube hit against something
I blamed a fuel line or tube of an air conditioner near the floor or under the car in the area of ​​lower aerodynamic outer coating
How is yours?
I will make tests soon with video on the rim of the wheel and I will post the video