CVT Replacment coming

LPSISRL · Mon Jul 25, 2016 5:00 pm

Just got a call from the Suzuki service center. My transmission has been ordered and should be in tomorrow. They will begin work on Wednesday. Covered 100% under warranty! Woohoo!

LPSISRL · Wed Jul 27, 2016 4:39 pm

New (or rebuilt) transmission came in yesterday as promised. Supposed to be replacing it today. They said that they were sure it would be done by tomorrow. Gave me a free loaner in the fashion of a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander. I really don't like SUVs and I really don't get the draw. But hey, it's free! It's got a CVT but it's programmed a bit differently. It acts more like a standard automatic if that makes sense. For example, if you hit the throttle good when moving, it will "downshift" much more abruptly than the Kizashi CVT so you lose the smoothness with a bit of shift-shock. When taking off, it will easily climb to 3,000 RPM and stay there until you let off the throttle. It is a 4-banger so maybe it has to rev higher during take offs. In the Kizashi, you have to progressively give it gas to keep the RPMs up. So far I'm pretty impressed with this service center. This is the same one that damaged my interior when I took it in for the spider/shifter recalls. Under different management now. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Wed Jul 27, 2016 6:28 pm

LPSISRL wrote:New (or rebuilt) transmission came in yesterday as promised. Supposed to be replacing it today. They said that they were sure it would be done by tomorrow. Gave me a free loaner in the fashion of a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander. I really don't like SUVs and I really don't get the draw. But hey, it's free! It's got a CVT but it's programmed a bit differently. It acts more like a standard automatic if that makes sense. For example, if you hit the throttle good when moving, it will "downshift" much more abruptly than the Kizashi CVT so you lose the smoothness with a bit of shift-shock. When taking off, it will easily climb to 3,000 RPM and stay there until you let off the throttle. It is a 4-banger so maybe it has to rev higher during take offs. In the Kizashi, you have to progressively give it gas to keep the RPMs up. So far I'm pretty impressed with this service center. This is the same one that damaged my interior when I took it in for the spider/shifter recalls. Under different management now. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Glad to hear it's underway. Also interesting about the Outlander. The older version had the same CVT as the Kizashi but the newer '15s have the newer CVT8 from JATCO. I consider the Outlander an underdog of its CUV segment, kind of like the Kizashi but with less intrinsic appeal. However, I really don't think it's much worse than a RAV4 or CR-V given the value. That being said, the only Outlander that really appeals to me is the upcoming PHEV finally arriving to the US this summer.

LPSISRL · Fri Jul 29, 2016 3:39 am

Well, the shop had my 2011 SLS for two days to replace the transmission. The only thing I hear running down the road now is the tires. Gone is the groan from the transmission that got louder so gradually, it was impossible to notice the change. Only when I drove a couple other ones did it become very apparent that mine sounded very different from the others. It took a week from woe to go. Not bad for a major warranty repair on an orphan car. Kudos to the shop. They did nothing but impress me. I'll update this post after 1.000 miles or so to let everyone know how it's going. Heading to Pittsburgh for a wedding tomorrow. Right smack into the middle of Kizashi territory. Maybe I'll see a few. Maybe I'll see one of you!

Fri Jul 29, 2016 1:24 pm

Good to hear a positive warranty related issue resolved so easily and quickly. That is not the norm. I've been fortunate with my CVT. 107k and no issues. I changed fluid at 60k and will do so again at 120k. Plan on trading in by next spring.

golftango · Fri Jul 29, 2016 2:08 pm

Interested to know if it was a new unit, or used/reconditioned?

kconklin33 · Mon Aug 01, 2016 12:43 am

BLyons wrote:If I remember right he had hit a deer and had it repaired at a shop, then the engine blew up afterward and neither Suzuki or the shop will take responsibility or it. Maybe I'm mixing up some stories though.

Yupp. That's me. Suzuki was claimed that the engine malfunction was due to an issue during the reassemble of the cooling system and not a faulty engine. Body shop claimed they had done everything correctly and that it was because of a faulty engine. Nevertheless, Suzuki is preparing to settle for the damages. I have 1/2" of cylinder wall that cracked off and fell into the block. I'll try to dig up some pics.

Mon Aug 01, 2016 11:48 am

kconklin33 wrote:
BLyons wrote:If I remember right he had hit a deer and had it repaired at a shop, then the engine blew up afterward and neither Suzuki or the shop will take responsibility or it. Maybe I'm mixing up some stories though.
Yupp. That's me. Suzuki was claimed that the engine malfunction was due to an issue during the reassemble of the cooling system and not a faulty engine. Body shop claimed they had done everything correctly and that it was because of a faulty engine. Nevertheless, Suzuki is preparing to settle for the damages. I have 1/2" of cylinder wall that cracked off and fell into the block. I'll try to dig up some pics.

I am nearly certain it's the shop's fault and not Suzuki. Just about every time I've seen my car or someone else's come out of a body shop, there is something missing, misplaced, or forgotten about. There is a huge difference in the workmanship between mechanics and body work guys in my experience. I recently had a coworker call me for advice when her car overheated shortly after some bodywork was done at a shop. I told her to stop driving and have it towed to a mechanic she trusted. The next day, the mechanic told her that the body shop had forgotten to reconnect her fan harness when they made the repairs which caused the overheating.
I'm sure your engine had a similar mishap due to the lack of care from the "pros" at the body shop. Also, if it really was a Suzuki engine issue, you'd see more faulty J24B engines but you just don't. Also, isn't this the shop that did a piss-poor paint job of your front bumper that now flakes off? If so, it screams volumes about who is likely at fault for this engine issue. Glad to hear Suzuki is helping you out though.

LPSISRL · Mon Aug 01, 2016 12:49 pm

golftango wrote:Interested to know if it was a new unit, or used/reconditioned?

I specifically asked the service writer if it was new or a "recon". She thought it was new. She went and asked the tech and he said that it was new.

golftango · Mon Aug 01, 2016 3:50 pm

KuroNekko wrote:
kconklin33 wrote:
BLyons wrote:If I remember right he had hit a deer and had it repaired at a shop, then the engine blew up afterward and neither Suzuki or the shop will take responsibility or it. Maybe I'm mixing up some stories though.
Yupp. That's me. Suzuki was claimed that the engine malfunction was due to an issue during the reassemble of the cooling system and not a faulty engine. Body shop claimed they had done everything correctly and that it was because of a faulty engine. Nevertheless, Suzuki is preparing to settle for the damages. I have 1/2" of cylinder wall that cracked off and fell into the block. I'll try to dig up some pics.
I am nearly certain it's the shop's fault and not Suzuki. Just about every time I've seen my car or someone else's come out of a body shop, there is something missing, misplaced, or forgotten about. There is a huge difference in the workmanship between mechanics and body work guys in my experience. I recently had a coworker call me for advice when her car overheated shortly after some bodywork was done at a shop. I told her to stop driving and have it towed to a mechanic she trusted. The next day, the mechanic told her that the body shop had forgotten to reconnect her fan harness when they made the repairs which caused the overheating.
I'm sure your engine had a similar mishap due to the lack of care from the "pros" at the body shop. Also, if it really was a Suzuki engine issue, you'd see more faulty J24B engines but you just don't. Also, isn't this the shop that did a piss-poor paint job of your front bumper that now flakes off? If so, it screams volumes about who is likely at fault for this engine issue. Glad to hear Suzuki is helping you out though.

Suzuki would need to prove 100% that the body shop's work caused the failure. I bet this would be downright impossible to do without spending lots of time and $.