Wrapping up 2021 with the Kizashi

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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

Regrettably, this year has not allowed me to post here as much as I have in the past years. I've been wanting to post and upload more photos but life has got in the way. That being said, the Kizashi has continued to be a dependent vehicle for me that I rely on for work and personal use. This year, my 2011 Kizashi Sport GTS turned a decade old and I currently have about 115,000 miles on it. Given the age and mileage, I have maintained the car this year with a focus on high mileage service and getting it ready for the next 100,000 miles. This post is to serve as a wrap-up of the year with the Kizashi and document some of the repairs and maintenance. It's also going to be a retroactive posting of some of the adventures with the Kizashi.

As mentioned, at now over 100K miles, I took on some of the more major service I had yet to do with the Kizashi I bought practically new in 2012 with only 7,500 miles on it. This year, I changed the coolant and the serpentine belt. While I had also bought Continental belt idler pulleys from RockAuto, they did not actually fit the Kizashi so I reused the OE parts. Having replaced all the struts and shocks either earlier this year or last year, I also replaced the sway bar links on all corners. The fronts were easy but corrosion made the rears the most challenging thing I've come across with my Kizashi thus far. I had to resort to using a Dremel to saw the end links off the mount to install replacement end links I sourced from Moog. The Moog end links are lot beefier and have a design that makes them easier to remove in the future.
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I also replaced my valve cover gasket after noticing some minor oil leaks from the seal. It appears to be a moderately common issue with the engine that numerous members here have addressed. I bought a gasket on Amazon that fit perfectly. While I had the cover off, I took some photos of the engine's camshafts and timing chain. I was impressed with the cleanliness of the engine and felt vindicated in using full synthetic motor oil since the beginning. I've changed brands of oil a few times but stuck to a full syn 5W30 motor oil and will continue to do so.
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I also changed my HID headlight bulbs after several years of service from my Morimoto XB35 5000K bulbs I installed in January of 2014. While the bulbs never failed, they didn't appear as bright as before so I opted to just change the bulbs, keeping the rest of the kit. I got a set of HID bulbs on clearance from TRS.com that use a Phillips capsule outputting 4300K for an OE HID look. While these bulbs are less white and more warm, the light output has increased noticeably. In the picture below, the vehicle's LH side headlight (right side of picture) has the new 4300K bulb while the RH side has the 5000K bulb. Because I merely changed the bulbs instead of the whole kit, the replacement bulbs on clearance cost me only $20 for the pair. While the photo doesn't reflect the difference much in output, it was significant on the road. If you have tired headlight bulbs after several years of service, it might be a good idea to replace them to get back optimal road illumination.
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As for issues, I've had relatively minor issues with the Kizashi in terms of reliability. The idle was wonky for a bit and the engine sometimes stalled at idle. I resolved the issue by cleaning the MAF and throttle body for the first time. I also had a mysterious engine stall-out recently following an odd start but cured that with a battery disconnect. I also had a clutch bearing noise for a few months over the summer that disappeared all together. The clutch is operating fine and the noise hasn't reappeared for several months now. That was pretty much it for issues with the car. It continues to be a reliable vehicle that doesn't give me problems I can't resolve quickly on my own or goes away on its own.

I also got the fuel tank replaced as part of the recall sometime earlier this year or the last. Can't remember anymore but the recall work appears to be good and I've had no issues. I'll also get the passenger seat recall work done next year.

While I go on plenty of outdoor adventures, the Kizashi isn't exactly the best car for offroad travel to remote campsites. I thankfully have access to my girlfriend's 2019 Chevy Equinox AWD that has served as an impressive vehicle for all our adventure needs. While I have pushed that CUV a bit more than it was designed to do at times, it's been a great car and thankfully got me places and hauled things that the Kizashi could not. That being said, I'm using the Kizashi for trips it can get to and most recently drove it out to the Salton Sea for primitive camping. The campsite was accessible for any vehicle so I opted to take the Kizashi with the Thule roof box for extra cargo space. The Salton Sea is a very unique place because it's basically a huge lake with no inlet or outlet thus it's quite toxic at times due to salinity, algae, and agricultural runoff of chemicals. Hence, you don't see anyone or anything in it most of the time. This allows for a natural serenity unlike most places with this sort of scenery with mountains for a backdrop. It's also far in the desert and at night, allows for some unreal views of the stars. I easily spotted numerous satellites as they moved across the night sky. I wanted to visit the Salton Sea for a number of these unique reasons but I also expect the place to change a lot in the next several years. The Salton Sea is actually believed by industry experts and scientists to have the largest reserve of lithium in the United States, with some estimates as high as 40% of the entire national supply. I believe it is inevitable as we shift to electrified vehicles that lithium mining will need to increase and it appears the United States has some promising resources such as the Salton Sea.
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While there are other things I can write about, these are the highlights of 2021 with the Kizashi for me. Please feel free to comment or share your own stories and photos of your 2021 with your Kizashi. Happy New Year and stay safe and sane out there.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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Ronzuki
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Location: Lancaster County, PA

Nice pics and update all around. The Salton Sea story is quite interesting especially since reading this
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gm-heral ... 46562.html
just before logging in here and going through this post of yours.

Not looking to hi-jack your post, however, making claims that electrification of the automobile "is inevitable", opens the door for contradictory opinion.
Personally, and as I've stated many times for reasons exactly like the following (among many others),
https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/26/228 ... epair-bill
I find electric, as well as all other highly over-automated vehicles to be an enormous, toxic , expensive, technological pipe-dream for the average consumer.
Not to mention, please explain to me again, one more time, where, exactly, all of the electric comes from to charge these eco-friendly, zero-emission, chemically-laden, techno-marvels? Solar? (highly toxic to produce) Wind? (land-fill nightmare) Hydro? (you're running out of water). Nuke? (we all know how that ends) Burning something? (ding-ding-ding). Why not just stick to what we know (the good and the bad), and that which we have national infrastructure in place for, instead of creating yet another destructive polluting over-priced method of propelling our rear ends down the road.

Nothing is for free.
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)
KlutzNinja
Posts: 286
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EVs require repairs less often than gasoline vehicles, but their repairs are usually more expensive (how much more expensive, I’m not sure). Battery replacements such as with this exploded Model S aren’t too common, to my knowledge. However, now that the oldest Teslas are falling out of warranty, as the article mentioned, this may become more common. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is also happening to the original Leafs, Focus EVs, and iMiEVs (lmao). EVs are currently viewed as throwaway cars due to the nature of their batteries degrading; this is probably my least favorite aspect about them. I for one like that you can keep normal cars around for decades if you really want to, and if parts are available. If I had an EV I would avoid the quick-chargers unless absolutely necessary. Maybe one day quick-swap batteries will be developed for cheap (relatively speaking), but who knows when that will happen.
Infrastructure for EVs is better than a decade ago, but it’s still got a long way to go in lots of states. I’m sure in more progressive countries like those of Scandinavia, an all-EV future is feasible. Pretty sure Sweden or one of them is banning (new?) internal combustion cars in 2040 or something. The automakers are going down that road, too; Hyundai just stopped all development on IC engines.
https://www.motortrend.com/news/hyundai ... -canceled/

I looked into a couple of your points about alt-energy drawbacks, Ron, and you’re right - the industry seems to have the same throwaway mindset as EVs. That’s a little ironically unsustainable for a cause about sustainability. I have to believe that better, long-term, less-hazardous solar panel materials and technology are being developed right now. I’d imagine the rollout/distribution and widespread adoption of such improved products would take an eternity, though (unless it’s made by Tesla; the Tesla cult would surely save the day :lol:).
And there are programs for recycling wind turbines blades, although trashing them is just the more cost-effective measure (as usual). But there are also more sustainable wind turbines in development, too.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatod ... 8647981002
I think one of the problems with the current energy situation is that we’re moving towards alternative, cleaner sources of energy before it’s ready for us; we’re just not there yet with the fine details. Either they’re just not efficient on the same scale as more traditional sources of energy, they’re hazardous throwaway tech, or the infrastructure is still a work-in-progress. I get why we’re moving so fast to it - it’s definitely needed, but I think a lot of people are in the dark on the drawbacks and how hasty this all really is.

For what it’s worth I was going to contribute to this thread on-topic lol. My year with my Kizashi, basically almost the same as Kuro’s but a 2013 with the CVT, has been pretty uneventful. I’m just about to hit 70k miles. Did an oil change four months ago; didn’t tighten the filter well so it leaked a little bit for a while. Had the rear brake rotors and pads replaced seven months ago. Replaced one of the license plate bulbs (meh), thankfully the other is doing okay. Not sure when my headlights will die because they seem pretty dim. I forget if the side marker bulb going out and replacing both was this year or the last. Probably need an alignment and maybe new front brake pads. Also need to change CVT fluid and maybe the filters. Plus new spark plugs. And my car definitely needs a wash and waxing, perhaps more than anything else :lol:.
The sad thing is, I can do most of what’s needed by myself, but I never seem to have the right time, let alone place, to do them. I’ve had replacement spark plugs for almost two years now, car soap and wax for a while, etc.
Current: Blue 2018 Mazda 3 GT 5-Door
Previous: Blue 2010 Ford Focus SES,
Black 2013 Kizashi Sport GTS-L (CVT; FWD)(RIP)
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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

Ronzuki wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 1:24 pm Nice pics and update all around. The Salton Sea story is quite interesting especially since reading this
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gm-heral ... 46562.html
just before logging in here and going through this post of yours.

Not looking to hi-jack your post, however, making claims that electrification of the automobile "is inevitable", opens the door for contradictory opinion.
Personally, and as I've stated many times for reasons exactly like the following (among many others),
https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/26/228 ... epair-bill
I find electric, as well as all other highly over-automated vehicles to be an enormous, toxic , expensive, technological pipe-dream for the average consumer.
Not to mention, please explain to me again, one more time, where, exactly, all of the electric comes from to charge these eco-friendly, zero-emission, chemically-laden, techno-marvels? Solar? (highly toxic to produce) Wind? (land-fill nightmare) Hydro? (you're running out of water). Nuke? (we all know how that ends) Burning something? (ding-ding-ding). Why not just stick to what we know (the good and the bad), and that which we have national infrastructure in place for, instead of creating yet another destructive polluting over-priced method of propelling our rear ends down the road.

Nothing is for free.
While I didn't want this thread to go off-topic, I do want to reply to your response regarding EVs and the "inevitable" shift to them:
The argument that "clean energy" is actually "toxic" or will contribute to landfill waste is an argument that might be technically correct but is deeply rooted in negligence of the reality with fossil fuels, especially oil. It's like complaining of a paper cut as you lay dying of a gunshot wound, unable to tell the difference because they both bleed despite the vastly different rate of blood loss. Solar panels are toxic? Maybe but please let me know of when solar panels spill out in the millions of units into a coastline or out of a pipeline every year. Wind turbines contribute to landfill waste? Yes, but after an industry average of 25 years of service creating clean energy. Meanwhile, the fossil fuels that power our internal combustion engines require oil that is drilled, refined, and transported to the consumer all before combustion, resulting in tailpipe emissions. There is no alternative to this process for a conventional gasoline car. Every step of drilling, refinement, and transport has major environmental impacts with constant spillage, fires, explosions, toxic seepage, and other problems. It's constantly in the news because it happens so often worldwide. I didn't even get into the problems with tailpipe emissions. I don't think I need to.

Also, we often forget who has the largest reserves of oil in the world. Hint: the United States fought and suppressed the Taliban for 20 years under four different presidents: 2 Republican and 2 Democrat. Despite this, the Taliban were never vanquished and now run Afghanistan again. Any idea where they continued to get their funding to remain relevant all this time? It's a three letter word that the world is so dependent on.
Speaking of oil, when you read the "research" that "exposes the toxicity of solar panels or waste of wind turbines", look at who published that article or conducted that "research". I have on occasion and found some humorous results as these "research foundations" and their findings were propagated by oil tycoons. I recall one such "research organization" that "exposed the toxicity of solar panels" was literally founded and funded by the Koch brothers. This is no different than Philip Morris telling you that the patch is "bad". Research or vested propaganda? Hmm.

Meanwhile, EVs offer a whole plethora of energy sources that can range from coal from a powerplant to solar panels on one's own home. Also, the reality of Li-ion batteries is that they don't actually just die completely in most cases. They run out of usable charge capacity for something like a vehicle but can be repurposed for other usage. I recall once having this very discussion here and providing a link to an article of how Japan is using old Nissan Leaf batteries to power vending machines and coolers in remote areas during disaster outages. Old batteries can be recycled or repurposed meanwhile fossil fuels like oil pollute a lot and is finite as a resource. Also, if you follow the news in energy development, we are on the cusp of realizing nuclear fusion reaction. Most nations/projects that have been working on this are making huge strides in progress as of this last year. It's not as sci-fi now as one might think. https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-tec ... er-future/ The article focuses on ITER in France but similar projects are happening in other nations.

While for the consumer, the idea of a failed EV battery is daunting, most batteries in EVs and hybrids are fizzing out at about 200,000 miles of service life. This mileage isn't premature and actually outlasts many conventional powertrain components. Prime example: The Kizashi's CVT. Ouch. While the CVT is far cheaper to replace than a Tesla battery, neither car at high mileage is worth their respective replacement cost in most cases thus are junked or in one case, blown up. My point here is that EVs aren't failing at rates higher than conventional vehicles. Those that do are recalled or covered by warranty.

Lastly, I want to get into why I actually used the word "inevitable" and it might come a little unexpected. The reality is that environmental concerns aside, the auto industry is changing because of factors within itself. Consumers are buying EVs in greater rates as they improve and more models are added. Furthermore, EV companies have very high stock market valuations that legacy automakers cannot ignore. Whether investor hype or not, Rivian was valued higher than Ford, a legacy automaker with a 100 year history, before Rivian even delivered cars for preorders. There is no way legacy auto executives and shareholders can ignore this. Keep in mind Tesla and Rivian are also run/sponsored/largely-owned by some of the most successful and influential business leaders. Rivian will not be vaporware given their ties to Jeff Bezos and Amazon.
My point in all this is that EVs are inevitable as automakers themselves have already shifted their attention and focus to them. Some of the largest automakers like Volkswagen Auto Group and Hyundai/KIA have announced recently to terminate internal combustion engine development to shift focus to electric powertrains. Even Toyota, a company that has for many years resisted and even openly rejected EVs in ads and lobbying, has finally conceded and announced a line-up of BEVs to come. These companies are realizing that ICE is at its swan song now and the paradigm shift to EV is inevitable. Even the stock values alone are indicating that EVs will get the investment that these companies need and ICE will be left astray in time. You might not want EVs in your garage right now but probably want them in your stock portfolio. All this spells the inevitable shift to EVs.

So to conclude, do I think EVs are the best cars for everyone? No. Are they even necessarily better vehicles in all regards? No. But to me, it's clear that investors favor them greatly and things tend to go where the $ is. Legacy automakers see this and don't want to miss out thus they will drive the shift themselves.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
KlutzNinja
Posts: 286
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2019 6:58 am

Sorry to post off-topic again, but this article about potential near-future EV battery technologies was pretty interesting:
https://www.motortrend.com/features/lon ... ev-future/

Kuro, I think you said a while back you had your wheels repainted, no? Did you have them painted to original spec? They look a shade darker than normal Sport wheels in your pics, as far as I can tell. Maybe it’s the lighting or something else. They look good not being bright silver. I mean, the stock bright silver look is okay, but slightly darker is cool, too. I’m definitely not biased, as someone whose previous car had stock darker wheels lol.
Current: Blue 2018 Mazda 3 GT 5-Door
Previous: Blue 2010 Ford Focus SES,
Black 2013 Kizashi Sport GTS-L (CVT; FWD)(RIP)
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KuroNekko
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KlutzNinja wrote: Tue Jan 04, 2022 3:34 am Sorry to post off-topic again, but this article about potential near-future EV battery technologies was pretty interesting:
https://www.motortrend.com/features/lon ... ev-future/

Kuro, I think you said a while back you had your wheels repainted, no? Did you have them painted to original spec? They look a shade darker than normal Sport wheels in your pics, as far as I can tell. Maybe it’s the lighting or something else. They look good not being bright silver. I mean, the stock bright silver look is okay, but slightly darker is cool, too. I’m definitely not biased, as someone whose previous car had stock darker wheels lol.
Several years ago, back when I was in DC, someone hit my car so I had a body shop fix the minor damage. The shop also did a complimentary wash but it was evident they used a powerful power washer that stripped some of the OE paint off the wheels. When they gave me the car back, I pointed out that it was obvious they washed my car and ruined the wheels in the process. They agreed to repaint them due to the damage. A couple days later when I got the car back, I noticed that the wheels were noticeably darker than the OE silver. The auto shop associate was a bit nervous as he explained they sampled the OE paint for matching but the blend turned out much darker. He apologized but I told him that I didn't mind and actually preferred it. They had also clear-coated the wheels and I was just happy with the overall results, especially knowing the OE paint was just crap. So, yes, I have darker wheels that resemble a titanium color instead of the OE silver that matched the trim and exhaust tip. The repaint has also held up admirably unlike the original paint.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
golftango
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Awesome check in! Glad the Kizashi is still proving to be a reliable vehicle 10 years later. I suggest checking the rear main seal. Mine started leaking @ 30K or so, not sure if this is a weak point, but something to consider.

And I'm surprised that corrosion was an issue as you're in SoCal.
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KuroNekko
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golftango wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 5:03 pm Awesome check in! Glad the Kizashi is still proving to be a reliable vehicle 10 years later. I suggest checking the rear main seal. Mine started leaking @ 30K or so, not sure if this is a weak point, but something to consider.

And I'm surprised that corrosion was an issue as you're in SoCal.
I'll check the area of the rear main seal at my next oil change which is coming up soon.
As for the corrosion: I've been in SoCal since 2017 but owned the Kizashi since 2012. I bought it in New Jersey and drove it in Maryland and DC for several years so it definitely was exposed to road salt in the winters. Thankfully, the corrosion is very minor. I now deal with heat and sun related issues such as headlight UV hazing, bubbling tint and interior trim. All minor stuff.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
KlutzNinja
Posts: 286
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Where exactly in your interior is the sun causing damage? As someone also in SoCal, I’m curious lol.
I have these magnetic side window shades that cover most of said glass, and I also have a pretty mediocre windshield sunshade, but nothing really for the rear glass. I’ve spent tons of time online looking for such a product and it doesn’t seem to exist. The car is still going to get warm/hot in the sun regardless, but it’s nice knowing the interior bits would be shielded from UV rays.
Current: Blue 2018 Mazda 3 GT 5-Door
Previous: Blue 2010 Ford Focus SES,
Black 2013 Kizashi Sport GTS-L (CVT; FWD)(RIP)
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KuroNekko
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KlutzNinja wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:56 pm Where exactly in your interior is the sun causing damage? As someone also in SoCal, I’m curious lol.
I have these magnetic side window shades that cover most of said glass, and I also have a pretty mediocre windshield sunshade, but nothing really for the rear glass. I’ve spent tons of time online looking for such a product and it doesn’t seem to exist. The car is still going to get warm/hot in the sun regardless, but it’s nice knowing the interior bits would be shielded from UV rays.
So the last time I went to Japan and came back after three weeks, I noticed that my Kizashi's interior silver trim on the passenger side above the glove box was bubbling up. I was a bit surprised because this was in mid to late October but the car was parked outside. The bubbling only goes down in high summer heat but always returns once the interior has cooled down. I haven't really tried to properly squeeze the bubbles out with a tool but doing so with my fingers hasn't helped as it re-bubbles after cooling down. I can try to take a picture and post it. My interior is otherwise fine as I have ceramic tinted windows which aren't too dark but reflect heat well. I think my windshield without a sun shade was the main factor in the trim bubbling as it's now evident it's not a solid silver piece but a plastic trim with a silver coating. While I haven't tried to really fix it yet with a heat gun and squeegee-sort of tool, I'm not sure if it can be permanently fixed. I now have one of those umbrella-style sunshades for the summer heat.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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