Today, my 2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS (FWD manual trans) hit a clean 50,000 miles on the odometer as I parked into my work garage. Given this clean mileage figure halfway into six digit mileage, I thought to provide an ownership report.
I bought my car lightly used in the August of 2012 with about 7,500 miles on it. It was basically a used 1 year old car traded in at a Subaru/Hyundai dealer in New Jersey. I bought it then for $14,988. It was stock other than for the headlight bulbs and fog light bulbs. The previous owner put in HIDs in the low beams and the fog lights with blue-tinted halogens in the DRL/high beams. It also had very dark tint; 15% front and 5% rear, I'm guessing. OE accessories included the carpet floor mats and first aid pouch. The only thing missing was the Owner's Manual in the glove box. The car was pretty much immaculate.
Fuel Economy Figures (per tank measured by miles driven on tank/gallons refilled.)
Average MPG: 24 (What I generally get based on my driving conditions. Includes winter and summer average.)
Minimum MPG: 21 (Worst I recall averaging on a single tank.)
Maximum MPG: 34 (Best I recall averaging on a single tank.)
Problems or Issues Encountered:
Since Day 1, I've drove it to 50,000 miles with relatively few problems. Of the issues, here is what I encountered:
- Rear shock failure related to a Technical Service Bulletin. Both rear shocks were replaced along with the installation of the new "countermeasure" bump stoppers. Work was fully covered under warranty by my local Authorized Suzuki Service Dealer.
- Rapid uneven wear of my factory OE Dunlop tires. Likely due to incorrect factory-set alignment known with earlier Kizashis. Alignment was corrected by a local mechanic with the updated alignment specs.
- Rapid wear and degradation of OE Dunlops. All four were replaced at approximately 35,000 miles.
- Recall work for spider issue. My Kizashi didn't have any problems but the preventative recall work was conducted at a local Suzuki Service Dealer.
- All brake pads and rotors replaced due to warped rotors.
- All 4 Sport wheels had paint chip off following professional detailing. The shop repainted them.
- Minor body (mostly hood) paint chipping. Worst of any car I've owned but I think the hood deflector really helps mitigate these.
- USB port slipped out of console. Had to repair and superglue into place.
- Minor UV hazing on one headlight. Polishing with a drill foam pad and Meguiar's PlastX helped restore clarity.
- The Allen heads (I f@&king hate these) on the mounting bolts for the Whispar roof racks are stripped out. They will have to be drilled out to be removed.
- 1 flat tire caused by a screw. Fixed with a tire plug.
- Occasional rattle from moonroof wind buffer.
- Passenger front seat trim damaged and repaired.
Basically, in the 50,000 miles I've owned the car, I have taken it to a Suzuki Service Dealer twice. Once for the TSB rear shock replacement and the second for the spider recall (had an alignment done then too). Service Dealership experience was positive and I'd give my Kizashi a thumbs up for reliability so far. It's a well-built car and is holding up quite well.
Maintenance and Repairs:
Next is a list of the various maintenance and repairs I have conducted in the 50,000 miles I've owned my car:
- All 4 tires replaced with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 at ~35,000 miles.
- 4 wheel alignment about every year, but based on need.
- Oil changes every 7,500 miles with Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30 Full Synthetic Motor Oil. Oil filters varied from Mobil 1 to Bosch DistancePlus.
- Manual transmission fluid replaced once with Red Line MT-90.
- All 4 brake pads and rotors replaced. Replaced due to warped rotors following a spirited mountain drive with heavy braking. All 4 replaced with Power Stop Z23 brake pads and StopTech Sport slotted rotors (a powerful yet quiet set-up, IMO).
- Brake line bled when brake pads replaced.
- Coolant reservoir tank top-off.
- Engine air filter replaced.
- Cabin air filter replaced.
- Tire rotations at every oil change.
- Fuel additive (usually a can of Seafoam) added at every oil change.
- Car battery replaced with Costco Interstate battery #27.
- Replaced primary fob battery.
- Windshield wipers replaced (usually yearly).
- Replaced aftermarket RRM rear sway bar bushings with Moog bushings due to wear.
- Repaired damaged flex pipe mesh shield due to driving over a snow-covered parking block (oops).
- Popped off inhibiting covers for vertical headlight aim adjustment.
Accessories and Modifications Installed:
- OE Suzuki Whispar roof racks installed.
- OE Suzuki Mont Blanc bike module installed.
- OE Suzuki hood deflector installed.
- OE Suzuki window visors installed.
- Aftermarket wheel locks installed.
- 40% ceramic window tints for front and rear.
- Road Race Motorsports 19mm rear sway bar installed.
- Moog 19mm rear sway bar bushings installed.
- Low beam HID kit replaced with Morimoto H7 35W 5000K HID system with HD harness. Capacitors also installed.
- Fog light HID bulbs replaced with Morimoto H11 3000K Golden Yellow bulbs.
- DRL/High beams replaced with Osram Rallye H7 halogen bulbs with high temp harnesses.
- T10 Position light bulbs replaced with PIAA LED bulbs.
- Full interior LED bulb conversion. Glove box, trunk, visors, etc.
- Ojocam Pro front dash camera installed.
- Razo 240g JDM shift knob installed.
- AutoVation heel plate installed.
- Carmate wide rearview mirror installed.
- Open door/trunk reflector decals installed.
- Bumper Bully for the rear bumper when parallel parking.
My mods are really minor and nothing that really improves performance. I intentionally want to keep things pretty stock because of the powertrain warranty from Suzuki but also because my Kizashi is a daily driver that's commonly driven in grueling city traffic and occasionally used for field work for my job. I need a very reliable car so heavy modifications are a no for me. Not that the Kizashi has much aftermarket support but RRM does sell a turbo kit for FWD manuals.
The car received minor damage from low speed impacts both on the street and in a parking garage. Both incidents were covered by the insurance of the responsible party and all damage repaired. The underbody's plastic covers are cracked in a few places from debris/snow-related impact damage but pose no problems.
I'm probably forgetting a few things related to mods, maintenance, and issues, but this is the majority of it. Overall, I'd say these first 50,000 miles have been rewarding and the Kizashi is an amazing car for the 15 grand I paid for it. It's been reliable and comfortable, offering a lot while asking for little. Despite the Suzuki pull-out of North America shortly after I bought this car, I have absolutely no regrets getting the Suzuki Kizashi. While I wish it had more power and AWD for the manual version, it's really a good package overall.
Here's to the next 50,000!
Picture of the Kizashi shortly after I got it:
Picture of the Kizashi as it currently looks:
50,000 Miles Kizashi Ownership Report
Nice write up Nero.
I'm not there yet, just turned 29K. 2013 S Purchased Dec 2014 with 16K for $9500.
I've had the following done under warranty:
- Oil pan seal due to "leak" (unnecessary as that is not what was leaking)
- driveshaft seal (again unnecessary as that is not what was leaking)
- Input shaft seal (what WAS leaking)
- Shifter assy and cables due to broken guides
Non-warranty items:
I replace the oil every 5K with Pen Plat 5W30 and Suzuki oil filters.
Air filter once, cabin filter twice
Front brake pads, need to do rear soon. Rotors are still good.
I think I may need to look at the rear stabilizer bushings. I have a "hollow" sounding thunk sometimes over rough road, but not always.
New tires at purchase (16K) as the OE Dunlops were toast. Replaced with inexpensive Douglas Performance GT-H (read: GoodYear USA made) which are wearing exceptionally. Along with a 4 wheel alignment.
In the spring at 30K I'll flush the brake fluid and go to Redline MT90.
I also just replaced the headlights with OSRAM - Night Breaker H7s.
I'm not there yet, just turned 29K. 2013 S Purchased Dec 2014 with 16K for $9500.
I've had the following done under warranty:
- Oil pan seal due to "leak" (unnecessary as that is not what was leaking)
- driveshaft seal (again unnecessary as that is not what was leaking)
- Input shaft seal (what WAS leaking)
- Shifter assy and cables due to broken guides
Non-warranty items:
I replace the oil every 5K with Pen Plat 5W30 and Suzuki oil filters.
Air filter once, cabin filter twice
Front brake pads, need to do rear soon. Rotors are still good.
I think I may need to look at the rear stabilizer bushings. I have a "hollow" sounding thunk sometimes over rough road, but not always.
New tires at purchase (16K) as the OE Dunlops were toast. Replaced with inexpensive Douglas Performance GT-H (read: GoodYear USA made) which are wearing exceptionally. Along with a 4 wheel alignment.
In the spring at 30K I'll flush the brake fluid and go to Redline MT90.
I also just replaced the headlights with OSRAM - Night Breaker H7s.
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I'll add for mine I changed the front pads at around 25K miles. Reason was not because they were low, but because they were "rattling" in the calipers and knocking when reversing and first driving off. The backer plates had separated from the pads which may have been a contributor to the noise. But it's been silent since the new pads. My rear pads are about 30% now @ 29K.bootymac wrote:Thanks for the write up. At what mileage did you change the brakes? Did you notice any symptoms beforehand?
Rotors are fine, no warping or material buildup.
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The brakes were replaced rather recently. I think closer to 45,000 miles or so. They were all replaced because I had some vibration that I believe was caused by warped rotors. They came about after experiencing brake fade on one particular occasion. It was when I went hiking with my buddies a few years ago on a mountain. We accidentally went to the opposite entrance of the trail to meet up others so I had to quickly drive to the other side of the mountain with two other guys in my Kizashi. Given it was a road around a mountain, there were curves with inclines and descents so it was quite demanding on the brakes. I just recall the brakes getting less effective during that drive.bootymac wrote:Thanks for the write up. At what mileage did you change the brakes? Did you notice any symptoms beforehand?
A short time after that, the vibrations came about gradually and got worse. I ended up replacing everything to get rid of the vibration but also to upgrade to something that would outperform the OE brake set up. I ended up getting the Power Stop Z23 Evolution Sport brake pads because the price was good and the reviews were also. I went with StopTech Sport slotted rotors given slotted rotors offer the best stopping performance but don't have the durability issues of drilled rotors. I carefully bedded them in and they've been great ever since. I haven't noticed any more noise or dust than the OE brakes yet the braking performance is noticeably better, especially when coming down from higher speeds. In normal braking at lower speeds, they act like the OEs which is nice. I think the OE Akebono pads were decent but the rotors weren't the best in demanding use. I guess they didn't like a spirited mountain drive with the weight of 3 people in the car.
I noticed that when I replaced the brake pads, I had close to 50% or a little less left on both the front and rear pads.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
Yeah, you've been a little unlucky with yours, especially since it's a manual. Some folks have CVT failures, but it's usually in higher mileage. Hopefully, things will get all fixed soon with your Kizashi so you can just drive and enjoy it. Weshoot2 is a role model in that regard though I'd consider him lucky in the car abuse level vs. problems equation.golftango wrote:Nice write up Nero.
I'm not there yet, just turned 29K. 2013 S Purchased Dec 2014 with 16K for $9500.
I've had the following done under warranty:
- Oil pan seal due to "leak" (unnecessary as that is not what was leaking)
- driveshaft seal (again unnecessary as that is not what was leaking)
- Input shaft seal (what WAS leaking)
- Shifter assy and cables due to broken guides
Now that the weather is warming up, I'll have to shift the attention back to the VW camper. It's the antithesis to the Kizashi in reliability and need of attention. Great project car though for outdoorsy types as it's an epic camper with style.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
Thanks! I'm not concerned, I still feel like it's rock solid and I'm chalking up the spate of failed items due to the dealer.KuroNekko wrote:Yeah, you've been a little unlucky with yours, especially since it's a manual. Some folks have CVT failures, but it's usually in higher mileage. Hopefully, things will get all fixed soon with your Kizashi so you can just drive and enjoy it. Weshoot2 is a role model in that regard though I'd consider him lucky in the car abuse level vs. problems equation.golftango wrote:Nice write up Nero.
I'm not there yet, just turned 29K. 2013 S Purchased Dec 2014 with 16K for $9500.
I've had the following done under warranty:
- Oil pan seal due to "leak" (unnecessary as that is not what was leaking)
- driveshaft seal (again unnecessary as that is not what was leaking)
- Input shaft seal (what WAS leaking)
- Shifter assy and cables due to broken guides
Now that the weather is warming up, I'll have to shift the attention back to the VW camper. It's the antithesis to the Kizashi in reliability and need of attention. Great project car though for outdoorsy types as it's an epic camper with style.
I'd love to see more on that VW Camper! Are we talking a split window or Vanagon? My folks had an 80 or 81 Vanagon Westfalia that I remember. That top sleeper was a blast.
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Instagram: golftango
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