Sterling Family Jimny!

kirkynut wrote: Sounds like you do have a good dealer but I suspect he is hoping you'll not come back with the gearbox as he doesn't want the warranty claim. It's a shame that you had to get the other bits sorted though as it indicates Suzuki aren't on it with regards to quality control like they used to be.

Kirkynut

thanks Kirkynut,

well its got a little under 5 years warrantee on it, so its either going to go away or get worse. I do feel its ony the gate adjustment, but i'll be keeping tabs on it, and keeping them aware of it.

otherwise, it was really only minor things, the wheel weight was a relatively small oversight which has a big impact overall. though I must admit, after years of changing range rover tyres without balancing after punctures, and not having problems, I was surprised just how sensitive the Jimny is. or how much of a difference it made to the drive once corrected.

cheers, Paul.

first few fuellings of the Jimny indicate it is doing 34mpg, 32.5mpg, and should have next reading later this week.

a little heavier on fuel than I expected, but as the engine free's up, so long as we don't use the extra power available, the economy should improve as time goes on.

first big challenge for the Jimny is easter Sunday, I'm towing my twin axle trailer and Ruston 1HR engine to Kiplin hall in Yorkshire for a rally. no significant hills or anything, just a shakedown run for the trailer (just been rebuilt) and the Jimny (first tow). roughly 800kgs braked behind the car.

Paul.

How many miles have you got on the engine? it might be a bit early to be towing heavy stuff.

600 thus far. will probably be another 300 at least before towing.

Paul.

fitted the locking wheel nuts last night.

700 miles on the clock now, would probably have been higher if I'd taken it to work this week, but the wife commandeered it, not that it matters, I get the C2

Paul.

800 miles on the clock now, hopefully going to be able to commandeer the car for commuting this week, wife wants it today, but thereafter I should be able to use it.

so took my trusty C2 to work today, lovely drive as ever.

got to get the Disco out this week for a service, as it'll be towing the big trailer to Locomotion on 11th and 12th for the Engine gathering.

Paul.

3 months in and the Jimny has now done 2600 miles!

overall, we really like it, but it has not been completely plain sailing.

on a couple of occasions the car was reluctant to start, and had to squeeze the gas pedal to get it to cough into life.

the rattles do my nut in! worst is one around the left side of the dash when the car is cold, I just cannot find it, second worst is a rattle in the top half of the drivers door, its quiet but relentless and drives you mad like Chinese water torture.

the spare key does not fit the key barrel.

the brakes are not actually very good, and braking improved when I towed my braked trailer loaded.


I've taken it into the dealership twice with to be honest, not much joy on the subject, it seems the helpfulness is wearing off. last time, they told my wife to expect rattles as the car has "very hard suspension" which I was not amused about.

fuel economy has stabilised around 34-35mpg, and the car performs well enough. I took my twin axle trailer to Scruton with the Jimny on 24th May, with a couple of Petter M's and water pumps, totalling around 600kgs in the trailer, which itself is about 400-450, and the car handled it okay, any inclines and the lack of outright torque told through, but I didn't really struggle, and the motorway journey was painless.

Paul.

Hope you get the gremlins sorted soon mate

kirkynut wrote: I think your dealer needs a word in his ear! My 2000 reg Jimny is heavily modified and has been shaken heavily off road, been on its side and is on over 60k miles and has not a single rattle.

If I didn't have a whining rocklobster transfer box or noisy tyres it would be refined and quite to drive. Unbelievable considering it's been through hell and back! Show him my thread page and all the photos of what my Jimny has done and tell him I have no rattles, then ask him why yours does and why he thinks it's acceptable then!

It's pure and simple bad modern build quality compared to what it used to be. He ought to be aware that you can converse with us to check if he speaks rubbish! Anyway, even if it has hard suspension, why does that make rattles acceptable. Suzuki should work harder to prevent them then.

He's got under my skin if you hadn't guessed!

Kirkynut

I have only had mine a short while but we have done a few hundred miles in it. I wouldn't say the ride is hard, maybe a little bouncy but not hard. I would take it to a different dealer and ask for a second opinion.

I don't agree with modern build quality though. Generally motors and building processes have progressed in the last 15 years I'd say, from my own experience anyway. Just might be a one off with a few teething troubles, it happens? Jimnys have been made for a while now so I can't see how the factory would have changed for the worse?

Roads are different in different areas too making rattles more common. I moved to Scotland 9 years ago and the roads where I live now are vastly better from where I lived previously. Saying that my last car rattled but the wife had a collision in it and it was never the same.

You should go into the garage with the 'Sterling Family Jimny' Kirkynut and kick some a$$

Paul_sterling wrote: the rattles do my nut in! worst is one around the left side of the dash when the car is cold, I just cannot find it, second worst is a rattle in the top half of the drivers door, its quiet but relentless and drives you mad like Chinese water torture.

Hi Paul, a couple of things you can try yourself ....

try stuffing a piece of folded over cardboard or similar expanding material down the gap between the dash and the pillar/screen, you could also carefully pop-off the small covers where the dash meets the screen (there are x3 of them) and check the philips screws that hold the dash are tight (but don't scratch the covers are the garage may say you've been fiddling).

if that doesn't work, then insist the garage sorts it out, they will probably have to remove the dash and make sure all the wires/clips are secure .... guess that's probably the issue with your door card, which will easy for them to strip down and check everything.

you shouldn't have to put up with this on a new car, but older ones though do tend to rattle, some more than others,

or like Kirkynut you could do some extreme off-roading and shake all the rattles out