New JB74 from Brazil (replacement for my 3rd gen)

I'm posting some pictures of Wasabi at the "Suzuki Day" event last Sunday - a 5 hour trail around farm fields, forests and waterfalls in the Brazilian countryside. They offer it in two difficulty levels (being new to it, I chose the easy one) and the entry fee is a pack of non perishable goods for donation. There's normally 6-7 different "Suzuki Day" events throughout the year at different places.

Event press photos:
 
 
 
 
 

And from me:
 
Dawn at the camping field close to the location of the event. There I met with Pedro and Nicole, owners of a blue 3rd gen who was also attending the event.

 
Gathering of Suzuki owners before the event.

 
A short stop for coffee and snacks along the trail.

 
Shallow water crossing at the top of a waterfall.

That looks like a nice event, some great pictures.

Hello everyone, sorry I was away from the forum for over a year due to some bad and good events with Wasabi.

First the bad news: I had a traffic accident by Sep '22 that caused reasonable damage to the front bumper, grill, hood and right side panel. Luckily I was not at a very high speed so no damage to the frame or the engine (except for a leaking radiator and a damaged fan), the airbags were not deployed and no one got hurt. I took the Jimny to the dealership the day after the event to get all parts replaced under insurance coverage. Then I faced a huge wait to get the parts and then to get the job of assembly/painting done. I had my JB74 sitting at the dealership for about 7 months! Most of the time waiting for the parts to arrive - the dealership was slow to order them, but the main issue was the Brazilian company responsible for importing Suzukis and providing maintenance to them was facing a serious shortage of original parts (and still is, in some cases, from what I hear). About that, I do not know exactly the cause for it, but I believe it to be a mix of bad management of the Brazilian branch and a global shortage of parts due to a single production site for worldwide demand (as mentioned in news about the long waiting lines for the JB74) plus the effects of still ongoing supply chain disruptions from the pandemic (as stated by the dealer).

Sorry to hear of you crash and problems, glad no one was hurt and that your Jimny is getting fixed and back on the road.

Sorry to her about your crash and then long wait for spares, but glad you are ok and your Jimny is back running again.

Spares for any new vehicle or newly imported vehicle can be a problem anywhere, often they don’t start to get imported until 2 or 3 years after the launch date as generally there isn’t the demand and the manufacturer uses all of the parts he can get for production.

There is probably a cost implication, why import a few containers of spares that might sit on the shelf for a while when you can import a few new cars instead and shift them quickly?

Anyway good to have you back.

Robin

Thanks Soeley and DrRobin, yes it all ended up well, which was the good news. After 7 months and some pressure from my girlfriend and I the dealership finally finished the repairs. The body work was pretty good, excellent paintjob and reassembly of the affected panels. What let me down was that the dealership also let the third party body shop reinstall the radiator and they did not carry out a detailed inspection afterwards. When I went to get my Jimny back I asked them to lift it so I could have a look under the radiator. I noticed the oil line from the gearbox to the gearbox radiator was left unchecked and it had a crack through which oil was seeping. I pointed it to them and they had it fixed.
My paranoia about the quality of the repair on the oil/cooling system led me to have the car inspected in another, independent shop. On the bright side I was amazed by the knowledge/experience of the shop owner, Fernando Kfouri, and their available resources (Kfouri has been tuning race cars for over 30 years). Now it is my go-to place for Wasabi's regular maintenance and upgrades.

 
Cracked oil line found under my Jimny after dealership repair. It was fixed before taking it home.

 
Getting the front PPF redone after the body work.

 
My JB74 among a bunch of Mitsubishi Evos in my current go-to maintenance shop (Fernando's Racer, @racerpreparacoes). Now my trips to the dealership are just to buy spares.

The last and most important event I had with my JB74 "Wasabi" was a long trip I took with my girlfriend Giselle passing through Brazil's country towns and national/state parks in April. The car had just been repaired and we did the whole trip of almost 7,000 km - many of which on dirt roads, sometimes soft sand - without a single issue.
We crossed a vast region of Cerrado (Brazil's Savannah-like biome I had previously been to) taking turns at the wheel as Giselle is as eager to drive through dirt tracks as I am.
First we went all the way up North to Brazil's capital Brasilia. Then we spent some time further Northeast at Terra Ronca, a land known for its huge caves (some of them with over 20 km). We stayed at the house of a local guide with an important role in the institution of the Terra Ronca State Park, Mr. Ramiro.
From there we travelled further North, to Jalapão State Park, where three towns can be found (Ponte Alta do Tocantins, Mateiros and São Félix do Tocantins) scattered across a huge swath of Cerrado with little human intervention. Over there natural pools from emerging underground water (called "fervedouros") and sand dunes can be visited, as well as very traditional local communities such as the Mumbuca , which provided us with an outstanding cultural experience.[/justify]
 
A sketch of our 7,000 km April trip.


Staying at the house of Mr. Ramiro, Terra Ronca's guide.


One of the huge caves at Terra Ronca.


Morning at Terra Ronca.


Stopping for ice cream at one of the few villages in Jalapão.


Dunes formed by earth from the wind erosion of a mesa in Jalapão.


Camping at one of many Jalapão's fervedouros - most of them are inside private land, whose owners make spaces available (with minimal infrastrutucture) for camping.

 
Meeting one of the fervedouro's inhabitants.

 
Taking a break from the heat at a proper Jalapão fervedouro.

 
Camping at the Mumbuca community in Jalapão.

 
 
Very few go by themselves to Jalapão. Driving through long stretches of dirt road we would normally only see a few tourism agencies' Pajeros. But going by ourselves allowed us to see Jalapão in our own time, whereas most travel agencies stick to a fast paced schedule.

After Jalapão we drove to the Viana canyons in the city of Bom Jesus, the farthest Northeast point of our travel. It is an amazing place to see and we also had the opportunity to chat with locals from one of the few villages placed within the canyon walls.

Then, for the last stop we drove West to the Chapada das Mesas National Park, taking the first kms of the Transamazonica highway to visit some of the park's waterfalls and to have a view of the mesas that compose the landscape.

 
Stopping by the Baliza Stone for a quick photo before leaving the land of Jalapão.

   
 
The Viana canyons.

 
Wasabi parked next to the Transamazonica highway, which cuts through the mesas of the Chapada das Mesas National Park.

 
One of the cool places you can go for a swim in the Chapada das Mesas region.

Wow, that looks like an amazing trip you had there. Thanks for sharing, great pictures as well