A Green Jimny

Hi to all,
I am Joe (ex South African, 12 years in UK). I was always into off-roading , overlanding and 4x4-ing in SA. Had a few different 4x4 models in my time. Mitsubishi Clubcab,  Triton and Jeep Wrangler.
When I came here in 2014, I still wanted to do that stuff, but quickly realised things are different here. You can not just go offroad, pitch a tent and make a fire, where you want, when you want. 
I did get a Wrangler again, but it is not the cheapest car to have in the UK, in many ways. So I recently got this 2019 3dr, manual, Japan import.

Here is more about it:
The nice thing about these cars is the endless aftermarket options you can add to them. Some is for practicality, and other is just cosmetic.
I do it more for the practical reasons.

This is what I did to mine. Mostly bought from AliExpress.
In general the quality is - well - cheap plastic, but yes, the stuff is cheap.
The car itself is in very good condition, with 27000 miles. It had new stock Good Year tires which I immediately swapped for Toyo Open Country models. The Toyos have much better wet weather performance then the stock tires, and as a bonus, they also look the part. 

About the dealer, their website and advertising of the vehicle were a bit misleading. In the photos, there was a car with leather seats, a new-style slotted grill, a centre console and off-road tyres. In reality it had none of that. Apparently they often use generic photos. It was also advertised as having 2 keys. It only came with 1. They said they will supply me with a blank spare which I must get cut and programmed. This can be costly. Suzuki told me they don't do it because it is an import. Other locksmith places only do it if they supply the new blank and will be around £86.00.
They replaced the original Pioneer head unit with a very nice Xtrons Android unit with a reverse camera. A full service history was also included, 100% in Japanese.
I also only afterwards found some nasty scratch marks on the spare wheel, the bonnet and the grill. These were not visible in the dark, wet weather we are experiencing in the UK so far this year. Only saw it much later on a bright sunny day and when I took the plastic cover off the spare wheel.
The seal around the right rear fender also dropped behind the fender. I must still see if I can glue it back or maybe replace it.
Nevertheless, I still accepted all of these things and did buy it and won't return it and am enjoying it. 

Because I like to do "wild camping", I am still going to fit a 2nd battery system. I never use the rear seats, so I may remove them completely and build a custom storage system in the back.

About the individual items I added:
On the bottom, inside of the driver door, there are some scuff marks. I ordered some "carbon fibre" protective tape which I am going to stick on there, the whole length of the door.
I found some very nice custom-made seat covers. They are not the heavy-duty Escape Gear quality, but they look good; time will tell.
I replaced the stock speakers with some Alpine component units. I had to make an adaptor for them. They are not amazing but much better than the stock speakers. I also added a small under-seat Pioneer active subwoofer. This combination is good enough for me, without breaking the bank.
I am not sure if the hood insulation really adds any value or has any benefit. It was not expensive and do not do any harm.
The spare wheel is usually just sitting in the open, uncovered. I think the wheel cover will keep it protected in the long run from the elements, since it may possibly sit like that for quite a few years.
Because of the limited inside storage space, a roof rack is always a good investment. I found these roof bars, which are very strong and good quality. I still have an aluminium "roof basket" which I am going to attach to the bars when needed.
To keep nosy eyes out of my car, I fitted some shade screens to the rear windows. They just slide in between the glass and the body frame.
The dash console, centre console and armrest are OK. Cheap plastic but usable.
To get power to my dashcam and TPMS and still have USB charging ports available on my previous car, I bought the 3-way USB socket unit. It comes in handy in the Jimny also. It fits neatly in front of the gear lever. Just stuck it with some double-sided tape and a piece of foam underneath.
The locking wheel nuts are always a necessity. There are not many sets of 5 available. I found this set on eBay. It does the job.
Although I did get the original service book with the car, it is useless, being all in Japanese. There are many blank books on eBay. This one has the correct service intervals for logging them.
The TPMS I have is also from long ago. Although I probably never will do rough off-roading in the UK, it is very useful to see if you have air leaks.
The rear cargo net is useful to keep stuff from falling out when you open the door. This one I got is of very poor quality. The attaching straps are barely long enough, and one of the clips tore off when I installed it.

I did not receive everything I listed below yet, but I will update with photos within the next week or 2 when it arrives.


Door bump strips
Cargo net
Hood insulation
Door cup holder
USB sockets
3 Way 12V - USB Sockets
Dash storage
Rear windshield heater wire guards
Door sound dampers
Phone holder
15" Spare wheel cover
Rear shade screens
Centre storage - manual gearbox
A-pillar tweeter mounts
Arm rest
Pioneer compact active subwoofer
Panel clips + prying tools
Alpine SXE-1350S 2-Way Speaker Set 5¼" / 13 cm
2nd Battery - box
Blank service history book
Roof bars
Toyo Open Country A/T III 215/75 R15
Lux-Ride seat covers
Front & Rear Dashcam
Set of 5 GRAYSTON LN103/5    locking wheel nuts   : eBay
Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS): I had this from long ago.
Centre console "saddle bag" : Had this from long ago.



 

Some pics.
 

more

Welcome and that is a nice written presentation! 

The jimny in that green looks good!

good luck with the new motor!

Hello and welcome, nice colour!

Welcome. good write up and glad your enjoying the car.