News
BHPian vigsom recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I’ve been holding a pre-owned 2007 Suzuki Grand Vitara AT for over 7 years now. The odo is close to 97,000km and the suspension is stock, except for the doughnut bushes on the lower arms. Of all the cars I’ve held this far, this is the one I’ve held for the longest time; plus I'm the owner that has held this particular car for the longest time. That is purely because:
Yes, despite the Japan tag, this car has seen uncommon issues eg. a torque converter clutch input cable getting clipped by mice, ABS hydraulic unit leak, which have been documented in moderator @Samurai’s thread on the Grand Vitara.
I have also experienced the sub fuel gauge wiring being clipped by mice and it took a logical approach to get to the issue and solve it; documented here.
My only complaint with this car has been its fuel efficiency, given that this is a 2.0L petrol engine, full-time 4WD with the default driving mode being 4H, and options to move to 4HL and 4LL via a switch. However, the car's rock-solid construction, ability to hold up well with time, and great driving experience more than make up for the below-average fuel efficiency. I've typically managed between 7 and 9.5 kmpl in the City and a max. of 12.5 kmpl on the highway at a max of 100kmph.
The automatic transmission lever allows slotting the car in any gear - D, 3, 2, L. I've used this feature to downshift to 3 and 2 for overtaking manoeuvres. Gear#2 is the best as here is where the car takes off like a rocket.
On the maintenance front, I have seen a host of issues cropping up post-Jan-2018 (when the car was a little over 10 years). All of these were solved with some effort.
Inspection of the HVAC Unit - documented here.
Both the fans were making noise; although not severe, I decided to have them removed and check on what was wrong. The condenser and radiator fans sit next to each other in one assembly. To remove this without disturbing the radiator hoses:
On opening the fan motors, I observed that the brushes were wearing out, there was severe carbon build-up inside the fan motor housing plus the bearing in the Condenser fan motor was making noise. Both the fan motors were serviced and refitted.
Fan assembly out of position - note that the radiator top hose hasn't been disturbed
Note the automatic transmission oil cooler hoses at the bottom of the radiator
Twin Fan assembly - the fan that sits lower is the condenser fan
Condenser fan motor open - note the dirty commutator
Fan motor bearing - 608Z
Fan motors overhauled and ready for refitment
I replaced the idler pulley bearing with an SKF metal shielded bearing in end-2018. While that ran smoothly until early this year, I noticed a weird behaviour - a terrible squealing noise would develop if the car was driven over, say, 30kms, and the noise was traced to this bearing. Spray some WD40 on the bearing and it would immediately goes silent. I had a spare OE NSK 6005DU bearing that came in handy and the defective idler pulley bearing was replaced with this; no noise thereafter. I then realised that the ZZ bearing isn't the right type for this application.
The 6005ZZ bearing that was installed in 2018
6005ZZ bearing useless after just 2.5 years
The original idler pulley bearing that came with the car
Idler pulley with a new NSK 6005 DU bearing
OE Brake pads were found in satisfactory shape after 36,000km. They seem to have at least another 20,000km of useful life left.
Driveshaft boots on the front and rear were inspected; all were found intact. Shown here is a sample.
Continue reading about vigsom's Suzuki Grand Vitara for BHPian comments, insights and more information.