The paint on my 2019 Suzuki Ignis has been blistering since 2024 and Suzuki has refused responsibility
It’s a shame you didn’t notice the problem earlier and document it, as this might have changed things in terms of the car being out of warranty when the problem first emerged. The problem now, of course, is that neither Suzuki Australia nor the dealership wants to acknowledge the problem as theirs.
We’ve seen plenty of cases where almost new cars have had this problem, and in some cases it’s been traced back to a bad batch of paint that affected many car-makers, not just Suzuki. You could try approaching the ACCC to see whether it’s interested in taking up your case.
But first, an independent examination of the car by a paint expert would be a good place to start. If, indeed, the problem was caused by bad paint or its original application, you might have more chance of receiving some financial help as per the warranty. By proving the faulty paint was a factory issue, Suzuki may not be able to sidestep the issue.
Is bad fuel causing pinging in my 2015 Suzuki Swift Sport?
You’re spot on when you say pinging won’t be good for the engine long term, but even in the short term, this needs to be fixed to prevent serious engine damage. The best advice is to find a mechanic or workshop that is experienced in this make and model and tap into that experience.
Fundamentally, the main causes of engine pinging (or detonation or pre-ignition, call it what you will) are a lean air-fuel mixture, incorrect ignition timing, fuel with an insufficient octane rating, carbon build-up inside the engine or an engine that is running too hot. None of these things should be hard to spot for the right mechanic.
The government has, indeed, made changes to fuel quality standards, but none of these should have affected the octane rating (or RON) of the fuel. In fact, there are mandated Standards for fuel octane, although that doesn’t rule out the odd bad batch. Do you fill up at the same service station every time? It might be time to try a new one.
My 2014 Suzuki Swift transmission needs replacing and the second-hand car yard won't honour the warranty
This is precisely why we warn consumers about the worthlessness of extended second-hand car warranties sold through car yards. It’s amazing how many get-out clauses these contracts (for that is what they are) contain and the vast majority of them are designed to take your money and then refuse any costly claims you may have. If the warranty called for a vehicle service in 10,000km, but the transmission didn’t quite make it that far, you’d reckon you’d have a pretty good case for a warranty claim. But experience shows otherwise.
But before you do anything else, have the car inspected by a transmission specialist. It could be something less catastrophic than a completely torched transmission and the fix may be a lot cheaper than the $5000 you’re being quoted. Even if it does need a new transmission, we’d be going through the same specialist rather than a workshop suggested by the car yard that’s already dudded you.
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Japanese carmaker has a reputation for producing innovative, technically advanced small, sometimes tiny passenger cars, SUVs, four-wheel drive wagons, and light commercials. The Australian arm of the factory handles distribution in all states but Queensland where another company does the business. The passenger car models consist of the small Celerio hatch, the Swift hatch and Swift Sport hot hatch derivatives, the sporty Kizashi sedan. The off-roaders are the S-Cross compact crossover, the four-wheel drive Grand Vitara wagon, and the small four-wheel drive Jimny Sierra wagon. Suzuki also offers the compact APV van.
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