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Unfortunately, because of weather, they don't have the "recall kit" in stock and can't do my fuel line mod. I'll have to bring it back next week.
I don't understand why if this is such a big deal why Isuzu doesn't oversupply the dealers with kits so this won't be a problem. I know this will cost them a bit more money but it's their fault we have to get this done anyway.
Next week I'll leave it with them and get the recall work done as well as have them check the intermittent horn operation, the front wheel alignment (steering wheel is a little crooked)and the rear tailgate adjustment.
I'd stay away from a 98 Rodeo (as referenced by paisan in post #43). They seem to have more than their share of problems. My suggestion is to try and find a '97 with a 5-speed, or an even older 4-Runner with a 5-speed. I recently drove a 1994 4-Runner with over 100k miles, and it felt solid; the owner reported no problems with it either. Just my .02. Good luck!!
-mike
Isuzu Forum Spokesman
Edmunds Isuzu Forum
IA Trooper Homepage
My Trooper doesn't burn hardly any oil in 5,000 miles, maybe 1/4 quart, using Mobil 1 5W30. I guess you just have to chalk it up to manufacturing variances.
Got me right in a little after 8 when I got there and out a little over a half-hour later. Very courteous service people as well!
I'm taking it back next week when they will (hopefully) have the parts for the recall. At that time, I will also have the off-center steering wheel and the intermittent horn operation checked.
BTW, I thought I had a rattle from the rear doors but they checked out OK. The service tech pointed out that on really rough roads the rear wiper sometimes vibrates against the back glass and he's probably right. He said that they don't have a "rest" for the wiper as some cars do because the wiper arm is so close to the spare tire case. Both of these points make sense to me and it happens so seldom that I can live with it just fine.
-Dave
-mike
I would like to find a good set of wipers for the truck. I think the stock ones stink in the winter. They freeze up and then crack. I have also learned that it is very important to cleat the snow from behind the spare. The rear can get stuck easily.
-Pat.
My 1998 Trooper consumes about 1 quart every 3,000 miles. My previous Trooper, a 1996, consumed oil at about the same rate. Once I learned that this was fairly common with the 3.2L and 3.5L engines, I was not worried. It is a little annoying to have to add an extra quart every once in a while, though. I'm using synthetic blend, and one of the reasons I've resisted switching to full synthetic is because of the cost.
By the way, my local Sam's Club has Mobil1 5W30 for $21.49 a case. That's only $3.58 a quart. Not all locations have it, though. Also, my local Target has it for $3.89 a quart, but prices are higher at the other Targets in my area.
I now have a 98 Trooper. It has TOD (optional in 98) and ABS. It weighs 4500 pounds. It has dual front airbags. It has a ladder-on-frame chassis. It's built very solidly. I feel very safe in this truck, and I feel very safe about my wife driving the truck when I'm not with her. I do pay attention to the safety data from the various organizations, and they don't always say the Trooper does too well in certain situations. But overall I feel very good about the level of safety and protection that my Trooper provides.
David
1) Hit the Defrost Button, by that I mean make sure it isn't on auto, and that it is full defrost instead of mixed defrost/feet area
2) crank the heat all the way up to the hot area (I usually keep mine in the 72-74 range)
3) crank the fan up to max.
I also noticed that if I didn't clear the snow/ice off the windows the cold from the ice would cause them to keep fogging up.
-mike
Isuzu Forum Spokesman
Edmunds Isuzu Forum
IA Trooper Homepage
-mike
Does anyone have this problem?
If it's while they are on, it's probably the angle of the windshield causing them to jump off the glass while being used. Not much that can be done about the aerodynamics, you could try a set of winter blades with the rubber boots on them.
-mike
Unfortunately I can't do it right now, I just dropped off my Troop at the dealer to fix the "check engine" light situation...this morning when I started it the light started flashing, which is much more serious than a steady light, so I bit the bullet and took it in. The dealer said they would "try" to get it done before the 15th... :-(
-mike
We have a '99 Isuzu Rodeo V6, 5 speed with only 23.000 km on it...
This is kind of minor, but I was disappointed with my dealer today (twice, but I'll keep the story short): I bought a new vinyl cover for my spare tire(it's mounted on the tailgate) and I was put-off by the fact it was different then my original one (for our '99 Rodeo)...The writting("Isuzu Rodeo") is in big white fonts ?!? Definitely uglier then the factory one...
I may even decide de keep the old one, even if it got punctured in two places last night by the spikes on the lights of car that bumped into my truck slightly (at a slippery stop sign, in a different city)... I wasn't taking off fast enough apparently Actually I was waiting/moving to switch into 4WD also, before turning right up hill on some kind of icy slope...So I took my foot of the gas, while approaching the stop sign, etc, etc
Nevertheless what's the point of going to your dealer if cannot replace the factory parts with matching ones?
I know that a tire cover may not sound like a great deal (and it goes for CAN48), but still, the old one is more...distinguished...:)
My dealer here in Ottawa(Canada) is Saturn-Saab-Isuzu; anyone else experienced minor inconveniences like this?
For the rest, please bear in mind that I'm no mechanic at all:
Another question I have is if anyone ever bought some of the packages like:
- undercoat protection (a black, rubber like paint)
- rust inhibitor ( some grease, thicker then vaseline that they put into the door frames, spray the inside of the hood etc)
- acid rain paint protection (by wax mainly I guess)
- chair fabric protection(in case one spill coffee, etc)
We got a discount on those when buying the truck (mainly because there is a lot of salt here on the roads, during the long winters) and I'm suppose to bring the truck once a year to the dealer to check it; in case anything needs to be reapplied...
I had a question about the "rust inhibitor": e.g. if it needs to be reapplied periodically (inside the door frames as well)?
The reason I'm asking is because I've noticed that when one takes a car to a specialized shop like Crown, for rust protection, they seem to indicate that the operation (spraying some shintethic oil, a patent of theirs) needs to be redone periodically (each year?)... I know it is probably a different ethnology, but I was curious what is the recommended procedure for the Isuzu package?
The new girl in the service department had no idea and was in a rush to get rid of me since the "mechanic will check"...Check what? They didn't even have that info in the computer and she told me to ask the sales guy who sold me that package in the first place; but since he was due later today she promised to check with him...Of course she hasn't checked by late afternoon when I call the sales guy(friendly one) who indicated to me that they would reapply (if need be) the rust protector on the inside of the hood etc, but not inside the door frames ("where nothing would remove it"? Any chance water and salt might do that, if it gets there?)
For example, in other parts of the world(Europe) I've seen people put used engine oil inside the door frame just to protect old cars against rust...:)
I know that those are newbie questions, but I'm trying to figure out if most of that " Isuzu rust protection package" isn't just a rip-off?
Never too late to learn, so please any feedback would be appreciated...:)
For example initially they(the Isuzu sales people when buying the truck) wanted to spray the same grease (what they call "rust inhibitor") underneath the car as well but I've told them no, to paint it with a proper/solid paint(rubber like) that is supposed to protect both from rust and also help insulate noise a little...(I've done similar operations with a couple of layers of paint, the first one against rust a red Ferric oxide and the last one the rubber one that would stick better to the body of the car and protect against stone chips as well, etc; but that was years ago, again in Europe, with my first and only car there that lasted 15 years before my folks sold it, after I moved here)...BTW they've done such a poor job when applying the undercoat on my new truck when buying it, so that I could see plenty of blind spots just by looking under the truck...A 10 year old would have done a more careful job So, at the time, I've asked them to finish the job better, before picking up my truck....
Unfortunately, now, two years down the road, I don't feel comfortable for not being able to check more carefully what they do when inspecting those protections (maybe, at least, I should have stayed in the service with them, but I can not afford to take a day off for that...On the other hand I'm not happy if I'm paying for something that might be just a rip-off)
-mike
-mike
-mike
Here is an article relating to extending breather hoses. It is at least worthwhile to get underneath your truck and see how high you can go.
http://www.off-road.com/isuzu/breather.html
I took our old car to specialized shop(Crown) for rust proofing, but not the Rodeo(got the package when we bought it)...
Thanks for the hint, I'll see if I can check if they've "plugged up my drain holes on the doors"...I doubt that they've done that, since they've used only some sort of grease inside the door frames and on the inside of the hood...It was only under the truck where they've applied a thick, black, rubber like undercoat at....my request
Note to paisan: the truck didn't seem to have any undercoating from the factory, the dealer's answer was that "the metal was very thick underneath and it won't be so much affected by rust as let's say the doors"... Then they wanted to apply the same grease underneath the truck as well and that seemed like a cheap trick to me(e.g it would get washed out, chipped by stones and gravel fast, etc) So it was me who asked for a more traditional undercoat(that black, thick, rubber like paint)...:)
My experience with cars is very limited, but that's about the only operation I used to do to my cars in Eastern Europe(under the supervision of my best friend's family of mechanics who were very good in their trade...Heck my domestic version of a Renault was still in great shape after 15 years in their care...)...Each time we would try to take any rust patches out as best as possible, then applied a ferric oxide to protect against rust and finish it with the rubber like black paint for further protection against stone chips (and noise as well)...Now since I was buying the Rodeo brand new, with no signs of rust, I felt like the black rubber undercoat would do by itself....It gets checked yearly by the dealer, but next time I'll make sure I'll inspect it properly as well while it's on their ramp...(That's why I didn't want to pick up the new truck when they've done a poor job initially)
My question was if the grease they put in the door frames doesn't have to be checked and eventually replaced periodically as well...Like could it get washed away by water and salt?
Any more input please?
Because, you know Paisan, we have a lot of salt on the roads, in the long Canadian winters
Now, that might change since they've also discovered that the salt is very bad for the environment and the good replacements cost too much
Please note also, that we intend to keep the '99 Rodeo for a long time, if it's up to us So I'm trying to take good care of it...:)
On the other hand, I'm by no means a mechanic and since this is our first SUV(only the third car in my life), so any advice from more experienced owners is very much appreciated!
Thanks again,
-mike
I don't know anything about the grease-type rustproofing, AFAIK mine is all the tarry black stuff that is dry to the touch, even in the doors.
Unfortunately everybody knows about it, so you have to get there early before they get cleaned out each time some comes in!
Is this typical to have that kind of delay in servicing at a dealer? What a PITA! Maybe it is due to the very cold December we had, but this is the first time I have tried to get my Trooper serviced, and I can't believe this is normal. Am I unrealistic to expect that warranty service should happen quicker than that? What am I supposed to do in the meantime, ride a bike through the snowdrifts? AAARGH!
Thanks for letting me vent...
I have an appointment on Jan 15th earliest available.
Right before christmas, I thought it was gonna be there overnight, and I called and bitched, and Isuzu was going to authorize a loaner if my truck wasn't drivable, but since it was, I took it. I don't like to force them into giving me a loaner, but that's cause I commute to work, so it's not a big deal, if it were my only car and I needed it especially to drive through snow, I'd be screaming bloody murder, if you scroll up I think my venting post is somewhere We didn't buy $30K+ vehicles to have em sit in the shop all winter!
-mike
I had the truck in the shop yesterday: they've washed it around 1 p.m., checked the undercoat, applied new wax on my paint etc., then it was left outside (only -8 Celsius here) until I've picked it up around 6 p.m....
Something was definitely frozen because again it started with a jolt and a clank after releasing the clutch...And the truck didn't start to move until releasing the clutch much higher then usually..
Does anybody know who sells oil via mail order or Internet? I've never seen oil advertised on parts web sites. Actually as I type this I'm realizing that maybe it's because oil is fairly volatile and they can't just ship it via UPS or U.S. Mail?
BTW, I don't use Mobil1 in my Trooper. I change every 3,000 miles and to save a few bucks I use synthetic blend (Valvoline Durablend or Castrol Syntec Blend) 5W-30.
I'm in the Detroit area. There are only 4 dealers in southeast Michigan, counting the one in Ann Arbor. Very few people drive Isuzus here, so maybe that's why I don't have a problem even with a small number of dealers.
If you get a loaner, I would consider yourself lucky. Isuzu doesn't include it in the factory-backed warranty package, and most dealers (Isuzu or not) don't provide loaners. Those that do usually boast about it.
I'll leave the engineering explanation of why to others because I don't remember the details for sure.
I have also read about traversing water. People recommend getting out and checking the depth of the water first. Not only do you know what you are getting into, but it gives the transmission and drivetrain time to cool.