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Suzuki Aerio Wagon

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Comments

  • SylviaSylvia Member Posts: 1,636
    I have sent two emails to you - they didn't bounce. Please check your email address in your profile and make sure it is current.

    Discussions abou the Membership Agreement can be discussed in email - but discussing them here in the boards disrupts the conversation.

    Now that I've disrupted it, let's get back to discussing the Aerio.

    Many thanks...
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    I have checked my profile and it is up to date and I have not received an e-mail. What disruption are you talking about.That was just teets' point. There really is no discussion going on about the aerio. Allowing people access to other info can only help make this site better.
  • teets18teets18 Member Posts: 28
    I would like to say, I traded in a 98 grand Prix for my Aerio SX. The Grand Prix had 85k with a loud tick in the engine. Those two facts drove me to buy a new car. Honestly, I was hesitant on buying a Suzuki; my perspective was that they weren't reliable cars. After 6 hours at the dealer, and having found out I couldn't afford $450 per month for another Pontiac, I bit at the SX.
      I would like to hear other people's experiences with these Aerios; I hope details are not left out of posts because some fact may seem too insignificant to report.
      I'm also hoping that i'll gain valueable insight of my car through swapping stories and experiences.
        How are the Geolanders in the snow? I live in Ohio, and the snow is coming soon.
  • fdannafdanna Member Posts: 263
    Even though there really isn't enough data to report on reliability (according to Consumer Reports), I'd be willing to bet my paycheck that your new Suzuki would be more reliable than the most reliable Pontiac ever (excluding the Vibe, which is made by Toyota).
  • guickgguickg Member Posts: 19
    I purchased my 2002 Aerio SX automatic w/ABS in April 2002 (I have posted a few messages previously). The car currently has a little over 12,000 miles on it. Unlike some other owners, I have not had a very easy or pleasant experience with the car. I'll address some of my problem areas for everybody's reference. 1) My car was originally experiencing a lot of strong vibrations through the steering wheel at speeds starting at 50-55 mph and up. It turned out that front wheel bearings were defective and had to be replaced. This appears to be a somewhat common problem based on discussions on other Aerio websites. In the process of replacing the bearings, the dealer's mechanic broke an ABS sensor which also had to be ordered and replaced. 2) The brakes were originally making clicking/popping sounds when applied (also a very common problem). The dealer replaced the springs/clips per TSB over 3 months ago, but just a few days ago the sounds came back. Turns out the springs/clips were again found to be defective and had to be replaced for the second time. 3) The right rear door latch all of a sudden became inoperable recently, and the door could not be opened neither with the remote, nor manually from the inside or outside. The rear right door latch assembly turned out to be defective and had to be replaced. 4) One remote on my car became inoperable shortly after the purchase even though the battery was good (the second remote had been working okay). The dealer gave me a new set of remotes, but the work order indicated that they replaced the whole remote unit as well. 5) I have had intermittent buzzing coming from the front passenger door at highway speeds that the dealer has not been able to duplicate in the garage and, therefore, fix. However, if I open the window and then close it, the buzzing sound seems to go away. The driver-side window, on the other hand, opens and closes with a scratching sound although the window is not scratched. The dealer once again has not been able to find the cause. 6) The OE tires are just not good; they don't have a B traction rating for nothing. They squeal loudly in turns and activate ABS on wet roads under any kind of moderately hard braking. Don't even think of using these tires in cold climates. I replaced them and the ride, quiteness, handling and braking have improved considerably. Suzuki obviously tried to economize on the tires, but in effect ended up costing owners more money and time to replace the tires. Another problem is that the 195/55/15 tire size is very uncommon and, therefore, very difficult to find except on the Internet. The only other current car with the same wheel size is Mazda Protege, and it is going out of production shortly. 7) And, finally, I have a gripe about Suzuki's nearsighted decision to start selling the Aerio with the 3/36 warranty and then suddenly switch to the 7/100 warranty a couple of months later, thus penalizing the early purchasers, like me, who decided to take a chance on the new car. It is just bad marketing. Sure, Suzuki Aerio has not had many recalls (like Ford Focus) except for the big one with the incorrectly installed windshield although it affected a small number of cars. But quality control and execution, and the number of issued TSB's, leave a lot to be desired, especially for a Japanese car. The Aerio concept is good, but now there are a lot more similar small hatchbacks/wagons available to choose from. Repeat customers are crucial in such a highly competitive environment, and I think Suzuki has missed its chance to make a real impact in the US. I personally would not buy this car again and will trade it in when the 3 year warranty period expires. My 2 cents. Sorry for such a long message.
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    I have just under 20,000km on my 03SX. I have had no real problems at all. Love the car. I too had to have my frt wheel bearings replaced for a clunking noise,was covered under warranty and there is a TSB for it. As for what guickg said about the amount of TSB's. There are only 3 TSB's for this car and one recall. Pretty good a would say[check out the matrix board]. The geolanders are not the best tires but the car is an entry level car. I put michelin alpins on mine for the winter. The tire is an odd size but is READILY available at tire dealers. Every manufactor makes a lemon once in a while. I have tried to give you a web site to go to,but edmonds feels the need to delete my posts when I include the address.
  • frenchcarfrenchcar Member Posts: 247
    Our early 2002 Aerio SX has 18000 miles on it in almost troublefree driving. One remote control quit working and thats it. Had a few strange noises the first month and they all went away. We have never had the brake problem a few owners had. Our experience owning 5 Suzuki products over the years has been very positive and comparable to Toyota, Subaru VW and Volvo experiences and much better than some other makes we have had. I think the tires are a weak point and we changed ours.
  • teets18teets18 Member Posts: 28
    Hey, guickg;
    Is your SX AWD? If so, have you experienced a loud humming noise from the AWD system? A tech at Suzuki test drove with me and told me it was normal...hmm. I don't know. I've asked about the clicking noise (which you mentioned) and he was quick to blame the common clicking noises on the front bearings. I have a guess that the tsb from the manufacturer was designed to be a cheap smoke screen or just an improper diagnosis. It seems you are not the only one to receive new clips for the brakes only to have the problem reappear. I'm guessing the defective bearings are being replaced with other defective bearings of the same design (just to use up their materials), which causes the noise to disappear for a short time only to return again later. This is just like the rear springs that commonly fail on recent Ford Escorts: the springs are replaced, but only to fail again later due to using the same springs. Just guessing here, but i think the door handle mechanism failure is due to rediculously cheap, small plastic parts that hold the actuation lever/bar to the door lever mechanism. Total failure of a door handle is reliably blamed on this common plastic piece. I used to see these all the time when i worked at Lan@ Rove&. A tech gets paid more for replacing whole components rather than tiny, cheap pieces( or saying he did), and the dealership makes more on warranty that way. Believe me, i've seen it a million times.
  • teets18teets18 Member Posts: 28
    Oh, by the way.
    Those cheap plastic parts i referred to, that are part of many car's door handles, look and act just like the platic clip that holds your hood prop to the fender. BEWARE, i went to lower my hood only to find that the plastic clip came loose and the hood prop fell loose. This caused a little dent in the hood of my car when it was shut.
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    guickg car will be a fwd only. Its a 02.The bearings in question were installed incorrectly. Suzuki canada replaces the knuckles as well.
  • teets18teets18 Member Posts: 28
    They replaced the knuckle as well ...huh. Well, i hope mine don't break apart while i'm driving to Cleveland today for the holidays.
  • wheelz4wheelz4 Member Posts: 569
    http://car.nifty.com/as/column/car_1/article_0311257472_4.htm
    The "just released" Japanese version....will it show up here as a 2005? I believe the SX version stays the same outside (but has the new, analogue interior). So, the standard hatch's outward appearance is much improved, although the sedan still looks weird to me. Along with the classier analogue gauges, it looks like there is finally some "oddment" storage in the centre console/dash.
    Here's a link to the start of the article...you can hit the righthand Japanese characters near the bottom of each page (under the pictures) to cycle through the article.
    http://car.nifty.com/as/column/car_1/article_0311257472_1.htm
  • chocoxtacochocoxtaco Member Posts: 32
    No big deal, but the front passenger door buzz would not do so while at the garage. There was also some rear brake adjustment necessary to make the squeak (done only when letting off the brake pedal) in the back go away.
  • chocoxtacochocoxtaco Member Posts: 32
    I received that card in the Suzuki mag they send out every so often. I went for a spin in a Forenza LX. The dealer did not have the necessary sticker on hand (to snag the $25) and said that they never had received any at all.
    Seems like the 877-MY-SUZUKI operators are always busy, too.
  • frenchcarfrenchcar Member Posts: 247
    # 973 So how did the FORENZA drive?? I am thinking of trying out a Verona.
  • teets18teets18 Member Posts: 28
    I haven't received my owner's manual yet; does any body know the recommended octane for an 03' with a 2.0? Or, the recommended oil weight for that matter....
  • sodsmansodsman Member Posts: 7
    An observation and 2 questions

    I'm in the market for a car once again (former 97 contour sport Zetech 5 spd which I loved). I stumbled into a Suzuki dealer because it was close to work and I was curious about them. Imagine my surprise when I looked closely at the cars and discovered this relatively unknown manufacturer produces one of the best asembled cars I have seen. Paint quality was flawless, Tolerances were very tight on the body and the interior fit and finish was simply phenomenal! I was truly impressed. After sitting in an 04 Aerio sx 5 speed and a Verona EX, I had to drive them. That was also a very pleasant experience. Now to the questions

    1. Does the o4 Aerio 5 spd. have a Temp guage of some sort or is it just an idiot light?

    2. I really loved both cars. The fun spunky personality of the Aerio was great and the luxury and quiet of the Verona was also.It is my personal transportation to and from work (27 mi, freeway and 2 lane country road each way) Both cars were great. Can you give me any pointers or experiences / advice to help persuade me one way or the other, because I'm really torn!!
  • teets18teets18 Member Posts: 28
    I have not driven the Verona, so I can't comment about it. However, I do own and drive an 03' sx.
    It only has an idiot light for a temp gauge; I don't know about the 04's though.
    I traded in my 98 grand prix for the sx. Comparatively, I appreciate the sx's agility, cornering, turn radius, and slight pepiness to maneuver arround town easily. also, i believe it has a very "edgy,fresh" look compared to the other compacts.
    I'm also looking forward to having a little fun with the awd system in the snow.
  • sodsmansodsman Member Posts: 7
    I dont understand why they did that with the temp guage? I believe the 02 had one.BTW Teets 18 what kind of mileage have you been getting?
  • chocoxtacochocoxtaco Member Posts: 32
    It was nice, rather quiet, and uneventful. I took an AT out and had one strange event where the tranny didn't seem to know what to do. I also suffered confusion at the gearshift gate and how to get it from D to R. Everything seems nice and tight, but I was expecting the Forenza controls to be in line with those of my Aerio SX. There were no real similarities. That includes the door remote.
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    The aerio uses 87 octane. Plane old regular fuel. The oil used is 5w30.
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    Chocoxtaco. They are different because the aerio is a true suzuki,while the forenza and the verona are made in korea by daewoo. They have been reworked for suzuki and chevrolet in the north american market.
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    Glad to hear you walked into a suzki store. They truly are a great car. I have had my aerio for just about a year and just love it.Dollar for dollar, I don't think you will find a better car in this group.
  • sodsmansodsman Member Posts: 7
    I'd be interested in how that sx handles snow, I live in Minnesota, and we sure get snow here!
    Thanks for the info, keep it coming.
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    Living in canada,we get snow. Go figure. The geolanders are not too good in the snow. I put on a set of michelin alpin unidirectional ice and snow tires. What a difference.
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    teets, I have just over 20,000km. My car really didnt feel broken in until at least 10,000km. I'm also using mobil1 5w30 syn oil.
  • teets18teets18 Member Posts: 28
    Hey General;
    I love your chicken! I'm glad you wrote in. My sx is fun to toy with in the snow because it does so well with the awd system. One complaint though; I hear a loud humming noise from the rear differential system at 35mph. A suzuki tech told me this was normal. I think it's too loud to be "normal." What have your experiences been with any rear drive train noises--any at all?
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    teets18 if you don't like the answer the dealer gave you, I would suggest going back and asking to drive another SX AWD with the shop forman os service manager and see if the noise is there.
  • generaltsogeneraltso Member Posts: 7
    I haven't noticed any humming noises. The only noise I've noticed so far is a subtle clunk from the font suspension when going over bumps. Have you noticed this? Sometimes I can even feel the clunk through the floorboards. I'm going to bring it in to the dealer to make sure there's nothing wrong.

    Maybe now that I'm listening for the humming noise, I'll be able to hear it. I'll let you know.

    By the way, we have about 30 inches of snow on the ground right now and it's still coming down. After I spend all day clearing the driveway, I'll have a good test of the AWD system.
  • teets18teets18 Member Posts: 28
    I've heard some clunking sounds from the suspension; nothing to get worried about though. I had the car on a lift at my work and everything is (looks) normal. The bearings where tight too. The only strange thing I noticed was how big and thick the front sway bar is and how closely it is tied to the front control arms. I assume the control arms can't travel far due to the behemoth sway bar. So, with out much suspension travel for dampening purposes, I am going to expect some clunking noises at this point. I did hear a loud popping noise from the rear one day while I was on the 270 freeway here in Columbus; has anybody heard of the Columbus sniper?
  • teets18teets18 Member Posts: 28
    Everbody is aware one must click the "Recent Messages" icon to see the latest messages--right?
  • teets18teets18 Member Posts: 28
    Your rear diff fluid needs erplaced at the first 7500 miles.
  • generaltsogeneraltso Member Posts: 7
    Yeah, I saw that in the manual. I'm surprised it needs to be replaced so soon. I assume it has something to do with break-in.
  • wheelz4wheelz4 Member Posts: 569
    http://www.carview.co.jp/express_new/aelio/index.asp
    text is Japanese but you can look at the pix. I guess this is what our 2005 will look like.
  • teets18teets18 Member Posts: 28
    Here is a site from Amsoil that seems unbiased. It compares many different petrolium and synthetic oils by performing tests.
    http://www.go-synthetic.com/amsoil_testing/amsoil_testing.html
  • frenchcarfrenchcar Member Posts: 247
    I have carried a few 8 foot mouldings and 2 X 4s inside my Aerio SX by folding the back seat down and sliding the pieces through the opening between the front seat backs and resting the tips on the dash (I have a dash cover) and could possibly taken a 9 foot length and it works fine. Sheets of plywood wont work naturally. Many roof racks have 100 to 159 pound limits but check around as someone just might have one sturdier than that but it would probably be European. I have a Suzuki sales booklet that their salesman were given back at introductory time in 2002 and it states that the Aerio roof structure will support a 3000 pound load because of the 3 side supports that extend up into the roof area to form built in roll support. Im not sure how to prove that or maybe they mean roll stiffness. This is food for thought.
  • vernongrayvernongray Member Posts: 6
    Hello, I have a 2003 aerio sx. I have had the front bearings replaced twice. Once at 12,000 miles and again at 30,000 miles. At 42,000 miles the wheel snapped off the car. Anybody else had bearing problems only front wheel drive. If your not sure if your bearings are going up just feel the wheel if its 2 hot to touch you have a problem.
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    vernongray,suzuki did have a TSB for the frt wheel bearings for a clunking noise.Were the first wheel bearings replaced for the same reason as the second ones? I'm on a couple of different suzuki sites and have not come across that concern yet.
  • generaltsogeneraltso Member Posts: 7
    I have a 2004 SX AWD and I definitely hear the clunking noise. But the dealer says that they can't reproduce the problem. Where can I get more info on this TSB? Thanks!
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    Here is the TSB. This is for the US.The Canadian dealers will replace the knuckles as well,but for some reason the US dealers are instructed to replace the bearings only.
    http://152.122.48.12/prepos/files/Artemis/Public/TSBs/2003/SB-100- - 01716-9260.pdf
    If you open up your e-mail on your profile I can send you more info.
  • bricknordbricknord Member Posts: 85
    Waited and waited for the Aerio to come out, and then to my dismay AWD was only available with automatic! Any chance of AWD and 5-spd? Anyone?
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    There are rumors of an AWD 5sp for 2005,but thats just rumors. Japan has had the 5speed AWD since they started making the AWD.
  • vernongrayvernongray Member Posts: 6
    DAVIDD5, The problem was by the second time the dealership was getting pretty nasty. They wanted me to do an 900.00 maintance deal. I told them no I would do my own maintance they told me the next time suzuki might not cover the repair.

    At this time I have been trying to get a hold of the district service rep, but no luck understand they are busy with vitara recall.

    I want someone to tell me the axle breaking at the wheel was not caused by the bearings failing twice on the car.

    when the bearings went up the first time there was so much heat 1 of the wheels caught on fire. Had to replace both rotors because they were warped by the heat.

    If I don't get a call soon am calling nhtsa and lodging a compalint.
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    Wow,vernon I can't believe your dealer is taking such a poor attitude toward this concern. So can I assume the second repair was covered under warrenty? What kind of maint. did they want you to do? The bearings are a sealed for life unit.
  • vernongrayvernongray Member Posts: 6
    davidd5, The maintance that they wanted to perform for the 900.00 was transmission flush, tune-up, oil change, brakes. One of the reasons I bought the Suzuki was that they seemed to be a relatively low maintance vehicle. Since the car was for my wife I thought that was great. It was just a dealership trying to get over on the customer. I just didn't appreciate having someone threaten me that my next repair might not be covered if I didn't do the main. package.

    Yes the 2nd bearing failure was also covered under warranty and since that was at 30,000 miles they extended that part an additional 12 months 12,000 miles.

    Still have not heard from district service rep concerning problem. Sent a complaint to NHTSA here in US. Also am calling Japan this evening and see if I have better luck with them.

    If I drove the car I probably wouldn't have made such a fuss, but its the wifes car and we just had a baby in November.
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    Thats a great deal teets18. I just put on some michelin arctic alpins so I'm not looking. What kind of parts are you looking for? I will try to find a buyer for the tires.
  • teets18teets18 Member Posts: 28
    I'm looking for the parts that need replaced every so often, i.e. brake pads, rotors, wheel cylinders, alternator, starter etc. I figure that i better locate where to find these parts before something needs to be replaced. I don't really feel like paying high dealer costs. By the way, how much did you pay for your Alpines?
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    If memory serves me right,I think $122.25 canadian each. As for the wear items. Raybestos makes a pad for the Aerio. As for the rotors,I'm not sure if there is a maker yet. Same goes for the other items. But I'm sure by the time they will need replacment there will be an aftermarket for that stuff.
  • teets18teets18 Member Posts: 28
    I hope parts will be available soon. The Aerio has been out for a few years now, and still there are really no aftermarket parts available (i think). I'm going to check out to see if other Suzuki makes have parts available. At my store, we generally turn down working on Suzukis just as fast as we turn away BMWs and Mercedes etc.
  • davidd5davidd5 Member Posts: 79
    Teets18,why would you guys turn away suzuki's. Being a tech myself,suzukis are an easy car to work on.
This discussion has been closed.