I like the good low-end torque the engine has as well. My complaint is that a 145 horse engine should feel a lot faster than this car does at highway speeds. The horsepower doesn't peak till 5700 rpms so it should have good pull up to that point, but it doesn't. It doesn't make sense that both an 89 horse Hyundai and my automatic 120 horse Mitsu Lancer feels faster and less strained at highway speeds than my 145 horse 5-speed Aerio. The Lancer is also geared for low-end torque but somehow they managed to keep it spunky at highway speeds as well (not to mention a much smoother and quieter engine). I'm just wondering where all my horses are....
Not that this is going to be useful to anyone with any sense, but Tirerack offers the Yokohama Geolander H/T G046 195/55VR15 for $88 apiece, (according to their ad in the latest C&D). I think that's what Suzuki put on my Aerio SX, the only bit I'm not sure of is the "H/T" part. They're in the Sport Utility and Light Truck section. I'm baffled why Suzuki would have used these as OE, and I'm wearing them out as fast as I can. Anyone have any idea why they used truck tires on this car?
I'm most likely going to replace with Kumho Ecsta Supras. They're very reasonable and have done a great job so far on my wifes SHO. I live in Cenrtral Texas, so it's not likely to snow any time soon.
Could we be running into a drag problem at higher speeds? The Aerio has to push quite a lot of air out of the way. Is the Lancer much shorter in height?
To be fair, I had no trouble switching lanes and accelerating rapidly from 60mph to 80mph in 4th the other day. I think these engines just need some time to break-in.
I had talked with both Tire Rack and Discount Tire Direct several months ago about the Aerio tires. At the time they didnt have them but perhaps they have added it to their tire line up. There are several Geolanders in their truck and SUV line up. I had one of them on a sidekick a few years ago. I think the HT is for highway tread and the AT is all terrain. Contact them for clarification. I dont think it was a wise choice of tires for the way most of us use them and its too low for any off road use. A performance all season or touring tire would be better. Between the tire change I made and the synthetic oil and increased air pressure my Aerio is fairly fast on the highway up to 75 or 80 or at least better than it was originally. A turbo is available after-market.
I was happy when Suzuki decided to increase their warranty from 3-36 to 7-70 on their 2002 Suzuki's. Unfortunately I purchased mine in June 2002. I called up Suzuki and they told me that you had to have bought it after Aug. 2002 to qualify for the longer warranty. Maybe if enough people called them to complain they will qualify all 2002's for the new warranty. There # is 1-800-934-0934. Frenchcar- haven't had any major snow's yet in Flagstaff, but looking forward to some to see how the car does. However after all the negative postings regarding their tires I may look to upgrade them before the next snow! Also, I'm curious how much the turbo upgrade kit cost and who supplies them?
Anyone who is interested in increasing engine performance should look at the December issue for Import Tuner magazine. They tried a few upgrades and noticed an improvement with all of them. The strangest one was a kit that adds electrical grounds for the engine. They were skeptical that it would work and don't completely understand how it works, but it did show a solid 3-4 hp boost throughout the rpm range. An interesting read. I may look into some of these upgrades.
Just pushed over 1,500 miles in 2 months.... Only problem has been the brake pulsating which disappeared and the ding in the roof that the dealer repaired. I'm only getting 26.5 mpg, but that is driving 85-100mph on the last trip to Los Angeles, boy can it fly low over the Grapevine. It has the AT w/ABS and AWD and passing downshifts still works above 95! No problem with acceleration on the flatland or hills, not a neck snapper, but moves along. Tires are great even in the rain we had last week, no loss of traction even at 65 and I tried! Basically I love this car fun and economical to drive. Looking forward to the free oil change next month!
Someone was correct and Tire Rack on the inter-net now has the Aerio Yokohoma Geolander used on these cars, in stock at $88 each if you need a replacement. I discussed the availability problem with them back in April.
"Someone was correct and Tire Rack on the inter-net now has the Aerio Yokohoma Geolander used on these cars..."
Thanks for the information. Btw, Tire Rack is also one of Edmunds' sponsors. For future reference, look for a direct link to their website on the lower/left side of this page. Good luck, and happy motoring!
First, I noticed the rear defroster doesn't have a timer like just about every other car on the market. It doesn't even turn off when you turn the car off and restart it. It's very easy to forget it's on too because the button is mounted low and the indicator light is very small. The second thing I noticed which is very annoying is the fact that Suzuki doesn't offer heated mirrors for the US. If I'm noticing the need for it in northern Florida (my car sits outside and ice covered my windows this morning), why would Suzuki only offer it for Canada? It can't possibly cost that much more to include it when the car is already designed for it and obviously a lot of people could benefit from it. Suzuki really needs to work on their features content if they are to keep up with the rest of the market.
Just FYI - I have had nothing but good experiences getting tires from Tirerack. There is an option to have the tires drop shipped to a service center near you, they even let you put your Zip code in and have a selection of shops close to you that have been recommended by other Tirerack customers. All very clean and easy.
Tire Rack is very good but so is Discount Tire Direct (internet) and I am fortunate to live in one of the 18 or 20 states that has Discount Tire stores. Great selection of many brands, lifetime warranty, free balancing and tire repair for life and they have a 195 x 55 x15 private label Yokohoma YK-420 tire that is actually an H rated Yokohoma AVID. That is what I put on mine and it is a much better tire than the Geolander that comes standard. Too bad their mail order company doesnt carry it. Discount Direct and Tire Rack have almost identical prices. I have been buying from Discount stores for 25 years and they started years ago in Phoenix. Very well trained help at all stores but the Tire Rack web site has great test results and owners comments. Hope this info helps someone. My tires have a 420 wear rating versus the 200 on the Geolander and A-A rating rather than B-B or A-B. Better traction too but probably not up to Canadian snow and ice where you need winter ice/snow tires no doubt.
As I've written before, I also have changed tires on my Aerio SX. Bought them from Tirerack.com. Not to repeat what others have said, but the website has a lot of useful general tire information (and testing results) and user comments and ratings specific to various tires. But I would caution about their recommended installers. They may not necessarily be qualified or, more accurately, attentive to tire installations, especially the ones purchased elsewhere. The recommended installer that I selected (and where the tires were shipped by Tirerack) did not balance the wheels properly, inflated each tire to a different pressure and took two and a half hours to do it after an estimate of 45 minutes. Have the tires shipped to your home, if possible, and then take them to your garage or Sears or something similar. As to the original equipment tires versus the new tires, I notice a major difference. The OE tires have an inferior wet traction rating (B), and I felt it when braking on wet roads. In fact, my ABS kicked in a lot more often with the old tires than with the new. Also, the OE tires used to squeal in hard turns. And they were generally more noisy and provided a harsher ride than the new tires. The new tires I purchased from Tirerack are Yokohama AVID T4s for $63 each (not including installation), rated for lower speeds than H tires, but still sufficient at speeds of up to 112 mph. The traction rating is A (AA is the highest and newest rating). Temperature rating is B, but it's fine unless you do almost exclusively high-speed highway driving in hot weather. Treadwear rating is around 400, twice as high as the OE 200 rating (which means that under the same driving conditions these tires, in theory, should last twice as long). The key, I think, is the higher traction rating. The new tires do feel quiter, definitely provide better traction and don't squeal without any real loss in performance. Someone made a comment earlier that their Aerio has great traction on the OE tires. However, I think they have AWD. And that would probably make a significant difference in terms of traction no matter what tires are on the car.
I just did my first oil change. Used 5-30w oil and a Purolator L14477 oil filter. The oil drain nut was a bit tight. But the hardest thing to remove was the oil filter. I think the factory over tightened it. I had to buy some car ramps to be able to get the leverage to remove the drain plug. Now I don't think I will have to raise the car at all on my next oil change. The oil wasn't that dirty. In fact Suzuki reccomended oil change schedule is every 7500 miles. I think on my next oild change I will wait until 3750 miles.
Since it was a long weekend I decided to paint my front brake calipers. I painted them red. I used an engine enamel primer and then an engine red and the final color. They are both rated up to 500 degrees. I will paint my drums during the Christmas holidays. Not sure I want to paint them red though. Maybe silver. I wish we had rear disk brakes. The hardest thing was masking the caliper. It took about 2 hours to mask. I used a lot of masking tape!
Anyway, so far the car is running flawlessy. No problems to report so far (knock on wood). No rattles/creakes. I have noticed the occasional thunk/clunk evry so often when I apply the brakes for the first time after the car has been setting for a while. But I haven't heard it since I painted by calipers come to think of it.
I'm over 5k miles now after putting 1k on my car in 4 days. The occasional buzz in my front passenger side door panel has turned into an annoying constant buzz at highway speeds. I have to do something about it because it drives me insane. Pulling slightly on the door panel will make the buzz stop for a short time, but the vibration from the road starts it right back up again. The tires appear to be part of the problem as they transmit quite a bit of small vibrations to the interior without actually feeling out of balance, causing my dog cage to rattle at certain speeds. It appears my complaints of engine power is due to the engine not being full broken in yet, or at least I hope so. I came to this conclusion because my highway mileage is only slightly better than the city mileage. With a 5-speed and no AC, I could only manage 28mpg at 75 mph. I was disappointed, but I think it will improve around 10k. On a different tank of gas, I did hit 100mph for the first time! It was pretty stable at that speed. Funny thing was, I got about the same mileage on that tank as I did running at a normal pace. It does seem the engine is beginning to run a little smoother and have a little more spunk. I heard the brake pad clunk a couple of times over thanksgiving so the new clips aren't doing the trick. At least the noise was a lot softer than it was before. I'm hoping it doesn't get worse. The wagon aspect came in handy as I was able to carry my dog cage fully assembled with room to spare. There is no way it could have fit in any sedan. My family was impressed with the room and seat comfort as well as the reasonable price. Overall, I still like my Aerio, but it has had more minor annoyances than my 02 Mitsubishi Lancer.
I finally got to install the center armrest my parents got me for my b-day. It's definitely worth the money! It adds enough storage space to hold my cell phone and a few other items. The bottom also has a rubber insert to keep things from rattling. I don't find it too intrusive when it's down as far as shifting is concerned, but I do prefer to have it up when driving in the city. One word of caution: If you don't own a drill, than you need to find someone else to install it. You do have to drill 4 holes into the console. I definitely recommend buying this armrest.
K & N Engineering in California is on the internet or call them at 909-826-4000 for info. The part # for the Aerio replacement filter is 33-2258 and they are $35.75 They sell through a long list of dealers, stores, shops, etc. I just ordered mine through "Martel" in Texas at 1-800-882-7223. I have used them in the past for improved power and miles per gallon and they last a lifetime and you can clean and oil them every few years. Good investment from my experience.
K&N now sells a complete Typhoon intake system for even more power. It consists of a mandrel bent and polished 3 inch tube with all the clamps and a K&N cone type filter. You remove the air box for this one so it is an open element and less restrictive. It comes in red, blue, silver or polished aluminum and they are part # 69-8400 and are $ 185 More power than the replacement filter above but might be noisy under power. Import Tuner Magazine used the cone shaped filter from this system inside the air box without the special tube and got good results so that is another approach but they had to modify the neck of it to accept the air intake sensor that plugs into the present set up.
I just came back to Edmunds for the first time since posting my question. In the meantime, I had gone to my closest Suzuki dealer where I learned the bad news that the AWD only comes on an automatic Aerio. The salesman did a pretty good job of selling me on the AWD nonetheless, but then I read the brochure when I got home. I could live with an automatic transmission if the AWD was all the time ala Subaru and not just when the front tires seem to be slipping.
I was going to wait until we had some snow around here to test drive an AWD Aerio, but I think I will go in the next couple of days and see how much of a difference the drive is between the FWD and AWD.
I understand your concern but back in 1995 I had a Subaru with automatic and AWD. It had the 90% front drive and 10% rear drive until the wheels detected slip and then went into action. I didnt seem to matter if it was snow or ice or hard rain or a slip on loose gravel or dirt, the action was immediate and very satisfying and probably more economical with less wear and tear than on the 5 speed set up that came with the 50-50 split front to rear at all times. Check an Aerio AWD out when there is snow on the road or drive on loose gravel at 40 mph and jamb on the brakes. A Subaru salesman did that and the car came to a quick stop and was straight as an arrow. Any expected slip or swerve was immediately corrected and it was awesome in snow. A Honda CRV and others have a similar set up. I dont have the AWD on my Aerio here in Arizona but would if I ever moved back to Colorado. They are safer.
I also installed the armrest in my car but I find it to be a bit on the flimsy side. It is not sturdy and tends to "wobble" from side to side. I thought would be alot studier than it is. I am wondering if maybe I did not install it properly. Does anyone else have this problem with the armrest?
Hi All, I have had my car - Aerio SX 5 spd - 4 months now with about 7,000miles on it. Overall, I enjoy my car, excellent buy. I love the fact I didn't have to add anything like I would have at Toyota. Everything was standard. I bought an armrest which is too tall for me, I have to drive with it up.
Also, I noticed my temperature gage seems to be at least 5 degrees off on the warmer side. one more thing...lots of static inside my car so everything sticks to the fabric. I've been on two long distance road trips (1200 miles round-trip) and my bum can't seem to handle the seat after 2 hours.
I have one really large complaint about the inside of the car. There is no airflow to the feet! It drives me nuts because in the summer I like cold air in the winter hot air to warm my feet. I get nothing. Do you guys feel anything when you switch the air flow to feet? or any of it's combos?
Mine has a slight wobble to it if you purposely push it from side to side, but it's not noticeable under normal use. It doesn't feel like it would break or anything, but I think the slight wobble is caused by how tall it is and how narrow and far back the base is. It's possible the base mounts are loose or improperly installed on your car.
I can feel hot air blowing on my feet on any of the floor settings, but the fan speed needs to be 2-4 to feel it. Try turning it to the floor and put it on speed 2 and than stick your hand down there and feel for any airflow. Your flapper may be stuck if you aren't getting any airflow down there.
As for the static electricity, I noticed the same thing! This car has been zapping the hell out of me and animal hairs stick to it like glue. I find my outside temp gauge to be very accurate as long as the sun isn't beating directly down on it and you don't sit and idle for a long time.
I finally figured this one out as it drove me nuts too. If you close the 2 outboard dash vents the floor vents get plenty of air for heat in the winter. Or close them half way to get a mixture. You just have to experiment.
Everything does stick to the black suede type velour cloth seats and I keep brushing them off. I am tempted to Scotch Guard the fabric with that spray which can be purchased. I have done it to cars in the past to protect the fabric and carpet but cant remember if it changed the clinging effect. Has anyone tried that? A detail shop might know what will work.
I scotchguarded the hell out of my seats as soon as I got the car home, (7yr old + 5yr old = nasty substances everywhere). The furry velour stuff doesn't seem to attract dirt as much as the football jersey stuff in the center of the seats. Just get ready for lots of vacuuming, I guess.
I did two other very cheap things to the interior that are helping out. I attached one of those gel mousepad wrist supports to the drivers door armrest with double sided sticky tape, and attached a little neoprene odds-and-ends sack to the center console in the front passenger footwell to address the lack of "cubby" space. Good for phone, sunglasses, etc. and there's still loades of passenger foot space.
My dealer says 2002 and 2003 models both have 145 HP at 6,000 RPM . 02 is rated at 141 HP at 5,700 RPM , and 03 is 145 at 6,000. Makes sense to me because I could not find any difference in timing , compression , or anything else. I know first hand it pulls better at 6,000 then 5,700 as I'm always flogging it. Black 02 SX fastback AT with 31,000 KM. I LOVE this car. The engine is bulletproof. Viewing it from the front is very sporty looking , far better looking then the new Honda Civic Si and the rear end is a million times better looking then the butt ugly PT Cruiser. I think Car and Driver & Motor Trend editors taste buds are burnt from sucking on too many BMW tail pipes. I really like the raspy exhaust note, reminds me of my motorcycle days. Those complaining about HWY performance ???? I don't think so. This is a very tight engine, and requires a ton of hard mileage to loosen up. Put some fuel injector cleaner in the gas, I think the injectors come from the factory clogged with some manufacturing residue. Drop a gear and let that engine sing , she will put a smile on your face then. More later.... Cobra79
Your dealer is full of it. Not that the distinction really matters, but the 02 model makes 141 at 5700 rpms and the 03 145 at 5700 rpms. I don't know where the extra hp comes from but something must be different. My guess is something in the exhaust was changed. Never trust what you dealer tells you because they never know what they are talking about.
Anyone found a fix to this yet?? The front panels buzzed bad this morning, totally ruining Madonna and later on, Celine Dion. "Take a bow" by Madonna is hardly a heavy bass song, nor is anything from Celine Dion. It just sounded awful to hear the chorus of buzzes. By the way, the volume was at 19 and I was playing a cd. So I'm not blaring the stereo. Those door panels are just very poorly designed. When someone figures out how to banish this annoying racket, please tell us here!
No door noises in my Aerio but I have had a few cars with one or more door vibrations. In each case I had to take the door panel off and experiment. In one case it was a missing bolt, in another a poorly mounted speaker and in another I had to put a pirce of sponge around the wire to the lock mechanism and it touched a panel. Could be a loose window channel or just the inner steel panel rubbing against the inside upholstered panel. Can be totally frustrating but fun to solve but the dealer should really help out on this. Let us know what they find as most of us dont have that problem. Are all the panel clips seated properly in their holes around the edge of the door? I found a few rubber grommets on the door and window weatherstriping not seated.
Your best protection for the $'s! I not only scotchguarded the interior, but also waterproofed it too (Wal-Mart double package special)! Really has helped the electron-static problem. The car would shock me every time I got out, but that disappeared after the application of scotchguard.
Overall this car is great, gas mileage is increasing... 28 hwy (AT, AWD), but I only have 1,800 miles so far.
I'm glad to see others have the same static issue! I'm a little jealous of the 2002 model owners because the material seems to be better! I bought my car pre-scotchguarded. Maybe I'll do that again, thanks traisjag.
Has anyone upgraded the stereo? I like the 6 disc changer a lot, but I really want an mp3 player in there. What kind of stereo & or speakers did you buy for your car? Thanks!
Oh, I learned that if you take those anti-static fabric softner sheets and "wipe" your seats with it, it takes care of static for awhile. this was a big deal for me beacuse I didn't want the Static Guard smell taking over the "new car" scent.
Well, someone must be wrong, because if you go to www.suzukiauto.com, it lists the hp as 145 @ 5700. Regardless, your dealer was wrong in telling you the 02 has 145 when it in fact has 141.
Check out the suzukiaerioforum.com Show, Shine and Audio section for info on stereo upgrades.
I put a Sony HU, Sony eq in the stock HU location, Sony 10-disk changer under the drivers seat, 4-channel and mono Cadence amps under the cargo floor, (SX model), Orion 6.5" component set in front stock locations, JBL 6.5" component set in the back stock locations, tweet just mounted to the grills, and my pride and joy, built a box for a 10" sub to sit flush with the cargo floor in a box that sits down into the spare. Didn't have to drill any holes, and I have complete access to the spare. I had to give up the storage bins under the cargo floor. If you have a '03, there might be less room under that floor, the bins are certainly shallower.
I had very little problem with space, but I am still trying to eliminate the last vestiges of alternator whine. It only appears when the electrical system is under extra load, such as headlights, a/c, rear window defrost. Wierd.
I can fill you in on all kind of details about access, etc, if you need.
Do your hear the whine when accelerating? I have been noticing a high-pitched whine when accelerating, but can't figure out if its alternator related or tranny related. It's not real loud but noticeable nonetheless.
After hemming and hawing for a week, I decided not to buy the 03 Aerio wagon after all. I liked it the best of the three I looked at (Protege5, Matrix and Aerio), but it is just too small. Somewhere (I wish I could remember where), I heard that there is a possibility of an extended version coming out for 04? Anyone know anything about this?
We installed the lifetime performance k&N filter we bought last week and took a weekend trip. Both of us could feel the noticeable improvement in power both around town and on the highway.
I have some bad news to pass along. The insurance institute recently tested the Aerio's bumpers and rated them poor. In fact, they described the bumpers as being nothing more than decorative pieces of unprotective plastic. In 3 of the 4 bumper tests, the bumper cover split, causing the whole cover to be replaced at over $500 a piece. This could mean insurance hikes later on. They will be testing its offset impact performance soon. Let's hope it does much better (I'm predicting at least a good rating if not best-pick considering how beefy those A-pillars look).
Frenchcar - was that just a drop in filter into the existing airbox, or did you replace the box entirely?
Joybell - the car is small, but is really quite big inside - (Dr Who's Tardis, anyone?). With the seats down: Aerio 64ft3, Saturn Vue 65ft3, Nissan Xterra 66ft3. I picked up a crated washing machine in mine, no problems. There are bigger vehicles out there, though, no doubt.
lngtonge18 - the whine I'm getting is definitely alternator induced noise in the stereo system. Pretty easy to figure out if it's alternator noise or transmission - if it goes away when you turn the stereo off, it's alternator noise, (assuming it's a high-pitched whine in step with engine revs).
lngtonge18 - the bumper was rated poorly for repair costs - that's not to say the car is not crashworthy. It is a pain to have to shell out big bucks for 5mph dings, though, and I agree it will affect insurance costs.
I used the simple drop in replacement air filter that uses the same air box. Check out message posts # 529 and 530 for more info on this filter and the Typhoon System that is available.
Most bumpers today are mere trim and not sturdy enough and I might add that high impact accidents to the rear of hatchbacks, station wagons, mini vans and SUVs are often more costly than on a sedan because the rear hatch type doors are very expensive compared to side doors. If a high impact damages the bumper, tail lite housings and the rear hatch door you end up with a huge collision bill the way the government estimates them. In most cases a $3500 rear door does not have to be replaced and can be bumped, pulled out or sectioned for much less but they figure all new parts in their comparisons. DONT BE FOOLED INTO THINKING THERE IS A CONNECTION BETWEEN HIGH REPAIR COSTS AND SAFETY. Station wagon bodies have a better safety record in rear end collisions and the crumple rate is what cushions and protects passengers. When bumpers and sheet metal is too stiff you get more severe neck injuries. The collision damage comparisons are not nearly as important as the actual safety rating for a vehicle. Plastic bumper covers can be reconditioned and there are many new methods to repair dented sheet metal cheaply. Just had 80 hail dents taken out of our Aerio (some deep) and no fresh paint was used and you cant tell it was ever damaged.
I have to disagree with your statement that most bumpers aren't sturdy enough. Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, and VW have all managed to design good bumpers on their inexpensive models. The 03 Corolla's average repair costs over four 5mph impacts was $296 compared to the Aerio's $1,131. The VW Beetle managed the same test with a $52 average. That's a big difference and there is no excuse for it. The Aerio has the most expensive bumper repair costs out of ALL small cars (the 2nd most expensive bumper repair cost of $800 is on the 02 Mini) and is the only one rated poor. Suzuki should be ashamed of themselves for not designing the bumpers properly. Bumper covers can be fixed when they are mildly dented but not when they split open as they did on the Aerio.
I realize the bumper performance means nothing to the structural performance of the car. I think it will do good in that regard. I am just disappointed Suzuki didn't do a better job with the bumpers.
Okay, ironically, yesterday my Aerio and I hit a car that ran through a red light. I was making a left turn at a green arrow. Luckily, the damage was minimal to me, I only scraped the other car.
I'll let you now what it costs. If they replace the bumper or just repaint it. I am very surprised nothing was dented, one scratch and paint from the other car. I think the fat bumper did it's job. m.
Never heard anything about an elongated Aerio. I seriously doubt they would bother since they have the elongated Grand Vitara (aka XL7) and the Aerio is meant to be a small car, not a midsize.
It might've been me you heard it from , joybell. I seem to remember reading it in one of the Aerio reviews.....in the Mississauga News, I think. The reviewer mentioned that Suzuki was developing a true wagon version of the Aerio to compete with the Focus and Subaru wagons (and to replace the Esteem wagon.....that's the only place I've seen anything about it, so don't know how accurate the reviewer's info was. I'd be interested too, as even with our roof carrier, we were loaded to the brim for our camping trip down east this past summer. Here's hoping......
Comments
I'm most likely going to replace with Kumho Ecsta Supras. They're very reasonable and have done a great job so far on my wifes SHO. I live in Cenrtral Texas, so it's not likely to snow any time soon.
To be fair, I had no trouble switching lanes and accelerating rapidly from 60mph to 80mph in 4th the other day. I think these engines just need some time to break-in.
Frenchcar- haven't had any major snow's yet in Flagstaff, but looking forward to some to see how the car does. However after all the negative postings regarding their tires I may look to upgrade them before the next snow! Also, I'm curious how much the turbo upgrade kit cost and who supplies them?
Thanks for the information. Btw, Tire Rack is also one of Edmunds' sponsors. For future reference, look for a direct link to their website on the lower/left side of this page. Good luck, and happy motoring!
Revka
Hatchbacks & Wagons Host
Jonty
I just did my first oil change. Used 5-30w oil and a Purolator L14477 oil filter. The oil drain nut was a bit tight. But the hardest thing to remove was the oil filter. I think the factory over tightened it. I had to buy some car ramps to be able to get the leverage to remove the drain plug. Now I don't think I will have to raise the car at all on my next oil change. The oil wasn't that dirty. In fact Suzuki reccomended oil change schedule is every 7500 miles. I think on my next oild change I will wait until 3750 miles.
Since it was a long weekend I decided to paint my front brake calipers. I painted them red. I used an engine enamel primer and then an engine red and the final color. They are both rated up to 500 degrees. I will paint my drums during the Christmas holidays. Not sure I want to paint them red though. Maybe silver. I wish we had rear disk brakes. The hardest thing was masking the caliper. It took about 2 hours to mask. I used a lot of masking tape!
Anyway, so far the car is running flawlessy. No problems to report so far (knock on wood). No rattles/creakes. I have noticed the occasional thunk/clunk evry so often when I apply the brakes for the first time after the car has been setting for a while. But I haven't heard it since I painted by calipers come to think of it.
All in all a great little car.
Happy motoring.
It appears my complaints of engine power is due to the engine not being full broken in yet, or at least I hope so. I came to this conclusion because my highway mileage is only slightly better than the city mileage. With a 5-speed and no AC, I could only manage 28mpg at 75 mph. I was disappointed, but I think it will improve around 10k. On a different tank of gas, I did hit 100mph for the first time! It was pretty stable at that speed. Funny thing was, I got about the same mileage on that tank as I did running at a normal pace. It does seem the engine is beginning to run a little smoother and have a little more spunk.
I heard the brake pad clunk a couple of times over thanksgiving so the new clips aren't doing the trick. At least the noise was a lot softer than it was before. I'm hoping it doesn't get worse.
The wagon aspect came in handy as I was able to carry my dog cage fully assembled with room to spare. There is no way it could have fit in any sedan. My family was impressed with the room and seat comfort as well as the reasonable price.
Overall, I still like my Aerio, but it has had more minor annoyances than my 02 Mitsubishi Lancer.
I have used them in the past for improved power and miles per gallon and they last a lifetime and you can clean and oil them every few years. Good investment from my experience.
I was going to wait until we had some snow around here to test drive an AWD Aerio, but I think I will go in the next couple of days and see how much of a difference the drive is between the FWD and AWD.
I have had my car - Aerio SX 5 spd - 4 months now with about 7,000miles on it. Overall, I enjoy my car, excellent buy. I love the fact I didn't have to add anything like I would have at Toyota. Everything was standard. I bought an armrest which is too tall for me, I have to drive with it up.
Also, I noticed my temperature gage seems to be at least 5 degrees off on the warmer side. one more thing...lots of static inside my car so everything sticks to the fabric. I've been on two long distance road trips (1200 miles round-trip) and my bum can't seem to handle the seat after 2 hours.
I have one really large complaint about the inside of the car. There is no airflow to the feet! It drives me nuts because in the summer I like cold air in the winter hot air to warm my feet. I get nothing. Do you guys feel anything when you switch the air flow to feet? or any of it's combos?
over all though, I am 85% happy. m.
As for the static electricity, I noticed the same thing! This car has been zapping the hell out of me and animal hairs stick to it like glue. I find my outside temp gauge to be very accurate as long as the sun isn't beating directly down on it and you don't sit and idle for a long time.
I did two other very cheap things to the interior that are helping out. I attached one of those gel mousepad wrist supports to the drivers door armrest with double sided sticky tape, and attached a little neoprene odds-and-ends sack to the center console in the front passenger footwell to address the lack of "cubby" space. Good for phone, sunglasses, etc. and there's still loades of passenger foot space.
Black 02 SX fastback AT with 31,000 KM. I LOVE this car. The engine is bulletproof. Viewing it from the front is very sporty looking , far better looking then the new Honda Civic Si and the rear end is a million times better looking then the butt ugly PT Cruiser.
I think Car and Driver & Motor Trend editors taste buds are burnt from sucking on too many BMW tail pipes. I really like the raspy exhaust note, reminds me of my motorcycle days. Those complaining about HWY performance ???? I don't think so. This is a very tight engine, and requires a ton of hard mileage to loosen up. Put some fuel injector cleaner in the gas, I think the injectors come from the factory clogged with some manufacturing residue. Drop a gear and let that engine sing , she will put a smile on your face then. More later....
Cobra79
Overall this car is great, gas mileage is increasing... 28 hwy (AT, AWD), but I only have 1,800 miles so far.
Has anyone upgraded the stereo? I like the 6 disc changer a lot, but I really want an mp3 player in there. What kind of stereo & or speakers did you buy for your car? Thanks!
ENGINE 2.0 Litre,4 cylinder,16 valve | HORSEPOWER 145 @6,000 rpm | TORQUE 136 lb ft @3,000 rpm
http://www.suzuki.ca/en/index.htm
6000 vs 5700 which one would be better?
US website is ugly. CA looks better. IMO.
I put a Sony HU, Sony eq in the stock HU location, Sony 10-disk changer under the drivers seat, 4-channel and mono Cadence amps under the cargo floor, (SX model), Orion 6.5" component set in front stock locations, JBL 6.5" component set in the back stock locations, tweet just mounted to the grills, and my pride and joy, built a box for a 10" sub to sit flush with the cargo floor in a box that sits down into the spare. Didn't have to drill any holes, and I have complete access to the spare. I had to give up the storage bins under the cargo floor. If you have a '03, there might be less room under that floor, the bins are certainly shallower.
I had very little problem with space, but I am still trying to eliminate the last vestiges of alternator whine. It only appears when the electrical system is under extra load, such as headlights, a/c, rear window defrost. Wierd.
I can fill you in on all kind of details about access, etc, if you need.
Joybell - the car is small, but is really quite big inside - (Dr Who's Tardis, anyone?). With the seats down: Aerio 64ft3, Saturn Vue 65ft3, Nissan Xterra 66ft3. I picked up a crated washing machine in mine, no problems. There are bigger vehicles out there, though, no doubt.
lngtonge18 - the whine I'm getting is definitely alternator induced noise in the stereo system. Pretty easy to figure out if it's alternator noise or transmission - if it goes away when you turn the stereo off, it's alternator noise, (assuming it's a high-pitched whine in step with engine revs).
lngtonge18 - the bumper was rated poorly for repair costs - that's not to say the car is not crashworthy. It is a pain to have to shell out big bucks for 5mph dings, though, and I agree it will affect insurance costs.
I realize the bumper performance means nothing to the structural performance of the car. I think it will do good in that regard. I am just disappointed Suzuki didn't do a better job with the bumpers.
I'll let you now what it costs. If they replace the bumper or just repaint it. I am very surprised nothing was dented, one scratch and paint from the other car. I think the fat bumper did it's job. m.
I seem to remember reading it in one of the Aerio reviews.....in the Mississauga News, I think.
The reviewer mentioned that Suzuki was developing a true wagon version of the Aerio to compete with the Focus and Subaru wagons (and to replace the Esteem wagon.....that's the only place I've seen anything about it, so don't know how accurate the reviewer's info was. I'd be interested too, as even with our roof carrier, we were loaded to the brim for our camping trip down east this past summer. Here's hoping......