anyone got pinging noises in their grand vitara - Page 2

jaidensmommy032007 · 07-04-2009, 02:22 PM

No, we arent having any problems with a rattle or engine knock. my husband drives it more than me to work and back but he hasnt complained about ratting or anything. I just want to find anyone who is having a problem like ours that i could go and tell the service people, look there is a car like ours and heres what they said worked for them and what they got fixed to stop the noise. again, the noise sounds like a ping going into gears and is coming from like under the shifter. anyone with this problem, let me know.. my dad is thinking its the universal joint

logmgr · 07-04-2009, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaidensmommy032007

Thanks geevee.. I am in the process of talking to the customer service people right now about getting our seats redone and done the proper way. The wheels are 20 inches and the rims are the same too. The tires has it's normal wear in them.. Nothing different and see we drive our car from Washington state all the way to Pennsylvania state on the stock tires and it still made this pinging noise. So right there that tells you that it's not the tires.
And thanks logmgr.. The universal joint is what they told my husband and we have a on file with them is that they changed the universal joint. Does yours make the noise when you let it sit for alittle when you start it up and then put it into drive and hear a ping noise sounds like it's right under your shifter? Or when you put it into any gear except for Neutral? The noise is so loud that you can hear it over a radio that's turned up. What did they tell you your pinging noise is? And are they or did they do anything to help fix the problem? And you said you had a 2007 gv? I asked them if they found any vehicle with the same problem anywhere and they had told me no they can't find anyone anywhere with the same problem we are having with our gv.
When you take it in, can they hear the pinging noise when you do it or can they duplicate the sound?

***********************************

Mine does it when going into drive from neutral.....drive to reverse...in heavy stop/go traffic when it shifts up/down.
They said it was normal.
At first I thought maybe so as for the past 15 years I have driven front wheel drive, but then I got to thinking...my old pick up is rear wheel and it does not do this.
I think something somewhere is loose and that is how they engineered the GV so they say it is normal.
I would not worry about it breaking suddenly and getting stranded somewhere; and remember the warranty is until 100 K; so sooner or later it will have to present itself as something they will have to fix and you already have your visits to the dealership documented.

logmgr · 07-04-2009, 06:59 PM

Oh...my 08 does it as well; just not as bad.

geevee · 07-05-2009, 12:15 AM

I am in the process of talking to the customer service people right now about getting our seats redone and done the proper way.

The PROPER way to get them fixed is to have the leather seat covers replaced. I've found a couple of comments on the Internet of people having this done. But Suzuki refused to do that for me, and also warned about the color of new seat covers not matching the existing ones.

From looking at pictures of dozens of GV's with leather seats for sale on eBay over the last few years, I know that only about 10% of them have this problem. That's enough that Suzuki knows very well it is a problem, but few enough that they should deal with it the right way. The leather seated GV is not a cheapo vehicle, and is not sold as such. So it should be supported with some dedication to customer satisfaction.

dkguffe · 07-05-2009, 11:04 PM

I would really like to see some pictures of this airbag showing, it sounds strange.

Mine has got a bit saggy seats, at times the leather does sort of fold a little, but, I've found that with a rag and just clean water, just making the leather a bit wet, and allowing it to dry, seems to make it nice and tidy again for a while.

In regards to the noise, are you sure its not just the solenoid releasing the gear changer ?

Try this: while not moving, and engine on idle, gear changer in "P" press you brake pedal a couple of times. The solenoid will click. If you watch the little button next to "P" (park unlock or something the label says) it will move slightly.

Alternatively, try and record the sound. Most phones these days can record sound.. Take that to the dealer, maybe when he hears the sound, he can guess what might be wrong.

08gv · 08-13-2009, 04:29 PM

get out the video camera + start documentation. you then have proof + something to show the mech...as a former mech i understand these guys hear so many clunking..pinging..ringing..etc. half the time they have no clue what there looking for so a video clip would go a long way. my guess is you are parking you car on a slight incline or decline and this clunk is coming from having to pull the car out of park. this is why they cannot duplicate on level ground.try this out as it is good practice and will save you trans linkage in the long run...whenever you pull into the drive or normail parking place before throwing the car in park and hopping out put the gear selector in N and put on the parking brake then take your foot off the brake and let the car settle on the parking brake and put the selector in P. this takes a huge load off the linkage down the long run and also makes it so the drivetrain does not have the job of holding the car in place(which it is not designed to do)

Tim.LSR · 08-14-2009, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 08gv

get out the video camera + start documentation. you then have proof + something to show the mech...as a former mech i understand these guys hear so many clunking..pinging..ringing..etc. half the time they have no clue what there looking for so a video clip would go a long way. my guess is you are parking you car on a slight incline or decline and this clunk is coming from having to pull the car out of park. this is why they cannot duplicate on level ground.try this out as it is good practice and will save you trans linkage in the long run...whenever you pull into the drive or normail parking place before throwing the car in park and hopping out put the gear selector in N and put on the parking brake then take your foot off the brake and let the car settle on the parking brake and put the selector in P. this takes a huge load off the linkage down the long run and also makes it so the drivetrain does not have the job of holding the car in place(which it is not designed to do)

+1 on that parking procedure. My driver instructor taught me that years ago and I still follow it. It is interesting to see how much the vehicle can settle when you take your foot off the brake before putting the transmission in park. As a motorcycle rider I experience something similar when I stop using both front and rear brakes. When releasing the rear brake at a stop on my dual-sport, the back end usually drops down an inch or two.