beej25

The block in my car has just cracked too.. I have service history but none has been done at a Suzuki dealer.. what chance do I have at getting Suzuki Australia to cover the cost of the parts just done 90thou kms

Considering your car is well out of warranty you dont have a hope in hell of getting Suzuki to cover the cost of parts.

Regarding getting your vehicle serviced at a dealer ill just paste this here. This is Australian related (ACCC)

Do I need to service my car at the dealer?

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says "a manufacturer's warranty is a promise to the consumer that the vehicle will be free from defects for a certain period of time". While a manufacturer can have certain requirements in its warranty terms – such as ensuring any servicing is carried out by qualified staff, according to the manufacturer's specification, and that appropriate quality parts are used where required – it can't require you to service your vehicle through an authorised dealer to keep your warranty intact.

"Provided you service the vehicle in accordance with any such requirements, the warranty will remain valid. If the manufacturer's warranty states that the vehicle can only be serviced by an authorised dealer, this may raise concerns under the Competition and Consumer Act," the ACCC has said in written guidance to the automotive industry.

But that message doesn't always seem to be getting across: we've come across examples of dealers flouting the ACCC guidelines and saying you should service your car at an authorised dealer. We also found language in logbooks that strongly implies you'll be voiding the warranty if you don't take it back to the dealer for servicing.

 

Hi Dr Suzuki,

I did pay for an extended warranty from the used car dealership I brought my car from.. even though my car is out of warranty from Suzuki because this is a known problem.. wouldn't they still come to the party?

The extended warranty I paid 1600 for when I brought the car conveniently says it doesn't cover the block in the fine print ive only just found this out since the car died so I'm hoping to get some help from Suzuki.. these cars should have been recalled ( 08-09 j24b)

 

I've got mine booked in for a lookover at the dealer next week (original seller in south of Perth area, not that they've had anything to do with the car since). Will ask questions and report back. I agree with Dr Suzuki though, our chances are slim as the car is getting on. Similarly worded letters/correspondence to Suzuki may be in our best interests. The blocks do seem to be going at similar ages so there needs to be acknowledgement of a problem and if nothing else, reassurance to new buyers that their newer engines won't crack once they get older (as has been provided for the head issue).

Re: coolant. Having owned a VW for ages and now this car, I'm annoyed at all the smoke and mirrors manufacturers and suppliers put up about the stuff. It's not as if mixing products will drastically increase corrosion or cause cracks but mixing will reduce longevity and effectiveness of the end result. That plus potential for precipitation of solids causing blockages as mentioned before (I would add 'in extreme cases'). I have found this to be generally informative, though not specifically aussie:
http://m.autoserviceprofessional.com/article/92419/coolant-and-colors-what-are-car-makers-up-to

 

Dr Suzuki since you have worked on a few of those, did you notice a pattern or a cause to the block cracking?

 

Dr Suzuki since you have worked on a few of those, did you notice a pattern or a cause to the block cracking?

No sorry , all i can put it down to is a manufacturing casting defect. Constant expanding and contracting of the block as it heats and cools down eventually causes a crack in the "weak" spot of the block. It could be a harmonics problem but considering the 2.4 is one of the only Suzuki engine to have a counterbalance assembly im not sure.

The early 1.6 vitara that suffered a crack at the rear of the block behind the starter motor : we cut a block up and found that they had a thinner wall section where the crack was .

 

So the guys pressure tested it to confirm the leak. I also provided them with some of the pictures I posted here. They advised following discussion with the WA state manager that they are 'unable to assist for this concern given the age of the vehicle'.
There was suggestion that a goodwill repair *may* have been considered if the car were serviced at Suzuki, indicating brand loyalty. I guess now it comes down to how much noise I want to make!

Apparently mine is an odd case as it is on the RHS of the block. There is a TSB out for blocks cracking on the LHS so I will try and get a copy to share. If the TSB indicates that the blocks have casting issues, then I would ask why those engines weren't recalled as opposed to waiting for them to come in.
I'm considering my alternatives while I track that down.

In terms of alternatives, the dealer cited a case handled by another Perth dealer where a local mechanic/fitter was brought in to do a stitch repair (successfully). Having read about Lock-n-stitch online, I had already contacted them in the USA to get a feel for pricing. I believe a kit for my repair would be about USD250 and it would take (me) a full day. It looks simple enough, just time consuming.

 

Hey guys, another GV 08/2008 2.4 with cracked block in the same spot just behind the water pump. Has anyone had any luck getting this fixed or replaced in Australia... through Suzuki or in any other way eg welded etc???

Bought the GV with 180,000 on the clock and it had already been cracked. Didn’t notice until it was too late. First I thought it was the water pump but then I realised it is the block.

So disappointing!

 

Is there any way to spot the difference between a 2008/2009 J24B engine and the later ones where the issue had been addressed?

There are a few Japanese engines on offer but they don't have VIN numbers or anything and often they had already been removed from the car so the importers don't know for sure.

Cheers

serial number tracking would be the only way i can think of
the recall bulletin might list the numbers affected

 

I just purchased a Grand Vitara with J24B. Before I got it I done some initial research and didn't pull up much in regards to complaints. In fact, it was the opposite - everybody seemed to say Suzuki was a very reliable brand (of Mazda, Toyota etc ilk). That was a big facet in deciding. I found this thread after purchasing, searching the engine from the VIN, and now I'm a bit worried.

Having a read through this thread, and from Suzuki's public statement, it seems that the fault only effects late 08 to 09 releases, and that they rectified this around Aug 09. My GV according to the VIN is a mid Oct 11 build of the 2012 model. Is this something I should be sweating about?

I don't have the most money, so this would be a devastating blow. Scraped all I had to get it. I love the GV. It has everything I need and thought I would ever have. It has 170k on the clock, but runs beautifully. Body and paint in awesome shape. No leaks or lights. Private sale, one owner (school teacher) from new, log-book serviced its whole life. Serviced a week before sale. Got a great deal on price too.

I'm just looking for some reassurance as I've sank a big portion of my money on it. My gut tells me it's okay as I experienced nothing driving, or garaged, that worries me. If I hadn't found this thread I'd be none the wiser. Thanks in advance if anyone can provide insight.

 

if its manufactured after 2009 then the head and block cracking issue is not an issue, they sorted the batch of faulty castings.
Do the basic maint and use OEM parts if doing any work on the cooling system, especially thermostats. Replace coolant every 4 years, max. Do not mix coolant types, replace with the one fitted, mine have the Suzuki "green" which does not mix with the "blue" or red stuff out there.

 

In closing: Suzuki USA has acknowledged the Head Cracking fault and have repaired vehicles still under warranty per the earlier posted TSB.

To add to the issue, the engine Blocks are also reported cracking without warning and without overheating. A general consensus is to steer clear of the early version of these engines. If you are considering buying one, suggest a build date of 2010 or later.

This very old and exhausting long thread has run its course, thus is now closed.

If you didn't find the answers to your engine cracking questions within the contents, start a new thread with your specific concern.

8/6/19
I have consolidated the contents by merging the (same member) informational posts and deleting redundant and splintered off-subject discussions, along with those threads having dead links. Also I've recovered the lost head pics, all in an attempt to better serve this model's member base.

 

Just a heads-up hoping this extension applies to all countries using the 2.4

Engine cracks

MediaFire is a simple to use free service that lets you put all your photos, documents, music, and video in a single place so you can access them anywhere and share them everywhere.

www.mediafire.com

 

Adding info of relevance. If in the future information of significance needs inclusion, contact any Moderator for assistance.

Ireland

www.suzuki-forums.com

 

The above warranty sounds promising so I wrote to Suzuki GB (UK) to ask if they offer the same thing. I sent them this link to the Suzuki America warranty and this is what they replied with:

"As Suzuki GB, we are unsure of this extended warranty you mention, as the US is a different market we would unable to comment.

If you are experiencing issues with your vehicle, we would advise that the vehicle is inspected by an Authorised Suzuki Dealer. Any vehicles that are no longer covered by the manufactures warranty, can be considered by the Suzuki GB goodwill process in some circumstances."

Now I'm wondering whether this is enough to put me off a Grand Vitara..