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2007/2012 Grand Vitara Advice

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turbo_boy411
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2007/2012 Grand Vitara Advice

Postby turbo_boy411 » September 28th, 2021, 3:55 pm

Good day, can anyone advise on what are the major issues when purchasing a used grand vitara between the year 2007 to 2012 with a high mileage over 100,000 km. What parts need replacing or what maintenance will be required. What problems arise with this suv due to age.

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VJTEK
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Re: 2007/2012 Grand Vitara Advice

Postby VJTEK » August 4th, 2022, 10:58 am

Now seeing this post so hence the late reply.

If you still seek an answer, see below:

I have two of these vehicles (2005 and 2017)

Both were bought with just over 60,000Kms on the odometer and appear to be genuine mileage.

The 2005 now has about 220,000km and is only now emitting some white smoke on startup only.

It runs fine and other than some slight oil consumption, is solid as a rock.

Issues I've had and resolved:

- Power steering pump starting leaking at about 180,000km. Bought new from firm and replaced though I heard they can be repaired. (Cost was about 8k)

- Alternator got damaged due to the leaking PS fluid as a result of the above. Repaired the alternator for about 3K.

- Passed through extremely high water in the floods of 2018 (Water up to the bonnet). A week later had to replace the rear propeller shaft that I think connects the Centre differential to the rear one. That cost 8K but could have been avoided if I didn't take the chances I did.

- Replaced the radiator with a metal one well after 100K.

- Serviced the steering rack well after 100k (Cost 6k)

- Changed cradle arms and bushings in the front (About 8k for everything)

- Changed shocks (Front and Rear) about 5K total

- Rebuilt Transmission at about 180k (9k)

- Instrument panel failure at 200k due to cold solder joints (Repaired for $300)

That's about as much as I can remember and please bear in mind that these are the major repairs I've done over nearly 11 years and 160,000km.

I don't consider this unreasonable as I used (not abused) the vehicle as it was intended. Tune ups were also done as necessary and I didn't mention these as all cars need that.

Also take note of the following pro's and cons: (All time 4 wheel drive 2.0JLX 4 speed AT)

Cons:
High fuel consumption (At best 18mpg)
Slow acceleration (About 14 seconds to 60mph)
Heavy - You may not be able to push it by yourself if you have to
Lack of dealer support (Parts and service)


Pro's:
Trail rated SUV you can actually take off road with the right tyres.
Good ground clearance
Versatile vehicle and roomy interior (Seats go up\rear hatch can be removed)
Nice looking black interior (If you like that)
Nice features on the fully loaded ones (Sunroof, keyless starting, passive entry, leather seats etc.)
Body is solid and strong and hardly any signs of rust for a 17 year old vehicle
Fun to drive, has a nice solid feel on the road albeit slow
Original parts last very long
Nice design with clamshell bonnet (Always liked that)

So that was my experience and hence why I replaced the 2005 with a 2017 a couple months ago.

Looked around for a new vehicle matching the things I've grown accustomed to with this vehicle and didn't find any worth their price tag (to me) especially in these uncertain times.

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