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Suzuki Grand Vitara 2006 through 2008

1048 messages,  Last post on Jan 14, 2012 at 11:29 AM

You are in the Suzuki Grand Vitara/Vitara Forum.

What is this discussion about? Suzuki Grand Vitara, SUV

Messages Page 52 of 105

#508 of 1048 Update on my 2006 Grand Vitara. My floor melted! by vitara4me

May 04, 2006 (5:17 pm)

Ok, I just took my 2006 Grand Vitara to the dealership to order NEW CARPET, NEW FLOOR MATS, and NEW SOUND INSULATION for the area where my "gas" foot normally is.
 
If you will scroll back a few posts, you will see where I rented a small open trailer (the smallest trailer you can rent from U-Haul), and took some items to Las Vegas. Well, right past Baker, CA is a steep grade, about 40 miles long, to the top of the pass. I was driving in the slow lane (the same lane that the 18-wheelers use), about 65 MPH. The GV was in third gear revving about 6,000-6,500 RPM (approximately, I'm going from memory here). Besides absolutely horrendous gas consumption, I did not notice anything out of the ordinary.
Well, the other day, I noticed that the right sole of my "Hush-Puppies" shoe was....well...melted. Huh? What? How did that happen? For weeks, I could not figure out what happened to my right shoe, until I looked at the floor of my GV. There is a "crater" where the heel of my right foot sits (this is my accelerator foot for you Aussies that drive on the wrong side of the road). I lifted up the floor mat, and there is a black stain coming through the carpet. Apparently, the gooey, black sound insulation under the carpet had melted and separated, and my foot sunk all the way to the floorboards.
Take a guess to what is directly under the floor? The catalytic converter. It seems that as I was straining to get up the grade, the "cat" became very, very hot, along with the floor right above it.
The dealer is going to repair it under warranty, but this is a very bad oversight on Suzuki's part. What this means is that there is not enough shielding around the cat and surrounding areas.
So, this is a warning to all that plan to tow (even a light load) with the Grand Vitara. The floor will get very hot during steep grades. Once the dealer fixes my floor, I am going to the local hardware store, buying a sheet of aluminum, and building myself a heat shield for the floor.
 
Does Suzuki Corp. read these boards? I hope so.....
 
Any comments? Flames?
 
Regards, ARG

#509 of 1048 Re: Update on my 2006 Grand Vitara. My floor melted! [vitara4me] by xostnot

May 04, 2006 (9:47 pm)

Replying to: vitara4me (May 04, 2006 5:17 pm)
Glad to hear it didn't catch fire! I bet they have to do a recall for this. Have you reported it to the NHTSA website? If not, you should. Suzuki should replace your shoes, also.

#510 of 1048 Re: Update on my 2006 Grand Vitara. My floor melted! [vitara4me] by budman3

May 05, 2006 (5:09 am)

Replying to: vitara4me (May 04, 2006 5:17 pm)
Wow! I know the road you drove on. I'm surprised you didn't put your foot through the floor trying to go up that hill. I think 6500 is redline. That converter is right by the floorboard and must have had quite a nice color to it. It does have a shield and some reflective insulation underneath, I guess it wasn't enough. We're heading to Vegas today. I'll check how hot the floor gets at highway speeds.
Checked my fuel consumption for city driving. Tried to be as accurate as possible in filling up the same. A/C is on. 17.6 mpg US.

#511 of 1048 Re: GV Lux 2006 Questions/Feedback [xostnot] by acetexas

May 05, 2006 (10:55 am)

Replying to: xostnot (May 02, 2006 9:22 pm)
Thanks for the feedback xostnot, I'll keep jacking with the seat adjustments. Do you think the aux connection is worth it, especially if you have to disassemble the console? I wonder what type of connection it is. If you can not put a lead on it to utilize access from a normal day-to-day condition I guess not ???

#512 of 1048 Re: GV Lux 2006 Questions/Feedback [acetexas] by xostnot

May 05, 2006 (10:20 pm)

Replying to: acetexas (May 05, 2006 10:55 am)
I haven't bothered with the aux connection and don't really know what it involves. Some people talked about it in the '06GV forum at www.suzuki-forums.com.
 
With enough money, you can get anything rigged up, even a totally different radio that uses the same buttons.

#513 of 1048 Re: small car [norwoodsmn] by autoboy16

May 06, 2006 (6:19 am)

Replying to: norwoodsmn (May 02, 2006 12:30 pm)
Hearin the word Dodge has me instinctively wanting to "duck and cover".
 
  lol. So wrong yet sooo true
 
Good luck with the 3. Can you wait to test out a the CX-7?

#514 of 1048 Re: More power for GV [bearsgv] by pisulino

May 09, 2006 (4:20 pm)

Replying to: bearsgv (Apr 27, 2006 6:09 pm)
Talking Engine size:
I remember back in 1988 when driving my Suzuki Forza with the 1.1 3 cylinder engine.
That little bastard drove me to work and camping with my wife and two small children aged 4 and 2 years old.
It was very slow at picking up speed but once there, it was a no problem cruising at 60-65mph in 5th gear.
I had that car for five years and never had a problem.
 
Now we are in 2006 and people are concerned that a 2.7 V6 engine may not be enough to pass on the HWY....WOW this is crazy LOL.
If you need more power than that while keeping a good MPG (23-25), go and get the VUE V6 with the Honda 250HP engine and tranny.....that will take you places and probably at the same price as the suki.

#515 of 1048 by acetexas

May 10, 2006 (3:44 pm)

Well, it's been a month with the GV. Overall, the SUV continues to meet owner expectations. However, some not so perfect findings:
1. Cruise control accl button executes a high rev acceleration (like pressing down on the pedal for passing) for just a minor speed increase command (single button press) on flat road conditions. To avoid the high engine rev surge you must reach a higher speed by using the gas pedal and then reset the cruise accordingly.
2. The radio aux is useless for day-to-day usage.
3. The sunroof needs a auto pop-up (when in use) windbreaker. My sons Sicron works great.
4. Gas mileage is definitely poor (just as stated on the sticker) - at best 21 MPG. Wish we had a diesel option when we purchased.
FYI – we still get people looking and asking about the vehicle were ever we go. Typical comments: Nice looking inside and out .

#516 of 1048 Re: More power for GV [pisulino] by budman3

May 11, 2006 (4:34 pm)

Replying to: pisulino (May 09, 2006 4:20 pm)
You missed the piece of the cake that was being passed around. At least that's what most of us would like, a more high tech engine for the GV. I'm happy with it because it suits my 16 year daughter just fine. If you're into serious highway driving, it may be dissappointing to most people who are into the big horsepower. After all, this is 2006 and we want everything.
We looked at the Saturn but the closest dealer was over 2 hours away and we didn't have any good luck with our past saturn or the service. I would have liked the HP but I wouldn't like visiting the service department every week.

#517 of 1048 Re: [acetexas] by budman3

May 11, 2006 (4:49 pm)

Replying to: acetexas (May 10, 2006 3:44 pm)
Glad to know you still enjoy your GV. We've had ours about 6 months and are still happy.
I haven't noticed the cruise control.
I think the entire radio/xm ready is useless.
Is your son's car a Scion?
My last check on city driving was 17.6 mpg. I haven't been able to do an accurate highway but I know it's close to the 24mpg as posted for the 2wd auto.
My biggest gripes are that the Luxury should have come with a power seat and the back seats should have been more user friendly in folding or being easily removed.
And you are correct in that it has a unique style that we like and nothing compares to it especially in price.
Also it has one of the best warranties. I want to run out of gas just to try their roadside assistance. Maybe I'll do that in front of my house.

Messages Page 52 of 105

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