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Old 01-23-2008, 03:29 PM   #1
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My ˜01 Suzuki Grand Vitara XL7 has been a good car. I no longer use it as a dingy, but keep it as a spare car. I am having some repairs done to it, including the replacement of the o2 sensor and the thermostat. My mechanic said that Suzuki parts are getting increasingly hard to locate, as Suzuki dealers are closing down one by one at a rapid rate. I know that to be true, as I once had three dealers within 25 miles, and now there are none closer than 35 miles. The thermostat and o2 sensor had to be special ordered from out of state, and will take 5 days to arrive. No parts stores carry aftermarket replacements for either part.

I share all of this with you as I'm not sure that Suzuki's are a viable candidate as a dingy any longer. I can just imagine some poor RVer being broken down on the side of the road in a remote area, and available parts taking a week to arrive.

My mechanic said he will continue to work on my Suzuki since I am a long-time customer, but said he will probably turn away any new Suzuki customers because of parts availability. Something to think about when you are weighing your decision for a new or used replacement dingy.

Craig
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Old 01-23-2008, 03:29 PM   #2
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My ˜01 Suzuki Grand Vitara XL7 has been a good car. I no longer use it as a dingy, but keep it as a spare car. I am having some repairs done to it, including the replacement of the o2 sensor and the thermostat. My mechanic said that Suzuki parts are getting increasingly hard to locate, as Suzuki dealers are closing down one by one at a rapid rate. I know that to be true, as I once had three dealers within 25 miles, and now there are none closer than 35 miles. The thermostat and o2 sensor had to be special ordered from out of state, and will take 5 days to arrive. No parts stores carry aftermarket replacements for either part.

I share all of this with you as I'm not sure that Suzuki's are a viable candidate as a dingy any longer. I can just imagine some poor RVer being broken down on the side of the road in a remote area, and available parts taking a week to arrive.

My mechanic said he will continue to work on my Suzuki since I am a long-time customer, but said he will probably turn away any new Suzuki customers because of parts availability. Something to think about when you are weighing your decision for a new or used replacement dingy.

Craig
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Old 01-23-2008, 05:32 PM   #3
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A new XL7 isa bade brother of the Chevy Equinox, so parts for that should not be hard to come by. Not so sure about the Grand Vitara parts.

Why does he think parts will not be available? Is there no Suzuki dealer in your area? Or is Suzuki itself the problem?
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Old 01-24-2008, 12:36 PM   #4
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No more Suzuki dealers in the area is one problem, the other is that the only one around apparently doesn't keep parts in stock. You would think that they would have an o2 sensor and a thermostat available...

There is an update to this story. Someone in another forum pointed out that they were able to locate both parts via Napa's web site. I went online and sure enough, Napa online stocks them both, and for considerably less than Suzuki, and they are available next day versus Suzuki's five days.

I called back Napa and asked them why I was told that they didn't carry either part and the guy couldn't give me an answer. I called back my mechanic and told him that they can be ordered online, and he said he would order them today.

Craig
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Old 01-24-2008, 01:29 PM   #5
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Georgia seems to be bucking that trend as there are at least two Suzuki dealers in the Atlanta area that have opened in the past couple of years. There seems to be a lot of websites selling Suzuki parts, and a lot cheaper than the dealer. If there is an O'Reilys in your area try them. They seem to stock more oddball parts than Advance or Auto Zone, as I can get oil filters for my Mercedes off the shelf there, where the other two don't carry them. I'm fixing up a 95 four door sidekick as a toad, so eventually I will know all of the places to get parts for them.
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