Gen.4 Jimny 2nd Service - Plus an unexpected surprise...

 Morning All! 

First post in a little while.. The SZ5 silky Silver Zook has been taken to the dealership this morning for two reasons, 1) Second 24 monthly Service. 2) To facilitate the recall (door harness). I thought I'd share my experience this morning as it things differed from my expectations. 

I'm not sure how many of you Gen.4 Owners out there have taken your vehicle in for it's second warranty service, but it'll be great to hear your experiences and also what you were quoted for. This is where things got a little confusing for me.... 

So going by the EU & Israel service schedule provided within the owners manual, at 24 months I was quoted for the following work:

• Engine Oil & Filter.
• Brake fluid (mandatory 2 year replacement for warranty purposes)
• Engine Valve clearance check - which entails a new rocker cover gasket. (This seemed unusual to me so I sat and had a conversation with the service manager - he explained to me that some gen.4 owners have 'opted' out of this due to the additional service costs however by doing so they'd void the engine warranty..)
• This service totalled £350 (give or take £5 or so I'll update with the exact figure once I've been given the invoice). 

I thought that would be a useful insight to any gen.4 owners that are nearing 24 months of ownership - this should give you an idea of what to expect so that there are no nasty surprises. If you have already had your 24 month service and this wasn't offered too you, I would be contacting your dealer and asking questions as your engine would not be covered by any future warranty claims within the 3 years. 

Off topic whilst I was there, (Howards Group W-S-M) I was approached by a member of the sales team asking if I'd consider trading in my Silky Silver SZ5 Zook on an exchange basis for a new Commercial (as it happened that was also silky silver). It was a very interesting conversation.. having seen in person the rear load space/bulkhead arrangement it certainly planted the seed within the old noggin as that would suit me and my working spaniel down to a tee.... Obviously it would have to be financially advantageous.. trading up the SZ5 and loosing some 'bells and whistles' would mean I'd want to walk away with a few thousand in the pocket and a commercial l Zook... 

I'd be interested to hear what you guys think about the latter, obviously SZ5 values are strong at the moment especially considering that the only new option now is a commercial variant which is also in limited supply. 

Photos for Interest: 

     

I have a service plan. So I'd assume a non issue for the 24 month service.

Also not sure they can refuse warranty for not having done a valve check???

And lastly, isn't it an OHC engine, does it even have rockers, let alone a cover and gasket? 

Well, it's got valves and a cover, technically not a "rocker cover" though, as you say.

l don't think £350 is too bad for what sounds like a major service.

The 24 month service on my Ferrari was £2,000- £2,500 and that was at an independent specialist, l never even asked the Ferrari dealer.

But it was 20 hours labour plus £750 parts, and involved removing the engine. Plus they would always "recommend that the water pump is replaced" as it's a weak point on the engine and replacing it is another engine out job.

That was an extra £750. Would you take the chance, when an engine rebuild costs £15,000?

Haha thanks both, slipping into an old land rover habit. You're right indeed no 'rocker cover' so to speak but the cam cover/valve cover gasket will be disturbed checking the valve clearance.

The service manager was quite explicit, that if a customer opt'd out of this as it was a 'Suzuki mandated service requirement' their engine warranty would be null and void if anything were to go bang. I'm just trying to warm other owners up so that they're prepared when they take their vehicle in for a 24 month service

Why would anyone opt out? Surely the cost of the gasket must be tiny?

Re: engine warranty. I guess it would depend. But if the engine threw a bearing or broke in some other way that was unrelated to valve clearance. I don't see how the dealer would have a legal leg to stand on in refusing to honour the warranty. I'd certainly be arguing it.

wrote:

Why would anyone opt out? Surely the cost of the gasket must be tiny?

Re: engine warranty. I guess it would depend. But if the engine threw a bearing or broke in some other way that was unrelated to valve clearance. I don't see how the dealer would have a legal leg to stand on in refusing to honour the warranty. I'd certainly be arguing it
 

  I completely agree 300, I'm not sure why anyone would opt out. However the the parts and labour costs that would have been saved were just over £100 if a person were to 'opt out' my second 24 month service would have been £267 opposed to £350 had I not allowed them to inspect the valve clearance. The technician and service manager whom I sat down with and discussed this with in detail said the last Jimny owner chose not to go ahead with this inspection and therefore was advised that his engine warranty would be void. Similarly I was told that if I wanted to opt out of the brake fluid change and just ask them to 'dip test' the fluid with a moisture indicator, this would also void the brake system warranty. It sounds a little bit like the game that a vehicle insurer would play, however I had no problem following the schedule laid out in the handbook. After all they're appreciating little vehicles. 

At my 2nd service my dealer actually recommended that I delay the valve check to the next service as my mileage was so low, keeping the cost down.

Mine is having its second service, only about 500 miles since the first one, I only have 2,200 on the clock!

They are doing the 12,000 one again, rather than the full 24,000 mile service, probably as I'd never have paid for a tappet check when I don't think they have finished running in yet. They reckon it will keep the warranty, tbh if next year is like this one it will hardly do enough miles to break even if it is faulty,

I haven't done enough to get the steering column to knock yet :o

They did say the next service will be astronomical though, I might have it if I can get the column to knock and they change it, make me feel I'm getting value for money.

Edit: Gadget posted whilst I was tapping away, looks like we either have the same dealer, or it is a Suzuki thing

Gadget & Facade, 

Good stuff, it sounds like your dealer has given you some honest help there. I was nudging the 18k miles mark so that wasn't an option for me - It's good to hear that there are some dealers applying some 'experienced discretion' in relation to the warranty. It's possible that the firm runnings Howards Suzuki in W-S-M are a 'sticklers' for the rule book, but in every other regard I feel very well looked after by them. 

It's worth adding that I was told this morning that if the valve clearance was OOL, the rectification work would be covered under warranty. I don't believe the valve clearance is adjustable or shimmed as some vehicles are, so that would be a pretty costly repair. Worth getting done within the 3 years IMO just for total peace of mind. 

 

Thank you, Dagzook, interesting comments about your second service and Howards of Weston super Mare.
I have a lot of respect for this Suzuki dealership. They have only been running since late 2019. We contacted their salesman before the official opening and in December 2019 drove the first JB74 Jimny they sold out of the showroom. We did not have to pay any premium over list price. The first service was carried out a year later and we have no criticism of the cost or service received.
The JB74 Jimny service schedule in the handbook does clearly require a valve clearance inspection and change of brake fluid at 24 months/25,000 miles. However these actions are both marked with an asterisk, which suggests some further information or recommendations. I cannot find what these asterisks refer to. Maybe there is some leeway to be applied to low mileage vehicles.

Thanks Doc, 

Couldn't agree with your more in terms of quality of service at Howards. I feel very well looked after by their service department.