An open letter to the management of Suzuki.

To whom it may concern,

We purchased a new Suzuki Grand Vitara in 2010 and have had to replace the engine twice!

Whilst we know that we have been unlucky with the mechanics of this vehicle, it is the actions of your Bethlehem branch that have led us to tell our story in the hope that common sense will prevail.

Our vehicle has a full-service history through Suzuki dealerships, was purchased new and has been well looked after. Despite this, at 90,000km, our troubles started. Without any warning, the original Suzuki engine overheated and seized, leaving my then 67-year-old mother stranded on the side of the road. Durban Suzuki managed to source a replacement engine for about R35K which we paid as the car was just out of warranty. The efforts to update the log book with new engine number over the next 12 months were challenging and time-consuming.

We couldn’t believe it when we realized we would have to replace/fix the second Suzuki engine due to the same fault. We have never had such issues with any other brand!

On Friday, 8 June, whilst on holiday, my wife and I borrowed Mom’s Grand Vitara to show our young daughter some of South Africa. There was no warning! Just 80 000kms after the first replacement engine had been installed, the car suddenly lost power and we had to pull over.

No lights came up to let us know. We have since learned that this is standard with the Suzuki Grand Vitara, the temperature gauge does not work if there is no water in the engine. Our car was serviced by Suzuki only 6 weeks before! No one reported any problems. Our second engine seized due to a broken water pipe and the engine overheating as the temperature gauge does not work in such conditions.

While this seemed bad enough, it was the events that followed that have made this whole situation unacceptable. On Saturday, 9 June, after being towed to Bethlehem Suzuki and the inspection of the vehicle, we were quoted a maximum of R38 000 for the repair. Lee Labuschagne, the principal dealer, said that it would be no more than this, but could be less depending on a) what is wrong and b) if Suzuki comes to the party further and helps with the costs given the history of the vehicle. I specifically asked what would happen if the engine was found to need further works and was assured that this would be the most we would pay. Whilst I thought the quote was high it seemed correct as the first engine replacement had cost around R35 000. I was quoted less by engineering firms near your Bethlehem office but chose to use Suzuki as I wanted the work on my mother’s car to done properly and also get the 12-month warranty that came with the quote.

Lee Labuschagne told us that the vehicle would be ready for collection the week ending 15 June, so we made all our arrangements based on that. We live near Durban in KZN, and hired the smallest car we could to get back to Durban, planning to return to Bethlehem on the 20th to collect the car. We allowed an extra 4 days just in case something overran. A few days later, once we were back in Durban, we were told that the system misreported stock levels and that some parts will only be available 22 July 2018 as they needed to be imported. Now the earliest our car would be ready was late July.

We asked about a courtesy car and were told by Lee Labuschagne that Suzuki could not provide me with a courtesy vehicle until 28 June “in line with company policy”, which states that Suzuki only provides a courtesy vehicle 15 days after ordering the car parts. So, first, Suzuki told me our vehicle will be repaired by Friday 15th June. Then we were told they had made a mistake, and we will not receive the vehicle until the end of July, more than a month and a half later! But “not to worry” Suzuki will provide a courtesy car from 28 June! We now had to pay for a hire car for an extra 21 days. (or so we thought)

This got even worse. Closer to the time, I contacted Lee Labuschagne about the courtesy car, and was told “Unfortunately at this stage Suzuki Auto South Africa will not be able to supply a courtesy vehicle at all even though the parts are only available after 15 working days. Your vehicle is out of warranty as well as the engine parts that were replaced by Suzuki Umhlanga. These parts only carry a 1-year warranty and it was replaced in 2016.” In total, we have paid more than R18 000 for the car hire inclusive of penalties for dropping it off in Durban and not Bethlehem due to the change in dates. We never received a courtesy car from Suzuki.

Lee Labuschagne apologized for the mishaps and promised the car would be repaired and dropped off either in Durban or at my mother's house if more convenient.

A few weeks later, on 4 July, without any warning, I received a revised quote via email of R111 145,06 !!! Nearly 3 times the original quote! Almost the trade in value of the vehicle itself. Obviously, I did not accept this. I told Lee Labuschagne this was way too much and that we would have to make alternative plans. We asked both Durban and Bethlehem branches to look for a replacement engine for us.

We are now trying to tow our car closer to home, and Suzuki Bethlehem is demanding a release fee of almost the same amount that was quoted to repair the vehicle for in the first place! R37 838.35! This is madness. I was expecting to pay a fee for the engine strip and assessment, but Suzuki Bethlehem is trying to charge me for parts that have not been used! They have not been used as the quote tripled. It is an insult to receive a bill of R37 838.35 for doing nothing whilst Durban Suzuki or other is left to do the repair or more likely have to find a replacement engine and charge us further. Surely Suzuki can re-use the parts? This is after multiple false promises from repair dates, repair costs, and courtesy cars. This would leave us circa R56000 out of pocket and still with a broken vehicle which we would have to collect from Bethlehem ourselves (inclusive hire vehicle.)

This is, after all, a company that has supposedly won brand of the year and which we have supported vigorously over the past 8 years. You can imagine the disappointment.

I am hopeful that this can be resolved quickly, and regret that I have been forced to make this event public in this way.

Thank-you

Sean Brett