My 2011 Suzuki Swift engine is hesitating

Replacing random parts to fix a problem is a great way to tear up dollars and time. It’s also pretty frustrating when the problem doesn’t go away. The first thing to do is to have the car electronically scanned to see if the car’s own computer can point you towards the cause of the problem. It may be as simple as the car needs a tune up and a new set of spark plugs, but you won’t know until it’s been properly diagnosed. This is not a complex car, so any good workshop should be able to sort it for you. The other problem, of course, is that the issue is intermittent, so it may take the workshop some time to be able to make the problem appear. Patience is the key here, not throwing a load of new parts at it.

Cracked windscreen in my 2023 Suzuki Swift

In modern cars with bonded windscreen, the glass is actually a structural part of the car. Therefore, if the car cops a big enough impact (say, hitting a pothole at speed) it’s conceivable that the stress passing through the whole car could cause a crack in the glass. Stress cracks in windscreens are usually fairly straight and will emanate from the edge of the glass. The other way to crack a windscreen is to subject it to extremes of temperature. Pouring boiling water over an icy windscreen on a cold morning is a great way to crack the glass, but high interior temperatures in hot weather can also cause cracking in extreme cases. Suzuki, like just about every other car-maker has a list of things that aren’t covered by warranty, including batteries, tyre, brakes pads and, as you’ve discovered, glass.

Cracking sound and smoke puffing from my 2016 Suzuki Swift

You could be looking at any number of causes for this, and some of them herald the demise of your engine. Get a mechanic to check the car out. They will probably do a compression test, a leak-down test and have a close listen to the engine both at idle and under load. If the cracking sound is a backfire or misfire, you may have an ignition problem. But the smoke is a bit more involved as it depends on the colour of the smoke. Black smoke suggests poor fuelling, but blue or grey smoke often means internal engine wear.

The engine in our 2014 Suzuki Swift cuts out

It is indeed a dangerous situation, especially if you’re trying to pull into fast-moving traffic when the engine suddenly cuts out. Frankly, there are literally hundreds of causes for this, so the best advice is to go back to basics and try to find anything wrong with the fuel or ignition system. An electronic scan of the car (if it hasn‘t already been done) is a good idea, too, as it might pin-point the problem area. You could be looking at something as simple as a poor earth connection or a blocked fuel filter. That the car runs properly in the meantime, suggests that it’s an intermittent fuel or electrical problem rather than an inherent mechanical failure.

2007 Suzuki Swift engine not turning over

There are a few things to check here. The first is that even though the battery has been recharged, has it been load tested? This time of year is very hard on batteries and even though it may seem to be holding a charge, when you actually put a load on it via the starter motor, it can go weak at the knees and will not spin the engine over. The clicking you can hear is probably the starter motor’s relay which controls the power to the starter. But what about the starter motor itself? Has this been tested for correct operation. Sometimes the problem can also be what’s called the throw-out mechanism which is a solenoid that forces the starter motor’s teeth to mesh with the engine’s flywheel teeth and, therefore, turn things over. Perhaps an auto electrician is the best place to start. Their first job will be to test a range of things and rule out possible causes one by one.

2008 Suzuki Swift is losing power

Spark plugs can foul with oil or with fuel if the mixture is incorrect or the fuel is old and stale. If it’s fuel that’s the problem you need to either fix the problem that is throwing the air-fuel ratio out of whack or replace the fuel if its old (and modern ULP doesn’t have a huge shelf life). Experience has also shown that once a spark plug has fouled because of old ULP, no amount of cleaning will bring that plug back to life. If it’s oil that’s fouling the plug, it’s probably because of blow-by from worn piston rings or valve-stem seals. If that’s the case, the oil level n the dipstick will be falling over time and you may even see evidence of blue-grey smoke from the tailpipe. Without knowing how many kilometres this engine has covered and how it’s been serviced, it’s very difficult to suggest what the cause might be.

How can I get a copy of the 2007 Suzuki Swift owners and repair manual?

You can google this request and come up with a few websites that say they offer a free workshop manual, as well as a few less sites that actually do offer a downloadable (usually as a PDF) workshop and service manual. The content may or may not be factory content, however, so keep that in mind. Many of these websites are sneakily constructed to make you click on a link that is nothing to do with the manual allegedly being offered, and you can wind up going down some long advertising rabbit-holes that will ultimately take you nowhere. Possibly a better bet is to find a reputable online book retailer which offers the workshop manual you're looking for. In many cases, this will still be a PDF meaning you need a computer to access it. Experience suggests that a hard-copy workshop manual is a much better idea as it can be taken with you to the driveway or workshop and referred to quickly and easily part-way through a particular job. And given the modest price of such books, it's a small percentage of the cost of a repair you can now do yourself instead of paying somebody else to tackle.

Are the indicators in a Suzuki Swift on the left or right hand side?

Being a Japanese car (Japan drives on the left as we do) the indicator stalk is on the right of the steering column. Most drivers find this is a more natural place to have them, and this is probably down to muscle memory as generations of Australian cars had the indicators to the right of the column as well. That said, many European cars place the indicators to the left of the column, but it's surprising how quickly you'll adapt to that. Many Australians had their first taste of indicators-on-the-left in early air-cooled Volkswagens. This was more of an issue when cars had manual transmissions and you needed your left hand to change gears while hitting the indicators with your right hand.

We purchased a Suzuki Swift that was advertised with nine kilometres, but once we picked it up it had 800km. What can we do?

The first thing to know is that if the car is not presented for delivery in the condition in which bit was described in the contract of sale, you don’t have to accept it. Without knowing the exact circumstances, it sounds as though the car may have ben used as the dealership’s demonstrator model. If that’s the case, it should be sold as such and at a discount to your fiancée. Check the date of first registration. That might give you a clue as to how long it’s actually been driven on the road. You would expect a handful of kilometres to be added as the car is sent for pre-delivery and detailing, but 800km seems a bit sharp. If you go ahead, make sure you ask whether the warranty will start from the day you take delivery or will be back-dated to the date of first registration.

Suzuki Swift 2013 Problems

No car is perfect, but we've gathered everything relating to the Suzuki Swift 2013 reliability here to help you decide if it's a smart buy.

Suzuki Swift 2013: Should I use insurance to fix my car?

Answered by CarsGuide 7 Sep 2018

Talk to a car detailer to find out how much he would charge to do the repairs and tidy it up. If it’s under $1000 do it that way, otherwise you’re probably best to make a claim.

CarsGuide does not operate under an Australian financial services licence and relies on the exemption available under section 911A(2)(eb) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) in respect of any advice given. Any advice on this site is general in nature and does not take into consideration your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision please consider these and the relevant Product Disclosure Statement.

Fun and reliable first cars

Answered by CarsGuide 23 Jun 2017

Both are fun cars to drive, they’re relatively new, so should be reliable. I would prefer the Swift; I reckon you’ll get a better run out of it.

Used Suzuki Swift review: 2005-2016

20 Jan 2017 · by Ewan Kennedy

Ewan Kennedy reviews the 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 Suzuki Swift as a used buy.

Suzuki Swift 2013: Blown transmission

Answered by CarsGuide 23 Nov 2015

There is good news. Suzuki's Ruth John says: "In the case of a manufacturing defect within the warranty period, Suzuki Australia will certainly honour the warranty. In terms of the missed service, it isn't an issue in this case as the missed service in no way contributed to the transmission issue."

Transmission

Used Suzuki Swift review: 2005-2015

20 Nov 2015 · by Ewan Kennedy

Suzuki Swift was a big seller in Australia in the 1980s and '90s. Many were rebadged as Holdens and carried Barina badges. For some strange reason imports were stopped in 2000.Thankfully an all-new ...

Used Suzuki Swift review: 2011-2013

16 Jun 2015 · by Graham Smith

The FZ Swift released in 2011 was an evolutionary model explained Suzuki executives when trying to justify the little apparent visual change from the EZ model that preceded it. So successful had the ...

Tips to get an EOFY bargain

21 Jun 2013 · by Neil Dowling

June 30 is D-Day. The end of the financial year is the best time to buy a new car because there are always special deals in showrooms. As carmakers and dealers aim to clear their outdated stock, ...

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Disclaimer: You acknowledge and agree that all answers are provided as a general guide only and should not be relied upon as bespoke advice. Carsguide is not liable for the accuracy of any information provided in the answers.

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