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Yeah, I like the stereo output. It would be a shame if I have to change that just because of aux, or bluetooth connectivity (Which I can get functional with a working aux). Here is a site which explains adding an aux port to the stereo. http://www.suzuki-forums.com/2g-2006...-2007-a-2.html.

Basically you can either buy a custom wire on eBay, or solder one up with yourself. Will give this a shot when I get some time.

-Vivek

Scratching my head over the vibration issue.
😕

Do also check suspension components of the rear linkages.

From what you are describing quite comprehensive step by step elimination is being done to isolate the problem.

Ten degree side to side movement! And SA says steering linkages do not have any play!

AT box is only thing I have not fully experienced in GV but any vibration from there should not be causing steering feedback to this extent.

Please ask the SA to remove and rotate wheels. Front to back on both sides. And while wheels are off to check and clean thoroughly the rims. By any chance tyres are treated with SLIME or similar treatment?

Actually, during the change of RH Ball joint tie rod & suspension link rods, the tyres were rotated. The problem persisted.

The tyres have been balanced 3 times at 2 different places. Parameters well within limits. I was driving the operator nuts with my insistence on multiple runs to check proper balance.
Do not have Slime or any such treatment.

Today evening the SA reported back to me. His findings were as follows:-
1. They had jacked up the car on 4 post lift & found the wheel rotation was tight. They applied some spray on the Calliper Assly yesterday. Today they found Brake pistons were operating freely and retracting on releasing the brake pedal.
2. They adjusted the Steering Damper and some settings of the Steering Pump. Even after all these steps Shake was present during test drive.
3. They then checked all transmission joints for play. This includes the propeller shaft and transfer case. No play was noticed.
4. They hoisted the vehicle on 4 post lift and checked the Brake disc runout. I was told they did this once by rotating by hand and once using the engine drive.(that one must have been quite tricky!!).
i) Both brake discs have run-out above limits. Deep scoring marks are visible on the inner faces of the disks. SA reported run-outs around 1mm.
ii) Brake pads seem to be duplicate make and have been damaged. They will also have to be changed.
iii) I specifically asked whether there was any play between the disk and hub. No play was observed.

So looks like I will have to replace the brake discs and pads. Am debating whether to replace piston seals as a precaution.

My take on this whole episode:-
A] As we went about replacing the various steering parts and suspension parts the overall rigidity of the system changed. So that would explain the change in speed at which the shaking occurred.
B] Run-out of the brake disc would explain the shaking occurring when brakes were applied.
C] There is no clear explanation as to why shaking occurs without braking inputs. Possibly the scoring has led to an unbalanced disk with a natural frequency of vibration corresponding to the speed range.
D] It could also be that the calliper piston was not retracting sometimes and was touching the disk acting to reinforce the amplitude of resonance.
E] If the calliper piston sticking was a contributing factor, it would explain why I experienced reduced occurrences on return journeys. The operation of the brakes would lubricate the lips of the seals and the standing period would contribute to the rubber mellowing. So kickback of the piston would occur properly. Makes a case for changing the seals kit.

I will be collecting the vehicle tomorrow. I will give an order for the parts and keep you all updated once the change is done.

Harmonic vibration are speed related as result of some rotating mass imbalance.

A 1mm run off would come into play only on braking. But even then is not likely cause a 10° shake on steering. Seizing calliper would but that would not be speed related. It would be constant judder.

Please do update after collecting your car.

Sometime in 2011 or earlier, the Vitara started coming with an AUX In port.

Congrats on the 1 lakh km milestone, Samurai !!!
Even at 8 years and a lakh kms over bad terrain, the SUV looks so new and well-kept. :thumbs up

Congrats on the GV. Looks amazing in black. And looks truly pre-worshipped. :thumbs up

Indeed would be good to know the price these beauties command today.

This is one segment Suzuki has not focussed on here. With the 1.6D engine now available, can we expect some action in this space ?

Mustysekhon : nice catch. So this allows blue tooth connections also

To give a range on the pricing
2007 onwards 2.0 will be 4+
2009 inwards 2.4 will be 7+
Of course you can get lucky and get a better price. But for all the ones I have seen and those that are in good condition this seems to be the ballpark. Of course, the newer the car and better the condition the higher the price. The price seems to have stood pretty firm over the last year or so. Maybe because of falling petrol prices and also probably because there is no comparative new car under 10l that would match the quality of this car.

All in all, great car. I moved to this from a Civic AT, and don't for a day regret the decision. Each car has its own strengths. Solidly built and no tinniness as you would normally see in cars built for the Indian market.

In Mumbai the price ranges from 2.75 to 5 for 2007 - 2008 versions. Sachin told me he sold his GV for 4.25. There was one 2010 GV MT with 30k odo which went for 6.25. The owner was claiming that the car was still under extended warranty. However when I went to check, was shocked to learn that he has been driving it in "N" mode for the past 5 years! How is that even possible?!? He even got offended when I told him it's only supposed to be used while towing the vehicle. He promptly called his SA from Sai Service Andheri in front of me to confirm it. I was even more shocked to hear the SA's explanation "Saar, the car gives better mileage when driven in N mode"!?!! I said Tata bye bye good luck to the owner and left the place with my head fuming inside.

Immediately after leaving I called Sai service and gave them a piece of my mind and asked to check the car manual before they service another Vitara. Also, There's a MH 43 W 0007 GV in the market which I feel has a very dubious past. The vehicle in question is at Arihant cars Mulund. The car doesn't have ANY service history. When I went to check the car the odo showed 56k, the dealer told me the car is clean and owned by single owner. however when I checked the RC, it was showing owner serial number 03 and it was registered to a certain Mr. Shanbaug. When questioned he said the guy owns a huge garage (ring a bell?!) and the car was previously owned by his father. Anyways, it should still show serial no. 2 in that case. He gave some ridiculous explanation for that and said if I buy it in my name it will show 02 and if in my company name 03 !?! Tata bye bye good luck. Anyways after coming home did a random Google search and found the same vehicle listed in another ad. Called up the guy, he tells me the ad is a couple of years old and hangs up. Funny thing : the odo reading in that ad showed 55k!

So finally after searching for a month and half, found one on OLX. The price quoted was 3.25. He was not willing to negotiate much so concluded the deal at 3.2 and bought it immediately after getting it checked from Vitesse. Worth every penny (and some more) I say.

Safari, storme , pajero etc all have some kind of mass dampers. Eg storme has a tuned mass damper or tvd. When such a part goes bad u get weird vibrations etc. Think of it as balancing weights for the vehicle. Does gv have such tvd etc, if so that could be the cause

@tsk AFAIK this vehicle does not have mass balancers as it uses power assisted rack and pinion system. Mass balancers are typically used in vehicle with recirculating ball steering setup.

In safari etc these dampers exist on rear axle too. So i was wondering

Dampers - like hydraulic ones or anti sway bars?.... Need to recheck but been under the GV enough times while preparing one for rally to miss remembering a damper.

Sudev: The music system has aux in only, there is no Bluetooth.