[arjunsatheesh]

My 2013 Honda Amaze has this same issue. Honda mechanics told me that this is due to a leak in the system(no abs light has come up). Since the Amaze is a beater car, I have not fixed this issue yet.
Coming to the Jimny, it does look like there is some issue. Maybe its a leak or maybe its something else. In my Jimny(Aug 23 Alpha AT), even if I park for a few days(or weeks), the pedal does not become hard. I get at least 1-2 pumps before it goes hard(when the engine is off).

[subho10]

What the OP is seeing is normal behavior. It may slightly differ from car to car.

All modern cars have brake boosters that require a vacuum from the engine. Get the brake fluid changed, and brakes bleed to rule out any air pockets

[Neil Roy]

Originally Posted by dr_TJ

....
Now, the second issue is the wheel alignment. The car has a left pull. With the steering at the center, the car just fails to go straight. It pulls to the left. I thought this might be because of the slant of our road from the divider to the left of the road but on flat road, I do find steering wheel not pointing straight when I Intend to go straight albeit to a lesser degree.

I will send my car to Nexa service tomorrow. Will update here.
Any other BHPian facing similar issue?

Hi , cant comment much about the brake hardness in parked conditions, but I feel that brakes are not really progressive as in other cars. I have already fitted grooved brake rotors and the bite is marginally improved.
The bigger gripe is the steering pull. It is literally driving me crazy. I have tried every trick under the sun and nothing seems to work. The steering angle sensor(SAS) may be the culprit here or the pan rod. Problem with Nexa is that they dont even have the calibration tool for resetting and recalibrating the SAS.

[gotoguru]

Originally Posted by dr_TJ

Any other BHPian facing similar issue?

Similar issue was noted in 2016 Baleno after 2nd or 3rd service. But Nexa could not identify the cause or provide any solution. This becomes a problem, when you are climbing a slope, and the car gets stalled, the brake also gets hard immediately. Unless you are the regular driver of the car, you will not know that the pedal gets hard and you have to pull the handbrake lever.

[dr_TJ]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

I fail to understand.. After you switch off.. and park the vehicle for 1 hour, why do you need assist in your brakes? Can you elaborate "Functionally" in using the vehicle for all intended purposes, where you are facing a problem?

I have a break of 1 hour from work, I drive home and park my car. I don't press the brakes after switching off the engine. After my lunch break when I press the brake pedal to start the car, the pedal is hard to press already. In less than an hour.
I have never seen this much vacuum loss in any of my cars in such a short time.

Originally Posted by arjab

Brake fluid, by nature, is highly hygroscopic, (i.e. attracts moisture). Your vehicle was manufactured in 2023 September and had been standing in the dealer stockyard for quite some time.



Jimny's do not have a left pull. Due to the ancient recirculating ball steering system that the Jimny comes with, the steering wheel has a good deal of "free play" on either side from the 12'o'-clock position. Actually the "actual centre point" of the Jimny steering is when the steering wheel is tilted slightly to the right!

Got my car back from Nexa service. Alignment seems fine as off now. Will have to drive more to give proper feedback

Originally Posted by arjunsatheesh

My 2013 Honda Amaze has this same issue. Honda mechanics told me that this is due to a leak in the system(no abs light has come up). Since the Amaze is a beater car, I have not fixed this issue yet.
Coming to the Jimny, it does look like there is some issue. Maybe its a leak or maybe its something else. In my Jimny(Aug 23 Alpha AT), even if I park for a few days(or weeks), the pedal does not become hard. I get at least 1-2 pumps before it goes hard(when the engine is off).

Thats exactly what made me think of this and start this thread on the forum. We have many Jimnys in my local car group, none have this vacuum leak issue or pedal going hard issue. I tried explaining it to Nexa guys over phone but they just didnt understood my point or didn't want to understand maybe. Full vacuum loss in under an hour is just not normal.

Originally Posted by subho10

What the OP is seeing is normal behavior. It may slightly differ from car to car.

All modern cars have brake boosters that require a vacuum from the engine. Get the brake fluid changed, and brakes bleed to rule out any air pockets

Never experienced so much brake vacuum loss in under an hour of switching off the engine in any of my cars.

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

Hi , cant comment much about the brake hardness in parked conditions, but I feel that brakes are not really progressive as in other cars. I have already fitted grooved brake rotors and the bite is marginally improved.
The bigger gripe is the steering pull. It is literally driving me crazy. I have tried every trick under the sun and nothing seems to work. The steering angle sensor(SAS) may be the culprit here or the pan rod. Problem with Nexa is that they dont even have the calibration tool for resetting and recalibrating the SAS.

Yes, brakes are not really progressive but since I am coming from a Thar, the brake pedal and brake bite feels normal to me.
Alignment seems to be sorted as off now but need to drive more to give proper feedback.

Originally Posted by gotoguru

Similar issue was noted in 2016 Baleno after 2nd or 3rd service. But Nexa could not identify the cause or provide any solution. This becomes a problem, when you are climbing a slope, and the car gets stalled, the brake also gets hard immediately. Unless you are the regular driver of the car, you will not know that the pedal gets hard and you have to pull the handbrake lever.

With engine switched off, I do get 2-3 brake presses. But that is just after switching off the engine. After say 20-30 mins, I hardly get 1 press. That is what made me suspect a Vacuum leak.


So,
The car was send to Nexa service. I have to send the car with my driver, they seemed to have fixed the alignment issue as of now. I can give my final feedback only after I drive it for few more kilometers.

And for my main problem, the brake pedal going hard after parking. Well, this issue has not been addressed.
Firstly, I tried explaining that to the Nexa service guy over phone but all I got was the brake is normal, braking is normal, The car is less driven and so it has this problem etc.
They just didn't bother to listen to the problem or my explanation.
End result, Pedal still goes hard cause of loss of vacuum. And all this vacuum vanishes in under an Hour.
This sort of charade was not expected from Maruti Suzuki.

Also, got a few freebies today. My front alloy wheels got scratches. and a few more scratches on the paint.
I saw these scratches only after I got back my car dropped home.

Good car but pathetic service and troubleshooting capabilities

[JD_404]

Hello, I am from Assam as well and there are quite a few Jimny owners in our local whatsapp group. Nobody as such has faced the issue you have mentioned. Yours may be a one off case for the same. I can see that the place you are based is not a major city in Assam and the Jimny you got was standing in the stockyard for about 10 months. Maybe you could drive it down to Guwahati where there are bigger service centers which can maybe help you fix the issue. Alternately you could contact BHPian ChiranjitP who is from Guwahati who has owned a lot of Marutis both new and old. He surely can lead you to a competant workshop who can understand your issue better. I also have noticed that this is a new car and I wish you a lakhs of happy kilometers with the same.

[vyom_elan]

Originally Posted by dr_TJ

But in my case, the brake pedal goes hard after I park my car, switch off the engine. I have not touched the brake pedal after the engine was switched off. I would have been ok if the pedal went hard to press after 2-3 days of inactivity. But in my case, the pedal goes hard in less than an hour of parking the car.

But the brake pedal going hard in under 1 hour of inactivity is not normal for sure. I suspect a faulty check valve or a failing brake booster. Also. I don't stay in some high altitude location so thin atmosphere and so less vacuum can't be blamed.
?

Like most BHPians pointed out, it should not make a difference when you are driving the car. However, I believe it can be quite unsettling when you have to start the car on an incline. I am facing a similar situation with my 2016 Ertiga (Diesel, Manual). Everything was fine until last month when I observed this issue. The car(parked for 10 minutes with the brake pedal not depressed even once) was on an incline and I could not use the brakes until the engine was on. This has happened thrice since then (I check every time now). I got it checked at Nexa and they claim there is no problem with the brake fluid. A second opinion from my mechanic is pending. There is no difference in braking feel and distance.

I find your situation similar and suggest you to not worry about it. However, I do understand the "mental itch" to get it sorted out and recommend you get it checked by a trusted mechanic(other than MASS).

[pranavt]

Sounds like a check-valve issue. There should be enough vacuum for at least 2 full presses of the pedal after the engine has been turned off. This is definitely not normal. If the ASC folks are refusing the acknowledge the problem, they are either not understanding the issue or they're doing it deliberately. Get it elevated to the higher ups; Maruti takes feedback extremely seriously.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by dr_TJ

....And for my main problem, the brake pedal going hard after parking. Well, this issue has not been addressed.

I will explain 2 to-do's to you, you will have to do some R&D/Experiments.

1) How are you turning the car off?
Are you stomping on the pedal and then turning off the key? Then you slot the hand brake and may be release the brake, OR - Do you put hand brake when the engine is still idling, then take legs off the brake pedal when the engine is running (keeps the booster err... Boosted) and then you just get off the car.

This (1) is a very silly and long shot doubt in your driving habits, not a great point I know but still had to ask.

2) Do the following tests...
Leave the car running, hand brake on - get off the car open the hood, take a hand-spray can filled with soapy water and spray around booster and all vacuum connections and see for bubbles.

2a) Turn the car off, and repeat the soapy water test around booster/hose.

2b) Difficult part is to check for leaks between the firewall and booster on engine side, also to check for leaks where the brake pedal yanks at the piston of the booster below the dash.

To sum it up, check your vehicle parking style (1% doubt), and 99% check for leaks yourself.

3) Also, goto showroom, check a few other Jimnys too.

PS - hoping the car is bone stock from showroom? No changes/modifications...

[dr_TJ]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

I will explain 2 to-do's to you, you will have to do some R&D/Experiments.

1) How are you turning the car off?

2) Leave the car running, hand brake on - get off the car open the hood, take a hand-spray can filled with soapy water and spray around booster and all vacuum connections and see for bubbles.

2a) Turn the car off, and repeat the soapy water test around booster/hose.

PS - hoping the car is bone stock from showroom? No changes/modifications...

Mine is an AT. So I stop the car, put it in Neutral, hand brake and then to park n switch off the engine. No touching of the brake pedal after that.

I did the soapy water spray on the booster and the hose but couldn't really see any bubbling.
So this makes me suspect a fault somewhere inside the brake booster or the one way valve inside the hose.
None of the Jimnys in my local car group has this issue

Yes, the car is bone stock.

Originally Posted by vyom_elan

Like most BHPians pointed out, it should not make a difference when you are driving the car. However, I believe it can be quite unsettling when you have to start the car on an incline. I am facing a similar situation with my 2016 Ertiga (Diesel, Manual). Everything was fine until last month when I observed this issue. The car(parked for 10 minutes with the brake pedal not depressed even once) was on an incline and I could not use the brakes until the engine was on. This has happened thrice since then (I check every time now). I got it checked at Nexa and they claim there is no problem with the brake fluid. A second opinion from my mechanic is pending. There is no difference in braking feel and distance.

I find your situation similar and suggest you to not worry about it. However, I do understand the "mental itch" to get it sorted out and recommend you get it checked by a trusted mechanic(other than MASS).

I will send the car tomorrow back to Nexa service. Will explain the issue calmly once again to the mechanic or whoever he is. Will ask them for a written letter that everything is ok. So that in future, if I actually need a brake booster replacement because it was a lemon, they can't deny warranty claim.
Meanwhile I will just replace the vacuum hose pipe myself. Its just a Rs 150 part. Part number 51010M73T00

Really disappointed with the incompetence of Service guys to listen, detect and fix a problem. MSIL should limit themselves to Heartect FWD cars only. Seriously

[arjab]

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

Problem with Nexa is that they dont even have the calibration tool for resetting and recalibrating the SAS.

@Neil: Try ABT. They may have it. I don't think MSM Guindy has it.
If your car is out of warranty, then you can also take it to IGNITE, ECR(Injambakkam). They are intelligent and hard working boys.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by dr_TJ

I did the soapy water spray on the booster and the hose but couldn't really see any bubbling.

Glad you are a DIY person. Just do this steps too and share feedback please.

https://autoedu.info/en/auto-mechani...oogle_vignette

It is a great article to check for a failing booster.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by dr_TJ

I have a break of 1 hour from work, I drive home and park my car. I don't press the brakes after switching off the engine. After my lunch break when I press the brake pedal to start the car, the pedal is hard to press already. In less than an hour.
I have never seen this much vacuum loss in any of my cars in such a short time.
..

Question: How does this vacuum loss create a problem in using your car?.
Now, assume you have a longer vacuum holding capacity, how does it help you, that what you have now?

[dr_TJ]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Glad you are a DIY person. Just do this steps too and share feedback please.

https://autoedu.info/en/auto-mechani...oogle_vignette

It is a great article to check for a failing booster.

Will surely check it with the above mentioned steps.

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Question: How does this vacuum loss create a problem in using your car?.
Now, assume you have a longer vacuum holding capacity, how does it help you, that what you have now?

I am only worried of the leakage since other Jimnys don't have this issue. And this might end up deteriorating to something bigger and worse. That's all.
For now, I just want to get my braking system checked for vacuum leak thoroughly

[dr_TJ]

So, I am sending back my car again to Nexa service today.
Let's see what they have to say this time around.

The Nexa service guys are incompetent with complex troubleshooting specially on the Jimny sadly. Regardless of them able to detect the issue or not, I will be doing an Oil change and brake fluid change during my first service.