Budget fun - Suzuki Swift Sport ZC32S
Discussion
Great updates, glad your trip went well. I'll be heading over in june with the MX5. What's the road noise like in the 32S? I think the main thing that lets the MX5 down in terms of comfort is the road noise. A swift could be a strong choice again for a little fun reliable road trip car in the future.
dapper said:
Great updates, glad your trip went well. I'll be heading over in june with the MX5. What's the road noise like in the 32S? I think the main thing that lets the MX5 down in terms of comfort is the road noise. A swift could be a strong choice again for a little fun reliable road trip car in the future.
I took my MK2 MX-5 back in 2014, we went via Hull-Rotterdam that time which cut out a fair chunk of driving for us. The MX5 was pretty noisy but bearable, this was before I put coilovers, Yokohama AD08-Rs and an antisocial exhaust on it though which all contributed to more road noise.Our other car that does the motorway miles is a Volvo V70 which compared to the Swift is like a library at 70 mph. In the Swift you are much more aware of rougher road surfaces and imperfections in the road, wind noise is higher too but not too bad. Definitely a step above a soft top anyway, but sometimes the best road trips and those done in the most inappropriate cars so just take whatever you have got and enjoy it!
Talking of road trips in inappropriate cars, we had a trip across to The Deep in Hull planned for half term with the 2 little ones, including and overnight stay then down to Lincoln to see my Dad and then back up to West Yorkshire 250 miles in 2 days so nothing massive. Unfortunately the day before we were going the Volvo which would usually do these sorts of trips decided to eat it's own alternator, so the Swift was pressed into service.
2 child seats in the back, and in the boot a push chair and a couple of overnight bags, the parcel shelf had to be removed for it to fit, the boot really is very small, smaller than a Fiesta of similar age.
The kids found it exciting to be in Daddy's car for a change and actually the Swift is comfortable enough. I also got to drive across the Humber Bridge for the first time which I was more excited about than I should have been
I have also had the Michelin Cross Climates fitted today which I picked up for a bargain price second hand, they could potentially get me out of trouble in the coming colder months. First impressions compared to the PS4 that have just come off is as expected really, slightly less positive feedback on turn in and a slightly more woolly feeling tyre on longer faster bends.
These are the roads and I commute on, you may recognise this one if you ever watched Happy Valley and saw the gruesome scene with the yellow Mini!
The car is approaching 90k miles now and has been running fine, I have however noticed the N/S HID headlight flickering sometimes over bumps and I have some new Osram bulbs to go in which will hopefully remedy this. I have booked it in to a garage to do this to my shame but in my defense it does involve partial removal of the bumper and I simply don't have any time for such shenanigans. They can also diagnose whether the ballast is healthy or not, fingers crossed it is.
2 child seats in the back, and in the boot a push chair and a couple of overnight bags, the parcel shelf had to be removed for it to fit, the boot really is very small, smaller than a Fiesta of similar age.
The kids found it exciting to be in Daddy's car for a change and actually the Swift is comfortable enough. I also got to drive across the Humber Bridge for the first time which I was more excited about than I should have been
I have also had the Michelin Cross Climates fitted today which I picked up for a bargain price second hand, they could potentially get me out of trouble in the coming colder months. First impressions compared to the PS4 that have just come off is as expected really, slightly less positive feedback on turn in and a slightly more woolly feeling tyre on longer faster bends.
These are the roads and I commute on, you may recognise this one if you ever watched Happy Valley and saw the gruesome scene with the yellow Mini!
The car is approaching 90k miles now and has been running fine, I have however noticed the N/S HID headlight flickering sometimes over bumps and I have some new Osram bulbs to go in which will hopefully remedy this. I have booked it in to a garage to do this to my shame but in my defense it does involve partial removal of the bumper and I simply don't have any time for such shenanigans. They can also diagnose whether the ballast is healthy or not, fingers crossed it is.
Edited by Garett on Tuesday 21st November 20:19
The Michelin Cross Climates on the Swift have proved quite useful in the last week or so, there's been numerous frosty mornings and also a couple of journeys in snow and sleet. Sunday evening I tried a bit of a test as I had to swap the cars around, the driveway dictates one car in front of the other which is mildly irritating, so I took the opportunity to do a back to back test, Swift on Cross Climates, Volvo V70 (also FWD) on Goodyear Vector 4 Season G3.
The Volvo was the clear winner, it probably helps that the tyres are only a month old, and a heavier car too. It went up a steep hill (pictured) in fresh snow maybe 1"-2" deep without drama, from pretty much a standing start at the bottom. The Swift still managed a less steep hill with a bit of wheel spin but enough to make me feel not confident enough to try the steep hill. Results were as expected I guess but good to learn the tyres limits not under pressure to get anywhere.
The Volvo was the clear winner, it probably helps that the tyres are only a month old, and a heavier car too. It went up a steep hill (pictured) in fresh snow maybe 1"-2" deep without drama, from pretty much a standing start at the bottom. The Swift still managed a less steep hill with a bit of wheel spin but enough to make me feel not confident enough to try the steep hill. Results were as expected I guess but good to learn the tyres limits not under pressure to get anywhere.
I can't be the only person on here which strives for automotive excellence. Whether we drive a Volvo XC70, a Jaguar F-Pace or a Ferrari FF, most of us want our cars to be in the best condition possible and when they aren't we tend to get down about it and unhealthy thoughts start to fester about selling the car and getting something newer, shinier and with less miles, when really all it needs is a bit of TLC.
My car has had a few little niggles which have been irritating me for a while, simple things really that probably the average motorist would turn a blind eye to.
My list was:
- Mist wipe not working - I had a spare stalk to go on but you need to remove airbag and steering wheel, not a 5 minute job for me.
- N/S headlight flickering - The car has HIDs, have purchased new bulbs but you need to partially remove the front bumper and the headlights to access, again not a 5 minute job, also it could be the ballast which is expensive to replace.
- Slight rattle/knock felt through the steering wheel (remember I had the steering rack replaced at the last MOT)
Anyway I booked the car into a garage near work, never used them before but came recommended so I asked them to address the first 2 items on my list which was all of 2 hours labour, the 3rd item was a happy coincidence as the knock is now remedied. It was just that the steering wheel hadn't been torqued up correctly after the rack was replaced last January!
I have that excited feeling about the car again after collecting it from the garage, even though they are simple fixes it has made me feel positive about the car again (for now, until something else breaks!).
- The lights are a huge improvement, new bulbs has meant the flicker has gone and they have lost the pinky tinge they had, I think a lot of people think HID bulbs are fit and forget because they tend to last a long time but the difference is massive with new bulbs. I'm also delighted it wasn't a ballast as they are £500 from Suzuki!
- The mist wipe works as it should, again a simple thing but irritating when its not there.
- The rattle from the steering wheel has gone too which is a massive bonus. Really thinking about it now I should have gone back to the garage that did the rack and spoke to them about it but it didn't manifest for a few months after and I had suspected it was something more sinister. I was going to wait for the MOT next month to see what that flagged.
I'm feeling much more positive about the car and enjoying driving it again, even in the poor weather.
My car has had a few little niggles which have been irritating me for a while, simple things really that probably the average motorist would turn a blind eye to.
My list was:
- Mist wipe not working - I had a spare stalk to go on but you need to remove airbag and steering wheel, not a 5 minute job for me.
- N/S headlight flickering - The car has HIDs, have purchased new bulbs but you need to partially remove the front bumper and the headlights to access, again not a 5 minute job, also it could be the ballast which is expensive to replace.
- Slight rattle/knock felt through the steering wheel (remember I had the steering rack replaced at the last MOT)
Anyway I booked the car into a garage near work, never used them before but came recommended so I asked them to address the first 2 items on my list which was all of 2 hours labour, the 3rd item was a happy coincidence as the knock is now remedied. It was just that the steering wheel hadn't been torqued up correctly after the rack was replaced last January!
I have that excited feeling about the car again after collecting it from the garage, even though they are simple fixes it has made me feel positive about the car again (for now, until something else breaks!).
- The lights are a huge improvement, new bulbs has meant the flicker has gone and they have lost the pinky tinge they had, I think a lot of people think HID bulbs are fit and forget because they tend to last a long time but the difference is massive with new bulbs. I'm also delighted it wasn't a ballast as they are £500 from Suzuki!
- The mist wipe works as it should, again a simple thing but irritating when its not there.
- The rattle from the steering wheel has gone too which is a massive bonus. Really thinking about it now I should have gone back to the garage that did the rack and spoke to them about it but it didn't manifest for a few months after and I had suspected it was something more sinister. I was going to wait for the MOT next month to see what that flagged.
I'm feeling much more positive about the car and enjoying driving it again, even in the poor weather.
BenS94 said:
Reading your oil issues, I always thought these ran 5w30 because of the timing chain... could be wrong but I used Mobil 1 Formula FE 5w30 in my mothers' as recommended.
Suzuki recommends 0w-20, but some online vendors like Opie say 5w-30. I think I might try 5w-30 on the next service and see how it gets on with a slightly thicker oil.Garett said:
Suzuki recommends 0w-20, but some online vendors like Opie say 5w-30. I think I might try 5w-30 on the next service and see how it gets on with a slightly thicker oil.
I do think it should help, definitely did with my mothers' considering she drove it like the public roads were the Nurburgring 
soad said:
Cambs_Stuart said:
I'd like to go to the deep!
And the swift looks like it's doing its job really well.
Me too. And the swift looks like it's doing its job really well.
This helps: “All tickets are Annual Passes – free return visits for 12 months!”
t as you might have been led to believe, the city of culture money has definitely improved it a lot.Today I had to get out of the house for half an hour, you know how it gets sometimes over Christmas. The side lights on these are halogen and next to the HIDs have never looked quite right to me.
I decided to go with some Philips LED bulbs, as they are available with a colour tempreture of 4000k and with the new HID bulbs in being 4300k they should be pretty closely matched. Although LED bulbs are not technically road legal I can't see why they would inconvenience any other road users as the bulb is in a diffuser so won't dazzle anyone, that and it's only the equivalent of a 5w bulb so not exactly bright!
Anyway, some before and after pics, the white balance probably isn't quite right so they all look a bit darker than they should be but you get the general idea.
I also topped up the oil again, I've kept a record since the last service so I can keep a close eye on it. I was getting concerned and thinking of getting rid but adding it all up it's actually only used 3.5 litres over 6000 miles so not as terrible as I had thought, it'll be staying a while yet.
Since my last update the car has had an MOT in January and then a service last week.
First up was the MOT. Sometimes it feels like a bit of a lottery but this year I wasn't too surprised as it had been an advisory in the past - "brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material" is the catch all statement that I sometimes feel is just an overzealous tester, not this time though! 2 on the rear failed and the offside front was an advisory so these 3 were replaced, brake fluid was replaced as well which I guess softens the blow as this was a job that needs doing every couple of years anyway. The garage I use were pretty reasonably priced so for £250 including the test we were legal again for another year.
Up next was a service 91k miles showing on the odometer and 7k in the last 12 months. I did it myself last year but with so little free time and a couple of jobs I didn't want to tackle myself I decided to use a different garage close to work for convenience.
My list was :
Oil and filter
Cabin filter
Strip brakes clean and grease sliders
Repair exhaust heat shield rattle
Headlight brace bolts snapped causing a rattle
Swap wheels over (summer tyres back on)
You may remember the car is using a little oil, with 0w-20 I have tracked it over the last 12 months to be 4 litres over the last 7000 miles which equates to under 600ml/1000 miles. This has been a source of anxiety for me so ahead of the service I bought an oil analysis kit online from Ravenol to test for any metals, fuel or water in the oil.
The results came back with "No action required - No cause for concern and no indication or causes of the oil use" there was also a list of elements found which I don't completely understand but all the results that matter were reassuringly low. I'm sure there will be someone reading this who will be able to interpret this better than me.
This year I've opted for 5w-30 so I'll track my top ups again and monitor the usage.
Also whilst it was in the workshop being serviced, actually at the point I was collecting the car at 17:30 they were just pulling it out of the workshop when there was a strange belt squeal, the steering went heavy and it turned out the alternator had packed. It was bizarre, but I'm just just putting it down to bad luck rather than anything untoward.
The brakes weren't serviced as I asked either as they have advised new discs and pads all round. Not quite sure why this wouldn't have been flagged on the MOT 1000 miles ago so I may get a second opinion. The discs probably have seen better days as they are a bit rusty with a noticeable lip and I don't have any record of them ever being replaced.
Looking on Cuztoms/CTC I may go with Textar discs and pads but the Rotinger discs look good value too. They have TRW pads too which I believe are the OEM supplier for Suzuki. I don't have experience with any of these brands but for majority road use I'm sure I'll be satisfied with any of those, Pagid is another option from ECP too.
First up was the MOT. Sometimes it feels like a bit of a lottery but this year I wasn't too surprised as it had been an advisory in the past - "brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material" is the catch all statement that I sometimes feel is just an overzealous tester, not this time though! 2 on the rear failed and the offside front was an advisory so these 3 were replaced, brake fluid was replaced as well which I guess softens the blow as this was a job that needs doing every couple of years anyway. The garage I use were pretty reasonably priced so for £250 including the test we were legal again for another year.
Up next was a service 91k miles showing on the odometer and 7k in the last 12 months. I did it myself last year but with so little free time and a couple of jobs I didn't want to tackle myself I decided to use a different garage close to work for convenience.
My list was :
Oil and filter
Cabin filter
Strip brakes clean and grease sliders
Repair exhaust heat shield rattle
Headlight brace bolts snapped causing a rattle
Swap wheels over (summer tyres back on)
You may remember the car is using a little oil, with 0w-20 I have tracked it over the last 12 months to be 4 litres over the last 7000 miles which equates to under 600ml/1000 miles. This has been a source of anxiety for me so ahead of the service I bought an oil analysis kit online from Ravenol to test for any metals, fuel or water in the oil.
The results came back with "No action required - No cause for concern and no indication or causes of the oil use" there was also a list of elements found which I don't completely understand but all the results that matter were reassuringly low. I'm sure there will be someone reading this who will be able to interpret this better than me.
This year I've opted for 5w-30 so I'll track my top ups again and monitor the usage.
Also whilst it was in the workshop being serviced, actually at the point I was collecting the car at 17:30 they were just pulling it out of the workshop when there was a strange belt squeal, the steering went heavy and it turned out the alternator had packed. It was bizarre, but I'm just just putting it down to bad luck rather than anything untoward.
The brakes weren't serviced as I asked either as they have advised new discs and pads all round. Not quite sure why this wouldn't have been flagged on the MOT 1000 miles ago so I may get a second opinion. The discs probably have seen better days as they are a bit rusty with a noticeable lip and I don't have any record of them ever being replaced.
Looking on Cuztoms/CTC I may go with Textar discs and pads but the Rotinger discs look good value too. They have TRW pads too which I believe are the OEM supplier for Suzuki. I don't have experience with any of these brands but for majority road use I'm sure I'll be satisfied with any of those, Pagid is another option from ECP too.
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