2006 Suzuki XL-7 H27 V6 from Venezuela

Summary:

Unreliable, expensive to repair. Maybe installing another engine and transmission would be better

Faults:

Previous owner blew the timing chain on the road and almost got killed, family and all.

I bought the SUV already repaired by a certified mechanic, with original Suzuki spare parts. After a prudent amount of km, I changed the big timing chain, and tensors. It worked more or less, until the gearbox blew, leaving us stranded, family and all in a dangerous lonely road. Fixing it cost a huge amount of money. Internal planetary gear was totally destroyed.

I'm a maintenance engineer and know how important are fluids, tire pressure, and everything in between.

Left me stranded again, because of corroded terminals on the gasoline pump.

Finally, the timing chain (original spare) jumped (again) and destroyed the engine.

A broken gasoline hose left me stranded (again, family and all) on one of the dangerous roads of my country.

Original fan blade cracked like a bad quality toy. Replaced the electric fan on the air conditioning condenser (or is it evaporator?).

Fuse box melted, and made the car impossible to start. Had to makeshift a fix with a Ford part to bypass enough current for the starter to work. Tie rods were replaced, and steering box had an unfixable leakage.

Crankshaft position sensor replaced (175$ without labor).

Bendix replaced in the starter, alternator service done, bearings replaced.

Regular air conditioning maintenance done (the only system of the car that worked acceptably).

Windows needed maintenance for going up and down.

Air conditioning tensor pulley was replaced 3 times.

General Comments:

My suspicious mind, being an engineer, tells me that the stupid decision of mounting oil pressure driven timing chain tensors was the culprit. Should they have installed the normal spring loaded tensors, the engine surely would be a great one.

But it is not. I consider it is an unreliable machine, even with good and proper care that V6 H27 didn't fit the bill. Made me lose a huge amount of money because of a poor design, but they will never admit this.

I can fix problems in an older car by myself, but once the fuse box melted... being a car with fuel injection system, and not the conventional OBD but the proprietary Suzuki diagnostic system... forget about it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 1st March, 2020