Zyla's Suzuki Reno - Modification Plans Now In OP.

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This is my 2007 Suzuki Reno. It has a bright-red exterior that glows pretty vibrantly on sunny days. Even at night, using my headlights might not be necessary. Hue. Anyways, it's a great car, really. It's great to drive, pretty peppy for it's stock performance specs (127hp/131lb/ft), and above all, the lines on it are sporty and sleek, and it gets more looks than I thought it would.

We bought the car new in 2007 right off the dealership lot. Since then it's had three "owners." First, my brother, who's the one who actually bought the car. Second, my sister, and then the third is me. I still share the car with my sister while she looks for something else to purchase, and pays this car off simultaneously.

The car, though, has multiple cosmetic issues, as well as a few mechanical ones. They're nothing major, mind you, but they're definitely something that should be repaired, which I intend to do as soon as I can.

So now that you know the basics, let's move to the visuals.

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As you can see by the image(s), the paint is very vibrant, as I mentioned earlier.
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Here's where the cosmetic flaws come into view. Notice the bumper has two gaps in it from where my brother attempted to install fog lights on the car. Didn't work out too well, so now my car has diastema. Also the grille was painted black a few years ago, and I repainted it black to hide all of the paint chips that started appearing. I plan on buying a replacement OEM grille for it soon.
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Oxidization has started to appear on the headlight housings.
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This gives you a good idea of what the grille is like, and all of those paint chips on the hood. :guilty:
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Fading wheel covers that will one day be replaced with a nice set of rims I found.
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A better look at the poor bumper.
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The monstrous powerhouse of the Reno. A 127hp 2.0 I4.
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A poorly-taken shot of the interior.
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A little better.
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Necessary upgrades/replacements:

-NGK spark plugs
-Clean/replace fuel injectors
-New valve cover gasket
-New air filter
-Wheel alignment
-Replace bent rim
-Transmission fluid?

Significant future modification plans:

-KW Variant 3 coilovers
-Holden Viva headlights
-OEM foglights
-OEM grille replacement
-OEM front bumper replacement
-Touch-up paint
-Custom exhaust system (TBA)
-Low RPM turbo kit
-5 speed manual transmission conversion
-Motegi MR119 wheels
-Ibiza Cupra R front lip
-Suzuki mudflaps
-Rear roof spoiler
 
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A good clay barring and wax would really help the exterior. For a cheap solution to the wheel covers, if you don't want to just take them off, is to use some grey Plasti-Dip on them. Oh and a headlight restoration kit will make your lights look almost like new if you spend some time on them.

Since you're 17, I assume it's your first car. It's really not bad 👍
 
A good clay barring and wax would really help the exterior. For a cheap solution to the wheel covers, if you don't want to just take them off, is to use some grey Plasti-Dip on them. Oh and a headlight restoration kit will make your lights look almost like new if you spend some time on them.

Since you're 17, I assume it's your first car. It's really not bad 👍

Thanks for the helpful tips and the feedback. 👍
 
Nice. 👍

I'd suggest wet sanding the headlights, really makes a difference. :)
 
If you wet sand I would spray on a coat of clear coat. That's what many dad always does for my families cars with foggy headlights.
 
Glad you got a ride of your own man. Take good care of it and I'm sure she will serve you for a long time. 👍
 
I've heard that toothpaste also works for cleaning the hazy headlights... Never actually tried it myself though.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys, and the headlight tips are nice, but I'm probably going to be buying new ones for it anyways.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys, and the headlight tips are nice, but I'm probably going to be buying new ones for it anyways.

Might be better in the long run. I have a new pair for my van we got about 4-5 years back. Still hold up nice but are starting to wear.
 
Might be better in the long run. I have a new pair for my van we got about 4-5 years back. Still hold up nice but are starting to wear.

Nice!
 
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Shot this photo recently in a secluded parking lot on a nicer side of town. Looks pretty awesome in my opinion. 👍

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I actually bought one of these new back in '06. It had the SWT appearance package. These are the only pictures I can find of it. It was a fun little car, right up until the point Suzuki bought it back after a lemon law case.


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Looking back either that package was rare or no one else really cared that they had it. Type in Suzuki Reno SWT in Google and you get my pictures from the old CarDomain.
 
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That's awesome! Tell me more about the lemon law case, though. I'm eager to hear about it.
 
Sweet little car! I'm looking forward to see what you have in store for it. 👍

I spotted one of these for sale yesterday, although they're sold as the Chevy Lacetti here.
 
Tell me more about the lemon law case, though. I'm eager to hear about it.

I think that's where if the car is in for service for more than 30 days in a year, or has had the same problem 4 times, the manufacturer must buy it back, or something along those lines.
 
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Sweet little car! I'm looking forward to see what you have in store for it. 👍

I spotted one of these for sale yesterday, although they're sold as the Chevy Lacetti here.

Thanks!

Yeah, the Lacetti is great. I love the optional body kit and wheels you can get for them. I was actually considering it for my car, but we'll see.
 
I think that's where if the car is in for service for more than 30 days in a year, or has had the same problem 4 times, the manufacturer must buy it back, or something along those lines.

In this particular case, the problems eleven times in nine months. The gear shifter would seize up and couldn't be moved. This happened eight times, each time they seemed to fix something different but it would happen. The car was basically rendered useless since it was impossible to put the car into gear when the automatic shifter didn't move from park. The other four times I took the car in for paint mysteriously turning color on the doors. It was a weird situation all around.

I hired a lawyer who specializes in lemon law cases and Suzuki settled fairly simply and quickly. Suzuki then paid the lawyer fee and bought back the Reno, along with sending me a check for all of the payments I had made prior to the case. They offered me a sizeable discount on an Aerio or Forenza, but I took my money and went down the street to Toyota.
 
In this particular case, the problems eleven times in nine months. The gear shifter would seize up and couldn't be moved. This happened eight times, each time they seemed to fix something different but it would happen. The car was basically rendered useless since it was impossible to put the car into gear when the automatic shifter didn't move from park. The other four times I took the car in for paint mysteriously turning color on the doors. It was a weird situation all around.

I hired a lawyer who specializes in lemon law cases and Suzuki settled fairly simply and quickly. Suzuki then paid the lawyer fee and bought back the Reno, along with sending me a check for all of the payments I had made prior to the case. They offered me a sizeable discount on an Aerio or Forenza, but I took my money and went down the street to Toyota.

I can relate to those issues. Despite how smooth the transmission shifts in mine, it has also had problems in the past. Nothing like the shifter getting stuck or anything, but simply the car starting in the wrong gear when setting off. I'm considering switching it to a manual eventually, but no time soon. The Reno/Forenza's automatic transmission is not something to write home about. As for the paint, not sure what happened there. All in all, the Reno is a great car in my opinion. Not as reliable as it could be, but that doesn't stop me from liking it. I do understand why you went for a Toyota instead, though. They are really great cars, supposedly some of the most reliable in the world.


Same, though we got these badged as Holden Vivas. My stepmum used to have one, a sedan.

I love the Viva's grille! :D
 
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My sisters was nice in the begin till the issues started to happen. First off the car drank gas like a hummer. Nobody knows why, then she had to buy a new power steering pump because it quit working then her shifter didn't. Go out of Neutral. The transmission was terrible shifts so bad that I'm drinking some mtndew and the car shifts and spills it all over me. I was very sad. But its a fun little car. But it was a full time job getting her unstuck in the winter the car didn't have reverse btw. Lol it was a cool car I liked it
 
My sisters was nice in the begin till the issues started to happen. First off the car drank gas like a hummer. Nobody knows why, then she had to buy a new power steering pump because it quit working then her shifter didn't. Go out of Neutral. The transmission was terrible shifts so bad that I'm drinking some mtndew and the car shifts and spills it all over me. I was very sad. But its a fun little car. But it was a full time job getting her unstuck in the winter the car didn't have reverse btw. Lol it was a cool car I liked it

Sadly the Forenza/Reno's automatic transmission is apparently very problematic, as I have faced certain issues with mine as well. I'm not sure how the manual transmissions were, but my guess is they were less of a hassle than the automatic version. As for the Hummer-like MPG, I can totally relate to that as well. I don't get why such a small engine would require such a large intake of fuel. But, I've dealt with it ever since I started driving it. The power steering issue seems like something I might have to deal with soon as well, unless the car's steering is supposed to be heavier than most. Overall, I agree that it's a great car. It's fun to drive and looks awesome to me.
 
Sadly the Forenza/Reno's automatic transmission is apparently very problematic, as I have faced certain issues with mine as well. I'm not sure how the manual transmissions were, but my guess is they were less of a hassle than the automatic version. As for the Hummer-like MPG, I can totally relate to that as well. I don't get why such a small engine would require such a large intake of fuel. But, I've dealt with it ever since I started driving it. The power steering issue seems like something I might have to deal with soon as well, unless the car's steering is supposed to be heavier than most. Overall, I agree that it's a great car. It's fun to drive and looks awesome to me.

Get ready for the ac to go out soon lol I'm joking my sisters only had 87,754 miles on it. In the winter time I can't ride with her I cause the car to side everywhere . but I have to tell you something that you may not like.... She got a new 2007 Chevy Malibu ltz she seems a bit more happy being able to have power steering again. And a transmission lol it was a fun little kitten.
 
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Get ready for the ac to go out soon lol I'm joking my sisters only had 87,754 miles on it. In the winter time I can't ride with her I cause the car to side everywhere . but I have to tell you something that you may not like.... She got a new 2007 Chevy Malibu ltz she seems a bit more happy being able to have power steering again. And a transmission lol it was a fun little kitten.

I respect her decision. I understand certain people dislike putting up with problematic cars, but I personally think that's what keeps the experience of it all so interesting. Although there are many other cars I would rather have for their reliability and performance, I still love the Reno for what it is. I plan on keeping it as long as I can.
 
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