Technical Sedici or SX4

[Paul106xsi]

Hi All, looking to buy a Fiat Sedici or a Suzuki SX4. I understand they are essentially the same car but were there any cost savings taken buy one manufacture and not the other? I read another post on here that said the that the fiat main ground wire (from the battery to the block) was a bit flimsy and could cause issues, would the Suzuki be the same?


I'm looking for a diesel 4x4 and want to use it for towing my race car and trailer (which are all quite light). Are they generally pretty reliable?


Thanks in advance.

 

[niggles]

Technically they are the same car (badge engineering). The 1.6 petrol in both Sedici and SX4 is a Suzuki engine while the 1.9 Multijet diesel is the identical Fiat/GM engine in both cars. So an SX4 diesel would have the same wiring issues.
Interestingly enough the Bosch EDC has been coded to disallow Suzuki dealers access to a Sedici´s advanced functions (manual DPF regen, coding new injectors...) and vice versa but MultiECUScan will do both

Reliability is generally quite good (see my other post) but the 1.9 JTD 8V engine and especially its emission control system are easily upset by sloppy maintenance. Don't skimp on simple things like resetting the oil degradation counter and occasionally checking for stored non-fatal errors in the EDC (failed glow plugs, dirty MAF, failing sensors, leaking air hoses, stuck EGR valve, too many aborted DPF regens...) and fixing them. Otherwise you will eventually be left with an engine that has the whole intake system including various sensors and actuators coated in caked soot, leading to a variety of confusing errors including sudden activation of limp home mode, kangarooing and impressive black clouds behind the car. This is where the fun begins... :-(

 

[Paul106xsi]

Thanks niggles, that's good to know.