Trouble With Isuzu Dmax High Lander

[Lesh]

Looking for some advice for some trouble I have with my truck. The truck in question is a 2005 Isuzu Dmax High Lander 3.0 diesel that was an ex demonstrator bought from Isuzu’s main dealer in Nong Bua Lamphu. The truck was 7 months old when I bought it and had 17000klm on the clock with 29 months warranty left to run on it ; it has now covered 75,000 miles and has had many problems including this one over the period of covering this mileage. Other problems include a broken tooth on a cog inside the gear box, faulty clutch, faulty starter motor, faulty battery, faulty electric window motor, another fault with the gear box, and this time with a part that connects to the out side of the gearbox. The problem I’m experiencing with the truck at present luckily happened just before the warranty was about to expire and that problem is that the engine has a habit of turning its self over on its own while all the door are locked, with no key in the ignition. It has been doing this know for over three months every 400-500 klm’s and is currently in the Isuzu main dealer workshop for the fifth time. So far it has had 4 new starter motors, 2 lots of new cable that connect the starter to the battery, new relays and a new ignition switch. Isuzu have also had a so called electrical technician expert from Bangkok to visit the main dealer in Udon Thani where my truck is, to take a look at the problem and remap the ECU. Apparently he will be returning again next week to have another look. All this work has been carried out and paid for by Isuzu, the truck has also been serviced regularly every 5000klms at the main dealer. So far from this same problem I have bills for the work from Isuzu for over 30,000 baht. It has also cost me over 50,000 baht in car hire for the periods the truck has been in the dealer’s workshop, now over 8 weeks in total. These figures do not include what it is going to cost Isuzu and me for this current period that it will be in the workshop for repairs. I have tried to get a courtesy car from Isuzu while all this work has been going on and have also asked for some compensation for the money I have had to spend on hiring cars but have had no luck. The first time this problem occurred I was asleep in my house with my girlfriend, my newly born son, my girlfriend’s two children from her previous husband and her mother. I had left the truck parked in my garden, in gear as I usually do and because of the truck being in gear at the time, the truck had rammed in to the gate at the front of my house causing it to bend the gate and the front bumper of my truck. Luckily I woke up by the noise the truck made when it hit the gate and had time to run out side and disconnect the battery lead. When I opened the door to go out side to disconnect the battery lead the truck had smoke pouring out of the engine bay and I’m sure if I hadn’t of woke up and disconnected the battery the whole truck would have been set a light, burning down my house and possibly all of my family members who were inside. I have explained to Isuzu how dangerous this problem could be but they just don’t seem to care or cant fully under stand the seriousness of the problem. Now I always make sure the truck is out of gear when I park it as to eliminate some of the danger. On another two of the occasions where this problem has a risen if the truck had of been in gear it would of shot across a main road possibly causing a fatal accident. I keep asking at the dealership for an address and contact number for some one from inside the Isuzu Company who I can complain to and have had no luck there either. This situation is really getting to me and I just don’t know what to do next. Every time I try to complain about the service I am receiving from the main dealer in Udon Thani I just get a reply, “please sir just let us try one more time”. Although I would really like to get my truck back cured of this problem, am really hoping by posting this at Thai Visa I will get some advice on where and who I can complain to about this problem. I would like an address and contact number for some one from Isuzu who I can take this matter up with and would like to know from other Thai visa member’s weather there is any other organisations in Thailand I can talk to about this problem. Obviously the main problem I’m having in complaining is that I don’t speak Thai. Yesterday when visiting the Udon branch of Isuzu I asked to speak with some one about my truck who could speak with me in English. I have done this several times with limited luck. I waited a whole hour yesterday before coming very agitated and asking the same question, I ended up losing my rag and with in seconds had some one come and speak to me in perfect English. The guy was from the banking section of the branch and was very pleasant but I still ended up getting no where. They still don’t know what the problem is and again I got told to be patient and to let them have one more try at curing the problem. I am now waiting again for this so called expert from Bangkok to come and look at my truck and was told when asked that he would be coming, “MAYBE” next week.

[Monkeypants]

If this happened in the UK then you would have to options

Firstly a car has to be "fit for purpose" and any problems the Dealer is legally obliged to fix it, at the dealers exspense.

It doesn't matter how long it takes if new problems occur as long as the dealer is doing there bit to try and take care of the problem.

But how long is to long before it is deemed as "not fit for purpose " well a court would decide that, but in all reality the dealer would probably offer you an exchange car or your money back, prior to any court appearance.

So what would happen on LOS

Mmmmm I think that you are probably getting the best that they can do, and I can't see them operating like we may do in the west.

Personally I would sell it back to them and buy another.

If it is on finance they will be able to sort out the paperwork etc.

Cut your losses and start again

[kartman]

You could get photo's of the woman who smashed up her Honda CRV with plenty of media coverage and say how would you like a new twist on this "FALANG SMASHES ISUZU"(FSI) and put a sledge hammer/pickaxe in the cab so they think you could be serious. Then insist on only speaking to someone in authority preferably head office in fluent english on how they are going to resolve your problems otherwise FSI. All this though should be with the view to getting rid of the truck either fixed then sold immeadiatly or PX against another one. If you do resort to FSI make sure its only the bonnet/hood and windscreen/sheild easily and cheaply repaired if you draw a blank!.

[Bung]

Sounds incredible it could be that bad!

Just a thought, make sure there have been no rats eating the wiring inside your engine bay. Loads of the little buggers around at the moment with the wet season. My Vigos car alarm went off the other night twice in 20 min's for no reason, first time anything wierd has happened to that.

You can get after market car alarms with remote starting, it hasn't had anything like that fitted before has it? I would have a good look at the wiring.

You do have to wonder about the level of technical service available here. You have a gearbox repaired and then a component attached to the gear box fails, something they would have had to take off to repair the internal component previously.....

You did get it blessed didn't you?

[Gary A]

Maybe that's why I never have problems with the Ford car and Nissan pickup. Both were taken to the local watt to be blessed by the monks. The Toyota was second hand and never blessed but was damned by me plenty.

[BSJ]

The starter motor problem could be as simple as the mechanic not torquing the bolts up in the required sequence. It only has to be skewed slightly for it to be under stress when used. And if your truck engine is a hard starter as I suspect your probably using it more than normal.

Being a compression ignition engine if you turn it off and one piston is at the point where it would fire if it rolled over TDC can lead to intermittent firing if there is residual fuel in the system. Someone dropping the tailgate or slamming a door usually does it! As well, the injectors need to be synced in time with the camshaft.

Overall it's what we call a "LEMON", and the only option maybe to trade it on a new truck. You don't need this aggravation, do ya?