At this stage Im having it done at Isuzu Pakenham. Led. All good but smoke just visible, 12 months later manifold blocked again . Vehicle reliability is quite hard to compare; ours has seen a fair bit of off road work, but perhaps yours has too. It might not be for you. Would I buy another one? Fitting bigger tyres to your 4WD; what should you consider? Ill be driving along and just go into limp mode. Im not a real 44 buff, just wanted a vehicle that could handle bush tracks, sandy beach access points for a bit of fishing and such. Aaron, Thanks for your precise & v. comprehensive analysis. had surging idle symptoms when my factory filter head unit started leaking. If they say its out of warranty, I would argue that 5 years is not a reasonable life span especially when its a known problem, and despite it being out of warranty it should be covered. Id join some of the Isuzu pages and get first hand feedback from other owners. It does sit on 110-120km/hr very nicely though. Superior Engineering diff drop re poor cv angles. Her tone of voice when she mentioned that this kind of thing happens when one rides the clutch left me very worried that we are going to be blamed for this. You might already know that cars and vans are super expensive and have long lead times right now. I would get a locker instead of the LSD. Other Mods B&W Turn Over Ball, Air Lift Bags, Titan 52gal fuel tank, Wether Tech FloorLiners, SpeedLiner spray in bedliner, debadged whole truck except bow ties and D-Max/Allsion logo Save Share Reply Quote All that said, I take on board the comments re the inner guard issue as this is not the first report of the issue that I have heard, and I will ensure this is inspected at the 230k service. I appreciate your comment, and your opinion, but well be sticking with the Dmax for some time yet. I appreciate it. No issues yet at 45,000, but the turbo noise is now noticeable but not alarming. Just to chipping in with my experience. (thank God for Holdens demise, and welcome in the MUX). Perhaps its time to retire or go back to something mechanical that you understand a bit better. The rear main is a much bigger job, and to be honest, if its not lifted (this only affects the transfer case seal, not the rear main), I would be pushing for both to go through under warranty. 315,000km is a fair old chunk of driving! I pointed out that the GVM upgrade was done in Nov 2019 after the initial cracks. I just share my experiences so others can use them to make their own choices. I wanted more power and it certainly delivers. There are a few areas of concern that we all hear about. Get a pr of Ironman Half Leaf springs for rear. Regular oil changes probably would prolong it though. Emergency brakes are applied prematurely. Last week we got our hands on Shaun from 4WD Action's brand new 2021 D-MAX to check out the suspension and see what needed improving. Hopefully your run so far improves! I bought it from new and Ive done 125,000km now. I do love my MUX and its bells and whistles but gee I hope thats all that is going to go wrong this early in the piece! View. I think the replacements on mine were about $800 including labour, and they covered it, as they should on yours as well. Fless. Weve got some big plans which will see it used a lot more shortly too. Of course, if its causing fault codes then you have a whole different leg to stand on. Its got enough power to be reasonable, and a lot if you are used to some of the older diesel 4WDs, but its got nothing on other Utes like the Ford Ranger, Ford Raptor or V6 Volkswagen Amarok. I hear they are quite hard to come by. The Hilux is also a good vehicle, and as long as you keep on top of the injectors they are a great motor. so far, i do not have problem like you wrote above. The aircon pipe that causes your evaporator to crack. I have a 2018 DMax and have a love hate relationship. Have you had a decent auto electrician look at it? Bog standard too. For more information Visit our website https://www.dobinsonsprings.com/ Thanks for the comment. I have a love affair for the Isuzu because its frugal on fuel and reliable to the max. This point is super scary. I understand the towing capacity and power on the new model is far superior? Interesting about the nolathane body mounts; have you had any issues with body cracking? I have a 2019 Isuzu Dmax Auto SX model. Sounds like youve had a rough run, and are understandably annoyed about it. Then after numerous returns to dealer with concerns head still leaking (using half bottle of coolant/800km) it was finally identified that the EGR cooler had a leak, again fixed under warranty. Update Ive just heard that Bannister Law is investigating the Dmax and MUX cracked inner guards. However, youll have a hard time getting one, they dont really work that well and they are actually illegal in these Dmaxs as it interferes with the electronic stability control. Thanks for the comment, and the story. Youve probably already realised that everything has its drawbacks, and you have to make a compromise somewhere. Ours has been pretty good overall, Thanks for your comments, and all the best drivetrain sympathy is a must with most IFS rigs, mine has spent a fair amount of time offroad with no real problems. I also was looking for a simple, strong and reliable 4wd. Its similar in many ways to mine, and it sounds like youve put plenty of thought into making something that will do what you need it to. Over the previous 20 years I have had 3 x Jackaroos (the last being a Diesel). I am an Engineer with a passion for technology, however in my view the computer intervention creates dangerous situations. Hi Aaron I would get the front weighed first though, as any heavy bull bar is likely to put you over the front axle weights, especially if you have bash plates or a winch as well. Im looking to buy a new 21 model and give the 10 to the missus but you are so right there isnt a perfect 4wd out there but these are a great bus. EDIT we had our Dmax body mounts replaced under warranty at 60,000km after the front two were showing signs of cracking and sagging badly. A few months back, we replaced our 80 Series Land Cruiser with a 2016 Isuzu Dmax. Weve gone with the lightest full size steel bull bar I could find, opted not to install a second battery under the bonnet (which I reckon is a daft place to put one anyway!) Ive heard of the CVs and tie rods. Our Dmax has bigger tyres, a big ute canopy and a fair bit of weight, and you feel it towing a camper trailer around the 1.5 tonne mark. Limit the number of short trips you do and the DPF will be much happier too. From what Ive heard, you are not alone in your beliefs. The fuel consumption is 10/100 klm on a 1000 klm trip where my old one got 7.7/100 and when I complained they said it wasnt run in , my old one got 7.7 at 5000klm so thats bs and they were unable to replicate the electronic sensor problems so I have installed a dash cam to record the actions as this feature has the potential to cause a major accident with the vehicle doing unexpected things. There is something nice about an old, simple vehicle, but we found that the age of components just kept resulting in things going wrong. Here are the most common axle issues associated with small lift kits. Sorry to hear of your issues. The dash has a loud audible clicking noise coming from inside on the passenger side when in drive with the foot on the brake and the air conditioner switch wont stay on unless continually pressed in. Unfortunately its not the first time Ive heard this, but they seem to be far and few between. Im all for improving safety, but it sounds like Isuzu havent quite got this right. If this post comes across as saying the Dmaxs are not a good vehicle, I apologise. Has anyone else had this problem? Apparently this is something all dealerships are required to check and rectify on a regular basis now. Obviously this is more susceptible to fatigue and is more likely to crack. I absolutely loved driving the y62 , a fantastic vehicle, but for me, I really missed the murmur of a diesel, the y62 is a scram jet on wheels, also I can spend months in the bush, and I found the y62 being a little narrower than a hummer, sustained lots of scratches, deep ones,,have now bought 09 DMax, want to go light on weight, simple, dry, dust proof, but need a winch, I use twice a year, maybe just carry a Telfer Cheers David. there should be no play. I literally would have had to lift the paint, make the mark and then respray. CST 4-6" S.T.L Lift Kit Stage 1. . Sounds like youve had a bit of a rough run to start with. Our 4x4 lift kits are designed to lift your D-Max to the legal maximum height, allowing for bigger and tougher tyres with greater clearance. i have the same 16 model as i didnt want dpf either, the only problem i have had was a weeping transfer case seal fixed under warranty twice. Permalink. Shower awning. If you keep it light weight, and dont change the tyre size to anything bigger you should be able to do it all legally and reasonably well. They knocked back the warranty claim saying it was from my cord Bullbar. Hayman Reese Xbar. Regarding the statement, I can only go off what I see regularly posted, and from what mechanics have to say about them. I also want to put on a heavy duty bull bar but I could be asking for trouble in terms of the cracking as mentioned above. The evaporator has cracked it due to dodgy lines apparently. to me, its a solid and well build truck. Cracks have shown on vehicles of various ages, with and without rough driving and bull bars. Cheers for the comment. Maybe. 3 weeks in the Pilbara camping and 4WDing, 6 weeks in the Coral Coast, Pilbara and Kimberley, 3 months with a camper trailer, 4WD and toddler; the summary, Lake Argyle and the Bungles; amazing places in WA, Our Isuzu Dmax build for touring Australia, Our new Hybrid Camper; a Lifestyle Reconn R2, Building a tough 4WD boat trailer to take remote fishing, Why we moved from a soft floor to a hybrid camper trailer. If you press the shift lock button just above where you move the lever, does it move? I have just purchased a 2008 D-Max with 200K km on it. Fingers crossed it stays that way. Ive heard of the compressors failing, but the alternator and crank battery says something isnt right with your battery setup. Good to hear youve had a great run. This shouldnt be unique to the Dmax; its just a wear and tear item, Hi Aaron, Ironically, several of the problems we have had have been the result of aftermarket gear. If the Prado has been reliable, and you think it will continue to be so, maybe thats not a bad option. At the 20,000k service we were told that their was a problem with the dpf and we were told the ECU would be reprogrammed by Toyota to maximise the dpfs life. I know a number of people whove hammered their vehicles and not broken anything, so maybe its part luck/driver ability too. Rough run mate. A lot of people dont do this. Ive been a Toyota fan for a long time. Hi The turbo has been replaced and the air conditioner piping replaced under warranty. Sometimes Its not worth the effort though! Second issue was manual gearbox, they looked at it, told me nothing wrong while well under warranty and then of course a few months out of warranty wouldnt look at it. Like you, I compared Isuzu from a grounding of Toyota engineering. Touch wood, Ive had no issues with bigger tyres and a 30mm lift kit, but I drive it as carefully as possible and have installed a diff drop kit. Have you got a Dmax? Ive been looking at a DMax for a number of years now to replace my 2010 Hilux due to its limited towing capacity. I couldnt care less about chrome bits, fancy dash boards, leather seats, lights that come on when you unlock the car and the long list of other things that some people find important. A lot of the process revolves around how good the service and mechanics are, and sadly they dont always back the product up the way they could. I am a mechanical fitter by trade, and am very familiar with the difference between hard work and abuse. Apparently there was a batch of ring and pinion gears that were made with poor hardening properties, and the gears essentially chop out and become a pile of metal shavings in the bottom of your differential. They are a great vehicle. I don't know - very few diesels seem to have them, probably due to increased production costs and the plain fact is most manage very well without them though the presence of an in-tank pump does make servicing easier. She does a mix of town and country driving and is our caravan tow vehicle. Gavin. How come you sold the Y62? I could have paid the same price for a brand new one, but opted for the last of the pre DPF models. A 2018 Isuzu D-MAX SX TF MY17 has recently come up for sale, 1 owner and clocked up 277,000 km, looks in quite good condition from the video, it looks exactly like the ones in the pics above. Am I alone with the above concerns? Again, this happens when you are 4WDing and giving it a bit too much. 2013 Camry Atara SX, 200ks replaced park brake shoes andwell thats it! Parts were ordered, shipped and arrived very fast. Fwh incase CV breaks. (EDIT all good so far!). However thats a long list of shortcomings? Regular price $1,010. Hopefully its al sorted now, and you get to enjoy a few years of trouble free motoring! The wheel bearings also sounds strange; if they are done properly, you should have no issues for a lot longer than every couple of services. I have braced bullbar by getting scrub rails incase bullbar causing inner guard cracking. The dealer is putting in a warranty claim for us but was hesitant to say it will be accepted. How to install a 4x4 lift kit at home in half a day 4WD 24-7 432K views 3 years ago BNB BUDGET BUILD || Stock to Tourer in 24 Hours!! But without a doubt my favorite thing about the car is If you have had DPF issues, Bannister Law is looking into it! So far, Im reasonably pleased with my Dmax, but having only done around 80,000km its not really a huge form of evidence just yet. The next issue was a leak from the front differential, in the 4WD actuator assembly, and its booked to go in to be repaired. Ive never heard of the crank snapping unless its running serious power, but I assume its all standard. I started the application in May. Good article! The Evaporator failed on the Air Conditioning Unit (our Auto Electrician says this is quite common with the Isuzu D-Max). The Dmax came with a tow bar, genuine aluminium bull bar, reversing camera and tub. The systems are causing driver distraction. Turned out to be diff. Sorry to hear of your experience. I got my Dmax a 40K service 2or3 weeks ago the fuel filter light came on about a week before service, it cost me $1400 to fix . 2018 Dmax Surely we cant be the only 2 with a 2017 Dmax that has this issue? Headlights are very poor and there is no genuine option yet. Interesting about the Alphatech piggyback; Id heard of them before and might give our Dmax a tickle at some stage in the future. It is our on-farm vehicle. No charge of course and no problems since. Unfortunately on our way to the dealer, an hour and a half drive, Tuesday gone, the car completely died and we had to get it towed to the dealer. Head Office has been good and opened a case for me and contacted the dealer. Isuzu, nor any other manufacturer have zero grounds to palm a warranty issue off on any modifications unless they can prove that the modification caused the problem. Dobinsons rear shocks for Colorado RG 2012-On, Colorado 7, Isuzu D-max 2nd Gen, Triton L200 05-on(GS43-801) . The 4JJ1 motor. Dmax lift kit problems are always going to be accentuated because of this, and you need to be careful going too high. I wanted a solid vehicle, with vinyl floors that could be taken away with minimal fuss and relative comfort. Im going to keep an eye on the class action lawsuit and see what the outcome is. I have a 2015 Manual Mu-x, and I need to replace the rear main seal and the transfer case seal, and Im hoping not to be taken for a ride on cost. Bought my 5 spd manual D-Max Ute in 2014, standard nudge bar, canopy and thats about it. I have a manual 2014 SX space cab. Consistently returning 8.4l/km (not towing of course) and if I take my racks off, that usually drops below 8. Another quote came back and said the diff drop and spacers were illegal and wouldn't supply it. religious services of CASTROL full synthetic 5w30 to 300 000kms now using Nulon 10W40 diesel. Asides from that, you have purchased a vehicle that isnt doing what it should. But the car is so poorly built i wouldnt be surprised if theres a hole in the reservoir somewhere. Overall they are probably the pick of the bunch of the Dmaxs, excluding the new ones that I know little about. So let's go through why I feel this is an absolute quality bit of kit. It is a manual first up gear box was replaced under warranty. In fact they are more reliable than Toyotas. The stereo clapped out under warranty, and the diff seal was leaking from the factory. Lots of people have trouble free Dmaxs too. Factory internal wiring is horribly put together, bonnets wobbles because the metal is so thin, i can visibly see the cab move and stretch where the doors mount to the cab, i would not be surprised if the door rips out of the frame one day, fancy looking l.e.d lights arent that crash hot, i periodically smell oil fumes in the cabin even when the A/C is on recirculate. 17 months old, 65,000km -traction control and engine light come on, wont change up to 4th gear, same in seq shift! Youd be much better off with a proper locker, like the ARB, or Electric locker from Harrop. On thing i did do and am blown away with, is a new Gturbo fitted, not because the factory one was playing up. Ive heard some sketchy things about these safety features, and people are using blacked out business cards to stop the sensors from working to overcome it. However, Im not brand biased, or so attached to it that I fail to mention its shortcomings, and every single 4WD out there has at least a couple. In terms of engine reliability, an EGR and a DPF are not a great idea. Let me know below! No one will know for sure without a few more kms being put on them. Just pondering now how I take advantage of any warranty claim, without there being a glaring fault. I will be looking at a rear locker though; might avoid the front one! I wouldnt mind so much if I didnt depend on my vehicle for work and for the long weekend trips into Central NSW to visit family. There will be wear and tear on other items as well though, but if its done a lot of long distance driving and less 4WDing it might be limited. Congratulations on the new to you vehicle. The drivers door window constantly plays up, Ive had the touchscreen replaced under warranty, have switched to ARB locking diffs as I know the OE one crack it early on plus the traction control is sub standard to rely on for a modern 44. I have no issues with the safety systems, they are annoying and id rather do without but once you adjust your driving style a little bit you get used to them. Hes running an auto locka, and installed 2 aftermarket ones, which are basically made of cheese. Aaron. Its just bad timing! Very interesting articles, Ive just about sold my Nissan y62, and was keen to buy a Isuzu MY15, July onwards, but on reading the brassed of owners, 2nd choice was 2014 hilux, but really Im just about gone full circle, GQ1988swb, non turbo, good old plugger and even spend $10,000 total recon motor, seems ok An auto locka, and installed 2 aftermarket ones, which are basically of... A Diesel ) could have paid the same price for a brand new one, but alternator... 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