We only have 22K miles on our Aerio and are on our third set of brake pads. Also,our tires wore out at an unbelievable rate.I see from reading forums that this appears to be a common problem and Suzuki is not standing behind their product. Anyone found a solution or support from Suzuki?[:@]

 

The tires on new cars are not always top-of-the line tires. We got about that on the tires on our Forenza before I replaced them because they were out-of-round and bumpy more than worn out. I saved the two best ones for an emergency. Sounds like you might need an alignment.

Regarding the brake pad issue, something is wrong there. You need to see a good brake specialist, not the place that replaces pads for $39.95, but a real shop. Unless you are driving with the brakes on, something is wrong within your braking system. The mechanic will need to check the system, from the master cylinder to the calipers, and everything between. If an antilock brake system is involved, there could be an issue there or in the proportioning system.

 

Input is appreciated. Actually, Suzukiconfirms that the brake pads wear out rapidly and give off a black residue thatrequires constant cleaning to remove from the car. Yokohama (original tires) agreed that wear on tires was excessive and pro-rated replacement. Car only has 22K miles and now on third set of brake pads. We are discussing with the dealership and Suzuki.

 

Suzuki representative states will not replace the pads.

 

Take it up the line with Suzuki and if you don't get results, discuss it with your state's attorney general. He probably has a friend at the traffic/highway safety department, and they can make more noise than you can alone. Brake pads should last more than 10K no matter where they are. Even better, as recommended, check with a competent independent brake mechanic. You definitely have a brake issue, and you don't want to try to stop one day with family in car and find out you can't.

 

Our first set of pads and rear tires wore out at 15,000 miles.Replaced stock 15 inch tires with next size up, a Yokohama high speed tire, as I recall z-rated, 150 mph tire.I had all four corners aligned at the time of the tire change. The tires are rotated every 7500 miles, and are doing great on the wear. The alignment shop told me the back end was way out of design specs and they were able to bring it close to what the factory numbers were. Before the alignment, when the back end of the car would go over a bump,it felt like the back end wanted to go sideways. Not any more after the alignment.

Now, about the hot brakes and premature pad wear.We did the first pad change withhigh dollarNapa store bought pads. These padswent about half lifefor the next 15,000 miles, but the brakepads and rotors were still runningtoo hot. The mag front wheels were hot to the touch, not to mention how hot the bearings were getting too. At30,000 miles, we threw away the stock rotors and bought some ebay drilled and slotted rotors with a set of EBC green pads.That did the trick, no more hot brakes, stops on a dime. We relubed the pins in the brake assembly to make sure nothing was hanging up and changed the brake fluid with some Valvoline Synthetic Dot3/4 fluid.Now with the new pads and rotors, the wheels and bearings stay nice and cool and we have very nice braking action. Just to be sure,wecheck the wear on the rear brakes. Therewas little to none, so we backed up as recommended and jammed the brakes to get them to auto adjust as suggested.
No more brake problems. Here's the parts we bought:

http://www.racepages.com/products/?N...029+11763+6856

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Suzuk...em220180993425

 

Had the same issue, mater cycl in the brakes had to be replaced which was done under warrenty. Tire's had to be replace at 25k yes they wear out easliy there from the suzuki this is where cost get's involed. Bought new one's Hankook Optimo HRII 195.55.15 great got 30k on then and still have lots of grip. There rated V with a 600 tread life. $65 bucks each Pep Boys. Brakes that on Aerios ware off at 15-20k first set, second 15k, on my third front set holding up very well. There's a time in all car's life that tires and brakes are going to ware faster then later they'll easy up. I saw in this forum and read in a forum all about new car wear for tires and brakes. I'll post link once I find it again

 

Tire wear could be an alignment issue.

There is a TSB with revised alignment specs for the rear wheels. Something about a typo or transposition in the service manuals (and at the factory). Old spec for the FWD models was something like 6.2mm total rear toe in, and the revised spec was 2.6mm total rear toe in (+/- 2mm tolerance IIRC). It's been a while since I've worked as a tech. Best to have your dealership or shop check the TSB's. Make sure that anyplace that aligns your car has the revised specs from the TSB. Most alignment machines still have the old specs.

I've found that ~1mm to 1.5mm total rear toe gives the best tire wear and fuel economy, but might be a little less stable in crosswinds than some people prefer. When aligned to the old spec, fuel economy suffered some, and tire wear was really, really bad.

If yours is AWD, then you definitely want the shop to look at the TSB. There were parts that had to be replaced to correct the issue on the AWD models.

If yours came on the 15" alloy wheels, the Yokohama Geolandars don't have the longest tread life design, either. I think the treadwear rating for the tire is like 200. When shopping for replacements, you can find much longer lasting tires. While you're at it, look at the "traction" rating as well. The stock Geolandars are "B" for traction, and there are some "AA" rated tires available in that size, as well as a number of "A" rated tires.

I'm not sure why Suzuki chose the Geolandars for this car. Until we bought our Aerio, I figured it was for all terrain abilities. But we drive some gravel and dirt roads every day, and I can tell you the Geolandars aren't any better in that application than they are on the highways. We had a sidewall scuff from driving on rough gravel roads that resulted in a slow leak, and was deemed unrepairable. That's when we changed all 4 tires and wheels to some aftermarket 14" alloys with 185/65R14 tires (same sizes as the Suzuki steelies). For our bad roads (and driveway), the lower profile tires on 15" wheels were a very poor choice. Since we went to an AA traction rated tire, it feels like we actaully gained grip and handling in the changeover, and ride quality on the rough dirt and gravel roads was much better.

Brake pad wear does seem to be quicker on the Aerios than on other cars. Normal wear on these brakes is probably faster than you might be used to. I don't know any real solutions there.

Do make a few stops in reverse at least once a week to let the self adjusters on the rears work. Otherwise, braking balance will move forward as the rear brakes wear, and that can contribute to the front pads wearing even quicker.