CompleteCar
Ask Us Anything

Should we repair our Suzuki Ignis?

Hi,

Our reliable 2005 Suzuki Ignis stopped today after five years, on my birthday, happy birthday to me :)

Drove to the shops, came out and there was a tick tick tick whenever the ignition key was turned, then some smoke coming from the dash area and a smell of burning. We had planned to use as a scrappage trade in for the new year but not just yet!

My questions are, does it sound like a starter motor issue? If yes, should we have it repaired - will the car need to be driveable to the new car garage to avail of the scrappage offer? It flew through the NCT earlier this year.

Thanks in advance.

NIAMH O DONNELL

Dec 2016 Filed under: fault


Expert answer

Hi Niamh,

Well, obviously we would advise you to get the car to a garage, preferably a Suzuki one, pretty quick. We can’t diagnose a problem on a car we’ve never seen, but the ticking and smoking does indeed suggest either a starter motor or ignition issue, so it may not be all that expensive to fix, especially if it’s just a wiring problem.

Generally, for most so-called ‘scrappage’ deals (they’re not actually scrappage at all, but trade-in boosters) the cars do indeed need to be running and drive onto the forecourt under their own power, so if you want to use it for that purpose, you’ll need to get it running again somehow.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Advisor
@neilmbriscoe


Read all questions...