Isuzu D-Max Utah long-term test

Date: Friday, November 2, 2018 | Author: Steve Banner

3rd Report

According to Isuzu’s website the nearest dealership to me is Warners of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, just over 17 miles away and a bit of a distance to travel to get a faulty radio rectified.

But perhaps that’s the penalty one pays for living in rural Herefordshire.

Warners couldn’t offer me an appointment for another 13 days, alas. So I rang the next closest, which was nearly 19 miles away but also in Gloucestershire – M J Fews of Charfield, Wotton-under-Edge – and they told me they could look at the fault in 10 days’ time.

Best-known as a well-established Land Rover dealer, M J Fews boasts some of the friendliest service receptionists I have ever encountered plus a comfortable waiting area.

I sat there for upwards of an hour and was then told that the problem stemmed from a wiring fault, but, unfortunately, the workshop couldn’t identify which wire was responsible.

The D-Max would have to be booked in for a day so that the culprit could be hunted down.
I brought the truck back just after 8am several days later, was provided with a clean, almost brand new Ford Fiesta as a courtesy car, and went home to await events.

During the afternoon a receptionist rang to tell me the technicians had taken the unit out of the dashboard no less than three times, checked all the wires and connections, and could find nothing amiss. They had then tuned the radio and driven the truck some distance out of Charfield, and everything appeared to be working.

Bemused, I drove back to the dealership, retrieved the D-Max’s fob – it’s keyless – went out and turned on the radio.

Initially, all seemed well, and I headed off up the M5 rejoicing.

A few miles on, however, the radio started playing up again, refusing to tune into DAB stations that the digital radio in my wife’s Skoda Yeti can pick up easily. It has remained that way ever since.

And while FM reception is better, the multimedia unit doesn’t seem overly keen to let me make use of the satellite navigation system. Fortunately, the higher of the dashboard’s two lidded glove compartments conceals a 12V power point, so if the worst comes to the worst I’ll be able to plug in my trusty Garmin portable nav unit and attach it to the windscreen.

M J Fews has undoubtedly tried its best, so the fault I suspect lies within the actual unit. So it’s over to Isuzu itself now for further investigation - I’ll keep you posted.

Report Card: Infotainment = 2/5

A fault with the temperamental radio has proved stubbornly difficult to resolve.

Isuzu D-Max Utah Double Cab automatic 4x4 pick-up

Mileage   1,921
Official combined consumption   36.2mpg
Our average consumption   33.0mpg*
Price range (ex VAT)   £16,499-£28,999
Price (ex VAT)   £26,149
Warranty   5yrs/125,000mls
Service intervals   2yrs/12,000mls
Load length   1,485mm
Load width (min/max) 1,080/1,530mm
Gross payload   1,091kg
Engine size/power   1,898cc/164hp
Gearbox   6-speed auto
CO2    205g/km
* approximately

Click below to see previous report

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