Hi -

I've had my car (2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara) for a couple of years now
and hardly ever use the 4x4 since it's part time and I rarely drive it
in the snow.  The times when I have used it in the snow, it totally
sucked!  I thought it was my bald tires, so I recently got new tires.
This winter when trying the 4x4 in the snow, my husband and I realized
the 4x4 appears to not work at all!  The 4x4 light has never come on
when engaged, and we always thought that was a burned out bulb.

Is it common for part-time 4x4 systems to fail?  We bought this car
used and suspect that maybe the original owner used the part-time 4x4
on dry pavement (which I understand is a no-no) so I am thinking she
may have wrecked it.

We are getting it looked at later this week, but I just want to get an
idea of how much it may cost to get fixed.  I suspect it may be
expensive.  Any ideas how much?  Of course, I am sure the cost of
repair could vary depending on the severity of the problem, but any
info I can have going in there would greatly help.

Thanks!
Paula