My Chevy Sonic is making me not like GM products

"LJ909" (lj909) 11/19/2015 at 12:43 • Filed to: None

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I’ve had no major problems (yet, thank god) with my Sonic, but its the little things that are making me not like this car or want another GM product. Well if you want to call them little things.

I’ve had this car the length of a pregnancy (9 months for those of you that don’t know). I bought it used (I’m a broke millennial. Don’t judge me) with 51 thousand on the odo. Here’s some of the things that’s been going on with it the last few months:

The damn service engine light has still been on, which for some reason makes my remote start not work. Which means I’m freezing my nuts off in the am since I usually have my car running so the interior can heat up before I leave.

I’m still just barley getting 25 mpg, and that’s mixed highway and city driving. I have the 1.8 non turbo I4. People like to tout the RS’s 1.4 turbo and its 40 mpg, but they are forgetting the non turbo is .4 liters smaller and has no turbo. Someone please explain to me how a hatchback that’s barley over 2500 lbs with only 138 horsepower is only getting 25 mpg. Mind you that’s with me driving normally.

My transmission is shifting horribly. Rough up shifts and downshifts. Just this morning there was a 3 second delay for it shifting into drive. And when it did shift into drive it was rough and hard. Not only that, but its holding gears and downshifting like its a manual. I don’t know if I need a transmission flush or what. But even that is a headache and I can only take it to either the dealer or somewhere else specifically because Sonic’s are made with sealed transmissions

The Stabliatrack light comes on on the dash at least twice a day. Mostly when the car is at idle in drive. When it does, engine revs fluctuate up and down a few hundred rpm. The light stays on for up to a minute at a time. It then just goes off and the engine revs return to normal. But then there’s a weird buzzing sound after it goes off that comes from the engine. Kinda sounds like the sound you would hear during a hearing test.

The weird throttle response. Say I wanted to autocross. If I floored the throttle from a standing start, there wouldn’t be smooth power delivery. It comes on lumpy and weird. Like someone that’s attempting to shift a manual trans. Makes the car jerk.

I’m on my second oil change this year. Even though I was told by 3 different Chevy dealers that the car needs no oil changes till 100 thousand miles. I’m at 72,5. I don’t know how true that is.

And lastly, the other night, me and my girlfriend were in the car going to the store. At the light, turning left, I noticed that I couldn’t hear the turn signal clicking. I said to my girl how this was the kind of little annoyances that pissed me off. She then says how come the dash board lights aren’t on. I looked down, and I hadn’t even noticed that the reason I couldn’t hear the turn signal, was because none of the dash lights were on! The only thing that was lit up was the digital speedo screen. Other than that, the large tach, and all radio and ac controls were all dark, even though it was night time and the headlights were on. So I pulled over and tried turning the car off and on with no luck with the lights coming back on. Finally I turned the radio on and, after a weird sort of flicker that’s when all the lights came on and everything was normal. What the hell is going on?

These things may not seem serious to some people, but they are to me, especially when your paying on a car everything month. I don’t know if the engine and trans problems are because of the fact that I drive A LOT (I’ve put over 20 thousand miles on the odo since I got it back in February.) But still, like I said these things are annoying on a car that isn’t even old yet. They tout this car as being the only subcompact that’s built in America. But these problems make that bragging mean nothing to me. Anyone else find a problem with the problems I’m having with this car?

Edit: It seems that I still have some powertrain warranty coverage. I made an appointment to take my car in December 2nd. So I’ll update everyone as to whats going on with this car when I take it in.

dogisbadob > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 12:46

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So in other words, GM still hasn’t caught up yet :(

dogisbadob > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 12:47

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The only redeeming feature of the Sonic are the digital speedometer, and the available white wheels on the white car, and of course the sunroof which isn’t offered on every car in this class.

deekster_caddy > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 12:50

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It sounds like all of your issues are problems with _your_ car, not problems with GM or Chevy. Transmission and engine problems can both set the check engine light, and all of those things should be resolvable. Bad MPG and your check engine light is on? Mmm hmm, tell me more... Sounds like you need a carmax warranty!

jjhats > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 12:51

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trade it in. doesn’t make sense to stick with a shitty GM. I suggest the civic or fiesta or fit or focus

LJ909 > dogisbadob 11/19/2015 at 12:51

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Close. They do have a class exclusive 6 speed auto, but I’m sure the others have that too now. And you get a lot of great features standard, but again, I’m sure everyone else either has that, or is about to get the stuff that comes standard. Not to mention the reliability.

Brian Silvestro > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 12:52

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the car needs no oil changes till 100 thousand miles.

hahahah what?

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 12:54

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I work at a chevy dealer now and I have sonics come through quite often with a bunch of similar issues. Lately its been with bubbly chrome trim and rough idle with the dash lighting up.

Not just you

LJ909 > deekster_caddy 11/19/2015 at 12:56

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Not really. I’ve checked the Sonic owners forum and other people have had these issues. Not all together though. Many have had transmission problems, some way worse than me. But other than everything I’ve listed, the car is fine. Its just I don’t want something major to go wrong. Supposedly I’m still covered by the limited powertain warranty, but that just means I’m not covered by anything.

crowmolly > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 12:57

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1.) If your check engine light is on there’s a really good chance something needs to be fixed, and there’s a good chance it may have something to do with your lost fuel economy/performance

2.) If your trans is shifting poorly there’s a really good chance something needs to be fixed, and there’s a good chance it may have something to do with your lost fuel economy/performance

3.)

I’m on my second oil change this year. Even though I was told by 3 different Chevy dealers that the car needs no oil changes till 100 thousand miles. I’m at 72,5. I don’t know how true that is.

WHAT?

Your car needs repairs. That’s your problem. At the very least to go Autozone/Advance Auto and get the code pulled and post it up here. We’d be happy to help.

LJ909 > jjhats 11/19/2015 at 12:58

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Oh yea I’m already car shopping. I’ve been for the last few months. I want to move up though car size wise. If I did get a Fiesta it would be an ST. Other than that its kinda small.

LJ909 > Brian Silvestro 11/19/2015 at 12:59

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That’s what I said. That’s why I called 3 different dealers and they all said the same thing.

deekster_caddy > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:00

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Right, but the car is _not_ fine, and you should get those things fixed so you don’t end up having major issues. Slow to engage D, harsh shifting, check engine light... all of these things should be under warranty if you have one. Get them fixed. If it is under warranty and they won’t fix them, complain louder. Read the details of the warranty to make sure this stuff is covered, then be insistent.

LJ909 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 11/19/2015 at 13:01

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Did you guys figure out why it’s doing those things?

deekster_caddy > jjhats 11/19/2015 at 13:01

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GM makes some damn fine cars. The cheapest cars that they import aren’t their best examples.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:03

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A lot of it sounds electrical. I’m not a fan of GM for similar reasons... You probably have something burning out, but with all the software in modern cars it could even be a BCM or similar.

LJ909 > crowmolly 11/19/2015 at 13:04

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Yea im thinking it needs to be serviced, even though it was looked at back in May. Thats when I had my last oil change. Like I said to the other guy, I go by my oil life percentage in the driver information center. it just got to the point where it needs to have another oil change. I’m taking it to get one next week. This will be my second oil change since I’ve had the car. It shows an error code of 82 on the dash, which means oil change time.

crowmolly > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:05

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Get the check engine light code pulled and post it up. Something as simple as a faulty sensor can put the engine and trans into a limp mode leading to poor performance.

Sneaky Pete > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:07

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No oil changes until 100k miles?

Been to multiple dealers but the service light is still on?

Wait, wut?

jjhats > deekster_caddy 11/19/2015 at 13:08

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agreed on both counts. the sonic is imported and prolly a rebadged Daewoo idk not sure. my focus is made in usa and feels great. I don’t think GM makes good cars under 40k but ford has a stellar lineup at all price points

djmt1 > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:08

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I will always wonder why GM chose Korea over Britain/Germany when it comes to their small cars stateside.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:10

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Uh, maybe go get the check engine light checked out? My guess is that's causing most of the other issues given ALL that stuff pretty much ties together.

jjhats > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:11

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the focus is the logical choice then. double the space faster and same price. I get 24 mpg in mine doing 95% city driving

LJ909 > crowmolly 11/19/2015 at 13:11

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That’s what I’m going to do. But its the service engine light. Not the check engine light. The Sonic has one of each.

crowmolly > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:12

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Whoops! But either way, it needs to be addressed. Something is bonkers.

LJ909 > Sneaky Pete 11/19/2015 at 13:14

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No no. I got my first oil change back in May. Before I got that first oil change, I called around getting pricing for oil changes at different dealers. That’s when I was told by 3 different service managers that no oil change is needed till 100 thousand miles. Like what are they teaching these GM techs? is UTI showing them pointers or what?

LJ909 > djmt1 11/19/2015 at 13:16

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ESPECIALLY having Daewoo getting involved with its design and engineering. Its weird. They can engineer Ferrari beating Corvettes, but fuck up and outsource design on a basic compact car.

wiffleballtony > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:18

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I’ve had a GM car for the past 5 years. And honestly, I wouldn’t buy another one unless it was one of their top models, like a CTS or a Corvette. I’ve had fuel pump, oil pan gasket and lifters give out. Nothing left me stranded. It’s not that my car is in anyway bad, it just feels like GM cut corners.

“I was told by 3 different Chevy dealers that the car needs no oil changes till 100 thousand miles” That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard all day.

yamahog > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:28

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My winter beater Blazer has less issues than that, and it’s 23 years old...

BloodlessWeevil > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:31

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Your car is broken. All those problems with the drivetrain? The mileage, shifting problems, throttle response, Stabliatrack? The check engine light is telling you something is broken and needs to be fixed. Your powertrain is warrantied up to 100,000 miles or ten years for issues that cause elevated emissions.*

Granted this is a cheap economy car, so it might be pretty terrible even when working as intended, but your car, specifically, is broken.

I’ve got nothing on the oil changes, your oil change interval is probably around ten thousand miles. Whatever is wrong with the drivetrain is probably causing it to default to the lowest (or aggressive usage) interval, which is likely five thousand miles. I don’t know why anyone would tell you it’s thirty thousand, no car has that kind of oil change interval.

*This is that “limited powertrain warranty.” Manufacturers are required by law to provide a warranty of that length for emissions control devices. The check engine light is telling you there is a problem with one of those systems and the warranty will cover it. It might not cover everything that is wrong with the car or even the powertrain, but it will get some of your issues fixed.

Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:31

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Fellow Sonic owner here (2013, RS, manual)

I know it’s not super helpful but I have not had anything close to your issues. My only “problem” is a slightly warped window trim piece.

Some of your notes are a little strange:

100k on oil changes? You sure that’s not transmission fluid changes? If you haven’t changed your engine oil in 20k miles that would absolutely be my first sign for loss of power, poor fuel economy, and slow throttle response.

Really all of you bullet points could all be one issue if there is something wrong with the engine and transmission controllers or if damage was done because of old dirty oil.

I NEVER go by the oil life meter. Watch your odometer instead.

LJ909 > BloodlessWeevil 11/19/2015 at 13:34

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Are you talking about the limited powertrain warranty? Sorry I read the rest of your comment. I calling around today to see what can be done about my car with whatever warranty coverage is left on it.

LJ909 > Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast 11/19/2015 at 13:37

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I haven’t waited 20k to change the oil. I should have been more clear on that. My first oil change on the car was back in May. The oil life barley changed to where it needs to be changed. I’m taking it to be changed this week. I was thinking the same thing though that all of the issues could be one problem. But no, they were clear. They said oil changes. Which doesn’t make any sense.

BloodlessWeevil > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:38

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Oops, sorry. I made a stealth edit to clarity. Also, if you are dead set against taking it to a dealership, you might be able to read the trouble codes off the dash. Post them on oppo and I’m sure the community would give you some help pinpointing the problems.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > jjhats 11/19/2015 at 13:38

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The Sonic is built in Michigan.

Textured Soy Protein > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:41

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I just had a Buick Regal Turbo as a rental. It had some of the cheapest-looking leather I’ve ever seen in a production car.

Jayhawk Jake > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:43

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The transmissions are known to have issues.

I only get 30 mpg in the RS, anyone saying they get 40 is a liar

Jayhawk Jake > dogisbadob 11/19/2015 at 13:44

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It's also a fun car to drive in turbo manual guise and has a ton of space for its size

LJ909 > BloodlessWeevil 11/19/2015 at 13:46

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Thanks. The only error code I’m getting though is error code 82. Which means oil change. Other than that no codes or anything other than the service engine light. Hopefully the warranty coverage does something. This is whats left of my coverage off of the Chevy owners site. As you can see, the bumper to bumper warranty is gone. but the limited and the other warranty are still on it.

Scott > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:50

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The transmission sounds like a typical GM economy car automatic transmission. I have gotten to the point that my rental car profile requests no chevy’s, even though the bigger cars do not have the same issues. To quote James May, “There is a place reserved in hell for the man who put that gearbox in that car. Its the ratios - it’s a case of many are called but few are chosen. And many who are first shall be fourth... and if third you will actually kick down into second”

the problem with GM transmissions in an economy car is that your foot responds faster than the transmission which is programmed to save gas, the 2 do not agree.

When you are stopped it is in high gear so that when you pull away it will lug and save gas. Except when it crawls away people step on the gas, and when nothing happens they step even harder on the gas. By the time the transmission decided yes shift gears you are now flooring it trying to get the car to move forward. the transmission see’s this as go fast and down shifts to first, but you have the throttle floored wide open. Now suddenly your car as racing away in tiny first gear designed to make a gutless engine accelerate like a muscle car.

The result is that you are now racing up on the rear bumper of the car that was ahead of you. It managed to get a block away while you tried to get the car to move, and now that your transmission has listened to you find yourself rocketing back up onto his bumper so you get off the gas and get ready to break before you rear end someone. the transmission knows you have lifted off but also knows that shifting too much is a waste of gas so it stays in first gear to see if you might get back on the gas. As you are about the hit the break the transmission realizes you are not going to get on the gas and it now shifts back into high gear. The results in your car lugging and breaking for you under engine load.

As a result the cars behind you are now racing up behind you, the car you where about to rear end is pulling away, and you are back on the gas trying to get the car to go again. Once again the transmission waits to see if you really want to go, or if your just having a seizure as a result of the whiplash it has given you. Once it is clear you do want to go forward, because you have the gas peddle floored it shifts down again.

Once you do finally get the car up to speed and try to hold it there the car will continue to give you whiplash unless you live in Kansas and call speed humps mountains. this is because outside of Kansas the road is not perfectly flat but goes up and down. And the gear for the flat spot approaching the over pass is not the right gear for going over the over pass. however by the time the car realizes the grade has changed slightly you will have slowed back to a crawl and will be once again flooring the throttle to keep up with traffic. As a result as you come down the overpass the transmission will downshift and you will rocket past everyone that just gave you an ugly look for slowing down in front of them.

Thus you end up with poor gas mileage as you are constantly on and off the gas. you also get whiplash. And your car behaves as if possessed. But at least GM can print a EPA fuel economy number since the EPA computers do not drive like a real person. And GM also gets to brag about its great acceleration even through it only accelerates due to massive gear ratios.

Jayhawk Jake > jjhats 11/19/2015 at 13:50

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The sonic is actually built in Michigan

jjhats > Jayhawk Jake 11/19/2015 at 13:51

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your correct, I was thinking of the spark

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 13:58

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I got a base 1.8 5spd in April other then some warranty stuff (cracked air intake pipe, some sensors, etc) it has been problem free. I added fog lights & 35% tint to keep it cool in the summer since it has no AC (Most legal amount you can do in Ontario).

LJ909 > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 11/19/2015 at 14:11

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Where did you get those fog lights?

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 14:17

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Got them from GM. It was on the lot with no Fog Lights, asked the sales man to put in fog lights. He talks to the sales manager, and said to give them 1/2 price. I agreed on it. Signed the papers on a monday, picked it up on thrusday with the fog lights.

LJ909 > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 11/19/2015 at 14:21

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Damn. I wish I had thought of that.

BloodlessWeevil > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 14:22

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Not error codes, trouble codes. There are hundreds of diagnostics the engine and transmission controllers run as you are driving. Each diagnostic has trouble code associated with it (e.g. P0300.) These trouble codes are the only way that the check engine light turns on. One or more of these trouble codes is requesting the check engine light on your car. Knowing what the code is can help you track down the source of the issue.

Some cars can display trouble codes to the dashboard, but it looks like the Sonic cannot (based on a quick google search.) Autozone will plug a scanner into the OBD port and read them, if you want to try fixing problems yourself.

That is good news on the warranty. Hopefully everything will be covered by the warranty and you will not need to use any of the information above.

for Michigan > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 14:38

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That’s major bullshit right there. It shouldn’t need the coolant changed until 100-150k, but oil should be at least every 10k.

for Michigan > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 14:41

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Was it a rental before you owned it? Because this isn’t normal for a relatively new car with 75k miles on it. I’m no fan of GM, but even they aren’t that far behind the curve.

FrankAtlanta > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 11/19/2015 at 14:41

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Agreed. Sounds like some deferred maintenance, perhaps from prior owner.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 14:43

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Welcome to the bottom of the barrel of any car company

LJ909 > for Michigan 11/19/2015 at 14:43

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I believe so. But even then, they usually keep up on their rentals repairs.

for Michigan > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 15:01

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Rentals are never the same after their term of service. That kind of life ages a car prematurely. There’s a reason agencies give up on the cars when they do.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > LJ909 11/19/2015 at 18:45

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I’ve seen everything from just some bad sensors... To a blown head gasket... To new ecu...

pip bip - choose Corrour > LJ909 11/20/2015 at 06:22

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auto trans in GMDAT vehicles are problematic!

as for electrical issues , no idea.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > LJ909 11/20/2015 at 10:10

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1. That’s wierd. We had a GM car in the family for a long time that wouldn’t turn it’s check engine light off. Never affected remote start.

2. 0.4 Litres BIGGER. Part of the difference is gearing, part of it is because it’s NA you have to push harder to do the same work. Don’t forget the Cruze has the same engines, and the Eco model doesn’t have the 1.8, it has the same 1.4T as the RS with taller gearing.

I’d say there’s probably one underlying computer/electrical glitch (or even something confusing sensors) that’s causing all of it. EG: The car I mentioned above with the CEL on all the time:

- Went through 2 engines

- 1 transmission

- Numerous O2 sensors

before the problem was finally pinpointed. And not by a mechanic. It turned out the aftermarket K&N filter in it had not been installed quite right. You are supposed to clean the mass airflow sensor a few days after re-oiling the filter, which never got done. What was happening was, the sensor was clogged up and telling the computer “we aren’t getting enough air. Don't put so much fuel in", causing it to run lean. The O2 sensors were fighting this, telling the computer that the engine was running too lean and needed more fuel. This for some reason affected all the programming and made the tranny shift badly and eventually tear itself to pieces. In the end, the MAF had the final say, the engine burned a valve and dropped it in the cylinder. When the filter was changed for an ordinary one and the MAF was cleaned, no more problems.

greasemonkey235097 > Scott 11/20/2015 at 12:35

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Buy a stick shift, problem solved!

Scott > greasemonkey235097 11/20/2015 at 12:58

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I would never own such a car... and if I could get a manual in a rental car in the US... I certainly would. In the mean time, wondering what car is waiting for you is almost as bad as the TSA search at the beginning of your trip.

A hit is hard to resist and I never miss > LJ909 11/23/2015 at 12:50

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Sounds like the Malibu that convinced me to never guy GM again. The ABS sensors had gremlins that would cause the ABS to stop working at random ($450 every 4-6 months), the OEM radio ate my favorite CD, the design of the gas inlet made it impossible not to drip gas down the side of the car...fuck GM.

That said, I drive a Pontiac Bonneville that, aside from being the size of a river barge, runs like a champ. If it wasn’t for a niggling transmission issue, I’d feel confident driving that beast until 200k miles or more.