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Duncan

Spark Member
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Duncan last won the day on April 18 2020

Duncan had the most liked content!

About Duncan

  • Rank
    "Are they made from real Girl Scouts?"
  • Birthday November 25
  1. Bump...does anyone know the torque specs for the plugs? Lil' Wednesday appears to have a bad coil pack (P0301 code), so I'm going to replace that and do the plugs at the same time. You know, since I'm already in there. Also - damn, these coil packs are expensive! Like $80 each for the ACDelco part - off-brands aren't much cheaper.
  2. Welcome to the Salsa Brigade! Glad you got the car you wanted at the price you wanted - that's not always easy. Your comments about the available power are spot-on - no, it's no stormer, but I have no trouble keeping up or even passing on the highway. And this is with a CVT in mine - your manual should be able to wring that much more out of it. Having driven the manual version a few times as well (I work at a car auction), I also agree that the shift throw is a bit long, but the trans feels very smooth even on Sparks with plenty of miles. So yours should hopefully hold up well.
  3. Welcome! I was not aware of the single power lock "feature" on the base model - obviously one power lock assembly is cheaper to install than all four, but it does make you wonder why they bothered at all. It's certainly a conversation piece, though, as you're leaning across the car to let your bemused passenger in. I can relate about the unexpected tech features on a car this small and inexpensive, though. Our '14 1LT also has the MyLink touchscreen radio, which always makes people ask if it has navigation. I would argue that it does - on the separate screen that is my
  4. Welcome! That is a great color. I see you purchased at CarMax - how was your buying experience there? I've sold them a car before, but have wondered about buying from them. Duncan
  5. Welcome! What color is the car? I assume the stripe will be black - I like the offset of it, and your overall rally-inspired theme. Duncan
  6. Welcome! We'll obviously want pics as soon as allowable. Gearhead's right on about the early oil change, too. Always a good idea on a brand new car after the break-in period. And yes, little engines will work better for longer if you let them rev. Having a stick shift will help that quite a bit - should be fun. These are nimble, responsive little cars for the price you pay. Again, welcome! Duncan
  7. Huh. Didn't know about lowering options; I'll have to look into that. Obviously the ride quality will diminish somewhat, but I'm curious to find out what you guys think once you get them installed. Looks great so far, anyway, with the blackout wheels. Keep it up! As for the eBay listing, I just rather enjoy that line at the bottom: "Spark: THE NEXT SPARK" It's like smurfing smurf, know what I smurf? Duncan
  8. That color is great. My wife and I enjoy our current 2014 in Salsa, but we fell in love with the '17 model at the auto show. That one was a loaded LT (heated "leatherette" seats, sunroof, premium wheels) in the lovely mint green pearl color, with matching interior accents. It literally matches all of her workout gear. And the touchscreen radio now has a much-needed knob! (Didn't know how much I wanted that until I saw it, really.) We were very tempted to trade up, but we're sticking with Wednesday for now. Maybe in a couple more years...? Duncan
  9. Note - I had responded originally before I saw Mike's added info on this second page of the thread, so I edited that original post a bit. But my main points still stand. If I were him, I don't know how much of a case there is for a lawyer to handle. As mentioned in my other response, due to the car's salvage title, no dealer is in any way obligated to perform any warranty work. I'm not totally sure if that applies to safety-related recalls as well, but it's enough gray area that it might be a problem in court. He might be able to settle with Chevrolet (or at least the l
  10. First of all, you could have posted your original angry missive in a separate thread, rather than hijacking someone else's unrelated thread. If you have problems with your own car, don't "borrow" this discussion just because this is where people seem to be hanging out. Second, you posted on a public forum. If you weren't prepared for people to have their own opinions about what you say, then you should have posted this on a personal blog and turned off the comments. Now, to your situation. Yes, it sucks that your engine is failing or has failed. It also sucks that your
  11. I have to say, I do enjoy the free "quickie" wash after a dealer service. And I trust our dealer, and know they're using the right oil, so that's never a concern. We bought our 2014 as a CPO unit, so had free scheduled maintenance for two years or four oil changes, whichever came first. Turned out to be the four changes in the end, as we have put a fair number of miles on the car in two years of ownership. That said, it is ridiculously easy to change the oil and filter on this car, should you choose to do so yourself. (Well, yours is a 2017, so maybe a little different, but I suspe
  12. Which is what I figured out, unfortunately. So, my thought now is that maybe I'll replace everything but the front amber bulbs (to maintain electrical load and keep the flashers from going so fast). That will at least give me the brighter LED glow at the back of the car, which has been my main concern. And honestly, the backup lights are already way bright enough - I can't imagine what the LED version of that would look like. But I'm willing to try, of course. Duncan
  13. The original poster may or may not see this, but... My check engine light came on during the winter, at about 35,000 miles. My first instinct is always to chalk it up to bad fuel, so I went to a newly built gas station (fresh, sediment-free tanks, you see) and filled it up with a tank of premium along with a bottle of Techron fuel system treatment for good measure. The light quickly went out, I considered myself a mechanical genius, and went on my way. Fast forward a few months later. Just a week ago, the engine light came on again, this time with a fresh tank of fuel f
  14. Most important thing first, then some opinions. Chevrolet recommends at least a Dexos1-rated semi-synthetic oil in a 5W20 grade for our cars (the 2013-2015 models), and to change it at regular intervals. As long as any oil you buy for the car meets those requirements, and you follow the specified schedule, that's the most important thing. (For this or any car, really.) Now, the opinions. First, I certainly wouldn't go cheap and get a conventional (non-synthetic oil). In fact, if you're buying a Dexos1 oil, it will be at least partly synthetic no
  15. Guess I'm not going to worry about getting fog lights installed on mine, then... Duncan
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