Bobby MSME

Just had oil change done at the dealer today for our Chevy HHR, and found out the dealer uses only full synthetic oil now.

From what I gather, 2013 issues were mainly about oil consumption, and not about the transmission. Probably from people who did not bother to do the recalls. If there was a choice, I would have preferred the geared tranny but in 2017 that is not an available option. I am just too old to put up with a manual tranny. So far, I have no problem with the CVT in my 2017. Actually I like how it performs. I hope it will last 7 years, 70k miles, which is my average trade-in time. I am more worried about me lasting 7 years, since my warranty expired long time ago

If battery was fully charged, and you still needed a jump? Was the motor cranking at normal speed? If not, that indicates bad electrical connection from battery to starter. If starter was bad, a jump would not crank the motor. I would remove the cables from battery, clean the battery posts and inside of the cable connectors. If the motor was cranking normally, but car did not start, then it points to fuel supply issue or spark plugs not receiving high voltage. My wife had an Olds Alero which was notorious for not recognizing the ignition key. The motor would crank at

Retired Gearhead's method of storing music files on cheap USB storage sticks is the easiest. No need for a MP3 player. Only thing to make sure is the USB's are formatted in "FAT" format, which is usually the default. Avoid NTFS format.

The bar chart below shows complaints about Spark by year. Looks like 2013 had the most problems. http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Spark/

Actions You Can Take This step is crucial, don't just complain on forums! The sites above will actively manage your complaints and turn them into useful statistics. Both CarComplaints.com and the CAS will report dangerous trends to the authorities and are often called upon by law firms for help with Class Action lawsuits. Make sure to file your complaint on all three sites, we can't stress that enough.

Step 1: File Your Complaint at CarComplaints.com CarComplaints.com is a free site dedicated to uncovering problem trends and informing owners about potential issues with their cars. Major class action law firms use this data when researching cases.Add a Complaint Step 2: Notify the Center for Auto Safety The Center for Auto Safety (CAS) is a pro-consumer organization that researches auto safety issues & often compels the US government to do the right thing through lobbying & lawsuits. http://www.autosafety.org/submit-complaint/Notify the

My 2017 LS seldom RARELY goes above 4000 rpm, even when I jump on the gas pedal to merge with fast traffic. Cruising at 60 mph, the engine is loafing at barely 2000 rpm. But you are right, the rpm's go up fast when gas pedal is touched. That is typical for small 4 cylinder overhead cam engines. In the very old days, new cars came with so called "break-in oil". Now-a-days the cars are manufactured with much tighter tolerances, and basically do not need to be "broken-in". So they are shipped with same recommended oil for future oil changes.

OK..the scanner I already have is not bluetooth compatible. But it has it's own display window, so does not need a phone to read error codes. So, I ordered a bluetooth compatible simple scanner, has no display screen, but can be synced with android phone, was only 6 bux on eBay. Also downloaded "torque" free app to my phone. If that is insufficient, I will upgrade it to "torque pro" for $4.95. Mainly I want to be able to see coolant temp, transmission oil temp, alternator & battery status, and if possible, engine oil level & coolant level without opening the hood.

Very interesting Mitchell McBeath and Mr.tozzi! Thanks very much for responses. I love to know everything going on with the car while driving. So, this will be great. So...I have this CAN OBDII/EOBDII Memo Scanner. Is that the right kind? Or, should I buy something else? And I do have a android phone..so I should download the "torque pro" app from google store? How exactly the android phone syncs with the OBD scanner? There are no ports on my scanner. Appreciate clearing this up for me.

Duncan, enjoy reading your posts. But I have to differ on requiring oil change soon after break-in period, because owner's manual stipulates break-in period of only 500 miles. If there are any leftover metal shavings in the engine, those will be trapped by the oil filter continuously. That is one of the main functions of in-line oil filters. If someone does perform oil & filter change after only 500 miles, I would be shocked if they find any metal shavings in the oil. Any such debris will be trapped into the filter. Therefore it is beneficial to change oil filter at every oil c

In the past when I was much younger, I have done brake jobs, changing fuel & water pumps, changing V-Belts, fuel filters, coolant drain and refill, improving front wheel alignment, tune-ups on many cars, and countless oil changes. Now I am on Medicare, and refuse to work under the hood. I can now afford to pay for the work. Applying tint film on the windows is easy. Does not require even a screw driver. All it requires is patience to remove those tiny soap and water bubbles. Hands do not get dirty, actually hands get cleaner from handling the weak shampoo water haha.

Hahaha ROFL nice gotcha!

Only ONE door has power lock...so that...OnStar can unlock your car if you locked yourself out? Ditto with the trunk lock. There is no inside release lever but OnStar can remotely unlock the trunk??

What type of scanner you have which checks coolant temp? Since there is no temp reading available on my 2017 Spark, it would help.

Good news is, with summer approaching, heater not an urgent problem. If the error generated is intermittent, sounds like a lose connection, but could also mean a marginal & failing thermostat. I read your story about using good fuel with interest. I had exactly the same experience with my Pontiac G5 2007. Besides using Mobil higher octane fuel, I poured in a can of something which said it will clean the valves. Sure enough, the engine check light went away after a few miles of driving. But then light came back on again with error code which points to misfire in cylin

Duncan, for the past several years, all our oil changes are being done at GM dealers, so I have to assume they are installing correct grade of oil. First I like they wash and vacuum the car, and if they create a problem, they fix it without a hassle. One time the dealer mechanic messed up threads on the oil drain plug opening, and the dealer had it re-bored and re-threaded at no cost to me.

20 over 400 miles? That is the length of entire state!

I would love to drive the 2017 Spark LS on the 6500 miles road trip coming up next month. Would save a bundle on gas, driving from Florida to WA state to attend my daughter's law college graduation, then driving north to San Jose to visit other daughter, then Los Angeles area & Phoenix to visit more relatives, and finally back to Florida. But wife overruled me so we will drive her Chevy HHR. The dog will have more room in HHR.

I have never used full synthetic oil, and drove most of my cars 100k miles or more, with no engine wear issues. I do not relish paying more for synthetic. But I have nothing against using synthetic oil, if that is your preference. It is probably superior to natural oil.

Welcome to the Spark Forum! And I agree, Spark is indeed a blast considering the price to buy.

Change engine oil & filter, since you do not know when it was changed last. Coolant should have pink-red color if it is a GM supplied fluid. However there are other reputable brands on the market which have different colors. Coolant change may not be necessary on an urgent basis. Check brake fluid if it has burned smell or dark color. If so, have it changed. Otherwise brake fluid change may not be necessary. Spark owners manual recommends changing automatic transmission fluid after 72,000 km with severe conditions. When your car approaches that mileston

Beautiful wheels! Good job.

After 1 month of parking in Florida sun, the self stick panels I used for tinting windows are performing flawlessly. Besides cutting down glare from outside, it seems the car interior is cooler than before. Now I am looking to tint top part of windshield. About a 6" wide strip which should be fairly dark shade.

I am pretty sure there is no trunk open lever or button inside my 2017 LS. Not a big deal. I just ask my wife to get get out and open the trunk with the spare key. She can use the exercise Look at the positive side, if a thief breaks window and gets inside the car, he can't open the trunk either without a key, so I store all my spare cash in the trunk