Bobby MSME

My 2017 Spark LS with CVT is running like a clock, almost the same as when it was brand new. My last oil change was full synthetic, and I noticed a bit more power and a bit smoother engine. And Spark is a 100% Korean car, even the GM name plate is made in Korea

Looks very close to my 2017 Spark LS. After 2 years, I still enjoy driving this small car which does not feel so small from inside. I remember driving a Volkswagen Bug in the 1960's, and it felt really small and closed in. One day driving a borrowed bug on Lake Shore Drive, it was windy (Chicago is called windy city for a good reason) and the side wind shifted my car into oncoming lane! Luckily it was empty so no harm done except heart palpitations lasted about 10 minutes. Those bugs were very bad with side winds.

Nice thread..nix480!! Quite useful for someone who wants to lock /unlock car from distance. Such as an individual getting back into the car during dark hours without security. Don't have to fumble with keys and keyhole. I depend on "My Chevrolet" App to open my driver side lock. I tested it, and works fine. Nobody has robbed me since I dress to look like a ...well....wear baseball cap backwards or wear a hoodie in dangerous neighborhoods and walk fast LOL Last time I traveled to south Asia, which was long time ago, I had plastered a large address label on my s

If door does not close properly, chances are the car has probably been in an accident. Just my 2 cents. Hitting the curb with tire/wheel should not bend the frame enough to cause door closing problem. At worst you might get a bent axle, at best a wheel mis-alignmnent. My 1977 Chevy Malibu (an excellent car!) slid on icy road and hit a 3 foot high boulder on the side of road with the rear wheel. The rear wheels began vibrating at speeds over 30mph. I though it was bent rear axle and had it changed by a friend mechanic. That did not correct the problem. Then I had both rear tires

How much you want for your house?

Phone is one gadget which does not need charging while driving. My fully charged Android phone lasts the entire day with power left to spare. Another thing, it is very bad practice to use phone while driving. But if you must need to charge your phone in the car, try looking for a cable which fits into cigarette lighter at one end and the suitable terminal at other end which fits into your phone receptacle. My Garmin GPS works that way.

Common young man, why not wash your car yourself? I am late 70's and wash the car myself. My last car, a very nice Pontiac G5 was messed up by the dealer mechanic who changed coolant. He obviously left an air pocket in the system, and when I picked up the car, it was immediately running 10 deg hotter than last 7 years. That destroyed the valves! Now I avoid dealer car monkeys unless warranty is active. Do as much yourself as you can!

What were you thinking to buy a toy car like Spark for towing a 38ft motor home?

Trade in for a gasoline powered 2017 Spark. Seriously, I bought one 2 years ago and couldn't be happier. Many positives (gas mileage, handling, acceleration, quality, lack of problems, comes with spare, love the rear camera, quiet running engine, great visibility all around, etc). Only negative is road noise inside the car at freeway speeds.

Now that you mention how easy it is to park, my wife (who thinks she is a better driver than me hahaha) and I were at the Beach the other day and the parking lot was jam packed. There were at least a 1000+ cars already parked. After a thorough parking lot tour, I noticed the only open slot. It was between 2 adjacent cars which were parked over the lines, leaving very small space for a car to park between them. I said to wife I am taking that spot. She says no way anyone can park in that small space. I zoomed in there with my 2017 Spark LS with no problem and there was enough room to open both

I concur! My spark 2017 LS is a peppy little car. The only thing not good is it is lot more noisier at speeds above 40 mph than other bigger cars I have driven. No problem with the CVT, actually I like there is only one gear shift at 40 mph instead of 2 or 3 or 4 with geared automatics. And that shift at 40 is jot jerky. The gas mileage is great so I have stopped worrying about gas prices. I stop to refuel when down to 1 bar on gas gauge and she drinks only about 7 gallons to fill her up. Speaking of sales scams, I was offered to win a 4 day cruise if I entered their contest. Excep

Nice job of an extremely detailed description of the car's components. Best luck. I have a 2017 Spark as well, and I love it.

Only Rolls Royce cars receive 100% inspection for defects. Any mass produced car can never be 100% without problems, especially one of the cheapest cars on the market. Sorry to hear about your manual tranny. I am sure it was a fluke and the replacement will probably last 100k miles. The last manual tranny was in my 1964 Corvair. Never had a problem with any of the automatic transmissions since then, including 1967 Chevy Impala through current 2017 Spark with CVT. And driving in Chicago traffic for 37 years, I probably saved a few million manual gear shifts

Thanks for your input, because I was thinking also of stretching the oil life beyond 100% with full synthetic which is what is installed currently.

Is it correct to assume the oil life remaining number displayed in the information window assumes use of semi-synthetic oil? Because that is the recommended oil type as far as I know. So what happens if you use full synthetic or standard basic oil? I don't think the computer takes that into account.

The only thing I wish was different in my 2017 Spark LS is location of battery. My other 2 recent cars, a 2007 Pontiac G5 and a 2011 Chevy HHR both had batteries in the trunk, far away from the engine heat, and original batteries lasted 7-8 years. Of course the Spark is small and has no room for a battery in the trunk.

You are smart to avoid dealer mechanics after warranty expires! A good mechanic friend can't be beat!! 2 years ago a dealer mechanic screwed up my 2007 Pontiac G5 while doing a simple coolant change. He left an air bubble in the system, causing overheating which burned up exhaust valves. On my 2011 Chevy HHR I went to local Firestone shop to have my 7 year old coolant changed, and they did not screw up my car.

I had that issue two times with our Olds Alero. It was the anti-theft system both times. Left us stranded at the most inconvenient times and places. Such a stupid system it is. Best anti-theft system is a steering wheel lock. I used that on my cars in Chicago, and never had a car stolen even in bad locations.

Been driving my 2017 Spark LS with CVT for 20 months and it has exceeded my expectations because it was one of the cheapest cars on the market. It has good acceleration, adequate brakes, vision all around is out-standing, and the rear view camera in reverse gear has saved my neck! How about the gas mileage in city driving? It is very good as well. Just had my 2nd free oil change at the dealer today. I was told they installed full synthetic oil. Dexos 88865635 oil

If it will make you feel any better, our 2011 Chevy HHR has power windows and lately they have become erratic. Manually cranked windows rarely mis-behave.

That is normal behavior for my 2017 Spark. My solution is to avoid goosing the gas pedal when costing just below 20 mph. The CVT actually has a regular gear shift designed into it, and in my 2017 Spark the gear shift occurs at about 40 mph when accelerating smoothly. I am so used to CVT quirks by now, I rarely encounter them anymore because I have learned how do avoid them.

Agreed, it was much easier to do on the golf cart. So...on the Spark, you may have to drill a small hole in the firewall to accommodate the wires. Just be careful to check both sides of the firewall so you do not end up destroying some component.

When I needed a heated steering wheel on my riding golf cart, I connected directly to the battery terminals with wires running to the steering wheel cover which had heating elements. That power is always available. Electric Golf carts run on a bank of tandem batteries and are charged with a battery charger after the round of golf.

You must have very good, driving habits for the Spark to last that long without any mechanical problems. Congrats! Not even the flimsy coolant overflow container made of plastic sprung any leaks? Heat shield on converter did not come loose and made a racket? The original battery still working? No oil leaks under the car? That CVT still working without slipping and making awful sounds? Check engine light never came on? Car never stalls in traffic? Original Brakes don't make grinding or squealing sounds? How long did the cheap original tires last?

My 2017 Spark will be 2 years old next February. She is very quiet under 55 MPH, at 70 MPH and above it is mostly wind and tire noise. There are around 15,000 individual parts in a car. Dealer Mechanics are not rocket scientists. I can write a book detailing how many times they diagnosed the problem incorrectly in my 57 years of driving. The worst case was when driving home on a Friday evening from work, my 1971 Chevy Nova with a small V-8 began making hammering sounds. I stopped at a Chevy dealer and 2 mechanics did the "testing" on my car and their diagnosis was broken rod bea