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It's been quite a while since I've posted on here. Mainly because I've been so agitated with the A/C problems I try to hide from it. LOL

But I don't think I want to go another summer in 95+ heat with the uncomfortable cooling. I love my spark but I don't like sweating through my shirts.

Anyways, this leads me to my question. Has anyone on here owned or driven a Cruze? I have heard from some people that the A/C is also a tad disappointing.

Just wondering since I couldn't really get a good feel on my test drive because it was only about 75 degrees out. I'm looking into an eco model. If anyone has any

feedback about the Cruze it would be much appreciated. I'm trying to stay close MPG wise to what I'm getting in my 5 speed spark (about 40-43mpg avg.) I also

drove a 2014 Corolla yesterday and I was very impressed. Such a solid car and the redesigned interior is Awesome.

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I had one for a loaner, I'll never buy one. Visibility was horrible and the way it is built all it wanted to do was go 75mph. The earlier years were better, a guy at work has one and it is totally different in better ways.

Considering how Chevy as worked for you, are you certain you want to get another Chevy?

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I had a silverado for years that never let me down. My father had an S10 that was reliable. Of course the 5.3 and the 4.3 are notoriously reliable. Thats a good point you have, seems like all the newer cars have issues. I like the looks of the cruze more than the looks of the corolla. I'm just hoping I dont take a huge hit on a trade in. I'll hold on to it if thats the case.

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Just my 2 cents.

Stay away from GM.

Buy a Toyota or Scion.

I own 2 Toyota's.

The oldest has 150,000 miles. I still have it.

The other has 60,000 miles. Have it too.

Never.. Never a bit of trouble with AC. Both vehicles, Blows ICE COLD like the day they were new.

Edited by stevesparky
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I had a Cruze as a loaner, avoid it. It was brand new, only 7 miles, which made me the first driver. Both front and rear bumper covers were misalined at the factory, same with a door panel and trim piece on the dash. Poorly put together compaired to my Spark. A/C was weak like the Spark. Mpgs in mixed driving with the 1.4 turbo and auto trans was only 31mpgs. Go with the Corolla or Yaris, I already know the Corolla has a a/c that will freeze you out on a 110 degree day. The Yaris will get mpgs closer to the Spark, and also has a better a/c than the Spark, but the Corolla is a bit stronger. Corolla will get around 31mpgs mixed like the Cruze, but without the complex turbo. Another car worth looking at is the Hyundai Accent and Elantra. Ps I know someone with a Yaris that has over 320k miles on it, no major engine or auto trans problems.

Edited by austex04
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I currently lease a 2012 Cruze Eco and LOVE it. It has been a great trouble free efficient vehicle. Only issue I have had was with a leaking water pump which Chevy covered under the power train warranty with no cost to me. The computer says that I have averaged 38 mph(automatic transj since I've own it but the actual mileage has been probably about 34 mph. Like all vehicle information systems the mpg calc's are off about 10% less than what you actually get if you run the calculations yourself.This car excels on a highway and you"ll get much better mileage than what I averaged as most if my driven is around town type driving. This is a great car, I highly recommend it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

You could try the hvac customer program 13434, and see if your vin falls under the program. The dealers have vin specific details to replace parts by GM, so they probably came up with a fix for the a/c issue many Sparks have. Mine already has the parts ordered. I would take yours in, see if the fix works. This would help you decide if you should bail out now, or wait for better deals on year end closeout sales on its replacement.

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Yeah I would try and at least get the A/C issue fixed before attempting to trade it off. I went through the 13434, because my VIN was affected and it was fixed within the week. Haven't had a chance to really try the A/C, been far too cold out. I never used the A/C that much anyway, only twice last year and twice this year, before getting it fixed (didn't notice anything) and after getting it fixed.

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Trade for me also. Wednesday will be picking up 2014 Sonic LTZ turbo, sunroof, 6 sp. auto w/everything. Went to San Diego dealer who is giving me a decent trade in value. While I have had little problem with my Spark, I am not happy with the Chevrolet Spark responses to people who are having legitimate issues. Makes me feel worried about what problems are ahead, as I have only 3100 miles on mine thus far and the longer I wait, the worse the trade in.

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I have been on the Sonic forum since day 1 . If you think there's complaints here , it's nothing compared to problems they have. Personally I don't believe half the stuff I read as I know people are paid to come on forums and other websites and tell you how bad a car is to scare people away. There's obviously some legit complaints along with the bogus ones but I haven't been on any forum that's any different. If I took everything to heart I read here and elsewhere , I would be walking instead of driving. If the time ever comes where I have real issues with my Spark then I would leave GM completely . As of now it's been a great car and we will see how it does as the miles pile on , time will tell .

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If there are any of these phantom people that you believe are posting nonsense on the forum, please let me know in a PM and I will see if I can track them back to a known point. I will say that my issues are real and I'm a real owner. The pictures I've posted and comments I've made that go from great car to what I have now should really prove that point. I can be one of Chevy's good assests, or I can be one of the feared detractors, it's kind of up to them. But with the run around I've been getting, I pretty much just want them to buy it back so I can move on, I have too much chaos in my life to deal with this car not working. ALL I want is a car that goes down the road, needs occasional oil changes and scheduled work, needs tires once in a while, and gas when I run out. Small and fuel effiecent fits my desires because that's what I prefer in a car. If I want a sports car, I'll buy an old Mazda RX-7 or some other sports car, but pretty much I get most of that on my motorcycle, I can't afford a car that compares to the performance of that cycle (and it's tame by some opinions).

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LOL! That's interesting! I always say it is the people that say they have no problems and praise the vehicle or company in question that are the paid shills. Think about it. It's human nature to complain about the slightest thing (ever work with the public?), and people will seek out these forums to see if they are the only ones with a problem and to gather into like groups. After all misery really does love company! Usually people that are happy about a product or service don't really say anything unless asked. Not to mention that getting caught trashing a competitor and their product would have dire effects on the public's perception of a company and push potential customers into the arms of their competitors.

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I'm talking in general terms and not individual posters. Companies do pay for fake comments and have been caught. I see people pop up all the time on forums claiming this or that never to be heard from again or chiming in with people who do have a real issue making it appear as widespread. Others do it just out of spite and have never even owned a particular car but post on forums , news sites and even Youtube .The reason I know that is , I know their real name and user name. I doubt this forum is much different and you can already see some people are getting rid of a car based mainly on what others have posted. My dealer is right down the street from my job so I'm always there and I don’t see any Sparks other than routine maintenance .Nor have I spoken to actual owners with any real problems . While someone will get a lemon , its far and few in between .Other than that limp mode glitch which was repaired I have had zero problems that others have described. My A/C works fine as does my heat , my car doesn't burn oil .It starts first time everytime , runs perfect whether its 100 degrees or 10 below . I would say thats typical for most Sparks. Anyone can get a lemon , which I'm sure some of you have but I certainly don't believe all the stuff I read on the forums not just this one.

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I'm talking in general terms and not individual posters. Companies do pay for fake comments and have been caught. I see people pop up all the time on forums claiming this or that never to be heard from again or chiming in with people who do have a real issue making it appear as widespread. Others do it just out of spite and have never even owned a particular car but post on forums , news sites and even Youtube .The reason I know that is , I know their real name and user name. I doubt this forum is much different and you can already see some people are getting rid of a car based mainly on what others have posted. My dealer is right down the street from my job so I'm always there and I dont see any Sparks other than routine maintenance .Nor have I spoken to actual owners with any real problems . While someone will get a lemon , its far and few in between .Other than that limp mode glitch which was repaired I have had zero problems that others have described. My A/C works fine as does my heat , my car doesn't burn oil .It starts first time everytime , runs perfect whether its 100 degrees or 10 below . I would say thats typical for most Sparks. Anyone can get a lemon , which I'm sure some of you have but I certainly don't believe all the stuff I read on the forums not just this one.

Well my problems are real along with one if my residents. And the thing is she thought the AC was the way it should be being a small car. She has the shifter issue where is won't come out if par sometimes.

I would say most 99% are telling the truth and some are trolls.

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Well we know for a fact that the A/C issue is real and affects probably most of the Sparks sold. The reason I say "probably most", is that GM/Chevy has released 3 "fixes" for the A/C so far, and if it was only a few lemons that were experiencing the problem, they wouldn't have released widespread bulletins or have been so willing to replace the compressors on so many cars. As far as other problems, I can only speak about the ones I have experienced myself, and it does seem that my car has some problems others have not had, and has not had some problems that others have had, which is why I have said from the beginning that my car is a lemon. Obviously Chevy agreed when they promised to replace it - even though the replacement never materialized. I have owned many Chevys over the years (the first being a 1962 Chevy II), and I can tell you that the Spark will be the last - and not because the Spark is such a terrible car (I actually owned a Chevette!), but because of the way the issues have been handled. The true measure of any company is how well they treat the customers that do have a problem with their product, and GM/Chevy has failed miserably with the Spark.

Edited by Gossamer
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Well we know for a fact that the A/C issue is real and affects probably most of the Sparks sold. The reason I say "probably most", is that GM/Chevy has released 3 "fixes" for the A/C so far, and if it was only a few lemons that were experiencing the problem, they wouldn't have released widespread bulletins or have been so willing to replace the compressors on so many cars. As far as other problems, I can only speak about the ones I have experienced myself, and it does seem that my car has some problems others have not had, and has not had some problems that others have had, which is why I have said from the beginning that my car is a lemon. Obviously Chevy agreed when they promised to replace it - even though the replacement never materialized. I have owned many Chevys over the years (the first being a 1962 Chevy II), and I can tell you that the Spark will be the last - and not because the Spark is such a terrible car (I actually owned a Chevette!), but because of the way the issues have been handled. The true measure of any company is how well they treat the customers that do have a problem with their product, and GM/Chevy has failed miserably with the Spark.

If you have the agreement to replace your Spark documented, take it to an attorney, you can't lose.

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There is no doubt, that some people are having real problems, unfortunately, this is the nature of the beast, but a few times it seems like after a few people experience the same problem, mass hysteria develops. Why would someone trade in a car that they admittedly like, with zero problems, because they anticipate that a problem could possibly, maybe develop down the road. I've been lucky, great dealer to work with, if your dealer screws you around, dump him, get another, pester GM, if all else fails, seek a legal solution, there is a lot of avenues open, and you paid well for this privilege, but you have to be persistent. You can't trade in every problem, unless you hit the lottery.

I have the A/C problem, but I am prepared to exercise that warranty until I am satisfied, that's why I bought a new car. I don't think GM has abandoned the A/C problem, as mentioned above, it is a known issue, and they have released three attempted fixes, so apparently they are working on it. Now, if someone can point me in the direction of the perfect car, that will never have an issue, that I can get, with the Spark in trade, and another 10-15K, please give me the link. But I am not going to trade in my Spark for another unknown adventure.

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If you have the agreement to replace your Spark documented, take it to an attorney, you can't lose.

The laws down here are weird. Not a single attorney I contacted will take the case without a retainer since in a lemon law case they cannot be awarded fees.

The Chevy reps freely admitted that they promised to replace the car in the Better Business Bureau hearing, yet the BBB's arbitrator ruled against me!

I have already been in contact with the attorney general's office of my state, and have the paperwork they sent me sitting on my desk, but I keep trying to get the car repaired rather than give it up because I really do like the car.

Unfortunately though, my frustration with the car is really beginning to overcome my liking it.

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The laws down here are weird. Not a single attorney I contacted will take the case without a retainer since in a lemon law case they cannot be awarded fees.

The Chevy reps freely admitted that they promised to replace the car in the Better Business Bureau hearing, yet the BBB's arbitrator ruled against me!

I have already been in contact with the attorney general's office of my state, and have the paperwork they sent me sitting on my desk, but I keep trying to get the car repaired rather than give it up because I really do like the car.

Unfortunately though, my frustration with the car is really beginning to overcome my liking it.

I think you mentioned once, that you were in Florida, if so, then here is a lemon law lawyer http://www.kahnandassociates.com/florida_lemon_law.php that claims no upfront money.

Have you tried this GM sitehttp://www.gm.com/content/gmcom/home/lemon-law-warranty-concerns.html?seo=goo_|_2012+GM+Customer+Care+Retention_|_GM+Lemon+Law-BMM_|_Auto+Lawyer_|_%2Blemon%20%2Blaw %20%2Blawyers ?

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Seems like the customer program 13434 is just a bunch of nonsense. Found a toyota dealer within reasonable distance thats claiming to be "desperate to reach april sales goals" and the internet manager told me upfront that they are willing to go below invoice. So I'm going to check them out and see how low I could actually get. If that falls through I figure I'll just bug the living hell out of the dealership I bought my spark from and hopefully they will give me a good deal down the line.

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