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It's mostly about the fact that 80%+ of the driver's have no idea or inclination of how to change a flat and just call for roadside assistance.... So putting a spare in the car for the other 20% of us just doesn't make sense. Sorta like putting an ashtray in the cars for the 18% who smoke.

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It's mostly about the fact that 80%+ of the driver's have no idea or inclination of how to change a flat and just call for roadside assistance.... So putting a spare in the car for the other 20% of us just doesn't make sense. Sorta like putting an ashtray in the cars for the 18% who smoke.

I don't believe this is a good reason (even road service can't change the tire if there is no spare) but it is pathetic how helpless many drivers are these days. Most can't even change their own oil, and I'm sure there are a few morons out there that couldn't even check the oil. BMW did away with the dipstick on several of their models. Back in the old days I practically rebuilt engines on the side of the road. My Malibu has no transmission dipstick, it's about a 1 hour procedure to check the trans fluid if you don't have a hydraulic lift.

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A lot of new Mercedes do not have a dipstick. Procedure to check oil level is drain into container and read the amount of oil in container. I think they have an oil low light that comes on at a quart low instead of waiting for the pressure to drop like most cars.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Ok, I recently rented a 2014 Spark (LT auto) and put nearly 2000 miles on it. I kept it on the road 12 hours a day, drove it full throttle on the freeway, drove it up in the mountains past 10,000 feet, drove it through town at 110 degrees plus, basically was as hard on it as possible without actually trying to trash it. Nothing went wrong, performance and comfort were as expected for a car of this size. The A/C worked perfectly, even in downtown Phoenix, AZ stop and go traffic in 110 degree temps. I jacked it up and got under it, checked out the steering, brakes, and suspension components, did not find anything alarming. It has sort of a flimsy feel compared to my '01 Malibu, but not as bad as my former '88 Suzuki Samurai. My local Chevy dealer has a large selection of base LS models in all colors, with no options, that I can get for just over $14K total, even including sales tax. I may be a Spark owner yet.

EDIT: I just went here http://www.cars.com/chevrolet/spark/2013/consumer-reviews and read all the reviews. The biggest problem seems to be oil consumption at very low mileage. Since they are replacing complete engines, the problem is likely a loss of ring seal. Basically it seems the engines are just wearing out at very low mileage. I don't know if this problem still exists or not, but it is obviously well known. However, I also noticed some alarming behavior on the part of many owners. Many are driving at full throttle, as much as 80 mph. No engine regardless of size will last very long driven at or very near full throttle. I also noticed that owners were not checking the oil level on a routine basis. I check mine every 2-3 days, and at least every 500 miles. And lastly, many were changing their oil at 7,000-10,000 miles. I have and always will change my oil every 3,000 miles or 3 months. Many people believe you don't have to do that with newer cars. That is not the case, and the smaller the engine, the more often the oil needs to be changed. Also, while it was not mentioned in any of the reviews, I wonder how many owners were warming up their cars before taking off. This is also just as important as it was 50 years ago. You should never put a load on a cold engine. And with the Spark, where you almost have to use full throttle sometimes to merge into traffic, it is even more important to make sure the engine is warmed up. The long oil change intervals and not needing to be warmed up thing are lies from the EPA. They do not care about you or your car. I'd sure like to get a look inside one of those engines with 40,000 miles on them, that had the oil changed every 7,000-10,000 miles. I'll bet they are just packed full of sludge. Oh, and also, the engine oil level should be kept at the FULL mark on the dipstick, not halfway.

Edited by Big-Bob
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Ok, I recently rented a 2014 Spark (LT auto) and put nearly 2000 miles on it. I kept it on the road 12 hours a day, drove it full throttle on the freeway, drove it up in the mountains past 10,000 feet, drove it through town at 110 degrees plus, basically was as hard on it as possible without actually trying to trash it. Nothing went wrong, performance and comfort were as expected for a car of this size. The A/C worked perfectly, even in downtown Phoenix, AZ stop and go traffic in 110 degree temps. I jacked it up and got under it, checked out the steering, brakes, and suspension components, did not find anything alarming. It has sort of a flimsy feel compared to my '01 Malibu, but not as bad as my former '88 Suzuki Samurai. My local Chevy dealer has a large selection of base LS models in all colors, with no options, that I can get for just over $14K total, even including sales tax. I may be a Spark owner yet.

EDIT: I just went here http://www.cars.com/chevrolet/spark/2013/consumer-reviews and read all the reviews. The biggest problem seems to be oil consumption at very low mileage. Since they are replacing complete engines, the problem is likely a loss of ring seal. Basically it seems the engines are just wearing out at very low mileage. I don't know if this problem still exists or not, but it is obviously well known. However, I also noticed some alarming behavior on the part of many owners. Many are driving at full throttle, as much as 80 mph. No engine regardless of size will last very long driven at or very near full throttle. I also noticed that owners were not checking the oil level on a routine basis. I check mine every 2-3 days, and at least every 500 miles. And lastly, many were changing their oil at 7,000-10,000 miles. I have and always will change my oil every 3,000 miles or 3 months. Many people believe you don't have to do that with newer cars. That is not the case, and the smaller the engine, the more often the oil needs to be changed. Also, while it was not mentioned in any of the reviews, I wonder how many owners were warming up their cars before taking off. This is also just as important as it was 50 years ago. You should never put a load on a cold engine. And with the Spark, where you almost have to use full throttle sometimes to merge into traffic, it is even more important to make sure the engine is warmed up. The long oil change intervals and not needing to be warmed up thing are lies from the EPA. They do not care about you or your car. I'd sure like to get a look inside one of those engines with 40,000 miles on them, that had the oil changed every 7,000-10,000 miles. I'll bet they are just packed full of sludge. Oh, and also, the engine oil level should be kept at the FULL mark on the dipstick, not halfway.

A couple of things. I just hit 6,000 miles with my Spark and it runs better than the day I drove it off the lot. A/C blows ice cold even on the hot Tucson days. (which of course are always about 5 degrees cooler than Phoenix, plus no smog here). Only one thing I somewhat disagree with you here. If synthetic oil is being used, 5k to 6k is NOT a problem with new gasoline engines. Even with the small ones, even in extreme hot or cold climates. Also, oil does not have to be always at the full mark. As long as it is in range of the high and low marks on the dipstick, it shouldn't be an issue. Letting it go below the fill line is not good, same with over-filing. I had my oil change done at 5,015 miles. It was right at the full mark on the stick, the oil was still golden in color. I wanted to use Amsoil but it is not approved for the Spark so I used Castrol which is an excellent oil. I have always used either Amsoil or Castrol in every vehicle I have owned. Oh, I did use Mobil One also a few times. Of course, everyone has a different take on oil type and change intervals. In reality, when in doubt I think a person should simply go by what the owners manual suggests. But that's my take. Lastly, I am averaging now just shy of 42mpg mixed driving. Took awhile, but finally found a source of NON ethanol gas here in Tucson. I see there are several locations in Phoenix that has it too but the place in Tucson is a secret. tsk tsk Summation: Totally happy with my Spark so far. Would do it again !!! I just wish it had BIGGER outside mirrors,,,,that's my biggest gripe with the car believe it or not. Stock stereo sucked too, but that I upgraded. Next project for me is to put in fog lights (LS didn't come with them). Good luck.

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  • 1 month later...

I have had my Spark for a year now with no major issues. All cars have some issues at one time or another. As some have pointed out, more people like to complain on the internet than compliment.

I have had the AC recall done, even thought I have had no actual problems. The black decals in front of my mirrors have bubbled up from FL heat, had one replaced, having another replaced soon. Other than that, I drive rather sporty and have had no significant problems with my Spark (once I got used to the anemic manual first-gear launch).

Getting 32 city average and as high as 48 -50 hwy. $15. a week in gas costs ($3.65 a gallon here). Yaay.

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