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2013 Chevy Spark overflow tank issues (another one)


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Hi everyone,

 

I'm new to the forum and I'm having the same problem as some of you have had with the overflow reservoir tank. I've read the forum posts about this and it looks like my case is pretty similar, but I'm also currently having issues with a dealership. Here's the story:

 

About a month ago, I noticed that my car's heater wasn't working. It was my first sign that something was wrong. Here in FL, it may have taken me a while to notice it, it's been a warm winter season. The heater came on later in the drive, so maybe it just had a slow start, I thought. The next day, my car's check engine light came on. Pretty quickly after that, the thermostat light came on, so I had to pull over and turn the car off. A road ranger came by, looked under the hood, and told me the coolant was very low and he thought the hoses were bad. He put some coolant in my car, told me I could drive it a little ways like that to get it looked at. I took it a few miles to work (it wasn't visibly overheating), and took it to a shop during my break. The closest one possible-- all this time, I really tried to minimize driving it, thinking it probably wasn't safe to drive. They did some research (really looked like they were trying to figure out the problem, but they didn't seem to know much about my car); eventually, they told me it needed a new thermostat, which they replaced inexpensively and I was on my way. 

 

A week and a half ago, my car suddenly had a really bad start with knocking in the engine, the CEL and stabilitrak light came on. It seemed to be shaking, as well. Stopped driving it and took it to the dealership ASAP this time, because I thought they'd know more about what was wrong. They said the coolant reservoir tank had a huge crack in it, so they replaced that and did some other service to the cylinders (I can't remember exactly what, and I left the transaction receipt in my car, so I'll have to update that later). All in all, it cost me around $500, which I thought was pretty steep, but I also felt like I didn't have much of a choice, seeing as my car wasn't safe to drive as it was. 

 

The car started to reek of coolant after that. It smelled like that as soon as I drove it off the lot, but I didn't identify it as coolant at first, because it's never smelled that way before. I thought it might just be because of the service they just did. I left it alone for a couple of days, not really wanting to deal with another problem so soon, but didn't drive it much during that time. I had to take it to work the next day, and once I'd gotten to work I looked under the hood to see what the problem was. (I didn't think I'd be able to identify it, seeing as I don't know much about cars- that's probably obvious, haha.) Well, I was able to easily identify the problem after looking under the hood. They left the reservoir cap off, and it was nowhere in sight. No wonder it smelled like coolant. I called the dealership and they told me to just bring it in the next day (which was today), but that was about it. I was kind of at a loss. It's a pretty huge mistake to leave the cap off, right? They didn't seem to care.

 

I wasn't going to drive the car 30 miles home like that, so I got it to the nearest Autozone (a mile away) and put some coolant in it (and bought a new reservoir cap, of course!!). It looked okay when I started it up, no visible draining, no leaks under the car, the new cap was secure, and the car handled fine. Sadly when I looked under the hood this morning, it AGAIN didn't have much coolant. There was only about 1 cm visible in the bottom of the reservoir tank. I took it to the same dealership, they have my car now and I have a courtesy vehicle. The service manager said it might be another "hairline crack" in the new reservoir, the brand new one they JUST put in, but I really, really doubt that. I've told each person working on it that I think it might be an issue with the hoses, but they don't seem to want to listen. I really feel like I'm being taken advantage of, here, but I don't know what to do. I'm young and this is my first car. I'm scared that the dealership is going to call me back and try to rope me into another huge payment. I'm only going to the dealership because I know they are supposed to have more knowledge of my make and model of car, but I just feel like it's been a huge mistake. 

 

I've done my research into what's covered by the powertrain warranty, etc. and I know the coolant reservoir and coolant aren't covered. I'm trying to be smart about this, but I honestly just feel lost. Has anyone had a problem like this with a dealership? What can I do at this point? It seems like these coolant issues can be caused by a lot of different factors, so what would be a tip off in the direction of a leaking hose versus something like a busted head gasket? Sorry this was so long, I figured as much information as possible would help. 

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The coolant tank is only $30 and 10 minutes labor but they probably added a top end cleaning  and some other stuff plus purging of air in the system , coolant ect . You should update this post with what they did for $500 . Without the cap you have no pressure in the cooling system to keep the coolant cool . I wouldn't be surprised if you need engine work now . The dealer would be liable for any damage and repair . 

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Yeah, I'm certain I was charged much more than that for the tank. I did read the report thoroughly, I just don't recall exactly which repairs and parts costed what amount, so I'm waiting until I get the car (which has the transaction receipt and report) back. It probably does need engine work, you're right. I hope they get back to me soon, still haven't heard anything. Thanks! 

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On 1/7/2017 at 3:55 PM, concentricstars said:

Hi everyone,

 

I'm new to the forum and I'm having the same problem as some of you have had with the overflow reservoir tank. I've read the forum posts about this and it looks like my case is pretty similar, but I'm also currently having issues with a dealership. Here's the story:

 

About a month ago, I noticed that my car's heater wasn't working. It was my first sign that something was wrong. Here in FL, it may have taken me a while to notice it, it's been a warm winter season. The heater came on later in the drive, so maybe it just had a slow start, I thought. The next day, my car's check engine light came on. Pretty quickly after that, the thermostat light came on, so I had to pull over and turn the car off. A road ranger came by, looked under the hood, and told me the coolant was very low and he thought the hoses were bad. He put some coolant in my car, told me I could drive it a little ways like that to get it looked at. I took it a few miles to work (it wasn't visibly overheating), and took it to a shop during my break. The closest one possible-- all this time, I really tried to minimize driving it, thinking it probably wasn't safe to drive. They did some research (really looked like they were trying to figure out the problem, but they didn't seem to know much about my car); eventually, they told me it needed a new thermostat, which they replaced inexpensively and I was on my way. 

 

A week and a half ago, my car suddenly had a really bad start with knocking in the engine, the CEL and stabilitrak light came on. It seemed to be shaking, as well. Stopped driving it and took it to the dealership ASAP this time, because I thought they'd know more about what was wrong. They said the coolant reservoir tank had a huge crack in it, so they replaced that and did some other service to the cylinders (I can't remember exactly what, and I left the transaction receipt in my car, so I'll have to update that later). All in all, it cost me around $500, which I thought was pretty steep, but I also felt like I didn't have much of a choice, seeing as my car wasn't safe to drive as it was. 

 

The car started to reek of coolant after that. It smelled like that as soon as I drove it off the lot, but I didn't identify it as coolant at first, because it's never smelled that way before. I thought it might just be because of the service they just did. I left it alone for a couple of days, not really wanting to deal with another problem so soon, but didn't drive it much during that time. I had to take it to work the next day, and once I'd gotten to work I looked under the hood to see what the problem was. (I didn't think I'd be able to identify it, seeing as I don't know much about cars- that's probably obvious, haha.) Well, I was able to easily identify the problem after looking under the hood. They left the reservoir cap off, and it was nowhere in sight. No wonder it smelled like coolant. I called the dealership and they told me to just bring it in the next day (which was today), but that was about it. I was kind of at a loss. It's a pretty huge mistake to leave the cap off, right? They didn't seem to care.

 

I wasn't going to drive the car 30 miles home like that, so I got it to the nearest Autozone (a mile away) and put some coolant in it (and bought a new reservoir cap, of course!!). It looked okay when I started it up, no visible draining, no leaks under the car, the new cap was secure, and the car handled fine. Sadly when I looked under the hood this morning, it AGAIN didn't have much coolant. There was only about 1 cm visible in the bottom of the reservoir tank. I took it to the same dealership, they have my car now and I have a courtesy vehicle. The service manager said it might be another "hairline crack" in the new reservoir, the brand new one they JUST put in, but I really, really doubt that. I've told each person working on it that I think it might be an issue with the hoses, but they don't seem to want to listen. I really feel like I'm being taken advantage of, here, but I don't know what to do. I'm young and this is my first car. I'm scared that the dealership is going to call me back and try to rope me into another huge payment. I'm only going to the dealership because I know they are supposed to have more knowledge of my make and model of car, but I just feel like it's been a huge mistake. 

 

I've done my research into what's covered by the powertrain warranty, etc. and I know the coolant reservoir and coolant aren't covered. I'm trying to be smart about this, but I honestly just feel lost. Has anyone had a problem like this with a dealership? What can I do at this point? It seems like these coolant issues can be caused by a lot of different factors, so what would be a tip off in the direction of a leaking hose versus something like a busted head gasket? Sorry this was so long, I figured as much information as possible would help. 

Hello concentricstars,

 

Thank you for reaching out. I regret to hear that you are experiencing concerns with your Spark, and would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused. Please know that you are a valued Chevrolet customer, and we want you to have a positive experience with both your vehicle and dealership.

As an extra layer of assistance, I would be more than happy to reach out to your dealership, and act as an extra layer of assistance throughout this process. If this is of interest to you, please send us a private message with your VIN, full contact information, current mileage, and the name of the dealership that you are currently working with.

Looking forward to working with you!

 

Best,

Cecil J.

Chevrolet Customer Care

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  • 3 months later...

So this could be a universal issue of company service centers. Here in India I faced many incident with Chevrolet and my bike service center. I don't know what ego issue they have, they will never listen to customer, will never work on customer issue, they just take vehicle wash it, shine it and return it to customer. Many times it happened that I have explained my doubt or issue with their service representative and he never put thay on job card so service personnel just do routine clean-up and yes with unusually high bill. And then you were regretting for your trust on company sc that they know your vehicle well. Hmm. Yes there are few exceptions, I met with 1-2 service representative who really guided me well to save unusually high solution as per company SOP.

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  • 11 months later...

Well today I found I have my 2nd overflow tank failure. Both have broken at the top nipple that the hose clamps to, right where it enters the tank, just below the cap. What's with this? Is it because the tank is part of the pressurised system and it can't withstand the heat and pressure on top of having the leverage of the hose hanging onto it? Whatever it is it is a bad design. I have 157,000 miles on my 2013 and I've replaced the clutch at 140,000 miles. Replaced the A/C compressor at 145,000 miles, and now two overflow tanks. Calgon take me away...

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