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Hi Everyone. New on here. Wanted to ask how everyone likes their Sparks and how's the reliability you've had with them?

Just thought I'd post everything that's happened with mine Since I drive it every day for work.

At 140k I had to replace the clutch.

At 145k I had to replace the A/C compressor.

I have the dreaded recirculation vent door flap every time you switch from recirculate to fresh and back.

To top this off I just found out I have a blown head gasket between the 2nd and 3rd cylinders. 

I actually like the car but am so disappointed in it. this is the first american I've bought new for 20 years. The last one was also a Chevy Beretta. Traded that right away for a Toyota. Now I know why I've stayed away for so long.

does anyone know how much they charge to replace a head gasket on one of these? I just hope the head isn't warped too.

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 Member Retired old gearhead could help with the price as he had his done though it wasn’t a fault with car itself . I don’t have anywhere near the miles you have on my 2013 automatic .  I have around 65K on mine . Repairs so far include a pedal position  sensor repaired under warranty. Car went into limp mode and got me home but needed tow to the dealer . Part was $30. I also had recently a coolant temp sensor go bad ( $12 part ) and had the electric thermostat replaced . Car was having issue with disappearing PRNDL display and going into low power . Serviced under a TSB for greasing PNP switch connectors  but problem continued so I had the PNP switch itself replaced but problem continues . A restart of the car fixes it , probably has happened 6 times in the course of 65K miles . Other than that it’s been normal maintenance.  Still have original brakes and belts . The problems though small make me reconsider buying a Chevy which is too bad cause I love the car .

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On 3/26/2018 at 11:28 PM, R o n said:

Hi Everyone. New on here. Wanted to ask how everyone likes their Sparks and how's the reliability you've had with them?

Just thought I'd post everything that's happened with mine Since I drive it every day for work.

At 140k I had to replace the clutch.

At 145k I had to replace the A/C compressor.

I have the dreaded recirculation vent door flap every time you switch from recirculate to fresh and back.

To top this off I just found out I have a blown head gasket between the 2nd and 3rd cylinders. 

I actually like the car but am so disappointed in it. this is the first american I've bought new for 20 years. The last one was also a Chevy Beretta. Traded that right away for a Toyota. Now I know why I've stayed away for so long.

does anyone know how much they charge to replace a head gasket on one of these? I just hope the head isn't warped too.

Mine was done by by a garage I have used for many years..since he also does my boat he gave me a break on cost. Head was not warped so cost to me was small..under $500. Normally a warped head is replaced and costs range from about $850 to $1,400.

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On 3/29/2018 at 3:41 PM, Fire Spark said:

This is why I'm glad my 2017 has an all aluminum engine. Iron blocks with aluminum heads are rough on head gaskets because of the different expansion and contraction rates between the two metals as they heat up and cool down.

That sounds logical. I did not even know my 2017 has all aluminum engine. 

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yup. when i read that on Wikipedia i figured this engine will not last. aluminum blocks last less than the iron ones. im hoping that is not he case with LV7. and they are made in korea so maybe that also makes it last a bit longer than regular american engines. Im at  105 mile snow so it will be a while before i find out.

Edited by Splash Spark
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On 4/2/2018 at 3:36 PM, Splash Spark said:

yup. when i read that on Wikipedia i figured this engine will not last. aluminum blocks last less than the iron ones. im hoping that is not he case with LV7. and they are made in korea so maybe that also makes it last a bit longer than regular american engines. Im at  105 mile snow so it will be a while before i find out.

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port fuel injection

DISPLACEMENT: 85 cu in, 1398 cc
POWER: 98 hp @ 6200 rpm
TORQUE: 94 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm

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On 4/2/2018 at 3:36 PM, Splash Spark said:

yup. when i read that on Wikipedia i figured this engine will not last. aluminum blocks last less than the iron ones. im hoping that is not he case with LV7. and they are made in korea so maybe that also makes it last a bit longer than regular american engines. Im at  105 mile snow so it will be a while before i find out.

 

It should last plenty long because it has pressed in iron sleeve cylinders and a steel cam chain instead of a belt. I think GM learned a harsh lesson after that POS disposable Vega engine with its aluminum bores that would prematurely wear out and burn more oil than gas and a rubber band cam belt that would snap at 40K and destroy all your valves. :hysterical:

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1 hour ago, Fire Spark said:

 

It should last plenty long because it has pressed in iron sleeve cylinders and a steel cam chain instead of a belt. I think GM learned a harsh lesson after that POS disposable Vega engine with its aluminum bores that would prematurely wear out and burn more oil than gas and a rubber band cam belt that would snap at 40K and destroy all your valves. :hysterical:

Good to know. I never ever had a steel timing chain break. And Aluminum block with steel sleeves is a win-win with reduced engine weight and lasts longer!

Aluminum is also FIVE times better at heat conduction than steel, which means less load on cooling system.

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The all aluminum block is nothing new. They inline six that the 2002 and up Chevy Trailblazer had was an all aluminum block with cast iron sleeves. They did have some issues early on with the cast iron sleeves coming loose and causing catastrophic failures but that issue was fixed and only a small batch were affected. The engine also had VVT and twin cams. It was a beast and very reliable. Mine had 110,000 miles on it when i traded it in and I had zero issues with it. 

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