How strict are you with maintenance? Post yours!

[johnygogo]

When I first bought my 2004 Aveo it had 97000 Km on it and I got the timing belt done right away. I didn't bother doing it myself since the shop I took it to charged me $170 including the timing belt. I'll do the water pump when I do my next timing belt change. After that I did an oil change which I do every 5000 Km. I also changed the spark plugs, spark plug wires and serpentine belt.. The valve cover gasket was leaking at the back so I changed that also, and I had the coolant system flushed.

In the OEM manual it recomends that you flush your brake fluid every 2 years but I had mine done when my back wheel ceased on me. But from now on I'll probably do it as preventative maintenance.

Right now I'm waiting to get my metal thermostat housing. Hopefully it will get here this week and I'll do it next weekend.

[serega12]

Notice any difference going to synthetic?
My plugs seem ok for now but will probably need to change them and wires in near future.
How do you like those R1 brakes?

Byron, biggest difference when you go synthetic is that oil stays cleaner for a lot longer. If you go with paper element filter (Purolator, WIX, your choice), they say it should be changed every 5k. AMSOil dealer I go through (he's been doing it since 87 I think) says that I can use their "Absolute Efficiency" filter for as long as I keep my oil in there, so around 15-20k in my case... Like I said earlier, in HHR it stayed almost the same as when I put it in (still clear at almost 10k miles with one filter change at 5k). With Aveo it's still too early to tell. I got it right after my contract with the NAVY ended so I'm not doing any crazy commutes anymore. I've only put 2-3k miles on it since January.

As far as performance/MPG improvement goes, I really can't say, since I've done so many things around the same time too (CAI, full exhaust, Iridium spark plugs, etc...) I can't tell what improved what. I could definitely tell that the car pulls better when I installed each the full cat back exhaust, then the CAI, and then when I installed the header.

R1 brakes seem to be stopping better. I think between my R1 Brakes and a lower profile wider tires (205/40/17) and not expecting it to stop like a car with ABS, I'm yet to make it slide while braking (except on purpose with e-brake). It stops quick and in a pretty short distance, and that's taking into account our always rainy weather and wet roads.

[byron84]

In the OEM manual it recomends that you flush your brake fluid every 2 years but I had mine done when my back wheel ceased on me. But from now on I'll probably do it as preventative maintenance.

Right now I'm waiting to get my metal thermostat housing. Hopefully it will get here this week and I'll do it next weekend.

you know what, I bet that's much needed on mine. I haven't done the brake fluid and I've had the car for around 2 years, and who knows if/when it was done before then.

the metal thermostat housing is easy and definitely a must do !

[serega12]

you know what, I bet that's much needed on mine. I haven't done the brake fluid and I've had the car for around 2 years, and who knows if/when it was done before then.

the metal thermostat housing is easy and definitely a must do !

I still need to do both.

[thehunterooo]

i forgot i did my spark plugs with the same ones as yours, though i need some power steering fluid, and maybe the thermostat, but with my driving and hot temps, it still has held togther well, i wonder if it is just a rare part defect, though a cheap fix makes it an easy fix altogther

[byron84]

Yep, the small cost and work to fix it preemptively vs the annoyance of it breaking randomly (even if you don't drive on it after you realize the fact) ... I think it's worth just doing it.

anyone done their brake fluid ... how much work is that?

[Daox]

I wouldn't bother bleeding the brakes unless you have a mushy brake pedal. Replacing the fluid has nothing to do with drum brakes seizing.

[byron84]

Sorry, I think I worded that the wrong way. What I meant by breaking randomly was the thermostat housing (plastic) could fail at an unexpected time, being an annoyance. I wasn't talking about any drum brakes seizing. My bad.

[MoneyMike]

I'd say depending how much you drive your car for the oil change. My car hardly goes anywhere and has very low miles, so I just wait until the expiration date on the sticker, which is about 4 months or so. But if you drive very often and/or far, then just change after 4,000 or 5,000 miles. As for the tire roatation, I did my 1st one at 6,000 miles, so I keep it at that, but according to the manual you can do that between every 5,000-8,000 miles. The other stuff I'd just follow the manual because I don't have enough miles on my car to even worry about many of those things for a while.

[thedan04]

Hello all,

I was reviewing my owner's manual today for recommended maintenance on my 2009 Aveo LT and was shocked to find the recommendation for oil change to not list mileage at all. It was recommended to wait for the light to come on or one year and provided information on the monitoring system that is in place.

http://www.chevrolet.com/assets/pdf/...veo_owners.pdf
page 306 (6-4) Scheduled maintenance

Can anyone provide some insight or experience with following this guideline? I've never heard of such a schedule and am nervous to follow it. I am aware that things change with newer technology and am more technically than mechanically inclined myself and want to gather more info before making a decision.

Thanks in advance

TheDan