Possibly about to be an aveo owner

[netman86]

Oh, how I wish I had garage space- just barely enough for the snowblower and tools, I'm afraid. All of my cars sit out in the weather.

I've had a spare car most of my life, and I always find that they do have more problems per mile than the cars I drive- I always assumed it was due to sitting. Sensors tend to go bad more often, leaks are more frequent, and electronics (power windows, etc) especially fail more- potentially moisture related, since they're not getting heated regularly.

[petrified.rabbit]

sitting does in fact wear things in a different way. especially on older cars. gaskets and newer materials hold up a whole lot better than things 20-30 years ago. But things can still dry rot, rust, flash rust, corrode, etc just from sitting.

[Thymeclock]

sitting does in fact wear things in a different way. especially on older cars. gaskets and newer materials hold up a whole lot better than things 20-30 years ago. But things can still dry rot, rust, flash rust, corrode, etc just from sitting.

Absolutely true. Over time, a car that is little if ever used will end up with different problems than one that is used daily. But if you are in the game for longevity, the one that is hardly used much at all will probably win.

My snow blower is over 50 years old. Still going strong...

That's because it doesn't have to work every day. It only has to work when I need it.

[netman86]

50! wow. Mine is 29 years right now, and just tore it all apart to clean and paint everything, then tuned up the engine. Running pretty well, although I messed up the govenor and it doesnt auto correct for load anymore. Poor thing was in pretty bad shape mechanically, bought it four years ago from the origonal owner and it was very rusty all over.

My spare honda sold last night, so the aveo is a might higher possibility now. I'll be taking a look at it this coming weekend.

As discussed, I'll be looking in the fuse box for signs of problems, and peek at the tstat housing (I'll assume if its plastic I can get a metal one fairly easily the first time I have to drain coolant?) and give it a short ride. With a cracked windshield it doesnt pass safety inspection, so I cant drive it much- probably just enough to test all the gears, throttle response, clutch feel, etc.

It just occurred to me that in the parts list for the new engine there isnt any mention of a new clutch. Strange. I cant imagine having the transmission detached from the engine and not replacing at least the throwout bearing and friction disk.

[2010AveoLT]

50! wow. Mine is 29 years right now, and just tore it all apart to clean and paint everything, then tuned up the engine. Running pretty well, although I messed up the govenor and it doesnt auto correct for load anymore. Poor thing was in pretty bad shape mechanically, bought it four years ago from the origonal owner and it was very rusty all over.

My spare honda sold last night, so the aveo is a might higher possibility now. I'll be taking a look at it this coming weekend.

As discussed, I'll be looking in the fuse box for signs of problems, and peek at the tstat housing (I'll assume if its plastic I can get a metal one fairly easily the first time I have to drain coolant?) and give it a short ride. With a cracked windshield it doesnt pass safety inspection, so I cant drive it much- probably just enough to test all the gears, throttle response, clutch feel, etc.

It just occurred to me that in the parts list for the new engine there isnt any mention of a new clutch. Strange. I cant imagine having the transmission detached from the engine and not replacing at least the throwout bearing and friction disk.

I bet they inspected the throwout bearing and the friction disk, and figured they were okay to be reused.

[Ricky Lee]

I live in Michigan and I can tell you, it cannot let it sit too long without driving. I had just installed new front pads ad rotors on my 2005 Aveo and I let it sit for about a month. When I went to drive it the pistons were stuck in the calipers and ruined my new rotors. I had to buy new calipers, rotors, and pads.

[Thymeclock]

I live in Michigan and I can tell you, it cannot let it sit too long without driving. I had just installed new front pads ad rotors on my 2005 Aveo and I let it sit for about a month. When I went to drive it the pistons were stuck in the calipers and ruined my new rotors. I had to buy new calipers, rotors, and pads.

Rust due to moisture and corrosive road salt is the enemy. Garaging a car is half the battle of keeping it longer than if it is outdoors exposed to the elements of weather. Not everyone can afford to garage their car, but sheltering it from adverse weather does prolong the life of any vehicle.

If you were living in Arizona you wouldn't have these problems. There, you might have different problems.