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I would printout the forums posts to use as evidense of this problem for one. I can't advise in further.
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=88977416- &albumID=2377269&imageID=36492704
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=88977416- &albumID=2377269&imageID=36492682
This is not specifically an DOT issue either, but here is what I sent DOT, NTSB, BBB and my state Attorney General. I suppose you can even send something to the EPA... I'll have to look into that. It is happening more often than you might think, but nothing will get done if you don't speak up. Oh, be sure to keep any tow and parts receipts. Actually it will do best to scan them.
2005 Chevy Aveo.
Thermostat is originally, from factory, permanently encased in a PLASTIC type housing. This is all ONE (1) piece. Chevy has superseded this item with a METAL type housing within their ranks/computers, because it was a known issue. This item (Plastic Thermostat Housing) knowingly splits as early as 30,000 miles, for us it was about 46,000 miles. This was never a recall item nor was any information ever sent out warning about it.
Failure of this part leads to the known leaking and expelling of hazardous anti-freeze/coolant on roads but also leads to the unrealized overheating of engine. This can lead to unnecessary engine damage from simple overheating of oil to the extreme of blown head gaskets, blown/broken cylinder rings, warped engine heads or complete engine seizure.
Chevy retails the new Metal part from
$82.00 - $95.00. This failing part was known early enough that the new product had already been made and distributed to dealerships. Web logs are full of this particular failure, on this vehicle.
Thanks to all.
Carrie in St. Louis
When the engine moves, or the radiator moves because it is attached to the body, the housing will break. If an engine mount is in bad shape,the problem will occur more often.
The solution is to get a metallic housing that has been available for a long time. In fact GM decided to use the plastic one, because it is cheaper, but leaves the driver exposed to a failure that can go undetected since the temperature sender will not send a proper reading, showing a lower temperature, since the sender requires coolant to properly read, so the only hint to this problem could be steam coming off the engine or a spill, but sometimes this is hard to see. If this happens, blowing the gasket or seizing the engine is a possible scenario.
Anyway. I got tired of this problem after a second housing broke on me. Now, with the metal housing I think I solved the problem. It was more expensive, in fact dealerships wanted 90 dollars for it, but I found it on Ebay for 70, so it wasn't that bad.
Another thing that I wanted to talk about is the timing belt and the water pump. The engine on the Aveo was designed for high compression, but because of space and engine size designer was force to reduce the size of the compression chamber and to install 4 valves per piston, which is fine, excepting for the use of a timing belt instead of a timing chain, which is acceptable, excepting that sometimes the belt breaks and then the pistons, that are very close to the valves, end up hitting them and getting bend, and this actually means a very expensive repair.
The type of engine is widely known as an interference engine, and it is commonly used in the car industry, but some car makers install good quality components that will last 100 K or even more.
Some people will say that is way you have a preventive maintenance schedule, which is true, but there are a lot of things that could drive the timing belt to fail prematurely, such as oil, dirt, water and poor quality rubber on the belt itself. On top of that, preventive replacement of timing belt is not precisely cheap, since belt is more or less hard to replace.
To make things worst, the engine design makes the timing belt to drive the coolant or water pump, so if the water pump seizes, then the belt will get destroyed, hence the engine will as well.
To top that, tensioner and idler pulley are made also in plastic and bearings are short lasting, so they could also seize, and then engine will also get destroyed.
My Chevy Aveo thermostat housing also broke apart. Composite plastic which is the material is made off might be strong enough, but since the housing is made in two parts, so part maker can install the thermostat and gasket, this parts break apart, because they are put together not even with glue, but by heat.
When the engine moves, or the radiator moves because it is attached to the body, the housing will break. If an engine mount is in bad shape,the problem will occur more often.
The solution is to get a metallic housing that has been available for a long time. In fact GM decided to use the plastic one, because it is cheaper, but leaves the driver exposed to a failure that can go undetected since the temperature sender will not send a proper reading, showing a lower temperature, since the sender requires coolant to properly read, so the only hint to this problem could be steam coming off the engine or a spill, but sometimes this is hard to see. If this happens, blowing the gasket or seizing the engine is a possible scenario.
Anyway. I got tired of this problem after a second housing broke on me. Now, with the metal housing I think I solved the problem. It was more expensive, in fact dealerships wanted 90 dollars for it, but I found it on Ebay for 70, so it wasn't that bad.
Another thing that I wanted to talk about is the timing belt and the water pump. The engine on the Aveo was designed for high compression, but because of space and engine size designer was force to reduce the size of the compression chamber and to install 4 valves per piston, which is fine, excepting for the use of a timing belt instead of a timing chain, which is acceptable, excepting that sometimes the belt breaks and then the pistons, that are very close to the valves, end up hitting them and getting bend, and this actually means a very expensive repair.
The type of engine is widely known as an interference engine, and it is commonly used in the car industry, but some car makers install good quality components that will last 100 K or even more.
Some people will say that is way you have a preventive maintenance schedule, which is true, but there are a lot of things that could drive the timing belt to fail prematurely, such as oil, dirt, water and poor quality rubber on the belt itself. On top of that, preventive replacement of timing belt is not precisely cheap, since belt is more or less hard to replace.
To make things worst, the engine design makes the timing belt to drive the coolant or water pump, so if the water pump seizes, then the belt will get destroyed, hence the engine will as well.
To top that, tensioner and idler pulley are made also in plastic and bearings are short lasting, so they could also seize, and then engine will also get destroyed.
We replaced the part.. A quick and easy fix! then a week later.
my girlfriend was on her way home from work.. Her car just stopped accelerating.. it felt like it wasn't getting enough fuel.. So again pulled over on the side of the freeway we tow it to the shop... my mechanic does a full diagnostics and finds water on the spark plugs.. He called and asked me does you car drive hot.. I told him never..I told him that about a week earlier the thermostat housing snapped and the coolant came out we replaced the part and no problems since.. Well he put it all together.. When the housing broke, almost immidietly it caused my heads to get hot and wrap and then water to get into my oil. Now with wrapped heads he started the car but its only a matter of time before it blows.. So do i wait.. No because it will cause more serious damage to the engine.. we need to get the head fixed .. now i am looking at closer to a 1000.00 bucks for something that could have been prevented .. by a simple letter from Chevy stating that thermostat housing is faulty, made of plastic and has been updated to a aluminum part.. well what do we do now! i see allot of posts about the same issue! lets act now! :lemon:
I rarely use my AC but did notice it wasn't working a month or 2 ago... The fan was obviously running but there was no cool air coming out, just a weird smell-- similar to the awful odor that came out when it started smoking yesterday. Does this make sense? Could it be a different problem?
It's a 2004 Aveo with just over 59000 miles on it. I'm still under the GM Major Guard Protection Plan (but not for long!) but I don't know if this would be covered under that... Anyone know about that?
Anyway, I just wanted to add to this discussion and let everyone know that this is an issue with MANY Aveo owners and it seems to be occurring more and more as of late (probably because the folks who bought the 04 and 05 models are starting to reach 50-60k miles). If everyone who has this same situation speaks up, hopefully GM will issue a recall...
when ur thermostat housing broke it cause your heads to warp immediately! i know it sounds crazy but these aluminum heads cant handle it. it took my mechanic a couple day to figure it out also. but once i told him my thermostat housing broke a few days b4 it all came together! there is water getting on your spark plugs and water mixxing with oil. :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:
The gear shift was also stuck, they had to replace a stop lamp switch & filter for it.
The only warranty left is the Power Train Warranty, does anyone have any idea how I find out what that covers? :sick:
I encourage everyone who has had this problem to file a complaint so we can try & get a recall. report a vehicle safety issue to NHTSA online at vehicle safety Web site: www.safercar.gov
So they fixed that then my thermostat housing busted just like the rest of you guys
I fixed that because I didnt want to tow it to the stealer and leave it their for a $20 part that took me 5 minutes to replace
Then the key lock in the drivers door fell into the door, so now I cant lock the drivers door The stealers told me it wasnt covered because it was a trim piece (Same thing happened to my buddies Aveo)
Then my brake lights stopped working, again the stealers wouldnt cover it so again I had to fix my brand new car thats still under warranty myself
This car is a disposable POS I wish I never bought it.
It will be paid off this Feb
Unfortunately, my car is @ the dealer, suspected cracked Head Gasket. Today they called and said they took out the Cylinder Head and sent it to see if it could be repaired or had to be replaced. They also believe it will be covered by the Power Train Warranty because there's no signs of neglect/misuse.
Everyone need to file a complaint with the NHTSA so they can investigate & get a recall, if no one complains to them nothing will be done.
www.safercar.gov
P0128
P0128 PENDING
These codes on an '04 Aveo, apparently, usually mean the thermostat housing is busted. But, I never saw any smoke or noticed any performance problems. Is it possible that the thermostat busted and resulted in damage to engine, like a warped gasket or something, that would cause it not to start? The car is at 42K miles, past bumbper to bumper warranty but still in powertrain warranty which covers engine parts and towing for powertrain problems. Any advice? :sick:
I assume that you have lights and all. Have you played around with the shifter to see if it is not hung up in a position other than park.
It made the sounds like it wanted to start but wouldn't turn over for several minutes sometimes up to 15 minutes.
I had it towed to the dealer, signed the estimate for the diagnostic, they found water in the the oil (1 week after they changed the oil). They couldn't tell me if it was a cracked or warped head or if it would be covered by the warranty until it was taken apart but they were 80% sure it would be, so I had to agree to an $800 revised estimate just for labor.
It took almost two weeks but it was covered and it was not machine repairable, they had to put in a whole bunch of new parts.
I suggest you take it in for them to diagnose it, you can't get better than warranty coverage.
The crank sound has a ryhthm to it that does not quite sound normal, kind of like a major crank, followed by a double quick, and that pattern continues to repeat. Usually the crank sounds like a perfect interval ryhthm if nothing is wrong.
I have not tried cranking it for longer than about 15 seconds, because I don't want to kill the battery or damage the engine. Did you say that you'd turn the key and hold it cranking for 15 minutes?
All I know is I was shifting gears and it wouldnt go in, the gear shifter started floppin around like it wasnt connected.
So I get it to the dealer(of coarse my problem) just off my factory warranty, hoping my extended warranty will cover it or the factory power train warranty(why wouldnt they)
So I pay out of pocket for them to diagnose it ($65), they tell me theirs no broken parts just missing parts and the warranty company wont cover it WTF
I dont understand how a part magically dissapears and im pissed because once again they found some BS excuse to not fix my car under warrranty
I would love to drive this POS right threw the front of the dealership, Ive yet to find somthin my warranty WILL cover
So the busted part is a $4.65 part (Labor $160.) BUT they cant get one till late next week and I have to pay out of pocket for a rent a car because the repairs werent covered by my warranty
And I still got another year of payments on this car I hate this car!!!
My rent a car is a Ford Focus it is 1000 x nicer than the POS chevy
It only takes a couple minutes to file the complaint so far they only have about four,
let our voices be heard. I'm tired of consumers being screwed by these companies.
If your Aveo won't start and you are getting a check engine light, try resetting, either with and ODB II diagnostic or just by removing the negative lead from the battery for 5 seconds. Good luck everyone! Anybody want to buy an '04 Aveo with 42K? lol.
As I write this it is 2/9/09. My '04 Aveo's first failure was 12/18/08. On that day, I was driving home, and my check engine light came on. 2 days later the car would not start. I got an OBD II sensor from AutoZone and retrieved the codes P0128 and P0128p (pending). These both indicate an ECT or thermostat failure. Had to have it towed to a GM dealer. They told me the timing belt had slipped before even looking at it. Later, they saw the timing belt was fine. The car started for them right away. I was told it was likely a CPU freeze caused by bad weather here in MA. Towing and service were both covered under GM Powertrain Warranty (I am at 5 years 42K).
About 3 weeks later, I was driving and my check oil pressure light came on. I immediately pulled over and checked the oil level, which was fine. I decided to have an oil change to see if that would resolve the issue. Sure enough, after the oil change, the light went off. I drove about another 20 minutes, and stopped at the toll booth. As I was handing off my ticket, I heard 3 or 4 loud revolutions, and then the car died. I was unable to start it again. Had it towed once again to the GM service center.
This time, I was told there was a leak in my water pump, and the spark plugs were completely fouled (I saw them, they were pitch black). With diagnostic charges parts and labor I was looking at $1200 (including an elective timing belt procedure). I filed a complaint with Chevy and negotiated lower rates down to about $200 for spark plug replacement, water pump replacement, and timing belt replacement. This took about another week or so. At 2:30 they told me it was running fine and to come pick it up. At 3:30 I went and paid, got in the car, and it would not start. They pushed it back in the garage.
Today, I am told the problem is a blown head gasket, and will be 100% covered. The blown gasket was causing coolant to leat into the motor. They are going to do a pressure test and a replacement, and it will take approx. 1-2 weeks before my car is ready. I am really hoping this solves the problem for good (it seems like the most on point diagnosis thus far).
2 months 2 tows and $200 later I am still waiting for my Aveo to be fixed and in good driving condition. :lemon: :lemon:
DO NOT BUY this Daewoo piece of metal. They are not worth the hassle. Buy a Honda or Toyota that is made in America, since this is the only viable option anymore to support American Autos.
In answer to your question "anyone else having this problem", we have sold over 50 of the Aveos and have not had any paint issues.
Hope this helps.
Winston
Toyota takes away jobs from American companies like Ford, Chevrolet. They use part-time employees to profit and avoid paying benefits. They build facilities in non-union states. So really there is no trade off and this is bad for the trade deficit and America. American auto companies were forced to outsource parts to stay competitive and in business. In doing so hundreds of small American companies, most in Michigan closed up losing thousands of employees.
Please get your facts straight when you post.
I didn't cite any facts, so don't accuse me of not having facts straight. The above info is a fact, though. This is just my opinion. If this board has not convinced you that the Aveo is a clunker P.O.S. then heaven help you.
An Escort or Taurus that doesn't go beyond 115,000 miles obviously was not maintained. I bet you don't treat your Japanese cars that way.
I took it home (brand new) with a bad CV, the ac stopped working a day after they put it in.
Last week I had some sort of big expensive vaccume leak and the ac stopped workin again.
Just for fun I looked up the blue book value, Its under $3000, Im still making payments on this car
As I type this one is advertized just to the right and it says prices starting at $12625, as shown $16025 + tax title license dealer fee and optional equipment extra who in their right mind would pay well over $16k for a Aveo?