sarrm
New member
How many miles did you replace timing belt at !? That's crazy wow congrats! How's she running with that many miles !!
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High Mileage Sonics - the longevity thread
- Thread starter mja
- Start date
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ThatDieselGuy
New member
Well other than normal oil changes etc. The only real repairs I have had to do were: replacing the sway bar links which were like $25 a pop and getting a new intake from DDM (cause of Chevy's multiple failed intake hoses). We also had to replace the outside air temp sensor but that's because it was destroyed from hitting a deer lol.
All in all I am very pleased with how well this car has held up with the miles it has on it.
Llia
New member
Yup. Mine seems to work and not work off and on. Gives a funky smell too when it's not working. Will also whistle like it's leaking when I use it or shut the car off after using it.
SuperSonic15
Member
A milestone in itself.... 1.5 yrs and counting :banana:
Do I drive everyday to work? Yes
Do I drive very far? No
Do I drive everyday to work? Yes
Do I drive very far? No
suitcasejefferson
Member
Is there a difference in engine longevity between the turbo 1.4 and the 1.8? I just bought a 2013 LT hatch with the 1.4 turbo and AT. It had 51,000 miles on it, and was not very well taken care of. I bought it from my sister so I know it's history. Most of those miles were in town, stop and go traffic. She never warmed the car up before taking off. And she didn't get the oil changed very often. The oil was thick and black when I drained it out. I put in new oil and a filter, and drove it 1300 miles home. The new oil is now black. I plan on changing it every 1000 miles until it stops coming out black. There will probably always be sludge in it trapped in nooks and crannies that will never come out, but I'm hoping the frequent oil changes will flush most of it out.
I am on my second Mercury Grand Marquis, a 2006 with 130,000 on it. My last one was a 1998 that finally started falling apart with 328,000 on it. But that is a big V8, I'm not expecting that kind of mileage out of the Sonic, especially after the way it has been treated. I am a fleet mechanic, and plan to seriously over maintain it for as long as it lasts.
I am on my second Mercury Grand Marquis, a 2006 with 130,000 on it. My last one was a 1998 that finally started falling apart with 328,000 on it. But that is a big V8, I'm not expecting that kind of mileage out of the Sonic, especially after the way it has been treated. I am a fleet mechanic, and plan to seriously over maintain it for as long as it lasts.
2014 Blue RS
Active member
It is my understanding that the 1.4 has a timing chain and not a belt. I have not replaced it as of yet. Other than maintenance items the only major repair was the turbo about 32k miles back, the radiator and then the cooling fan assembly. Everything was replaced with original GM parts except the fan assembly. The auto supply place I deliver for did not have the GM fan in stock so I went with a Dorman....I never knew when the GM fan kicked on or off but I can feel the vibrations in the Dorman. I've learned my lesson once again. I just need to learn to not get in a hurry!!!!
JTee2017
Well-known member
Don't dis me. . . but get a quart or two of Marvel Mystery Oil. Change your oil and filter with cheapy oil and substitute 1/2quart of regular oil with Marvel Mystery Oil. Drive it for a day or two. . (100 miles), drain and repeat if necessary. Then, fill again with your best oil and filter and see how clean it stays.
MMM will remove sludge and clean all the internals very well and not wear the parts.
I've used it for years in all engines. Most recently, I bought a used lawn mower at a garage sale that was only 4 years old, but the guy used it to mow a 1/2 acre lot next to his house. Never changed the oil . . just added some as he went. I put used oil from my car (only 3,000 miles on it) along with 6 oz of Marvel. Ran the mower for 5 minutes and drained absolutely black and tacky.
Repeated again, ran for 20 minutes with used oil and Marvel. Still black. Did one more time and looked pretty good. Filled with new 30W oil and even after 10 hours use the oil looks pretty clean and doesn't use any that I can see. Also had to tighten up the head bolts on the engine. lol
my 2012 1.8 manual has 190k, currently a massive pile of crap for me. This month i've replaced already or will be replacing the transmission(bearing blew up and put a hole in case),clutch,engine(rod knocking),struts,alternator,02 sensor and then the 02 sensor engine side wire harness because it turned out it wasn't the sensor but a shorted wire somewhere. I guess at least my car will be more or less all new now so i shouldn't have many more issues on my way to 300k.:blankface:
2014 Blue RS
Active member
200k clutch, alternator and struts ain't bad my friend.
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Red12SonicHatch
New member
2012 SonicHatch purchased new June of '12 has
maybe 25k on it. Short distance run around town 4 trips
of more than 2 states away.
maybe 25k on it. Short distance run around town 4 trips
of more than 2 states away.
blinkme323
New member
I’m on the verge of picking up a seemingly immaculate 2013 with 103 on the odo. I was a bit worrried about it, but it seems like here are a ton of high mileage example out there in this thread.
dbratboy92
New member
2012 lt hatch, 1.4 6 speed manual. Bought at 99k a year and a half ago 150k now. Since I've owned it replaced turbo, cylinder head. Numerous cooling system parts. Intake valve cover, flex pipe sway bar links and lots and lots of maintenance. Left me stranded 3 times.
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suitcasejefferson
Member
I just put 10,000 miles on my bought used 2013 Sonic 1.4 hatch during the past 2 months. Only issue was a pinhole leak in the water outlet pipe which was partially plugged with coagulated Dexkill. I have changed the oil 7 times and finally the oil is staying clean. From now on the oil will be changed every 3000 miles with Walmart Supertech full synthetic. I fully flushed the cooling system and got all the Dexkill out of it, and replaced it with Prestone OAT. Changed transmission fluid twice. From now on coolant and transmission fluid will be changed every 24,000 miles/2 years. I am now up to 62,000 miles, and hope to make it to at least 250,000.
Tesseract_Indeed
New member
152,000 miles on a 2012 LT 1.4t auto sedan. I bought a year and a half ago with about 139k miles. I have done only low-budget mods so far, so that's bypass the bypass balve solenoid, K&N hi-flow air filter, snorkel delete, and lower grill delete for looks.
Only real issues so far are the radiator and fan being replaced under warranty because it wouldn't stop overheating very easily, so the dealership just replaced it all to be sure. Had some cracked vacuum lines and such that had to be replaced. Had to replaced the MAF after a few months. Last but not least, the coolant reservoir had a crack and was leaking, and the cap to it was bad and spraying coolant all over the engine bay, and the hose clamp on a coolant line was bad and leaking.
I got the tank and lines used from a scrapyard for $40, and a new cap for $15 just to be safe. I think almost all cars have a lot of things go wrong after a certain point past 115k miles, so overall i'm not too unhappy.
As a whole, I love the car. It's my first car and it was perfect for learning how to drive, and now i'm pushing harder when it's safe and learning how to really *DRIVE*. I hope to one day do a full engine rebuild and rally build. But for now, it's ballin' on a budget.
Only real issues so far are the radiator and fan being replaced under warranty because it wouldn't stop overheating very easily, so the dealership just replaced it all to be sure. Had some cracked vacuum lines and such that had to be replaced. Had to replaced the MAF after a few months. Last but not least, the coolant reservoir had a crack and was leaking, and the cap to it was bad and spraying coolant all over the engine bay, and the hose clamp on a coolant line was bad and leaking.
I got the tank and lines used from a scrapyard for $40, and a new cap for $15 just to be safe. I think almost all cars have a lot of things go wrong after a certain point past 115k miles, so overall i'm not too unhappy.
As a whole, I love the car. It's my first car and it was perfect for learning how to drive, and now i'm pushing harder when it's safe and learning how to really *DRIVE*. I hope to one day do a full engine rebuild and rally build. But for now, it's ballin' on a budget.
Sonics are pretty bullet proof for sure. JD Powers recently awarded the Chevy Sonic as the most dependable small car.
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