High Mileage Sonics - the longevity thread

[Ricekila]

Once upon a time - ( I'm old ) -- ya-wanted to run a blower or turbo -- if you couldn't find brass ringed head gaskets - or - when running oodles of boost with a blower -- the machine shop when prepping the block - cut a precise groove around each cylinder -- then you pounded stainless wire 1/2 way into it - then when the head was torqued down the wire made a real good seal --

Wifey went through 2 sets of head gaskets with her Chrysler Le Barron turbo -- the third time I built her a fresh block with the cylinders "ringed" -- then up-ed the boost a bit -- :banana:

 

[h2ofreeze]

2012 LTZ Hatchback 1.4L Turbo, 139,000 miles -
Dealer replaced transmission at 77K due to a noise they couldn't determine, no charge (!).
Replaced coil assembly (and plugs, just in case) at 122,883, $50.
Water pump replaced at 129K, under a TSB, no charge (!).
That's about it...

 

[benkanobi]

When I was looking for a Honda Element this summer, I checked the salvage/rebuildable cars on the coparts.com website- Obviously, the car was being driven when the wreck happened. The highest mileage Element I saw was 395,000 miles- the key to high mileage is more highway miles than city miles- The one owner 2005 Element I bought, now has 235,000 miles on it and it runs like a sewing machine- stock engine. The owner followed all the maintenance guidelines and fixed everything in a timely manner- My repairs have been a new A/C condenser fan and a new radiator ( 2nd replacement)- the plastic caps often start leaking after 100,000 miles. - and a new set of Dextero tires, too.
Element owners maintain their high mileage vehicles, because you can't buy a new equivalent vehicle like this one.
A subcompact car is another story-

 

[Z71]

2012 LTZ Hatchback 1.4L Turbo, 139,000 miles -
Dealer replaced transmission at 77K due to a noise they couldn't determine, no charge (!).
Replaced coil assembly (and plugs, just in case) at 122,883, $50.
Water pump replaced at 129K, under a TSB, no charge (!).
That's about it...

What TSB is there on water pump replacement? Are the water pumps installed in these vehicles defective? Is this only for the 1.4 turbo engine?

 

[McD6113]

What TSB is there on water pump replacement? Are the water pumps installed in these vehicles defective? Is this only for the 1.4 turbo engine?

Yeah, for the 1.4T engines there's a special TSB/warranty program on the water pump for 10 years/150K miles. The shaft seals are defective on the water pump causing them to leak. I had mine replaced earlier this year at a little over 100K miles on it. I found it on the forums here if you want to read through it.

 

[MerlinZero]

'14 Sonic RS (auto) just about to cross 118k

 

[Stew]

I bought my 2013 new and have 125,400. Still running good, I've been running a 23 psi tune since about 33k miles. 6M transmission still feels good as well.

 

[jrmansfield807]

Bought my sonic used, as is. 2015 LTZ 1.4 turbo. Bought with 80k miles now has 95k. Onky thing I replaced was the thermostat and the water outlet pipe. Hoping to keep it going for a while.
Checked the maintenance history. And found the turbo was replaced. Among some other things

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[efultz]

2014 Hatchback Automatic

I love my car. Getting less miles in the past 2 years because I take the train to Boston.

Repairs
- water pump - warranty
- turbo - not repaired because was quoted $2,000 but without it my gas mileage is noticeably lower but still getting around 34mpg

Still running original factory brakes

Just replaced wiper blades - Pep Boys had a bear of a time finding a set that fit.

Regular oil changes based on guidance from the computer

just saw a rust spot around one of the wheel wells where the paint has started to bubble.

I love this car - it does everything including picking up 200 to 300 pounds of duck food among other things. I have hauled wood (when my wife decided she wanted us to pick up wood and we were not driving the truck).

We had a 2012 Sonic manual transmission and traded it in at 2 years because we got a good deal on a new 2014 Sonic.

My son would love to get his hands on this car.

 

[Z71]

I have 166,668 miles on my 2012 Sonic 1.8 manual trans. The car is completely stock. Original engine/transmission, just oil changes, brake pads and one electric fan replacement since new.

Interesting that you had to replace the engine cooling fan. I had to replace it on my 2013 Sonic LT also(same engine and transmission as yours) because it kept blowing the fuses.

Aside from that just the thermostat housing. Still on the original brakes at 93k miles. The original tires lasted 82k miles and still had thread left.

 

[Z71]

Exactly the same sentiments. I am very easy on equipment and very mechanically inclined. My Sonic is fantastic to drive. As a hatchback it offers tremendous utility and gets great fuel economy. It is the biggest piece of crap from a reliability and durability point of view that I have ever owned. I am 55 so I have been around. I paid $20,000 out the door for my LTZ Sonic 1.4 turbo 6 speed manual in January 2013. Trade in with 117,100 miles is $3000 4 years later. I tried to do it right. It was the only car in the segment built in the United States so I bought American to support American workers. My next car will be a Honda, either a Fit or a Civic.

It seems that the 1.8 liter non turbo versions are much more reliable. They also come with a 5 speed manual transmission which is definitely more trouble free than the six speed manual. Aside from some cheap interior pieces that fell apart (i.e. sunvisor mirror covers, shift knob), my 2013 Sonic LT sedan has been one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned. It is also the only car I have ever owned that needed no wheel alignment or wheel balance on the original tires even at 82k miles and had no road vibration whatsoever at any speed. The paint on mine has held up quite well for a Florida car. No clearcoat peeling or rust anywhere yet. And I definitely cannot complain about the price I paid for this car - $ 10,800 plus tax for a brand new 2013 Sonic LT sedan in February of 2014. This was after my $2,500 GM credit card rebate and other discounts and rebates.

 

[Smartdave]

I am in New England. 212,000 miles and no rust and still on my original clutch. 1.8 5spd



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Z71]

I am in New England. 212,000 miles and no rust and still on my original clutch. 1.8 5spd



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks. Given the dismal resale value, it is best for me to keep the car. Have you replaced your timing belt twice by now? Did you have to replace the cam and front crank oil seals as well? I am curious if you had any of those seals leak at 100k miles during first timing belt replacement. I am getting ready to do my first timing belt on this car. I have 93k miles on it now. I will also replace the water pump while I am at it.

 

[dannyg]

... Aside from some cheap interior pieces that fell apart (i.e. sunvisor mirror covers, shift knob), my 2013 Sonic LT sedan has been one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned...

I am in New England. 212,000 miles and no rust and still on my original clutch.

As a 1.8L/5sp guy, this is what I like to hear!

(Only 46K on my 2015 LS, bought Feb 2015, never garaged, going strong. Planning on keeping for years more, assuming it holds up well. So far so good.)

 

[Wydz]

2012 LT, all stock, even the brakes lol

73k

 

[JTee2017]

I thought I would post some useful data and information found off the web

It turns out Chevrolet Sonic is best in class by JD Power in 2019 for 3 years of ownership.
Also - - - Sonic is better or equal to other subcompact in quality and customer satisfaction.
Also. . . the Sonic offers one of the largest passenger and cargo space combinations.

Last year JD Power found Chevrolet Sonic to be best in class for customer satisfaction and reliability for 3 years of ownership. See chart below.

If you look at some of the sites that compile data of problems and issues, the subcompact Sonic is better than many and no worse than others.

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Sonic/

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Hyundai/Accent/

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Fit/

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Versa_Note/

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/Corolla/

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Fiesta/

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Focus/

Click Image Below for FULL SIZE View . . . .

 

[mja]

Well I made believe it or not......:banana:View attachment 14692

If you move your right hand over one key to the left on the keyboard and keep your left hand where it is... when you try to type "miles", it comes out "nukes".


That's a lot of nukes.


Keep it up hog.


Cheers Sonic fam.

 

[McD6113]

My 2013 RS hit 111000 yesterday. I can honestly say I've never had a car longer than I've had my Sonic and I hope it lasts as long as some of the top cars in this thread. My previous high mileage for a car was my first car. It was a 1999 Ford Contour SE Sport (2.5L V6 DOHC 5MT) that was purchased with 44000 miles and sold at 134000 miles after about 6 years (with quite a few mods and a lot of abuse). I purchased my Sonic with 9 miles on it and I've put over 111000 miles on it in the past 7 1/2 years. I just recently started modding my Sonic and I am pretty pleased with the results. Here's to a lot more miles and smiles!

 

[humphrey111]

I guess I should throw my name up here.

2012 Sonic LT Turbo 6spd. 183,000ish miles, owned since 40k miles. Somewhere around 100k miles I put a canned 91 octane diablo sport tune in it because a guy I worked with was a distributor for them. It's been in there ever since. Other than that it's bone stock.

Some issues I've had are:
Turbo replaced under power-train warranty at 97k for wastegate issue.
Changed the valve cover for PCV 3 or 4 times.
Swaybar endlinks wore started clunking around 160k miles so I replaced those.
The clearcoat on the roof is all but gone. All other surfaces are ok.
Still on stock clutch and brakes as far as I know.

All in all, I love driving this little car. It's been good to me and the 6spd plus 20 psi from the diablo tune make it just quick enough to be fun to drive. Hope to have it for years to come.

 

[Tomology]

Had to do my share of work but love the car

Original owner of a 12' sonic hatch 1.4turbo w/ 115k miles.

Purchased car new when I was 18 and now i'm 26 and still enjoy it. I'm not nearly banging gears the way I was the first few years I had it; most likely explains the need for a new tranny and clutch at 48k miles (replaced under warranty because it was making a grind noise when shifting from 2nd to 3rd i think) I've otherwise taken great care of this vehicle; all oil changes every 5k miles mobil 1 synthetic and all filters changed regularly.

Mods: K&N Intake, MSD Coil packs w/ cover, DDM works silicone radiator hose kit, full sound system w/ subs, etc. window tint, blacked out wheels.

Maintenance/Repairs:

Replaced Thermostat housing 2 times; Valve cover w/ gasket 3 times now.
New coolant hoses, new water pump at 100k, new plugs at 100k, new serpentine belt at 100k

New Turbo at 110k miles (crack in housing)also at 110k new radiator fan (wobbled a lot) & new intake manifold (just because missing orange check valve so i did it lol)

I fricken changed the OE disks/rotos at 107k miles; still on original drums.

I can't think of anything else at the moment.