Need advice on my 2014 Sonic ltz please

[Potatoez]

Low coolant after car being fixed

2014 Chevy Sonic ltz hatchback 101k miles
My coolant level is low. I have barley any knowledge in cars but I just got my car back from the shop. Why would my coolant be low? When I dropped off my car it was right above the max line.

They had changed my timing cover gasket, oil pan gasket and some camshaft seals and cleaned some sensors because my car was leaking oil bad and had power loss when I would accelerate.
They checked my spark plugs and they are good still.

A day after i got my car back the check engine light came on solid. The car was driving fine. I am planning on taking it back to them tomorrow since it’s my day off work. But as I was leaving work I drove about one min down the parking lot and my car was “surging” that’s as best as I could describe it. It did that about 5 times then drove normally.

Earlier this year in March they had my car for three weeks. Coolant was going into my pistons and blew a head gasket so They put in a new head gasket and they had to put in a new cylinder head. Along with an oil change and new coolant.

Is there anything I should ask them about my coolant level ? Or ask about the surging part? These are the only mechanics that have worked on my car.

 

[logandsawman]

I would try to find a different mechanic, sounds fishy to me.

I had my Sonic in for simple service once and it came back with the alternator making a ton of noise. Could not NOT notice it. Alternator was fried just by going to the dealer. No question in my mind they compromised its performance. (just putting a screwdriver in there for a second would do it). Alternator only had about 80,000 miles on it at the time.

Made the big boo boo of taking my 1988 Suburban to the same dealer for a new oil pressure sending unit. Luckily, I took a pic of the old one before taking it in. When I got it back it poured out oil from there. I called them and they said "not their fault". I had the picture of the before and they could not argue. No apology, however, for me having to take it in twice and them not even topping off the oil.

NOT a conspiracy theory but there are bad apples out there. I think one of the main reasons I do everything in my power to either get to know the repairman or figure it out myself.

Mine is the 2013 LT hatchback with 173,000. Original plugs, too, I will be replacing them this weekend I think they were due at 163,000. Car performs well with MPG showing 37.5, mostly rural miles however.

Dave

 

[Potatoez]

I would try to find a different mechanic, sounds fishy to me.

I had my Sonic in for simple service once and it came back with the alternator making a ton of noise. Could not NOT notice it. Alternator was fried just by going to the dealer. No question in my mind they compromised its performance. (just putting a screwdriver in there for a second would do it). Alternator only had about 80,000 miles on it at the time.

Made the big boo boo of taking my 1988 Suburban to the same dealer for a new oil pressure sending unit. Luckily, I took a pic of the old one before taking it in. When I got it back it poured out oil from there. I called them and they said "not their fault". I had the picture of the before and they could not argue. No apology, however, for me having to take it in twice and them not even topping off the oil.

NOT a conspiracy theory but there are bad apples out there. I think one of the main reasons I do everything in my power to either get to know the repairman or figure it out myself.

Mine is the 2013 LT hatchback with 173,000. Original plugs, too, I will be replacing them this weekend I think they were due at 163,000. Car performs well with MPG showing 37.5, mostly rural miles however.

Dave

Thank you for taking the time and writing this. I didn’t think I’d get any feedback at all. This shop that I go to is the dealerships shop that I got my car from. The only reason I continue to go there is because it had a warranty. The warranty is over now but they also let me put half money down for pay the rest later for the car repairs. I don’t know any mechanics so that’s why I stay going there for problems with the car.


I’m back from the shop. This is from the paper that was given to me.

Two codes were pulled and it was P0171 and P0134. They performed a smoke test to check for vacuum leaks and found none. The mass airflow sensor was taken off and cleaned. The technician also cleaned the upstream oxygen sensor to make sure it was operating. And my coolant was refilled because they hadn’t filled it up when the car was cold. And they tested for coolant leaks and found none.

I drove the car around for about two hours and it drove fine. It actually drives better than before. There was no surging.

I’m hoping the car is good to go for a bit and nothing major happens. I have put too much money into it already.

 

[logandsawman]

Thank you for taking the time and writing this. I didn’t think I’d get any feedback at all. This shop that I go to is the dealerships shop that I got my car from. The only reason I continue to go there is because it had a warranty. The warranty is over now but they also let me put half money down for pay the rest later for the car repairs. I don’t know any mechanics so that’s why I stay going there for problems with the car.


I’m back from the shop. This is from the paper that was given to me.

Two codes were pulled and it was P0171 and P0134. They performed a smoke test to check for vacuum leaks and found none. The mass airflow sensor was taken off and cleaned. The technician also cleaned the upstream oxygen sensor to make sure it was operating. And my coolant was refilled because they hadn’t filled it up when the car was cold. And they tested for coolant leaks and found none.

I drove the car around for about two hours and it drove fine. It actually drives better than before. There was no surging.

I’m hoping the car is good to go for a bit and nothing major happens. I have put too much money into it already.

That sounds great!

Sometimes it is a mistake they may make, they are only human. I hope it is never intentional when the car comes back with a problem.

I hope you get many years with your car, I usually keep mine for 10 years however the ones we have now I have no plan for replacement. We have the 2013 sonic and a 1988 Suburban Silverado which I rely on quite heavily.

Dave

 

[Potatoez]

That sounds great!

Sometimes it is a mistake they may make, they are only human. I hope it is never intentional when the car comes back with a problem.

I hope you get many years with your car, I usually keep mine for 10 years however the ones we have now I have no plan for replacement. We have the 2013 sonic and a 1988 Suburban Silverado which I rely on quite heavily.

Dave

Hello again, I need some advice. My check engine light had came on again and I went to get it scanned the code P0171 popped up again. Do you think I should call my mechanic that worked on my car or should I replace the intake hose myself? I seen that it’s just a big piece of plastic on top of the engine. My car is running fine but I don’t want to damage it. Will driving it with the code be okay for a week or so?

 

[logandsawman]

Hello again, I need some advice. My check engine light had came on again and I went to get it scanned the code P0171 popped up again. Do you think I should call my mechanic that worked on my car or should I replace the intake hose myself? I seen that it’s just a big piece of plastic on top of the engine. My car is running fine but I don’t want to damage it. Will driving it with the code be okay for a week or so?

Sounds like Mr. Google does not recommend driving too long with a lean mixture



I am not a professional mechanic but this makes sense to me.

Funny, my 2013 has never had a "check engine" issue since we moved away from Lake Superior. When we lived close to the big lake, there were constant issues related to the weather. The locals were aware of it but as newcomers it was something new to me.

Dave

 

[Potatoez]

Sounds like Mr. Google does not recommend driving too long with a lean mixture

View attachment 16093

I am not a professional mechanic but this makes sense to me.

Funny, my 2013 has never had a "check engine" issue since we moved away from Lake Superior. When we lived close to the big lake, there were constant issues related to the weather. The locals were aware of it but as newcomers it was something new to me.

Dave

I wonder what it is. I’m taking it back to the shop tomorrow so they can take a look. It seems like this car is super sensitive. I really just want to see if I could trade it in for something else. But also I have put a lot of money into this year already.

 

[logandsawman]

I am surprised how much they are charging for the repairs. This car seems to be a lot of problems. Did you buy it new or used? I am wondering if someone really beat on it or if earlier maintenance was ignored.

Dave

 

[Potatoez]

I took the car back and they changed a pcv tube, there was no charge for that. And I bought the car used. I agree the car seems to have a lot of problems and I’ve only had it a year. I think it wasn’t maintained well. My only other options is to trade it in for another vehicle on their lot or to just keep it. I only have a year or so left of payments. I didn’t have much options when I went to that dealership so that is my fault. I won’t definitely go back to them.

 

[logandsawman]

Not your fault, I think the luck of the draw when buying used.

I will make a wild guess that someone purchased it for their son/daughter and not only did they drive erratically, but also disregarded maintenance.

Most of my automobiles I purchased new and kept for 10 years. Now that I am 65 the philosophy has changed to keeping my cars till I die. The car market is very severe in a bad way. The body on the car is well built and that is one area you shouldn't have to worry about.

Keep tabs on your owner's manual, and I know on my 2013 Sonic, the timing belt was scheduled for replacement around 100,000. I would not miss that. Keep track of all your repairs as well. We write all our service and repairs down in the back of our manual.

Dave

 

[Jski]

I took the car back and they changed a pcv tube, there was no charge for that. And I bought the car used. I agree the car seems to have a lot of problems and I’ve only had it a year. I think it wasn’t maintained well. My only other options is to trade it in for another vehicle on their lot or to just keep it. I only have a year or so left of payments. I didn’t have much options when I went to that dealership so that is my fault. I won’t definitely go back to them.

I’m gonna bet that P0171 comes back…when it does, replace the intake manifold and valve cover. There is a component of each (HORRIBLE DESIGN) that fails; the part that fails is integral to the manifold and valve cover meaning you can’t replace it, gotta change the whole thing. That PCV hose is not causing a vacuum leak; the only way that could be is if the hose itself was cracked which is unlikely unless they cracked it when the last repairs were done. I hope the code stays gone but if it doesn’t, that’s the issue.

 

[Potatoez]

I’m gonna bet that P0171 comes back…when it does, replace the intake manifold and valve cover. There is a component of each (HORRIBLE DESIGN) that fails; the part that fails is integral to the manifold and valve cover meaning you can’t replace it, gotta change the whole thing. That PCV hose is not causing a vacuum leak; the only way that could be is if the hose itself was cracked which is unlikely unless they cracked it when the last repairs were done. I hope the code stays gone but if it doesn’t, that’s the issue.

Hey Jski, ugh! The code did come back! A day or so after they replaced the pcv tube. My car seems much worse like it wants to stall. This happened on Thursday so I have my car parked till Monday then taking it back to the same mechanics. I’m going to show them this thread and see they don’t take it an insult.

 

[cojguz]

I had the same problem. Replaced the valve cover. I could hear a hissing sound coming from the internal diaphram. You can plug the hole with your finger and hear the engine run smoother. Can get the valve cover from Amazon for $50

 

[Jski]

I had the same problem. Replaced the valve cover. I could hear a hissing sound coming from the internal diaphram. You can plug the hole with your finger and hear the engine run smoother. Can get the valve cover from Amazon for $50

There’s a reason that diaphragm fails and it’s because the check valve in the intake is missing. You can’t replace the check valve; must change out manifold. That diaphragm won’t last forever.

 

[Jski]

Hey Jski, ugh! The code did come back! A day or so after they replaced the pcv tube. My car seems much worse like it wants to stall. This happened on Thursday so I have my car parked till Monday then taking it back to the same mechanics. I’m going to show them this thread and see they don’t take it an insult.

You can unplug your MAF sensor; it’s the plug on the air filter snorkel. You won’t have cruise control, the cooling fan will run constantly, but the shaking and rough idle will stop. Temporary solution until you can repair. It’s bad for engines in the long term to run lean for too long.

 

[Potatoez]

You can unplug your MAF sensor; it’s the plug on the air filter snorkel. You won’t have cruise control, the cooling fan will run constantly, but the shaking and rough idle will stop. Temporary solution until you can repair. It’s bad for engines in the long term to run lean for too long.

Do you think it’ll be okay to drive it to the mechanic in the morning? It’s only about 4 or 5 miles from me.

 

[Jski]

Do you think it’ll be okay to drive it to the mechanic in the morning? It’s only about 4 or 5 miles from me.

Yes you’ll be fine

 

[Potatoez]

Yes you’ll be fine

The shop ended up changing it says on the paper “Intake manifold” they had told me there was a piece broken off somewhere. I honestly don’t know parts of the engine but I have my car back now and going to see how it goes.

 

[Jski]

The shop ended up changing it says on the paper “Intake manifold” they had told me there was a piece broken off somewhere. I honestly don’t know parts of the engine but I have my car back now and going to see how it goes.

Yup, there’s a little nipple that is actually the non-serviceable PCV valve; it gets sucked into the engine. You either replace the intake manifold or do a bypass modification.
Contrary to what many say, the PCV valve is not the round diaphragm in the valve cover.
Hope this fixes the lean condition!

 

[Mommyof5]

Any updates.