Ex Aveo Virgin… 5 Speed Manual LS 2004 Hatchback

Hi folks,

Never would have imagined there would be an Aveo forum, but fate had me run across this site.

Here's a few pics of my AVEO….

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A brief history since purchasing...

Purchased with 62,000 miles from local Chevrolet dealership, base model w/ Pioneer stereo, body has slight rust under passenger front door. I paid $4,000 for it…. did I get hosed on this one? I was in a pinch money wise and in terrible physical condition at the time, needed it to relocate and let my wife pretty much handle everything.

Since then, I've had several small issues with it and I've put roughly $800 into keeping it running.

-Oxygen Sensor replaced (idle was all over the place).
-Air intake was cracked & replaced.
-Front ball joints replaced, one was already bad the other was well on it's way.
-Fuel Cap was setting off check engine light, replaced cap.
-Factory rim was leaking due to corrosion

I have had the timing belt inspect recently and it appeared to be well worn, quite possibly original to the vehicle. Vehicle now has 72,000 miles on it., I plan have this along with the tensioner and water pump replaced next week. I was quoted around $650 for everything installed, good price?

I also am having a strange creaking noise coming from the front axle when turning hard at slow speeds, which was the reason the ball joints were discovered problematic… though the problem never went away ultimately. Any thoughts as to what might be going on here?

A few other thoughts, do I need to check/replace the spark plugs and wires? Can I expect that this car will not be a money pit for me in the next year or two? I know nobody can ultimately say, but just given what others have noted around here I figured it might count for something.

I like the car, but I am tossing around the idea of selling it soon and purchasing a Mazda3 Hatchback after reading of the common issues with this model and fear it being a money pit. Not to mention the IIHS Crash ratings make me a bit concerned with how many idiot drivers there are on the roads these days.

Anyways, nice to find a new forum that I have something in common with others… it helps these days as I feel very little connection to most people I encounter these days. Tend to keep my distance from most people where I live, sadly.

Welcome to the forum.

Have you changed that timing belt yet? That's a critical item on your car if it's the original one. Interference engine will be damaged if it goes.

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I like the car, but I am tossing around the idea of selling it soon and purchasing a Mazda3 Hatchback after reading of the common issues with this model and fear it being a money pit. Not to mention the IIHS Crash ratings make me a bit concerned with how many idiot drivers there are on the roads these days.

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With only 62k miles on it, that Aveo will last a long time if it's looked after.
What year Mazda?

If safety is your main concern, you can't argue against going with a newer car design.

But unless you can do an even trade for the Mazda, you'll probably end up worse off financially by trading up. It's almost always better financially to keep & maintain/repair the car you already have.

Funny, I have the Aveo in the shop right now getting the timing belt replaced along with the water pump and full kit. I also have been noticing lately that the RPM's are taking way too long to drop after pushing in the clutch, I read on here that the IAQ can cause this so I had them try to clean it up and hope it goes away. I also noticed a slight oil leak, it appears to be coming from the top of the engine.

I am also getting a creaking noise as I make tighter turns at slower speeds, he mentioned the strut mounts seemed a bit worn, possibly the bushings too? They didn't do anything since I live in the land of roads that more closely resemble off road terrain in many places and it was not a safety concern.

About the Mazda, the wife and I test drove a new CX-5 last week. We both really liked it, but funds are tight right now and I hear you 100% on it being cheaper to just keep the car running that we have. I haven't looked at any used Mazda yet, but I suppose I wouldn't be against it if I could find one with manual trans.

I drive extremely defensively so I would estimate my odds of an accident to be quite low, but there is just so much traffic here you really just never know especially considering all it takes is one lapse in focus/judgement on my part (let alone others).

Glad to hear the belt is getting changed + related items!

As for the creaking, it could be so many things, but first guess is bushings. We've seen people have noises with sway bar / control arm bushings. Another member said strut replacement cleared up front end "creaking".

Does your Aveo have a manual trans? Don't forget to make a garage page:

Garage empty: add car

Yes, it is a manual transmission… I have been driving manual transmission cars since I bought a 13' Chevy Spark. That was ultimately what got me into this Aveo, I refused to buy anything that had an automatic transmission for several reasons (control, responsiveness, dependability).

I just picked up the car this evening, the timing belt was indeed already cracked but luckily hadn't broken yet (got lucky there). It's got a pretty good whining now from the belt which should go away after 500 miles or so. Also, the valve cover gasket was leaking oil and replaced which saved on labor since it had to come off for the belt job anyways. Paid just over $700 USD parts and labor for everything.

I've got to say that I do enjoy the car overall, despite it's shortcomings… it is fun to drive but I am not sure if it has more to do with the fact that I enjoy driving manual transmission vehicles and it is small and somewhat agile. The RPM thing is definitely driving me crazy though, I find myself constantly waiting for the RPM's to drop enough to smoothly engage the next gear up.

I just made a garage entry for this vehicle, also.

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Originally Posted by Raleigh St. Clair

... It's got a pretty good whining now from the belt which should go away after 500 miles or so. ....

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Is that what the shop told you? I've done a few of these belts, and have never had noise like that after the job was finished, and I'd be just a bit concerned about why it's happening. Hopefully for you the noise will indeed go away with no problems resulting, but fortunately the shop is on the hook to correct any issues, if anything does happen.

The creaking could be a few different things. Try jacking up the wheels and with the steering wheel in multiple positions, spin them, and also do some 2-handed shaking of the tire top-to-bottom and left-to-right. See if the noise shows up during any of that movement.

I was told that it was stated on the belt instructions that it should have that whining when installed, otherwise it is not tensioned tight enough. When the sound goes away it should be perfectly tensioned, if it doesn't go away after 500 miles they told me they would have to make another adjustment. They are a very reputable shop around here which is not on commission and stand behind their work 100% no questions asked, I do not suspect anything is wrong at all… it is driving much better now. The accelerator feels different now, much less slack if you will compared to how it was with the old belt.

They also told me they could see the strut mount moving when they shook the wheel when lifted. These roads really beat up these little cars around here, he said he didn't see anything that was a safety issue so I just planned on leaving it alone for now and keeping an eye on it.

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Originally Posted by Raleigh St. Clair

I was told that it was stated on the belt instructions that it should have that whining when installed, otherwise it is not tensioned tight enough. When the sound goes away it should be perfectly tensioned, if it doesn't go away after 500 miles they told me they would have to make another adjustment. ...

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What they told you is utter nonsense. The actual method according to the FSM (and everyone else who does this job) is to SLIGHTLY overtension the belt initially, make 2 engine turns, and lastly immediately re-tension the belt down to the final, correct setting. All of this is done before buttoning up and finishing the job. There is NO expectation that there will be any readjustment process, and the only time a readjustment would be needed is when something was done incorrectly the first time. And, none of the 3 timing belt kits that I've used had anything like like what this shop told you included in their documentation either.

I'm not writing this to make you upset or defensive, or to suggest you run back to the shop and complain. My only objective is to alert anyone doing this DIY for the first time that there should be no whining from the belt after the job is done, and no readjustment should ever be needed. I'd guess that your Aveo will be fine, and of course you'll know what to do if that turns out to not be the case.

Interesting, it seemed odd to me as a new car doesn't sound like that when you drive it home if it has a timing belt rather than chain.