What are the anticipated repairs on 2005 Aveo?

I have a 2005 Aveo sedan, manual, 85,000 miles. I like the car overall, decent gas mileage, comfortable, drives extremely well for the price, etc., but am concerned about what repairs I may be looking at down the road. So far both front door locks have fallen off. I have a valve cover gasket leak, a coolant leak (I think the thermostat housing has a crack), and the struts may be going out. What repairs are common on the '05 Aveo? I'm wondering how much to expect to spend on repairs over the next months/years. Would appreciate insight into what repairs are common to this vehicle. Thanks so much.

How many miles were on it when you got it? Is it safe to assume you've changed the timing belt already? That's a critical maintenance item with these engines (major engine damage if the belt breaks).

Do you do any repairs yourself? (Valve cover gasket replacement is pretty easy & cheap.)

I always told my friends (who don't do any of their own repairs) that they should budget around $750 a year for repairs/maintenance on a used car about this age.

i think thats about right, struts wear on every car. although it might just be mounts, or the difference in ride from your last car. If you go to a mechanic shop of course they will tell you to replace them and it might not fix the ride..

valve cover gaskets while common on the aveo, are not a huge problem, most seep, but the aveo it is more evident with the pass through design of the plugs.

fix the coolant leak, get a metal thermostat housing.

the big things are the timing belt, replace it early before it breaks. Also the rear axle bushings, don't buy the whole axle get the mk4 vw bushings, and other small changes in the repair process will result longevity and cheaper overall cost.

Yes, I've changed the timing belt. I'm not sure I'm up to tackling the valve cover gasket. I'm concerned that the car may eat up a lot of money in repairs over time. I'm just wondering what types of repairs are typical so I can make a decision on whether to keep it or not. I've never had a car that had an oil leak at 80,000 miles, and it's a little concerning to think what might be next. When I put tires on the car, they told me about the struts. It drives pretty well, in my opinion, so I'm not sure if I really need them or not. My concern with the struts is that my tires will wear out quickly, but it rides pretty smooth at this point. Thanks for the information. Any other input is appreciated.

Did your previous tires wear out quickly with an unusual wear pattern? (That's one big giveaway that there is a problem with the struts.) If you didn't happen to notice on your own, the shop should have shown you this, as evidence of strut problems.

An 8 year old car will need around $750 a year for repairs, give or take. What other option would you consider? A new car will "eat up" much more than that in payments!

Get a friend to help show you the valve cover gasket replacement. Pay with beer or food. :) Learning some easy maintenance/repairs will save you a lot of money in the long run.

the aveo will have cheaper repair costs than most cars because the parts are cheaper.

the loss you take on the car and the purchase price of the new car will pay for a lot of repairs, with any car.

i always told my wife when you need to pay to fix a car three months in a row, and you find you could afford that, then you could afford a car payment. But its been a while since weve owned cars more than 5 years old.

the advice your asking for is going to be a different answer from everyone.

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Originally Posted by sunnygirl773

Yes, I've changed the timing belt. I'm not sure I'm up to tackling the valve cover gasket. I'm concerned that the car may eat up a lot of money in repairs over time. I'm just wondering what types of repairs are typical so I can make a decision on whether to keep it or not. I've never had a car that had an oil leak at 80,000 miles, and it's a little concerning to think what might be next. When I put tires on the car, they told me about the struts. It drives pretty well, in my opinion, so I'm not sure if I really need them or not. My concern with the struts is that my tires will wear out quickly, but it rides pretty smooth at this point. Thanks for the information. Any other input is appreciated.

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rabbit addressed every common problem with the 05. struts will cause tire wear issues but more importantly steering and braking problems especially after going over bumps and rough terraine

Thanks for all the input. In years past I had a Geo Metro which I put 190,000 on, and the only thing I ever did was change the oil and tie rod ends. That was it. When I sold it, it was still running great. Then I had a Mitsubishi Precis (actually a Hyundai). Only repair was a water pump and tie rod ends. Sold it at 160,000 and still running fine. Never changed the timing belt on any of those. Then had a 98 Nissan Altima. The only repair was, again, tie rod ends. Sold it at 180,000 and still ran great. So, an oil leak and coolant leak starting at 80,000, plus the locks falling off and the struts (tires seemed to wear quicker than I expected, so may be the struts, could have just been not so great tires) is a little concerning. I'm hoping it won't be constant repairs on the little car. I really like it a lot, just don't want to have to spend a fortune in repairs to keep it going.

well the metro and the nissan were well built cars, the mitsu being the old hyun-die before they really reformed and such is a surprise. The locks falling had been mentioned once here before. The struts i will say if you are comfortable with the ride, and they are not leaking, they are fine. Tires wear fast on this car, because of the cheap tires in this size. Not sure what tires you were running, but there are many good options that will last a longer time. The coolant leak is an "easy" issue as well as the valve cover.

i think you will find once those things are fixed aside from keeping up on regular maintenance, the car will last just as long as any other car built in the same year. (if that makes sense) better cars can have more problems.

@sunnygirl773, How are things going with your 2005 Aveo? Have you decided to put the money into the repairs or get a different vehicle?

Michelle, Chevrolet Customer Service (assisting Vanessa)