Just wanted to say thanks for the excellent write up! I'm a decently competent mechanic and was able to complete the job in a little under 4 hours, taking a break here and there because it was HOT today.

The Aveo is a 2006 which belongs to my sister, who has been neglecting routine maintenance beyond oil changes since she bought it in 2009. I changed the timing belt, tensioner, idler pulley, and water pump with the Gates TCKWP335 kit. Also did the valve cover gasket and serpentine belt. The factory original parts had over 131,000 miles on them! The idler pulley had a visible crack in it and the belt was pretty loose.

I've tried to explain to her how lucky she was that I insisted on changing the belt before she drives the car across country next week, but to no avail.

Thanks for sparing me the cost of a repair manual!