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Sedans Chevrolet Cavalier Chevrolet Cavalier
2159 messages, Last post on Dec 05, 2009 at 9:12 PM
You are in the Chevrolet Cavalier Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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The problem with the head gaskets in 1995 through 1999 Cavaliers is documented. They even issued an unpublished recall on the head gaskets for '95s and '96s that covers the head gaskets for 7 years/100,000 miles. BTW, I just heard back from the dealership. It was a broken bolt and TO MY AMAZEMENT AND DISBELIEF, they admitted that they probably overtorqued the bolts back in March. Therefore I'm not going to be charged. But read what the Service Manager told me -- I can't believe he told me this little "secret": Chevy's recall instructs their service departments to replace the head gasket but keep using the old head bolts, which goes against Chevrolet's OWN service guidelines that instruct their mechanics to use NEW HEAD BOLTS each time they install a new gasket. Looks like another example of GM cutting corners at their customers' expense to me. But I've learned my lesson now. My days as a GM customer are numbered. What's the adage? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on ME." (But I'd replace "fool" with "screw" in the above adage.) Meade |
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| On this forum is the only place I have heard positive things about Cavaliers. Everyone I knew who had them (about 5 people, including myself) have had nothing but problems with them. A shame, because I loved my Cavalier when I had it because it was so cheap. But that's the problem: It was soooo cheap. | |
| I've had the opposite experience. My fiance just bought a 2000 Cavalier LS, my best buddy has a 96, I drove a 95 in school ( it was the campus schuttle),one of my closest friends from high school has a 94 and they are all extremely happy with the cavalier, no problems whatsoever. So I'm affraid to say that dindak does not have a lemon, you just have a bad dealership. When it comes to cars we all have "friends" who have nothing but trouble with their cars. From experience with Toyotas and Hondas my family had nothing but head aches and the repairs were too costly. The only good experience is my uncle, he still has his early 80s Toyota pick up, the rest was awful. So in the end it depends where you ask and who you know...... | |
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Well maybe it is a lemon, but with over 20K on it in a year and a half, it's been fine. I have owned only GM, Ford and Hondas in the past 10 years and the GM cars have been the best. The Cavalier is only our el-cheapo to work and back car. We also have a 2000 Intrigue and it kicks butt. It wasn't cheap though. In my opinion the Civic and the Focus are better cars, but they also costs more. We are leasing and it would be $50-60/month more. To me, that's the gas money for the month. |
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... until it hit 42,000 miles. Then everything started to fall apart. And she's only driven it 48,000 miles in six years ... at 8,000 miles a year, it hasn't seen a rough life either. Maybe you're lucky ... so far. But go and read the "consumer complaints" section on NHTSA's web site. Just enter Cavalier for 1995 through 1999 and have fun. We are far from the only ones experiencing these problems. And Malibu99, I don't think the problems with my head gasket have anything to do with the quality of my dealership. And GM didn't publish a "hidden recall" to cover their asses about this problem because of a few blown head gaskets here and there. This is a major, major problem ... and what makes it even worse is that they elected to cut corners when remedying it. But don't just take my word for it ... go to the NHTSA web site and read the complaints of others who have played Head-Gasket-of-the-Month with their Cavaliers. Meade |
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| Oh well it sucks to be you. If the dealership screwed up using old bolts then that is a bad dealership whether you like it or not. 48,000 for a 6 year old car makes me wonder. Oh well too bad. Not saying you are the only one with the problem just saying that there are just as many happy owners with trouble free Cavaliers out there but hey who am I to say so. Life is just so tough at times. Good luck. | |
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he could have had a Neon! j/k 
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You're missing my point. The recall campaign from Chevrolet INSTRUCTS -- do you hear me? INSTRUCTS the service departments in ALL DEALERSHIPS -- NOT JUST MINE -- to re-use the old head bolts. If you didn't go to the NHTSA web site and read the Consumer Complaints section yet, you need to. Then you'll see how many folks are going through this. The recall doesn't fix the problem. It's a temporary "band-aid" fix to save money. Go and read it -- it's not just me, my friend! (I haven't even complained to NHTSA -- so in the theme of your statement that there are gazillions of happy Cav owners out there, I'll charge that the several dozen who have complained to NHTSA represent quite a few more unhappy customers.) I wish you luck with your Cavalier. And I hope you get rid of it early unless you want a maintenance nightmare on your hands. This will be my last post about this; I have all the proof I need sitting in my driveway and on NHTSA's web site. Did you watch Dateline NBC last night? Did you see how NHTSA's now in trouble with Congress for not doing anything about all the consumer complaints about Ford Explorers losing their tires? Now Ford's on the hot seat along with Firestone. I have a feeling NHTSA's going to become a lot more accountable in the coming months. Just remember what I said. If you keep your Cavalier a few years, this discussion will come back to you. Meade |
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| It's too bad about your Cavalier, but I'm sure we are not all going to face the same problems. Now correct me if I'm wrong but, you have't paid for any of these repairs so I'm thinking GM has taken care of you. While it is a pain to deal with, you will have a car that works in the end. | |
| I understand that the problem with your head gasket is real, yes I know about the issue. What I am saying is that this is not the case for evry single 2.2 out there. And yes there are far more happy Cavalier owners that the ones that complain. Far more people buy another Cavalier when they are ready for a trade in than the ones that don't. It's a fact. I'm really sorry to hear that you are having this problem but believe me look up the NHTSA data for the 1994 Chevy Berretta and look at the complaints. I was told the same thing about me Beretta but guess what that was a trouble free, I repeat, TROUBLE FREE car. In my years of owning Chevies none of them have failed me and our Cavalier is one happy car. It's economical on gas, fun to drive, gets us from A to B with no hasle. Sorry your car gave your trouble but just because your car is a lemon and the ones in the NHTSA are lemons ( also keep in mind tons of those complaints are repeats or duplicates ) doesn't mean the whole car nameplate is bad, after all they are Chevies best selling car. Oh and before you give me the whole fleet thing ( really it sounds like a scratched 45) go to autosite.com and check the sales figures, those DO NOT include fleet sales. So stop complaining GM is fixing your car without you having to pay a penny, get over it. | |
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