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Chevrolet Cavalier

2171 messages,  Last post on Aug 23, 2012 at 6:41 PM

You are in the Chevrolet Cavalier Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Cavalier, Sedan

Messages Page 53 of 218

#516 of 2171 wheels squilling ? by joerell

Jun 24, 2001 (4:52 pm)

I brought a used white 2dr 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier, with 48,395 miles on it on June 6, 2001 and it wasn't until June 22, 2001 I heard a scratchy squiling noise only when I turn my steering wheel left, or move it slightly to the left. I really dont know whats wrong or what is it. can anyone give me advice or comments about the noise on what it is. Thank You

#517 of 2171 Cavalier is CRAP! by tony22r

Jun 27, 2001 (10:02 am)

Stay AWAY from General Motors; they make Garbage that breaks down on you, then they treat YOU like Trash!
 
* 2K - center console broke. dealer said *I* broke it and refused to fix it! after i Yelled at them for half an hour, they said to leave the car at the dealer for a Week so the parts could be special-ordered! I told the dealer to screw themselves, i got parts from a salvage yard and fixed it myself.
 
* 10K - Wiring Short, kept blowing fuses. Dealer could not find problem, said i was probably playing the radio too loud! Took me half a day with a multimeter, finally found a Wire was Pinched between 2 body panels causing a Short! was like this since Brand NEW from Factory! I re-routed wiring away from body panels and fixed exposed wires.
 
* 15K - LOTS of rattles, vibration, trim & weatherstripping falling off, dashboard pieces popping loose, controls & buttons breaking and falling off. Tranny fluid pan and engine oil pan began to leak fluid all over my garage floor.
 
* 20K - had to replace Alternator AND Starter.
 
* 23K - "Check Engine Soon" light came on intermittently. Engine began to hesitate/chug/lose power at certain temperatures and altitudes. Dealership could not duplicate problem and said there was "nothing" to fix!
 
* 30K - plastic radiator drain cock broke, dumped radiator fluid all over my garage. Dealership refused to fix, saying it was a "normal maintenance" item. I replaced with a brass drain cock from Pep Boys. p.s. i got to know the people at Pep Boys Very Well! they told me they have Lots of AC-Delco parts in stock because they Break all the time! I found out AC-Delco stands for "Always Crappy - Don't Expect Long Component Operation".
 
* 37K - Head Gasket blew! Dealership refused to fix since I was 1K over warranty miles and was S.O.L.! Took me 1.5 days and i put in new FelPro gaskets myself.
 
* 67K - my Cavalier is now sitting on jackstands in my backyard. Broken down! Too many things needing to be fixed: charging system, gasket leaks, computer, transmission, windows fell off the track, runs for 10 minutes then stalls, won't start sometimes, "Check Engine Soon" light is ON Constantly along with ABS/Seatbelt/Brake warning lights, burns white smoke/blue smoke, uses a quart of oil every week.
 
I bought this car new, am the original owner, and maintained it well; changed oil every 3K, rotated tires every 10K, flushed coolant every 2 summers, etc. but in the end this Chevy OWNED ME! I have Wasted TOO much time, money, and effort trying to keep this Pig running!
 
If you want a Reliable vehicle STAY AWAY from General Motors vehicles! They use cheap/defective parts, won't honor their own warranties, have shoddy workmanship and total disregard for quality control, and rude dealerships who are happy to "Sell" you their garbage but when something goes wrong they Don't Know You!
 
If you're just renting or leasing for a few years then it doesn't matter... get whatever you fancy... in a few years, lease is over, it'll be someone else's problem and not yours.
 
But if you want something Reliable for you and your family, that won't Waste your time and money with constant repairs and parts, then do yourself (and the environment) a favor.
Get yourself a Toyota, Honda, or Nissan. The junkyards are already Overpopulated with too many broken down Chevys, Fords, and Dodges.
I used to believe that american automakers have come a long way and I used to believe in "buying american", but time and again i have been disappointed by the very low quality junk that they build, along with all the recalls, and horrible customer service.
It's a shame i can no longer trust my hard-earned money with any vehicles made by the "Big 3".

#518 of 2171 tony22r by dindak

Jun 28, 2001 (5:14 am)

Wow... that's quite a rant. Of course that is your experience, not the average experience. Their are always lemons and if what you say is true, you got one. Most people including our family have been generally pleased with Cavaliers. We currently have a 99 and it's been flawless.
 
Having a bad experience and writing off all American cars is not fair. It's too bad you had that experience though.

#519 of 2171 tony22r by 7937

Jun 28, 2001 (6:15 am)

What year and model is it and where was it made? I've had no trouble with my 99 2.2L 4sp. automatic at all. It would be nice if people who had problems with their cars gave us those details so that we could see if there is a pattern to these complaints. Somebody else earlier on also complained about their Cavalier without giving any details as to what model it was even though I asked them to let us know.

#520 of 2171 TONY by tazereli

Jun 28, 2001 (9:20 am)

RUN! DO NOT WALK TO YOUR LAWYER AND SE IF YOUR STATE HAS A LEMON LAW ON THE BOOKS. YOU SOUND LIKE A PRIME CANDIDATE TO ME BUT THEN IM NOT A LAWYER. iF YOU HAVE ALL YOUR MAINTTENANCE PAPERWORK AND PARTS PAPERWORK YOU SHOULD HAVE A GOOD CHANCE AT AT LEAST GETTING SOMTHING OUT OF GM. GOOD LUCK!

#521 of 2171 tony22r by joe3891

Jun 28, 2001 (10:09 am)

I recommend Prozac.

#522 of 2171 Mine has been flawless by dweezil

Jun 30, 2001 (5:57 am)

99 2.2 4speed auto,just turned 20,000 miles.
There IS a question I have though and my friend Bob has been renting a car every 2 weeks to transport his Dad around. He's had three or four "J"s as rentals the last one REAL bad, pieces falling off etc.I asked him if it was built in Mexico or Lordstown Ohio.
He said he's check the next time he rented.
I went to the dealer where I bought mine,most of them had where they were produced on a little piece of paper that is stuck inside the rear window with "Total US content" and final assembly plant "Lordstown Ohio". There's even that Union sticker.
On the really inexpensive ones the paper that told where final assembly was done was hidden behind the smog sticker that tells you where the car rates between 0.0 and 3.0 particulates per million etc.
I have heard a rumor that the ones from Mexico are not as well built. I know that VW is having trouble on that score as well with the New Beetle.
At any rate, I'd have gone to a different IMMEDIATELY had I been accused to abusing the car and causing it to screw up.
Joe3891 and 7937: have you heard of Cavaliers built south of the border being less well built than the N. American ones?

#523 of 2171 dweezil by 7937

Jun 30, 2001 (6:43 am)

I have heard that story about cars built south of the border being more troublesome. My Cavalier has a sticker inside the passenger window saying it was built at Lordstown.
 
The only problem I've had so far was an issue with the wheel lugnuts working loose. I'll write to GM and tell them about it. The cause of that problem was the wheel covers. Three of the 5 lugnuts hold the cover in place.The lugnuts have a collar that rests on the cover. What was happening was that the collar would contact the cover before the tapered end of the nut seated in the taper of the wheel. It's hard to describe but if you look at your wheels and covers you'll see what I mean - that is if they are not snap-on covers. Anyway, I solved the problem by buying a set of new lugnuts and snap-on covers. Just use a good quality torque wrench and tighten to 100ft.lbs as per user manual to avoid brake pulsation and other nasty problems.

#524 of 2171 dweezil by joe3891

Jul 01, 2001 (4:32 am)

All the j cars in NE come from Lordstown,I didn't know they built them in Mexico until I got on the web.The assy place is in all the VIN codes 11's code 7 is Lordstown.The first code is country,1-USA 2-CAN 3-MEXICO.Just read the VIN.
 
They changed the wheel cover install in 00,the covers nuts screw on to threaded lug nuts.I owned a 94 and the wheel nuts held the covers on & in 120,000 mi never had a problem,when I read your first post I was puzzled.

#525 of 2171 joe3891 by 7937

Jul 01, 2001 (5:37 am)

It's possible that the covers I had were not up to spec. The nuts must fit through a hole in the cover and a collar on the nut holds it in place. The extension where the nut fits through is too long and gets squeezed between the nut and the wheel. The fact that the mounting method was changed in 2000 is interesting. My Cav.is 99. Anyway, as I have said, I've solved the problem. Other than that I can't complain about my car.

Messages Page 53 of 218

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