Back in 2007, my father cancelled the booking for the Maruti Esteem & bought the Aveo. Fast forward to the present, he still enjoys driving the Chevy.

BHPian W16rocks recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I wanted to write about our Chevrolet Aveo and why it is very special to us.

A brief background

My family keeps shifting places due to my father’s job (I am 16 and already in my 10th school), and we change our cars every 5 years.

So this post will be a little nostalgic for me, as I will tell you about my family’s first car after my birth, bought on my first birthday, our Chevy (Chevrolet Aveo).

My family is very attached to this car as there is a unique bond that we share with it, after 15 years and a lakh kms it has become a family member to us.

In 2007 my father had already booked and paid the booking amount for Maruti Esteem to replace our Hyundai Santro, but just as we were going home we saw a Chevrolet showroom so my parents and my Grandfather visited it just to see their models as Chevrolet was fairly new in the Indian market at that time.

As soon I entered the showroom I ran towards this Platinum Aveo parked there and started trying to climb it (I was just a year old), and at that moment my Grandfather decided we were going to cancel our Esteem booking and get this car as we found it better in every aspect compared to the Esteem, and my father was happy to do so. And so that day itself (My Birthday) we got our Chevy home.

3 years ago

Aveo was 12 years old, no longer our main car, but still, my father and I did not want to let it go for the sake of nostalgia surrounding it.

Even though it has been maintained immaculately at Chevrolet workshops, due to its age and staying in all types of weather from Chhattisgarh to Goa, it had caught a lot of rust and its paint had also lost its shine. Also, its doors and windows had started developing issues, some engine work was also required due to a misfiring issue.

Still not finding the will to sell it, we took a financially bad, but emotionally good decision to get it repainted and overhauled. We got the quote from multiple paint shops but decided to stick with our trusted Chevrolet workshop.

So in the coming month, we gave our car to them for a complete overhaul. It was first stripped of its doors and interior, and then the rust was removed from all parts.

We also decided to change its colour to keep it interesting, we changed it from Platinum to Dark Blue, as we really liked this shade on the Ciaz (Nexa Blue).

We also decided to revamp the interiors with a new set of JBL Speakers, New seat covers, and a Blaupunkt Infotainment system to spruce it up.

We also got a new set of Michelins for it.

Present day

Today, at the time of writing this article, it has been three years since the overhaul, and still, my father enjoys driving it as much as he did the first time. Now I am getting my driving lessons on the Chevy.

The Chevy has turned 15, as I turn 16. And also its registration is getting extended for the next five years.

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The motive of procuring the Spark was to have a beater car which would enable me to learn to drive.

BHPian vishy76 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

19,000 km update:

I have been away from this thread for a very long time. Thanks partly to my signature procrastination and partly to the German Queen who shares garage with my Spark. Majority of the expenses incurred when it comes to the Spark have been more of wants than needs if one considers the fact that this is essentially a 9-year-old A-segment hatchback, not worth more than a 5-digit sum in the used car market.

I will list down everything that has happened in a chronological order since the commencement of my ownership around July, 2020. A scheduled service was carried out in December 2020, which included changing the oil, oil filter and air filter. Set me back a paltry 2700 bucks.

January, 2021:

I believe I have already mentioned the spark plugs and front dampers with the strut bearings were replaced in my initial ownership review itself. The latter was largely due to a large rut the car encountered on the front left-hand side, when I gingerly took it down what I thought was a gently sloping village trail littered with occasional shallow potholes. Unfortunately, I couldn’t have been more wrong. While traversing down this trail at fairly high speeds, the car went over a very deep rut on the front left-hand side, followed by a rather abrupt transition back to level ground. The Spark didn’t quite take well to this undulation as expected. A very nasty metallic twang emanated from the front left, forcing me to get off and check what had gone wrong instantly. While nothing seemed wrong at first glance, I could make out two anomalies as I racked up more miles:

• The car was slowly pulling to the left. The pull got worse with time.
• There was a prominent rattle from the front left-hand side over bad roads.
• After jacking the wheel up, I could feel some play in it and suspected a busted wheel bearing.

The Spark was sent over to my FNG who deduced that the play was due to a very weak damper and a failed strut bearing. A set of front dampers (Monroes) and new strut bearings were installed. The issue seemed to be solved though I felt no obvious difference in the way the car handled or rode. This exercise set me back close to 7K including labor.

Fast forward to June 2021, and the same rattling returned. Only this time, even releasing the clutch would cause it. I dropped the car off at a nearby FNG for the following:

• Fix whatever is wrong with the front left suspension.
• Do a full denting and painting for the boot lid (Had reversed into a pole once as mentioned before, leaving ugly dents which had become breeding grounds for rust).
• I also demanded that none of the badges except for the Chevrolet Bowtie be reused. A full debadge essentially.

The FNG got back with the following diagnosis:

• The front left strut mount had worn off prematurely leading to the same rattle. The front left wheel bearing was also weak and would need changing.
• He offered to repaint the entire hatch and bumper instead of a single portion. I gave the go ahead for a complete boot lid repaint, but demanded the bumper remain untouched.

The FNG did a good job of doing the repairs and repaint, except for one major mistake. As expected, the idiots went ahead and pasted the badges in a hurry without letting the paint dry sufficiently (and of course, ignoring my demands for the debadge). There was no way I could do anything. Trying to take the badges off would result in the paint peeling off too. Decided to leave it alone.

This job cost me around 7800 bucks in total, with around 4.5K going in for the denting and painting and the balance for the strut mount, strut bearing and the wheel bearing.

Fuel Pump Issue:

Around July, 2021, another issue reared its ugly head. Very shortly after this denting and painting job had been done with the suspension repairs, the car felt wonderful to drive, except for one hiccup. Flooring the gas pedal, would sometimes lead to a rather irritating jerk and hiccup. The car wouldn’t pick up seamlessly. This jerking got worse, especially with a drop in fuel levels. In the end, I had to enlist the help of fellow BHPian vigsom to troubleshoot the issue. Long story short, we both ended up doing 2-3 rounds of DIYs for R&D purposes. I will list down what was done with a few supporting images:

• Throttle body cleaned. Did lead to an improvement in overall performance but the jerking remained.
• Spark plugs and cables checked. Nothing wrong with them.
• Fuel pump assembly removed and dismantled. Fuel strainer found to be in very poor shape. Strainer changed. No improvement in performance.
• Bought an aftermarket fuel pump motor and fitted it to the assembly. Issue seemed resolved for a week and returned again.
• Finally, handed the car over to my FNG who changed the fuel pump feed pipe. This largely resolved the issue but the car still jerks when the fuel level goes anywhere close to reserve.

I didn’t want to invest 4000 bucks for a brand-new fuel pump assembly, especially considering the fact that it still wouldn’t guarantee an effective solution. Vigsom’s advice from the beginning had been to maintain an adequate level in the tank and forget the issue. I decided to be better late than never when it came to this, and simply stopped allowing the fuel level to drop below 2-3 bars (around 5-6L).

I do have to give the man credit where it’s due though. Vigsom could have simply said this was my D.I.Y idea, my car and my screw ups, washing his hands off the issue entirely (or not getting them dirty at all). However, he made sure we saw this issue through to (almost) the end. I don’t think I can ever find a D.I.Y partner as enthusiastic and passionate as him. I learnt a lot from him in the process, and I think this is a solid takeaway from the entire saga apart from having the chance to dismount and dismantle a fuel pump assembly from a car. It’s a D.I.Y I will remember for life.

Throttle body cleaned by vigsom using IPA and a cloth. Quite a lot of carbon on the circumference of the flap. Overall performance did improve by about 7-10 percent I would say:

The fuel pump being pulled out. WD40 or the rust smash I used is your best friend:

The old strainer. Reduced to a few pieces of fibre held together by some plastic. Had disintegrated completely otherwise:

Got a new strainer and bolted it to the pump, only to find that the fuel pump reservoir is too small to accommodate even this size of a strainer:

Had to go back and buy a smaller circular strainer. This one fitted perfectly to our relief:

Issue still not sorted. Went ahead and shoehorned a brand-new pump motor into the pump assembly. The issue went away for a week only to resurface. Decided to give up at this point. Even my FNG could only partly sort the issue out:

I might change the fuel filter for the sake of it in the future but I don’t expect any miracles in all honesty. This is one less than ideal functioning component or sub system I have been dissatisfied with but forgiven on the car.

To keep or not to keep:

The Spark’s usage shot up after the Jetta had to stay at the FNG for close to a month on account of major running repairs. My dad would use it for around 40-50 km on a daily basis. I also started racking up miles and the car breached the 19,000 km mark on the odo in no time. The yearly running from July, 2020 to July, 2021 was around 3500-4000 km. Quite a lot considering the average yearly running of the car was not more than 1700-1800 km when I got her home.

The motive of procuring the Spark was to have a beater car which would enable me to learn to drive. Post this, the car was destined to be sold off. However, I have developed a sense of respect for the Spark seeing it work day in and day out. Subtract all the repairs I listed above, and I am quite sure the car would still be limping around today (albeit, not in a condition I would have liked to keep it in). The thing just doesn’t have much to go wrong. Its been half a decade after GM left India, but spares are not a huge issue with a flurry of aftermarket vendors available. Scheduled maintenance costs peanuts.

Most importantly, it’s difficult to find a car like this today new. Most A-segment hatchbacks have turned to gimmickry and features rather than good old-fashioned solid engineering to attract customers. The Spark in my opinion, makes a solid case for itself here. Lastly, the abysmal resale value is yet another deterrent or a blessing in disguise, whichever way you look at it.

I have thus decided to retain the Spark for a minimum period of 2 years from now. Frankly, I would love to keep it all the way till the end of its legal life (another 5 years) and then do an objective analysis of what the future holds for it, but 2-3 more years isn’t a bad figure either. I thus decided to make a few more changes to it in the interest of long-term ownership.

Clutch cable adjustment:

I had been alternating between the Jetta and Spark for a very short period of time and had noticed the clutch on the Spark had a few abnormal traits:

• Firstly, the car would judder slightly 9/10 times when letting off in first. Unless you were really careful and released the clutch in a very gradual manner (impossible in traffic). Bhpian vigsom pointed out this is due to a slightly uneven wear on the pressure plate fingers and its not something to be very concerned about.
• The second issue was a bit more bothersome. The clutch bite point was way too high. It would only start biting when the pedal had completed more than 90 percent of its upward travel. This was really bothersome for me in peak traffic. I visited my trusted FNG, who gladly said the clutch would need replacement.

Objectively speaking, the clutch on this car has been replaced at 12K km thanks to my grandfather’s driving style. My dad isn’t very forgiving in this regard either. I didn’t really have much reason to doubt the FNG. Having said all this, I had no difficulty shifting gears, observed no slippage of the clutch and didn’t really see a reason to spend 5K just to get rid of the judder. I decided to go to another FNG and get the clutch cable adjusted. Mercifully, this did make a difference. The clutch now engages at around 60-70 percent travel and I find it much easier to modulate in traffic. The clutch will need an overhaul, but I don’t think its less than 7-10K km away.

Tyre change:

The stock Apollo Acceleres were 9 years old. Nuff said. I decided not to risk it and just change them. After evaluating a plethora of makes and sizes, I settled for Continental. I will still list down what I was quoted for various options below:

• MRF ZVTS 155/70 R13 – Rs. 3300/tyre.
• Continental CC6 155/70 R13 – Rs. 3750/tyre.
• Michelin XM2 155/70 R13 – Rs. 4250/tyre.

Special mention to the Acceleres first. I think these are hands down the best OE or Indian make tyres I have experienced on a car. Even at the end (or shall I say beyond the end) of their lives, they never really showed signs of giving up dangerously on the limit. The only reason for changing them were that they had gone rock hard (expected) and I ended up having close to 4 punctures on one tyre with two other tyres also showing signs of a slow puncture.

A small but significant lesson learnt the hard way. NEVER allow any garage or tyre shops to tighten the lug nuts using a pneumatic wrench. As good and quick as it sounds, it’s an absolute nightmare to get them off. I stood on the damn wrench, injured myself and finally had to take it to a puncture repair shop because only one nut would budge! This is the rear right tyre with 4 punctures. My tyre change was preponed thanks to this:

I decided that the Continental CC6 would be an appropriate successor to these tyres instead of the cheaper MRFs and went for them eyes closed.

Total bill:15,400 bucks (15K for the tyres and another 400 bucks for the valves).

Got the job done at a tyre outlet named Sarina Wheels on vigsom’s recommendation. They are a Michelin priority dealer too. The owner Arif was very welcoming, and the chaps there worked at a pace I have never seen before at any tyre shop here in Vadodara. I was out in less than 40 minutes. All in all, a great experience and I would definitely prefer this outlet for any tyre related work going forward.

The ride has become a lot more cushier post tyre change as expected. Bumps and potholes don't have a firm jarring edge anymore. Overall NVH has also gone up by leaps and bounds. Quite satisfed with these tyres to sum things up. Will pass verdicts on overall grip levels as I drive more.

Car jacked up in preparation for tyre change. I also took this opportunity to check the rear shocks for leaks:

No leakage from the rear dampers but the top bushes had cracked very badly on both. Additionally, the ride was still quite bouncy and crashy at the back:

The cracked top bush. Most bushes on the car show surface cracks thanks to age largely:

The old Apollo Acceleres. Plenty of meat left as expected, but rock hard and close to 4 punctures on one tyre (two very close to the sidewall). Made no sense continuing with them:

New rear dampers and brake pads ordered:

I was keeping a close eye on boodmo and realized the rear dampers were priced quite attractively. A pair of Monroe shocks for the back would set me back by about 2200 bucks. I asked BHPian Klub_class to order a pair for me along with a pair of brake pads of his choice. After taking feedback from BHPian Chiranjitp, he suggested Roulunds. Other choices were Bosch and IGB. Roulunds also worked out to be the cheapest of the lot, so decided to go with them.

The total amount came to a shade under 2400 bucks inclusive of discounts. Good value I would say. Thanks a tonne for placing the order for me Amith! The pads reached within 3-4 days while the dampers took close to 5 days. Not at all shabby. My first experience with boodmo was rather flawless in all honesty.

The Roulund’s brake pads. Current brake pads look good for another 5-7K km, so these will go into my shelf for now:

Getting the new dampers installed will have to wait since I have exhausted my budget for repairs now. Will get it done and update the thread when the time is right.

Outstanding Issues:

Its obvious a car closing in on the 10-year mark will have some niggles. I will list them down in order of urgency:

Ever since I got the car, the gear shifts have been very vague and rubbery. The car inherently has a notchy gearbox, but I was observing excess play in the gear lever even when in gear. I probed a bit further and found this dead play was due to slack in one of the shifter cables.

More specifically, it was coming from the end where the cable bolts to the GB selector. I will have to remove the retaining clip and disconnect the cable to check the condition of the bush on that end. It should be the bush though I don’t rule out a badly attached cable end either.

If it is the bush, I will remove the cable and have a new bush made on a lathe. This job isn’t very urgent, though it’s the first one I would undertake if given the chance.

Attached here are videos of the play in the gear lever and the loose selector cable end:

Video 1

Video 2

Secondly, one of the bushes in the front (ARB or the control arm) is clunking on full articulation at low speeds. It isn’t very bothersome for now but I would want to change this myself when the time is right.

Lastly, a service is due. I change oil based on condition on this car and the current oil can easily go another 6-8 months. I might change the air filter, clean the cabin filter and be done with it. The coolant also seems to be losing color gradually, so it might be something else I might tackle next service.

The IRVM fell off one fine day. I M-sealed it back and its seated perfectly. Might swap to a Honda auto dimming IRVM if I can somehow find a compatible mount for my car:

Future Upgrades:

Have ordered a headlight relay kit to upgrade the lousy stock headlamps. Will be creating a separate thread on it later:

A few parting shots for your viewing pleasure:

With an Alto for company. Please excuse the dirty car:

With an Ignis for company. My favorite spec of the Ignis. The 1.2 K-series Delta Manual. Excellent VFM. Both cars do share a lot of traits when it comes to aesthetics including a quirky rear end:

Current odo reading is around 19,400 km:

That’s all for now folks. Thanks for reading through.

Cheers!

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The first-year experience has been 99% hassle-free, with no expenses other than the ones spent on fuel.

BHPian Arayan5614 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

About a year back bought a preowned car through Spinny (not a sponsored post).

The very first delivery experience was mixed:

• Team came on time as requested to deliver (wanted it to be delivered at my place in a specific time window - Muhurat!).
• The car wiring had rat bites and all the lights weren't working.
• The team was super prompt in taking the car back and solving the issues.

The Car: Chevrolet Sail U-VA, 2014, 20k km, 1st owner :

Lazy me using the pics from Spinny, avoiding extra work of hiding registration plate Though the car is in 99% with the same look till today.

Why a preowned car?

• I am an ex-entrepreneur, run a travel startup and never felt a need of owning a car.
• Moved to Bangalore after an exit from my startup and was mostly using cab services, scooty and carpool.
• Somewhere there was also a plan to move abroad and a new car would have been a liability / loss-making decision given depreciation on a new car.

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face" - Mike Tyson.

• The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown followed was punch on the face to most of us or on our plans at least.
• Long story short, with little uncertainty of cash flow, most international borders closed I was left with a very few options.
• Also this was the time I got severe knee pain and had to take Dr. help, just to visit a Dr. 5km from my place my co-brother had to drive from another edge of Bangalore (30km one side) to pick me up and take to the Dr. and then he would go back the same distance to his family.

So, there was an immediate realization of the need for a car and a preowned, certified and budget car just seemed to fit the situation perfectly.

I went with the Chevy Sail U-VA for three reasons: An LT came at just Rs. 2.85L, Chevy still has a service centre in Bangalore and the car's seating is as spacious as a Dzire, i20 etc

1st year my ownership experience:

• The first-year experience has been 99% hassle-free, with no expenses other than the ones spent on fuel.
• There were minor issues like noise from the timing belt, fault in indicators and hard AC knobs - which the seller's team was able to solve for me ( the car came with one year warranty and all these issues were solved under that warranty including free pick up and drop).
• We took some long drives with this car covering coastal Karnataka in 7 days trip - Bangalore > Mangalore > Udupi > Shivasamundram > Shimoga > Bangalore

Happily relaxing in Udupi resort:

The warranty of the car got extended by 6 months from the seller platform on the ground of almost no running during lockdowns, which was again a welcome and satisfactory move.

IMO two major repairs after 1st year are:

• Change of water pump - cost Rs. 4844 ( pump + coolant + labor )
• Change of Tensioner and Bracket - Cost Rs. 3418 ( parts + labor)
• Minor - Paid Rs. 250 for window motor wiring carbon removal.
• Upgraded lights to 90/10 from 55/60 - ~2200 for bulbs and relay + 250 labor.

Few more pics of the car:

By now you would have guessed that this is my first owned car and I love it like a high-school sweetheart.

Now the big question:

• Am I happy with my decision to buy this car? - Absolutely 100% - in this budget, this kind of service, reliability, comfort and space - exceeds my expectations every day.
• How long will I keep this car? - I shall keep it for one more year at least or as long as I'm not going out of the country for a long time.

While I was writing this article, realized I need to get double-check the accuracy of the fuel gauge given its erratic readings in recent days.

Coastal Karnataka trip deserves a dedicated post, would try soon share that.

Thank you!

Here's what BHPian IshaanIan had to say about the matter:

Great car at a great price not many folks understand what good value a used Chevrolet (one that's made in India) is. Sure the Cruze and Captiva might be tough to maintain but cars like the Spark, Beat and the UVA are comfy honest to god little no-nonsense hatchbacks with solid engineering that's gone behind making them reliable and robust, as well as cheap spares since they were produced here.

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