Now the Chevrolet Cruze is not officially represented in Russia, but on the secondary market of these cars you can find a lot. Does it make sense to buy such a used car of this model?
For the first time the Chevrolet Cruze appeared in 2008 in South Korea, where it was called Daewoo Lacetti Premiere, which replaced the Lacetti, produced since 2001. In Russia, all Chevrolet Cruze collected in St. Petersburg, where General Motors produced this car since September 2009.
The body of the Chevrolet Cruze is painted quite well, chips or scratches appear only from really serious impact, from large road pebbles. High-quality bodywork that chips do not bloom right away. Only on the earliest cars could paint sometimes swell and corrosion appeared on the trunk lid.
But here the chrome elements exfoliate over time, the grille can even be changed if the appearance of the car is important, the cost of this grille is $ 125. Even on the doorknobs, chrome swells too. On cars produced before 2010, the bumper can move away from the wing, this is not yet a sign of an accident. If the machine has been standing for a long time in extreme heat, the lining may start to sag by itself, because the fastening clips are rather weak.
After some time, the wheel begins to climb, there were cases that already on a run of 30,000 km. during TO had to change the steering wheel warranty. The new steering wheel, by the way, costs $ 125. Then, after restyling in 2010, they changed the coating on the steering wheel and the paint on the steering wheel began to stay longer. The chairs are trimmed with dermantine, so over time they will climb too.
Salon after years does not look very tired, except that the plastic is scratched and creaks sometimes. If the windows freeze in the cold, it is better not to try to open them immediately, because the glass will come out of the latches. The stove does not have time to immediately blow the steaming windows, and the whole thing is not a clogged cabin filter, but in such a design of air ducts. If all of a sudden hot or cold air from the nozzles or even the air stops blowing, it means that the thrust valves, which are not very strong, have broken because they are made of plastic. These thrusts together with the case cost 85 dollars. Already after 5 years of operation, the wipers begin to peel the paint.
It also happens that the heating of the front seats fails. New heating elements cost $ 120. They can also turn up the central locking, fuel level sensor and audio system. Since the button, which opens the trunk lock, is badly protected from dampness, it is often inconvenient that the trunk cannot be opened immediately. The new trunk lock costs $ 35. Very often, this button was changed under warranty after 10,000 km.
By the way, even if the button sometimes junk, you still do not need to delay the repair, because the contacts will be short and the battery will quickly discharge. There are even cases that for no reason, the headlights themselves turn on in the parking lot, here you will need to call an electrician who will make a software update.
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Motors
Chevrolet Cruises Russian assembly all staffed with gasoline engines. They are pretty reliable, but they still have some problems. The most popular engine is the 1.6-liter engine of the F16D3 series, which was inherited from the Chevrolet Lacetti, and before that, it stood on the Daewoo Nexia. In general, the motor is normal, only after 60,000 km. plastic valve cover gasket starts snotting, it costs only $ 12, but it will still have to spend money on work. Over time, the oil is already beginning to flow a lot, it floods the candles and disables the high-voltage wires. Deposits appear on the valve stems.
After 100,000 km. the oil run starts flowing from everywhere - through the oil pan, sealing the cylinder head and even through the filler neck. Cars manufactured before 2013 may even stall at idle, speed swim. You also need to monitor the throttle to keep it clean, and do not forget to update the programs of the engine control unit.
There have also been cases of failing ignition coils, which cost $ 35, for every 2 cylinders there is 1 coil. Hydro supports in the valve mechanism do not serve for a long time, they cost $ 10 each to serve longer, you just need to change the oil every 10,000 km, and not 15,000 as indicated in the regulations. The engine uses a timing belt, it must also not forget to change on time.
There are also Ecotec engines that have been installed in the Opel Vectra Since 2002. This is a series of Z, there are 1.6-liter and 1.8-liter engines. About 34% of cars with 1.8-liter engines. In these engines, the timing is more reliable, there are no hydropushers, so the valve must be adjusted with the help of washers, but this will need to be done approximately by 150,000 km.
Chevrolet Cruises, produced before 2013 with the 1.8 engine, were distinguished by not very successful fuel lines, in which depressurization could occur. On this occasion, the dealers even made a revocable campaign, so you need to find out from the previous owner whether the connections in the fuel line were changed; if not, it is better to do it yourself. The computer under the hood is not very well located, that if you decide to wash the engine, then you need to do it carefully, because if water gets into the unit, it will fail.
If a diesel engine suddenly appears in the engine, on a run of 80,000 km., Then this means that you need to look under the valve cover. You will have to change gears that have worn out, they cost about $ 100, also camshafts with a camshaft control system and an electromagnetic valve that controls the phase displacement, if the filter mesh clogged in it, such a valve costs $ 65. Oil scraper rings lie down, therefore the oil consumption increases to 1 liter per 1000 km. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the level of oil, change it more often, it is also desirable to change the spark plug in time so that the ignition module does not fail.
You can find on the Cruise the newest engine - the turbocharged 1.4 - A14 series, which first appeared on the Opel Astra in 2009. In 2013, it began to be installed on Cruise afterrestayling. This motor also likes to eat oil, because it flows out through the valve cover. But on the other hand, for a long time, there are no problems with valve hydraulic supports, turbocharger and timing gears. The only thing that can happen is the failure of the mass air flow sensor after 80,000 km. It costs $ 130. Also, the adsorber valve and intake manifold can become clogged. It also happens that the bearing of the pump starts to whistle, it costs $ 50.
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This is what causes no problems in Kruz, it’s the D16 five-speed manual gearbox, which came from Opel Vectra A. The clutch really needs to be changed after 80,000 km. It will cost 270 dollars plus work. Already on the mileage of 100 000 km. there are backlashes in the gearbox, but it can be eliminated without disassembling the box, and if there are extraneous sounds during the squeezing of the clutch, it is not terrible - just lubricate the axle. In addition, it is necessary to monitor the switching mechanism, as there is a rather weak plastic sleeve backstage and it can break, and the drive cables wear out and suddenly jump off due to lack of oil.
But this is all nonsense compared to what the Cruz owner can expect with an automatic transmission. This 6-speed automatic transmission series 6T30 / 6T40, it is also also called in GM - GF6. These boxes have a lot of problems - hydrotransformers, friction clutches, oil pump bushings, chain covers, etc., have broken. Everything that could break, broke. These boxes were repaired after 30,000 km. run If the box will live to 100 000 - it will be a very big rarity and it is clear that the owner drove carefully and changed the oil on time.
These boxes were constantly upgraded, each year the box was going through updates and bug fixes. So, if you decide to take the Cruise with an automatic transmission, then you need to look for younger cars. Well, in the end, the resource of automatic transmissions increased to approximately 180,000 km. It is necessary to ensure that the box does not overheat, the oil must be changed every 50,000 km. With a filter. The box is prone to overheating, so you can even put additional cooling.
Suspension
But the suspension in the Cruise is simple, the same as in the Opel Astra. McPherson struts in front, and a semi-dependent beam at the back. Therefore, the suspension was very durable. Rear silent blocks run over 150,000 km., Cost $ 30 each. The front levers of aluminum serve 100,000 km. On machines manufactured until 2013 consumables are not so much: shock absorbers for $ 110, bushings for 8, stabilizer bars for 20. Rear shock absorbers cost $ 75 each, but they can fail faster if anthers of the rods fall.
After 2013, the shock absorbers became better, so there were really few problems with the suspension. In the power steering over time, there are a lot of extraneous sounds. If the power steering pump is worn out, a characteristic noise will appear, then it’s better to replace it, it costs $ 200, you also need to change the power steering fluid right away. And on newer cars appeared electric power steering, which already delivers less complexity.
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The brake system can also emit noises, especially when the pads are warped, on the oldest cars it is heard most of all. When even the finger guides are worn out, in the Cruze, when driving over each bump, ringing noise from the brakes is heard. At the dealerships they struggled with this, but they didn’t come up with anything significant - you just need to clean and lubricate the guides about once a year, at each maintenance.
The front brake discs are rather weak, if they are often sharply slowed down, then after 30,000 they can lead, and if they get very hot and in this state to drive into a puddle, it will disable them. New front wheels are worth $ 250. So the hassle with a used Chevrolet Cruze can be enough. But the price in the secondary market for this car is quite attractive. Every year the price of Cruise falls pretty quickly. The best purchase will be considered a car after restyling with a 1.6 engine and manual transmission. Such a car can buy for 400,000 rubles.
Feeling behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Cruze
The car is quite strong, in 2009, even conducted a crash test Euro NCAP, where the car with 6 airbags received the highest rating. During the strike, the interior almost did not deform, and the doors opened. With a frontal impact, the driver and passenger are normally protected. With a side impact, you can also avoid serious injury. Children in child seats will also be well protected, but the safety of the transitions here is quite low, because the edge of the hood is quite traumatic.
If you drive this car, you will immediately notice that it is slightly slower up to 3000 revolutions per minute, and at high revs the machine does not allow you to play fast, because it is slow. Also, there is no sport mode in the car, but there is a manual mode in which you can ride more quickly, but the main thing is not to forget to switch speeds, because the box in manual mode will not switch either up or down.
Handling Cruise is not the best, the sensitivity to the actions of the steering is low. If the car travels in an arc, the steering wheel turns a little independently, you have to get used to it. The car has a stabilization system that can not be disabled. In terms of comfort, on a bad road, the Cruze sedan rides better over bumps than a hatchback. But the energy intensity of the suspension is clearly not enough. Each fossa is strongly felt. But in general, the Chevrolet Cruze is a good car for its money, it is not much worse than other cars in this class, but it is much cheaper.
