7th Jul 2010, 07:26
Oh, it was the clutch. Yes, I'm not hard on clutches either, had a VW TDI that had 150K on it, and when I measured the disc thickness, it was still 75% good. The clutch is a wear item, and some wear more than others, and yes as the 2nd owner, it could well have been that someone abused the car.
My point is when the dealer had to rebuild the trans, and they were asked about the condition of the clutch, the dealer obviously didn't look. They would have seen that it was badly worn. They apparently decided not to even remove the pressure plate to take a look, despite the fact that they were right there.
It is a cheaply made car, and it shows. And the feel of a clutch is a rather useless point, as on a hydraulic clutch you won't feel anything until it's really worn out.
7th Jul 2010, 14:59
I'm not arguing that it wasn't your clutch. And I agree with you on the Cobalt being a cheaply made vehicle. It's had many recalls related to serious steering and front end issues. It's also a very unsafe vehicle for that reason.
By the way, I don't drive a Cobalt either so I wasn't defending it. I drive an '07 Hyundai Elantra with a 5 speed. 80,000 miles and the clutch is just fine. And I'm perfectly aware that the clutch is a wear item.
11th Dec 2013, 20:59
After selling my 2000 Cavalier coupe to my brother-in-law with 130,000 trouble free miles on it (he still owns it with 200,000 miles, with no repairs to the engine or transmission), I decided to replace it with an 2006 Cobalt with 19,000 miles on it in 2008.
It is the base LS model coupe with 5 speed manual. I added a spoiler, special wheels, tires and power sunroof. All of this with a total cost of around $11,000. I now have 110,000 miles and still can't believe the low cost of maintaining this car. I had to replace the control bushings, which seem to be a weak spot, costing only $120.00.
Just replaced brakes for a total of $250.00. Let's see. A total of $370.00 dollars in 6 years, other than oil changes. I hope your Japanese models are as cheap.
I'm constantly getting compliments on this car also. It performs and rides great. Actually these cars were tops in their class for their ride and low interior noise level. Too bad they don't make the Cruze in coupe form. Small four door sedans look like geek mobiles. I guess I'll have to find another low mileage Cobalt coupe when the time comes.
2nd Jul 2010, 16:34
The clutches on all the manual transmission vehicles I've owned easily went 140,000 miles. Clutch on my current vehicle has 80,000 miles on it, and still feels like the day I drove it off the dealer lot.