2000 Daewoo Lanos review from North America
"Decent cheap car for 3 years or less"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Intermittent check engine light. Dealer said engine wiring harness was faulty. Replaced.
Lack of performance after wiring harness change, again intermittent check engine light. Dealer replaced spark plugs, problem solved.
Head gasket started leaking water at approx. 20,000 miles. Dealer replaced.
Car stalls for no apparent reason VERY rarely, but still happens. Annoying when it happens, but not dangerous so far, always happens when pulling away from a stop.
Rear window defrost grid half broken. Top half defrosts, lower half does not.
Vent controls for the heater/AC are screwed up. Defrost is completely inoperative, and certain settings allow heat to come out of vents that the switch is not set to.
Brake rotors *constantly* warping, replacement or resurfacing every 15,000 miles is "normal" with this car. Symptom is steering wheel shaking during braking.
General comments?
The above problems are what I personally would consider typical of a "cheap" new car. Most major faults occurred during the 3/36,000 warranty period, the "annoying" things, the front/rear defrost issues, have occurred after the warranty period. My personal belief is that the minor failures that have happened now are due to the low purchase price... build it as cheap as possible, to get through the 3/36 warranty.
Dealer service was excellent, to include free rental car for repairs that took more than one day.
No clock on the radio is bizarre to say the least. Never noticed how useful the car clocks are until I didn't have one.
In my opinion this is a "disposable" car, which should be traded/sold before the warranty is up. Offers good service for the price, but not reliable enough in the long run unless you have no plans to sell, and either feel like fixing it yourself, or putting up with the minor inconveniences.
Recommended reviews
| This car blows chunks bigger than that kid in Stephen King's The Body (stand by me). |
|
| A great, practical, functional set of wheels |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 2000 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 4 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 9 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 44000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 10th February, 2003 |