2015 Chevy Sonic used oil

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted By: Alex_V
Modern turbos can last. Most people just buy new turbo cars and run them like their old N/A Honda or small block Chevy - cheap oil changed every year... or two... or whenever the engine gets torn down. My '13 Cruze is at 98,700 and the only non-maintenance part on the engine that isn't original is the coolant outlet. It's one thing to stick to the old method until the new one is proven, but if the car sees 7,500+ miles per year you're wasting money draining any good oil (like Mobil Super syn) before 5,000 mi., especially on the 1.8.

In my 1.4T Cruze I've drained Synpower every 5,000 mi. - it comes out black but the engine is still about as clean as it could get.


Did you have to replace the plastic thermostat housing on your engine .

I read it is a chronic problem on the 1.8l Sonic's . Have not had to replace it on our Sonic , yet .

God bless
Wyr

 

[gabriel9766]

Originally Posted By: WyrTwister
Originally Posted By: gabriel9766
I dont think the 1.8 and 1.4 EcoTec engines are DI. But the 1.4 is a bit harder on oil w/ the turbo. The chevy dealership i bought my malibu from tried to get me in a sonic w the 1.4T, told them [censored] no to small.

My malibu is DI and i run the OLM down to 15% before i change it, Which is about 5-6k on the cheapest full syn 0w20. On the dipstick the oil is a light brown but when i drain it its black as can be.


My Wife & i are in the large economy size . The Sonic is just big enough for us . As I get older with more aches and pains , I notice the car's interior space more . Especially on road trips .

We would have looked at a Malibu , when we purchased the Sonic , if we could have gotten it for the same money .

For that reason ( and others ) about a month ago , we purchased a 2006 Buick Lacrosse CX 3.8l automatic with 37,000 + miles on it . More room , smother , quieter .

It calls for dino oil at 3000 miles . I think . The dealer supposedly had the oil changes before we took delivery .

A few weeks ago Home Depot had Shell 5W-30 dino oil on sale for $ 10 for a 5 quart jug . I bought 5 jugs . May use it in the Buick and / or the lawn mowers .

I agree , I do not think the 1.8l is DI . Hope not , I read of oil deposits building up on the back side of the valves . I think the latest and greatest uses both DI and intake port or intake runner injection ?

Thanks ,

The 1.8 and 1.4T are also to underpowered for me i went from a 2010 impala with the 3.5L 6cyl to the DI 2.5L 4cyl EcoTec. Lost about 15HP going to the malibu but i can get 39mpg on the highway with the malibu.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted By: WyrTwister
Mobil 5W-30 Super Synthetic ( one grade below Mobil 1 )


???? I don't think that oil is Dexos approved

 

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted By: gabriel9766
Originally Posted By: WyrTwister
Originally Posted By: gabriel9766
I dont think the 1.8 and 1.4 EcoTec engines are DI. But the 1.4 is a bit harder on oil w/ the turbo. The chevy dealership i bought my malibu from tried to get me in a sonic w the 1.4T, told them [censored] no to small.

My malibu is DI and i run the OLM down to 15% before i change it, Which is about 5-6k on the cheapest full syn 0w20. On the dipstick the oil is a light brown but when i drain it its black as can be.


My Wife & i are in the large economy size . The Sonic is just big enough for us . As I get older with more aches and pains , I notice the car's interior space more . Especially on road trips .

We would have looked at a Malibu , when we purchased the Sonic , if we could have gotten it for the same money .

For that reason ( and others ) about a month ago , we purchased a 2006 Buick Lacrosse CX 3.8l automatic with 37,000 + miles on it . More room , smother , quieter .

It calls for dino oil at 3000 miles . I think . The dealer supposedly had the oil changes before we took delivery .

A few weeks ago Home Depot had Shell 5W-30 dino oil on sale for $ 10 for a 5 quart jug . I bought 5 jugs . May use it in the Buick and / or the lawn mowers .

I agree , I do not think the 1.8l is DI . Hope not , I read of oil deposits building up on the back side of the valves . I think the latest and greatest uses both DI and intake port or intake runner injection ?

Thanks ,

The 1.8 and 1.4T are also to underpowered for me i went from a 2010 impala with the 3.5L 6cyl to the DI 2.5L 4cyl EcoTec. Lost about 15HP going to the malibu but i can get 39mpg on the highway with the malibu.


The 1.8l in a car the size / weight of the Sonic has all the power I require . And pretty good gas mileage .

On another subject . When I go to refill the engine with new oil , from the 5 quart jug , I first try to pour about 4 quarts . I then start the engine to fill the filter & the internal oil passages . I discovered , first time I did this , if I leave the oil filler cap off , the engine runs badly . Re-install the oil filler cap & the engine runs normally . Leaving the oil filler cap off in effect , creates an enormous vacuum leak .

 

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: WyrTwister
Mobil 5W-30 Super Synthetic ( one grade below Mobil 1 )


???? I don't think that oil is Dexos approved


Yep , pretty sure it is .

https://www.mobil.com/english-us/passenger-vehicle-lube/pds/glxxmobil-super-synthetic

I think it is the first oil I used in the little red Sonic , purchased on sale at Advance Auto Parts . When I can find it at or close to the same price as Super Synthetic , I also purchase Mobil 1 5W-30 .

When we purchased the car , we received 4 free oil / filter changes from GM .

Do it has had 4 oil / filter changes at the Chevrolet dealer . I assume with AC Delco Dexos oil & AC filter ?

 

[BAJA_05]

You get what you pay for in life -- you payed for a sonic & you got a sonic. Not gonna twist any necks either way with it.

 

[WyrTwister]

Yep , absolutely true .

We purchased it for price . At the time , our old 1996 Chevy Lumina had quit ( transmission went out ) . Car was not worth the cost of a transmission job .

We needed another car . I am getting to the age where I am going to be less able to work on cars . As time goes by , even less . The idea of a car with a warranty sounded like a good idea .

So , I started shopping on the internet . Found this Sonic about 125 miles away ( dealer A ) . We test drove a Sonic locally & asked the dealer ( dealer B ) if they would match the price of the other dealer ( dealer A ) . He declined .

So , after calling dealer A , made a commitment to come look at the Sonic no latter than the coming weekend .

As it happened , that Friday AM , I had to go to the same town , for work , to meet with a person . My Wife and I loaded up in the company truck and headed north . After I finished with the meeting , my wife and I headed 20 - 30 blocks to dealer A .

Test drove it , my Wife was OK with it ( almost identical to the Sonic we had test driven at dealer B ) . We proceeded to purchase the car for the advertised internet price .

I drove the company truck home late that afternoon & Wifey drove the Sonic home . Done deal .

We like the little red Sonic . My Wife runs the wheels off of it . Only thing is , it gets to be a little small after about 4 hours on the road . But I kind of figured that before we purchased it . But , at the time , it was just about all I felt I could afford for a car .

 

[BAJA_05]

Glad it worked out for you & your wife. Hope the Sonic takes care of use for a long time.

 

[Alex_V]

Neither the 1.8 or the 1.4 found in '11-16 Sonic and Cruze are DI.

I counted the 1.4T's lack of timing belt and better fuel mileage as worth the risk of a turbo.

 

[WyrTwister]

Good points

How much extra does the 1.4 cost ?

As far as the chain , I am an old duffer . I am used to the idea of a timing chain . I am comfortable with it .

However , if you do drive it long / far enough to require replacement of the chain & kit , I wonder if it is more involved / difficult / expensive than a belt replacement ? I do not know .

Both from the prospective of DIY and from the prospective of hiring it done .

The increased gas mileage is a valid point . I do not know how many dollars it represents over , say , 100,000 miles .

Trade offs .

Thanks ,

 

[JoelB]

My wife has a 2014 sonic 1.8 also. It's a good little car, seems to be built fairly well. The auto trans seems a little jerky around town sometimes but other than that it's got enough power.

What mileage is your OLM recommending? If you were going to run it to zero i mean. My wife does tons of short tripping and hers still seems to shoot for 7k miles. Seems high to me.

 

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted By: thorromig
Glad it worked out for you & your wife. Hope the Sonic takes care of use for a long time.


I have been driving company pickup trucks for close to 35 years . Sooner or latter , I will fully retire & loose the company truck .

Looking ahead , we will eventually need a 2nd vehicle . I would like to have a truck , but they are insanely expensive , when you talk about it coming out of my pocket .

About a month ago , we purchased a 2006 Buick Lacrosse CX 3.8l with 37,000 + miles . This agrees with the CarFax . I would say it is in 90% - 95% condition with good rubber on the road .

I have spent a few hundred dollars on it for preventive maintenance . It will probably become our road car . And , eventually , the 2nd car I will mostly drive .

It naturally burns more gas . Last week Wifey took it to see her brother 7 sister in law . Maybe 100 miles round trip . Guess-o-meter showed about 24.5 MPG . Only time we have had it out of town .

The big hit is the cost of insurance for a 2nd car . :-(

Thanks ,

 

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted By: JoelB
My wife has a 2014 sonic 1.8 also. It's a good little car, seems to be built fairly well. The auto trans seems a little jerky around town sometimes but other than that it's got enough power.

What mileage is your OLM recommending? If you were going to run it to zero i mean. My wife does tons of short tripping and hers still seems to shoot for 7k miles. Seems high to me.


Well , ours is a 6 speed automatic & I am guessing yours is too . It does a fair amount of shifting from 0 to 30 / 35 MPH . But I figured it was natural ?

How many miles on your Sonic ? We have 37,000 + on our little red Sonic .

Unfortunately , there is no transmission dip stick on ours . :-(

There is a plastic " cap " to remove to add ATF . There is a little threaded plug on the bottom of the transmission to drain the ATF and an over flow / level check plug on the side .

Were it me , I would do a drain and fill . There is no DIY serviceable filter in that transmission . The transmission case must be split open to service the filter . Which , for me , is not going to happen .

I did a drain & fill at about 32,000 miles . The fluid that comes out is some where around 50% of the fluid . The remainder stays in the torque converter & inside the transmission & does not drain out . The old fluid was very dark / black . This jives with youtube videos I have seen on this transmission .

I went back with about 4 - 4-1/2 quarts of Dexron 6 full synthetic . Check with the transmission warm and in park ( after I drove it a few blocks ) . If it runs out of the check hole , with the car level , it is good / full .

As far as miles on the OLM , will have to look back at my notes and do a little arithmetic . Guessing , maybe 6,000 - 6,500 miles ?

Changing oil / filter at 3,000 - 4,000 , my self with consumables purchased on sale , is pretty cheap insurance .

I recently disconnected the lower radiator hose & dumped the coolant . Put the hose back on & filled the radiator with Zerex DexCool . Burped the air from the system & filled the coolant recovery tank about 50% .

Our car has electric power steering , so no fluid to mess with .

Plan to use a $ 2 Walmart turkey baster to drain the brake reservoir & refill eith DOT 3 / 4 brake fluid .

I can find zero grease zerts on the suspension to grease .

About all I can think to service .

Are you aware of the history of the SONIC ? The pattern part failures ? I have done some research on the internet .

Best of luck .

 

[HondaRULZ]

Originally Posted By: Alex_V
Modern turbos can last. It's one thing to stick to the old method until the new one is proven, but if the car sees 7,500+ miles per year you're wasting money draining any good oil (like Mobil Super syn) before 5,000 mi., especially on the 1.8.

In my 1.4T Cruze I've drained Synpower every 5,000 mi. - it comes out black but the engine is still about as clean as it could get.


How do we know this isn't wasting oil as well however I like 5000 miles as a milestone though for conventional or semi-synthetic for sure!

 

[WyrTwister]

I for one am not overly concerned if it is " wasting oil " , for a frequent OCI .

I figure it is cheap insurance , especially DIY with consumables purchased on sale .

I had rather spend twice as much , over an extended length of time , on short OCI . Than have to pay for expensive engine repair , that I could not DIY .

Different strokes .........

One of my late Uncles owned / operated Chevy & GM gasoline trucks , haukling grain to the coast , during harvest .

The last few trucks he owned had the 365 or 366 ci engine . This was a Chevy big block engine , same family as the 396 - 427 . He used an OCI interval 2 - 3 times what was common on a car .

But he used a LARGE oil filter and air filter . And almost 100% highway miles . This was back in the 1960's & 1970's . And dino oil . He typically got 300,000 miles out of an engine .

Our Sonic is mostly driven in town , unless we go on a road trip .

Different applications .

 

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted By: WyrTwister

Unfortunately , there is no transmission dip stick on ours . :-(

There is a plastic " cap " to remove to add ATF . There is a little threaded plug on the bottom of the transmission to drain the ATF and an over flow / level check plug on the side .

Were it me , I would do a drain and fill . There is no DIY serviceable filter in that transmission . The transmission case must be split open to service the filter . Which , for me , is not going to happen .

I did a drain & fill at about 32,000 miles . The fluid that comes out is some where around 50% of the fluid . The remainder stays in the torque converter & inside the transmission & does not drain out . The old fluid was very dark / black . This jives with youtube videos I have seen on this transmission .

I went back with about 4 - 4-1/2 quarts of Dexron 6 full synthetic . Check with the transmission warm and in park ( after I drove it a few blocks ) . If it runs out of the check hole , with the car level , it is good / full .



That sounds very similar to the transmission that is in our Explorer. Ford calls it 6F35. I wonder if this is one of the joint venture transmissions that Ford and GM collaborated development for. Like you what I've read and seen that transmission is "tough" on the fluid. Yet Ford says don't change it for 150,000 miles, 90,000 out of the power train warranty

.

Whimsey

 

[WyrTwister]

The car companies are in the business of selling cars . Or , at the very least , parts .

I think Chevy may call for a transmission service at around 100,000 miles But I may be wrong .

Since the filter is not user serviceable , I wish to change fluid very often in hopes the filter never becomes clogged up .

Many ways in which the car companies find to " cheat " the customer . :-(

Thanks , :-(

 

[WyrTwister]

I found this out about the Sonic automatic transmission ;

http://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/gm-transmissions/mh8/

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: WyrTwister
Looking ahead , we will eventually need a 2nd vehicle . I would like to have a truck , but they are insanely expensive , when you talk about it coming out of my pocket.

I don't know what dealer incentives are available in the States in general or your state in particular, but a truck isn't horribly expensive, if you option the thing out modestly. I can get a brand new Chev/GMC with the V8, and even a 4x4, for around $30,000 Canadian. That does include ordinary power accessories, but that's a regular cab, obviating the rear seat dual DVD players, leather upholstery, and whatever other options can move one of those trucks north of $70,000.

At least in Canadian dollars, $30,000 for a new vehicle is far from extravagant.

With respect to fuel economy, I had a rental F-150 Ecoboost for a month over winter. With me driving like a grandmother, the fuel economy was absolutely fantastic, actually being cheaper to run than the G37, since the Ecoboost didn't require premium.

Yes, insurance on a second vehicle is always fun. At least up here, trucks can be significantly cheaper to plate than cars, again, assuming you choose modestly. You buy a 4 door 4x4 truck, it'll cost you. When I had a brand new 1999.5 Lightning, it was cheaper to plate/insure than the 10 year old Town Car it replaced.

 

[WyrTwister]

Last year , at the end of the model year , I found internet pricing on a plane regular cab , 2WD Ford F150 for some where around $ 20,000 or a tad less .

Tempting , but more than I have ever given for a vehicle . Gave about $ 14,350 , out the door , for our 2015 Chevy Sonic LS 1.8l automatic .

Recently gave $ 6,250 out the door for the 37,000 + mile 2006 Buick Lacrosse CX 3.8l .

You evidently have a higher tolerance for price / pain , than I do .

Thanks ,