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Chevy Sonic Recalled for Missing Brake Pads

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Old 01-03-12, 07:03 AM
  #16  
RaceSC300
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Originally Posted by mmarshall
Well, it's true that usually test-drive and review brand-new cars, not those with tens of thousands of miles and a lot of wear on them. And, yes, in the past, GM and Chrysler have left a lot to be desired in vehicle quality and design. If you think that the cars you worked on in recent years were bad, you should have seen some of the real GM/Chrysler crapola of the late 70s through the late 1980s....(Volare/Aspen, X-cars, Omni/Horizon, K-Cars, etc....). I actually owned some of that junk (too much of it, until I learned my lesson). So I know exactly what you are talking about.

But this is not the past.....this is now 2012. And some companies that produced some real junk in the past (like the GM cars you worked on) are now producing respectable quality (as Hyundai and Kia have shown). GM itself has also shown some improvement, though they still have some lower-than-average reliability in some of their vehicles. Chrysler, in just the last couple of years since Fiat took over, has shown enormous improvement in fit/finish, interiors, powertrain refinement, and in making vehicles that are pleasant to drive, but it is still too early to tell if that will also translate into better long-term reliability.

Still, even if the Sonic does not prove a lot more reliable than the Aveo it replaces, it is still a far nicer vehicle to drive, and light-years ahead in its road-manners. The only thing the Aveo had going for it was a nice plush interior in the upmarket LT2 version....not much else I can think of.



Aren't the "Screechers" [low-pad-wear indicators) supposed to contact the rotors and give off a loud noise before that happens? Or were they just driven by people who were half-deaf?
The "screechers", or brake wear indicators, are built into the brake shim or onto the pad themselves. If the pads (and most likely the shims) aren't present the brake wear indicator won't be present.

I also find it hilarious that they won't be informing owners until the middle of January. I hope the owners didn't plan on driving in the next month.
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Old 01-03-12, 10:28 AM
  #17  
Marklouis
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Originally Posted by <VENOM>
Wow how crappy are these cars that you can't even tell when braking, but I wonder how my people passed on a sonic cause the brakes felt not right
well if the pads were totally left out of one side or the other, the way todays brake system works (set aside from ABS) is the other Calipers will compensate for the missing pads - the braking percentage is divided among the remaining 3 or 2 wheels in a way that the car will not pull from one side or the other. the warning (schreeching nubs)are on the pads so the driver would never know, and since it is an entry level sub-compact car, there probably is not an advance brake warning system on it to tell you that the PADS ARE MISSING!!!

Jiminy Cricket if only those GM workers would stop playing words with friends on the assembly line, they may actually produce a complete product.

Originally Posted by DustinV
Careful, Marshall, the "enthusiasts" would disagree with you.

To them this is the best Chevrolet subcompact GM ever produced.



Why? Because it is RWD!
no you didn't go there did you?? lol!! my brother had a white 83' Scooter 4 speed he drove to high school. I use to love that car.
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Old 01-03-12, 10:39 AM
  #18  
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Originally Posted by DustinV
Careful, Marshall, the "enthusiasts" would disagree with you.

To them this is the best Chevrolet subcompact GM ever produced.



Why? Because it is RWD!
The Scooter? Give me a break....I hope you are joking. It was a ultra-decontented, military-stark, metal-box kiddy-car on four wheels that even had the rear seat yanked out for cost-cutting. The Yugo was probably a better vehicle in some ways.

I can remember when the Scooter (and other Chevettes) were brand-new....I test-drove some. It was essentially an Isuzu design....after the Vega disaster of the 1970s, GM didn't want to put any more time and money into designing domestic vehicles in that price/size-class.

Last edited by mmarshall; 01-03-12 at 10:44 AM.
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Old 01-03-12, 11:38 AM
  #19  
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Back in the early 80s, I worked at a small college and walked a couple blocks to work. My neighbor across the street had a diesel Chevette. With a brisk stride, I could beat the Chevette to the corner.
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Old 01-03-12, 05:53 PM
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2002GGPIS3
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Mistakes happen, but this is unforgivable !! I mean a car without brake pads, how can you stop ??
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Old 01-03-12, 06:21 PM
  #21  
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Originally Posted by mmarshall
The Scooter? Give me a break....I hope you are joking. It was a ultra-decontented, military-stark, metal-box kiddy-car on four wheels that even had the rear seat yanked out for cost-cutting.
wow sounds like the perfect drift car! Stripped out and RWD. Just stick a Chevy 350 in it with a welded diffs
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