Chevrolet Optra [Merged]

[chuaed]

I've read some pros and cons about the Chevy Optra. I have a silver-grey 4 year old. It had had its ups and downs but one thing I can say. At 1.75m height and 98kg weight, I vote for the Optra when it comes to comfort.
Last MAy 2007, I decided to take my family to Iba, Zambales for a vacation and all the way through, we had a very comfortable ride ( I drove the whole 3.5 hours from QC to Iba via old Olongapo Road. Handling was perfect on the zig-zag. My car is stock even under the body. Going up north, I pushed her to 175 kph with 5 people on board, the same number of people and the same speed I achieved when she was only 3 months old with me. Going home, I passed SCT express (Toll-free day) and again pushed her to 175 kph and no problem.
As for parts, yes, sometimes it is dificult but would any of you believe that I saw brake pads (made in Australia) in a auto-supply store in Commonwealth Ave? One of those small auto supply stores. Swerte-swerte lang talaga. I had a friend who bought a brand new VIOS and it only lasted less than 6 mos bago nasunog ung car. The culprit was FAULTY ELECTRICAL WIRING HARNESS. I guess it all boils down to one thing. Kung di ka SURE...wag kang bumili. I'll keep mine until magsawa ako. Anyway I've got my eye on a medium size workhorse like the EVEREST o CAPTIVA.

'AV A NICE DAY MATES.

thats nice...

we have a chevrolet club, and your very welcome to join...

url is http://www.chevyclubph.com

see you there...

[batang_raon14]

Neighbor of mine is selling his 2004 Chevrolet Optra AT 1.6LS for 320t. Mileage is 40k and the color is gold. Read the concerns here i.e. battery, cd changer, hinges and checked the unit to be free of all these.

Do you think this is a good buy if it will be utilized to pick up kids from school?

What other concerns do I need to look out for?

Nothing bad if you're just gonna use for picking up your kids from school Sir. Might want to check as well accelerating it hard with the wheels turned full right/left on a high-elevated egress of a parking lot to check if the stab.links are still fine. If you hear a thud, there's a possibility that some of the suspension parts aside from the stab.link is also affected. Just my .02

Ay syanga pala, filling it up will be about 3K++ now I think. 60 liters. hehe 0.0

[ChevyChaser]

My wife uses our Optra to pick up our daughter from school...DLSU Manila...from Fairview QC and still no problemo. She also uses it to go to Sunday Service, BAdminton, Bible study and most often, at least 4 x a week, to work in Makati. Tuesdays kasi coding.
By the way for those who say na mahirap ung parts, let me relate to you an experience I had with my former car... 1995 Mazda 323.
We bought the car in 2000 and after 3 years, i develope a problem with the carb. Singaw yung gasket. So, i brought it to a shop where they said na sumingaw nga yung gasket and the carb needs to be overhauled. They also said na mahirap mag hanap ng repair kit for the carb. I did not believe it. I know KEYSTER makes repair kits for all types of carburators. So punta ako Banawe. Mula E. Rodriguez hanngang lagpas ng Quezon Ave., hinalughug ko lahat ng auto supply, WALA. Then someone told me to call Columbian Motors (Mazda distributor those days) and I was told that na walang repair kit ang carb ng Mazda ko pero meron replacement kit. I asked how much. PhP3,000 - PhP4,500 at may waiting time na 3-6 mos. Ala...papano na ito. So, I went home, bought a 1 square foot of gasoline gasket #2, opened the damn carb, cleaned it out, reshaped the gasket and at around 3 in the morning had the engine humming like a bee. Yes, meron ako experience sa paggawa ng car. I sold the car the next year and balita ko nabenta raw nang di binubuksan yung carb. So if this can happen to a car na estblished na sa Pinas, sa bagong brand pa kaya. Ask GM Pilipinas about their after sales service. They'll tell you.
Thanks again.

[chilinois]

hi everyone. I'm having a problem with my ac compressor. Meron po b kyo idea magkano compressor ng optra? Thanks po.

[ITMA]

After almost 3 years, funny that it was only yesterday that i found out that (aside from the front fog lamps) the optra wagon also had a rear set of fog lamps! Its the bottom light found on the tail lights. All the while I thought it was also part of the brake lights.

Point is, this car is so underrated. I fully agree with some of the observations here regarding ride, comfort etc.....

So far no major problems. I just follow the car's scheduled pms. (Have mine serviced at Chevrolet North Edsa and so far no complaints. Service is good.)

Stock stereo (blaupunkt) still never fails to satisfy me with the sound quality.

Its just too bad most people miss the merits of this car. With a new promo now on the optra line (I think P100K???) what more can you ask.

(P.S.: am not related to Chevrolet Philippines in any way. Just happy with my purchase.)

[regz_28]

hey guys! first time to post here. I have a silver (or silver ghost) 2004 Optra. Bought it from a friend with just 35K in the odometer. The riding comfort was just great, fuel consumption is of average compared to the stats I saw here from different owners as well (7-8KM for 1 liter). I'm really happy with it and didn't have any single problems until now.

The audio controllers in the driving wheel seems to suddenly just quit! It just decided to retire I guess. It's now not working. The stock Blaupunkt 5 CD changer still works though, it's really just the controller. I went to Chevrolet Pasig, in Ugong, near SM Hypermart, and I was qouted with Php1.2K just for a diagnostic test!!!

A few weeks back, I went to Banawe to replace the old seat cover, and ask shops if they can just "try" to look at the malfunctioning controllers and nobody even dared!!!

I even went to this auto detailing and audio specialty shop along manggahan in Pasig, and the electronics guy of the shop didnt even tried to test it...won't even try to push a single button of the dang audio controller!!!

Which leaves me to thinking...what the hell is so special about it that supposed to be expert wont even touch it???....

Need help with this guys....any assistance would be greatly appreciated....

[Eilrahc]

You're lucky to get 7-8kms/liter. With my Optra AT, I am only getting 5kms/liter under normal city driving conditions. Had its ECU reprogrammed already, changed spark plugs according to recommendations by other Optra owners in this forum but still to no avail. Had its PMS for 30,000 kahit na 29,000 pa lang ang tinatakbo, wala pa rin pagbabago. Naglagay na ako ng itlog between my right foot ang accelerator pedal, wala pa rin. Haay...

[kurt]

hi optra owners,

outside of GM casa, where do you go for service? and how much is the usual 5000kms pms?

for an out of waranty optra, will going to a gas station for fluids change (oil, grease, brake) and a popular neigborhood shop for mechanical repairs (where i havent seen a optra being serviced) be enough.

my concern is would any mechanic (used to jap brands and models) be competent enough to service an optra. and still charge the same as other brands.

may na encounter naba kayo mechanic na nag charge nang extra because optra kotse na pagawa?


thanks in advance

[niky]

Go to any halfway decent shop, and they should be able to do it... but you might have to wait longer for parts, as they won't be stocked.

Cars are mostly the same. A throttle is a throttle (electronic or not), a MAF is a MAF, a spark plug is a spark plug. It helps if the mechanic is familiar with your car in particular, but in 80% of the problems you might experience, a good mechanic should be able to diagnose it.

[ChevyChaser]

hi optra owners,

outside of GM casa, where do you go for service? and how much is the usual 5000kms pms?

for an out of waranty optra, will going to a gas station for fluids change (oil, grease, brake) and a popular neigborhood shop for mechanical repairs (where i havent seen a optra being serviced) be enough.

my concern is would any mechanic (used to jap brands and models) be competent enough to service an optra. and still charge the same as other brands.

may na encounter naba kayo mechanic na nag charge nang extra because optra kotse na pagawa?


thanks in advance

Its been almost 5 mos now since I last drove my 04 but the last time I was on vacation I had an ooil change at our local Shell station. I used Shell's HElix Synthetic Oil (Silver container) and until now I haven't heard of any complaints from my wife about it. I also used the standard Preston coolant instead of the Dexthrane ( according to the Manual) and still no problemo. With concerns as to the engine, it would be best to let GM do it as they have the equipment. Your regular neighborhood mechanic may not have the software for the car. As for other mechanical works (Underchasis, suspension, change brake pads, etc...) I suppose any ordinary mechanic can do this.

I'll be home by mid-October, e-mail me at jimvlr*yahoo.com and I may be able to recommend someone who's experienced with OPEL cars.

Hope this helps.