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.

[ChevyChaser]

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....

Simple...the air bag in the steering wheel. MOST "experts" will back away from tickering around it as they are afraid of triggering the air bag since most of them do not have any idea how it is attached.

I sometimes have that problem with my 04 but I found out that it wasn't the controller. In my car, the detachable facia of the stereo is the culprit. Maluwag na at di na nagconnect ng maiigi. What I do is (and this is so stupid but it works) I remove the facia, give a few good taps on the dashboard, re-attach it and , PRESTO, the dang thing works.

[greenlyt]

tanong ko lang mga sirs:
nag bli-blink yun hold indicator sa dash board ko, dont know what triggers it, speed? RPM? it wont stop blinking even when i press the hold button,
and also the CD changer cant detect a CD, all 5 slots...
thanks.

[rodnav]

tanong ko lang mga sirs:
nag bli-blink yun hold indicator sa dash board ko, dont know what triggers it, speed? RPM? it wont stop blinking even when i press the hold button,

i ave the same problem with my 2005 optra LT, the hold buttons keeps lighting up. it seems to be a problem with the automati transmission shifting from 3rd to 4th gear or vice versa. when it lights up, the transmission seems to be stuck on 3rd gear with loss of power at low speeds and poor acceleration. i've already brought it to chevy pampanga several times, they've reprogrammed the transmission control unit (TCU) but it kept coming back, so they replaced the TCU but it still came back, now they said it's the engine wiring harness, still waiting for that part.

[rodnav]

tanong ko lang mga sirs:
nag bli-blink yun hold indicator sa dash board ko, dont know what triggers it, speed? RPM? it wont stop blinking even when i press the hold button,

i have the same problem with my 2005 optra LT, the hold buttons keeps lighting up. it seems to be a problem with the automati transmission shifting from 3rd to 4th gear or vice versa. when it lights up, the transmission seems to be stuck on 3rd gear with loss of power at low speeds and poor acceleration. i've already brought it to chevy pampanga several times, they've reprogrammed the transmission control unit (TCU) but it kept coming back, so they replaced the TCU but it still came back, now they said it's the engine wiring harness, still waiting for that part.

i usually just turn off the engine and the hold light just goes away upon starting the engine again.

[danjen]

im very new here. planning to buy a 2006 chev optra wagon. is this advisable? wat cud be pros and cons?

[ChevyChaser]

im very new here. planning to buy a 2006 chev optra wagon. is this advisable? wat cud be pros and cons?

Depends on why you need a station wagon.

Pros:

Large cargo room at the back. Can fit a king size bed inside with rear seats folded down.
Same ride and handling as the sedans. Very good comfortable ride during long trips.

Cons:

Gasoline consumption. Uses the same TECII engine as the sedans.
May have the same kinks as the sedans.

[ITMA]

im very new here. planning to buy a 2006 chev optra wagon. is this advisable? wat cud be pros and cons?

So far so good with my 06 optra wagon.

Have you already made a purchase decision?

[danjen]

nope, we haven't bought an optra wagon yet but were looking around. saw a gray optra 06 yesterday though but we were not too sure with the condition of the car. it was purchased jan 2006. we also checked out a optra wagon 08 being sold at 15% off SRP, its a good buy so were considering. if you know of any second hand optra wagon, let us know

[ITMA]

nope, we haven't bought an optra wagon yet but were looking around. saw a gray optra 06 yesterday though but we were not too sure with the condition of the car. it was purchased jan 2006. we also checked out a optra wagon 08 being sold at 15% off SRP, its a good buy so were considering. if you know of any second hand optra wagon, let us know

Some time ago i think I saw several 2nd hand Chevrolets for sale at Chevrolet Shaw (near Cherry).

But if you ask me, now is the time to buy a new car with all the discounts being flaunted by all dealers (not only chevrolet). Try to squeeze the dealer more to get a better deal. In case budget is really tight, then go for at least the '06 model and not earlier. From the posts i read here, some earlier models seem to have had problems which (fortunately) i did not encounter with mine.

Honestly, Chevrolet offers very good value for money. All bells and whistles are included in the price. (Unlike Japanese where accessories are extra). Ride comfort is very good. Engine and cabin noise suppression is also very good. Practicality? I once loaded a pet cage 29.5"w x 38.5"H x 27"D. In another instance I bought a 7feet ladder from T Mapua/Mla. No sweat. Am also very satisfied with the stock blaupunkt. I can describe the sound and functions in detail (but no here).

Only downside is FC. But for me its acceptable since the engine uses a double overhead cam. (This is normal for a double overhead - more power=more consumption. Remember the civic sir?) Also, its a matter of choice for the manufacturer. Either you put a bigger sized engine (say 1.8 or 2 liter) or stick to a 1.6 but with more power capability.

Another downside is pms. Its also a bit more expensive. (BTW, my comparison is with a Civic 1.8S matic 2006 coz that's what i also have now.)

But just between you and me the civic is about to be fully paid. If I just have the extra dough, i'd sell the civic and go for the new 2009 Focus.

As for the Optra Wagon........i'll keep it.

PS. I also liked the brushed aluminum type roof rails. Pininfarina really knows how to add class to a vehicle category that I am sure has a very tough price point to meet.

[rollyic]

buhayin ko lang po ang thread na 'to.

may nagbebenta ko sakin ng optra na 2006 model.
tingin nyo po worth it na kunin ko na yung car kung ang cost nya is less than 300k lang?
kasi parang nababasa ko po dito na medyo masakit sa ulo ang optra...tam po ba ko?

and, pwede po ba kong makihingi sinyo ng info. specs ng optra na 2006 mdl.?

maraming salamat in advance at mabuhay ang mga tsikoters!