2008 Cobalt SS

[GMJohnny]

OK Dave,

I don't necessarily think this is the perfect place to post this, but ....
I saw this on craigslist and thought of you.

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/ctd/2215897490.html


Seems like a lot for the money. You could park the cobalt and drive this one as
a daily driver!!

GM

[TireSmoker]

Wow, that does seem like a decent deal. How cool would it be to drive that monster everyday...

-Dave

[Basement Paul]

I would say VERY cool!

-BP

[TireSmoker]

Gotta do a better job of recording my maintenance on here..

39,500 miles -- oil + filter change, Mobil 1 5W-30, new STP air filter, CA9969. Oil Life indicator was at 34%.

Front brake rotors have a noticeable lip and should probably be replaced soon. No squealing or anything, just a lip on the outside edge.

-Dave

[TireSmoker]

Well despite not recording the intervening oil changes, it was time for a larger maintenance on the Cobalt at 76k miles.

Oil + Filter, air filter. New spark plugs, first time since it left Lordstown. And a new intake tube from the airbox to the turbo. The nipple for the PCV has broken off this tube several times and replaced under warranty. I found an upgraded unit from ZZ Performance that will prevent that from happening and it also looks a little bigger.

All new brakes-- rotors, pads, fluid flush. New rear shocks. I have new front struts too, but they are not installed yet. I bought all AC Delco stuff off Amazon and it was quite a bit cheaper than from gmpartsdirect.com.

Brake rotors are made in Germany, the front Brembo pads are made in Italy, the rear pads are made in France.

So far, it definitely stops better and seems to run better too. This thing should be good on major maintenance for a while.

-Dave

[MostMint]

Where's the "like" button?

Funny my SS just clicked over 78k miles. It needs all the fluids changed - power steering, trans, engine oils and I'm thinking some new radiator fluid due up soon also. After the race...

[TireSmoker]

Mine could use a radiator flush as well. Debating on whether to farm that out or not. Even if I catch the initial draining of anti-freeze, I'm not sure how much I want to go into my yard from a flush, since the drains in the garage just spill out behind the building. Having well water, and with the well being in the backyard where the garage is, it just seems like not a great idea.

-Dave

[Basement Paul]

I'd have it done. It's usually under $80 and they have a machine to do it right. Not worth sticky fingers and bad water...

-BP

[TireSmoker]

Paul was right on the money -- they quoted me $90, but the coolant was $20, service was $60, so probably would've been $90-ish with taxes. I also had them do the front-end alignment since the strut job was complete. $150 total.

So the 75k (ok, 76k) service is basically complete. Oil + Filter, new front brakes pads + rotors, new rear brake pads + rotors, flushed out the old brake fluid, new front struts, new rear shocks, new spark plugs, new coolant, new airbox-to-turbo intake tube. Tires have only 5-6k miles on them. I used all GM parts for the brakes and struts, and the brakes feel fantastic again. The intake tube is an upgraded part from ZZ Performance. The PCV connection was too fragile in the factory piece and I had it replaced twice under warranty. This piece can't fail like the factory one, so I got it.

I made the last payment on this car a couple months back and with all the stuff I did this month, I should be good to go for a long while!

-Dave

edit: I need to remember to change the main belt. Did I miss anything else?

[Basement Paul]

New K&N? How about a cabin filter?

Don't forget to lube your locks & hinges. Most times people don't use their locks until the remote dies, and then it's too late cuz the lock is frozen. I lube my locks and hinges every oil change, along with fuel injector cleaner.

-BP

[TireSmoker]

Cabin filter replaced at last oil change, along with non-K&N air filter. How often do you change those things? I owned the 2000 truck for well over a year before I knew it even had one. (actually 2). They were disgusting when I replaced them.

Lubing locks and hinges is a good idea. What's the preferred stuff? WD40? White Lithium grease? Weird thing about the locks -- if you lock the doors with the fob and then unlock with the key, the alarm/horn starts going off.

Also, got my part request in for the ignition switch recall.

-Dave

[Basement Paul]

Cabin filter should be about every 20k miles or so, and they do get pretty ugly. In some cars they even get moldy which creates a pretty nasty stench.

I got some cable lube from HGR and it's impervious to moisture, so I use that. But even WD-40 works good. I don't like white lith, it looks too messy and collects dirt IMO.

-BP

[TireSmoker]

So I did my big maintenance back at 76k miles, and I was feeling pretty good. I also got the ignition switch replaced as part of the wider GM recall, but a couple other problems have now popped up.

The first is that it sometimes won't start. Turn the key, and nothing happens. I've traced it down to the underhood fusebox area. I can pop the relay marked "crank" and short together pins 30 & 87 and it starts up as it should. Turning the ignition key is supposed to provide ground to the low-side of the relay, and that's not happening. When it was in getting the ignition switch replaced, I asked them to look at this and was told there was corroded wiring in the area of that underhood fusebox. Thought they might have said melted too -- wtf?? This car sits in the garage when its home, isn't driven much in winter and is only 6 years old. It will usually start fine when cold, but once warmed up is when it tends to be a problem. I was told about $500 to repair at Junction.

The next problem is that on my commute this morning, I noticed the clutch slipping. I leaned on it in 5th to go around someone on the freeway and the revs came up too fast. I tried it a second time to just be sure, and yep.. it slipped. I've run this thing pretty hard over the years and I was curious just how long the clutch would last. 79-80k is the answer. I didn't notice any problems yesterday at Thompson, where I made 4 passes and then a sweet burnout on Sidley road as we were leaving. Only slipping at high power, so it should be still good for commuting until I get it replaced. And since we're coming into winter, I'll be driving the truck soon anyway.

It makes me wonder if it would be a good time to trade it in. I've been hankering for a V8.

-Dave

[Basement Paul]

The 2014 Mustangs are pretty cheap right now, with 0% for 72 months... just saying.

-BP

[Blue_69_malibu]

The 2014 Mustangs are pretty cheap right now, with 0% for 72 months... just saying.

-BP

I don't like the new body style that much.....so even I have been thinking of a 2014 with a 5.0.....although I truly stand zero chance of doing so.

Perhaps it's just the urge to act like Vanilla Ice....rolling, in my 5.0.......too bad i have no hair to blow.