# First 5 days with my Cruze Diesel



## HondaTech2016 (Apr 20, 2017)

Hello fellow Cruze owners. What can I say i'm am ecstatic to have purchased my Summit White Diesel Cruze. This is my first new car, having previously drove a '89 Dodge truck as my dd. So i can say I'm a little flattered by all the newness for sure. Drove 50 miles to a dealership to get a stupid deal on this car, paid just a little over $24k otd. So far averaging 37 mpg with mostly city driving (under 45mph) except for the highway miles back from the dealer (60-65mph). Hope to meet a whole lot of people who'll enjoy this new diesel engine from Chevrolet as much as I do. 

If you in the Paris, Ky area visit Dan Cummins Chevrolet, they gave me an amazing deal on my Cruze. Best price in a 250 mile radius, Guaranteed!!


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Congrats! There's nothing quite like that new car feeling. 

What model year did you buy and how many miles did it have on the odometer?


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## HondaTech2016 (Apr 20, 2017)

2017 had 13 miles when I test drove it.


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## johnmo (Mar 2, 2017)

HondaTech2016 said:


> If you in the Paris, Ky area visit Dan Cummins Chevrolet, they gave me an amazing deal on my Cruze. Best price in a 250 mile radius, Guaranteed!!


If your car is an automatic, I drove it. I bought mine at Dan Cummins too, but they had to dealer locate it. They had the white automatic and a blue manual, but I wanted a white manual. I drove both of them because I wanted to see how they stacked up. That dealership is crazy. I've never seen people standing around waiting for a salesperson at a car dealer.

I've had mine almost 4 weeks and I'm very happy with it. Great mileage and fun to drive.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Welcome! You're one of very few 2017 CTD owners here. Did you end up with the 9 speed auto or the manual one? And I'm sure we'd all be interested in your impressions on the powertrain/car itself as you get some more seat time.


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## HondaTech2016 (Apr 20, 2017)

The blue manual ia what first caught my eye. But with my parents possibly needing to drive my car i decided on the auto. The blue one was gone before i got a chance to look anyways. The noise level is almost eerily quiet, but my old truck didnt have a muffle either. I do have one question, is there a certain def i should avoid or one I perferably should use? Ive used peak coolant in the past and they make Blue def then walmart has their brand as well. I assume its like oil, you get what you pay for. That raises another question, where to purchase dexos 2 oil. Ive only checked at walmart today as i was curious who carried what. All they had was Penzoil Euro-L but ive always leaned towards Shell. GM does have 3 different Shell Dexos-2 rated oils on there website, has anybody seen any of that oil in the wild.

How far did you drive to Dan Cummins? That place is unlike any dealership ive ever been to. They sold 15 cars while i was waiting on mine, including a Corvette, and my salesman said is was a slow saturday. 15 acres of cars, over 2000 in inventory.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

HondaTech2016 said:


> Best price in a 250 mile radius, Guaranteed!!


Perhaps the *only* CTD in 250 miles. :grin:

Congrats!


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## johnmo (Mar 2, 2017)

They are pretty quiet cars. It has a low thrum that's easily overlooked if the radio is playing or enjoyed if diesel noises are your thing.

I don't know about DEF. I've mostly seen Peak for sale.

I haven't even looked for oil yet. Looks like my OLM is putting my first change around 5k - 6k miles. I haven't figured out if I'm going to change it myself yet. I usually do my own because it takes longer just to drive it somewhere than it takes me to do it at home. But... Dan Cummins throws in the lifetime powertrain warranty and the fine print makes it sound like you have to use an ASE certified mechanic to maintain coverage. I'm going to call the policy administrator to see if receipts for the oil and filter will be good enough for documentation of the maintenance. I'm not generally big on extended warranties, but it being a first year run on a "new" engine plus it being a diesel, which are notoriously expensive when things go bad, I'm kind of inclined to keep the warranty in force if I can.

I live about 2 hours east of Dan Cummins near Ashland KY. They were the nearest dealer with any diesels on the lot, though there are some in Cincinnati too, which is about as far. I stopped by Don Hall in Ashland and they said they weren't even going to order any because the Gen1 diesels weren't big sellers. It was fun wandering around the Dan Cummins lots looking for cars. The cars have GPS modules in them to help locate them, but the salespeople click the lock button on the fob to honk the horn and flash the lights on the cars when they think they have gotten close to where the one they're looking for is sitting. It's a wild place.


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## Chris Tobin (Feb 23, 2016)

HondaTech2016 said:


> The blue manual ia what first caught my eye. But with my parents possibly needing to drive my car i decided on the auto. The blue one was gone before i got a chance to look anyways. The noise level is almost eerily quiet, but my old truck didnt have a muffle either. I do have one question, is there a certain def i should avoid or one I perferably should use? Ive used peak coolant in the past and they make Blue def then walmart has their brand as well. I assume its like oil, you get what you pay for. That raises another question, where to purchase dexos 2 oil. Ive only checked at walmart today as i was curious who carried what. All they had was Penzoil Euro-L but ive always leaned towards Shell. GM does have 3 different Shell Dexos-2 rated oils on there website, has anybody seen any of that oil in the wild.
> 
> How far did you drive to Dan Cummins? That place is unlike any dealership ive ever been to. They sold 15 cars while i was waiting on mine, including a Corvette, and my salesman said is was a slow saturday. 15 acres of cars, over 2000 in inventory.


Seems a lot of owners are using the Penzoil Euro L Dexos 2 in the 1st gen diesel Cruze. I bought some for mine, but am not due for an oil change yet. Does GM not include 2 years scheduled maintenance anymore?

BTW I believe Penzoil and Shell are the same company these days...

DEF should be DEF...

Welcome to the forum and keep us updated on the new Cruze Diesel and how you like it!!!


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## Dieselfever (Feb 23, 2017)

Go diesel or don't go at all! Congrats on the new diesel. My wife and I bought a 2014 with 11.5 k miles to use as a beater. Us Gen 1 guys have gone through some growing pains, but still love them anyway. The new 2017s appear to have the kinks worked out. Post some pics.


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## EricSmit (Dec 21, 2016)

HondaTech2016 said:


> Hello fellow Cruze owners. What can I say i'm am ecstatic to have purchased my Summit White Diesel Cruze. This is my first new car, having previously drove a '89 Dodge truck as my dd. So i can say I'm a little flattered by all the newness for sure. Drove 50 miles to a dealership to get a stupid deal on this car, paid just a little over $24k otd. So far averaging 37 mpg with mostly city driving (under 45mph) except for the highway miles back from the dealer (60-65mph). Hope to meet a whole lot of people who'll enjoy this new diesel engine from Chevrolet as much as I do.
> 
> If you in the Paris, Ky area visit Dan Cummins Chevrolet, they gave me an amazing deal on my Cruze. Best price in a 250 mile radius, Guaranteed!!


I'm within that radius, and I guarantee better pricing.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Chris Tobin said:


> DEF should be DEF...


By definition, it is. It has to be, legally, otherwise it cannot be labeled as "DEF". I get the Supertech stuff at WalMart for ~$8.


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## Jetblast33 (Mar 12, 2017)

Congrats on your new ride! Got mine a lititle over a month ago and loving it. 3200 miles on it now, changed oil at 2k with penn euro L. Had to get the filter at dealer since nobody has them yet. I like doing my own maintenance even though dealer gives two free changes. Topped off def with the peak brand, took right at a gallon. So far it has been a great car and has been averaging 45mpg mostly hwy driving at 80+ mph.


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## BrandoFisher117 (Mar 14, 2016)

Congrats on the new Cruze! Hope you enjoy it!


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## sparkman (Oct 15, 2015)

EricSmit said:


> I'm within that radius, and I guarantee better pricing.


I want mine for 18k out the door then.


Congrats on the new ride!


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## BoostN (Mar 30, 2017)

I'm in Nashville, TN and I've done decided to drive 5-8 hours to get the car I want. Found the one in MI, but just not decided on it yet. If I can't get 5K off a new Cruze, I won't buy one. 

Congrats on the new car! Nothing better than getting a new vehicle!


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## HondaTech2016 (Apr 20, 2017)

Welp my love affair with my Cruze has hit a bump in the road. While driving around town tonight my CEL and Serivce Exhaust Fluid System lights have came on and refuse to leave. I also got the message that I've got 95 miles to till my speed will be limited to 65mph. So needless to say I'm a little peeved atm, the guy at AutoZone couldnt read the code. Thought maybe I'd try and get a leg up and see what it might have been. But nope, off the the dealer in town it goes tomorrow.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

HondaTech2016 said:


> Welp my love affair with my Cruze has hit a bump in the road. While driving around town tonight my CEL and Serivce Exhaust Fluid System lights have came on and refuse to leave. I also got the message that I've got 95 miles to till my speed will be limited to 65mph. So needless to say I'm a little peeved atm, the guy at AutoZone couldnt read the code. Thought maybe I'd try and get a leg up and see what it might have been. But nope, off the the dealer in town it goes tomorrow.


Push your onstar button and requested they conduct a diagnostic. They can read the codes back to you and offer some advice probably more informed than some random guy at autozone.


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## HondaTech2016 (Apr 20, 2017)

Ive read some info from gen 1 Diesel models and it seems it could be from the DEF sitting in the tank on the dealer lot for a long period of time or the tank heater could be malfunctioning. I was really just curious what the code might have been, and if it was related to the DEF message. It almost has to be because this is the first message ive receieved about the fluid level.


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## HondaTech2016 (Apr 20, 2017)

So Onstar says exhaust emissions control or related system. Guess ill find out more tomorrow.


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## DslGate (Jun 29, 2016)

HondaTech2016 said:


> So Onstar says exhaust emissions control or related system. Guess ill find out more tomorrow.


FWIW, this is the same issue Gen 1 owners have seen: the dreaded speed/mileage restriction . Probably not bad DEF, but bad sensor. Sounds like history repeating itself. Time for an emissions delete


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## minime18r (Apr 9, 2017)

HondaTech2016 said:


> So Onstar says exhaust emissions control or related system. Guess ill find out more tomorrow.


Am curious what you found out about the code and how and it was resolved.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

Welcome Aboard!:welcome:


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

HondaTech2016 said:


> So Onstar says exhaust emissions control or related system. Guess ill find out more tomorrow.


You can ask them to give you the specific codes.


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## magnusson (Jun 15, 2014)

Ouch! **** Chevy still can figure out these diesel cruzes. Thank goodness for Fleece.


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## sparkman (Oct 15, 2015)

Any updates? I'm curious.


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## minime18r (Apr 9, 2017)

magnusson said:


> Ouch! **** Chevy still can figure out these diesel cruzes. Thank goodness for Fleece.


Will a tune from Fleece void warranty? I am on the fence about a 2017 Cruze diesel. Don't want a problem commuter car. Had a 2013 Jetta TDI and it was trouble free.


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## mgulfcoastguy (Jun 20, 2016)

People were complaining about VW doing an end run around emission rules? Then when Chevy has problems making it work think that it is okay to delete emissions controls entirely? Pot meet kettle.


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## HondaTech2016 (Apr 20, 2017)

Tried my local in town dealer and they knew nothing about how stuff works whatsoever. They tried to tell me that I was obviously low on DEF and that the dealer i got it from didnt put any in. I tried to explain that the owners manual says the first DEF low alarm comes on with 1000 miles of fluid left. Thry tried to tell me i didnt get that message because i only had arouns 300 miles on the car. I got frustrated with trying to explain to them that low DEF would not cause a CEL and politely tols them out wrong they were Nd that they would never touch my car.

Called another dealer saturday (avout 20 mins. away) and they were more than happy to look at it. Dropped it off saturday but they cant look at it till thursday. So im waiting still, trying to be patient cause I really need a local dealer to help if stuff like this keeps happening. Because my purchasing dealer is almost 50 miles out of my way. Fingers crossed.


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## johnmo (Mar 2, 2017)

HondaTech2016 said:


> Called another dealer saturday (avout 20 mins. away) and they were more than happy to look at it. Dropped it off saturday but they cant look at it till thursday. So im waiting still, trying to be patient cause I really need a local dealer to help if stuff like this keeps happening. Because my purchasing dealer is almost 50 miles out of my way. Fingers crossed.


I hope they gave you a loaner. I'd be pretty unhappy if I had to leave a car I've not made the first payment on for more than a day.


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## BoostN (Mar 30, 2017)

johnmo said:


> I hope they gave you a loaner. I'd be pretty unhappy if I had to leave a car I've not made the first payment on for more than a day.


Agreed. But, since you bought it at a different dealer will they still give you a loaner? I've always wondered.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

BoostN said:


> Agreed. But, since you bought it at a different dealer will they still give you a loaner? I've always wondered.


They always have for me. I bought my car in a different state.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Yup - we've always gotten one from our dealer, even though we bought the car elsewhere.


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## HondaTech2016 (Apr 20, 2017)

Called today, theyve located rhe problem but part is not available. Part # has been superseded 3 times already. Dealer going to call GM tomorrow and about eta on part.

Found DEF nozzle broken, atleast is was something dumb and not a head scratched.


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## HondaTech2016 (Apr 20, 2017)

Update: Got my car back thursday, doin great so far. Lovin it again!!


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## mkohan (Dec 19, 2015)

Good to hear '-)


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

Good to hear it's resolved.. GM has a serious problem with some of it's dealerships, thankfully see are still pretty good, but they​ should all be! My wife's 1st Gen had a bad DPF after we had the car a week.. I was concerned. Replaced under warranty, seems the dealership did well... Later it had a NoX sensor, and much to my surprise an ECM replaced. All warranty, loaner cars provided each time. It has been running great and MPG is still getting higher numbers as it nears 30K miles. Good to hear your problem was corrected.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

My dealership has a shuttle to take you to work and then pick you up. Other than that they say they don't have to provide a loaner car and that your insurance should cover a loaner vehicle.


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## EricSmit (Dec 21, 2016)

money_man said:


> My dealership has a shuttle to take you to work and then pick you up. Other than that they say they don't have to provide a loaner car and that your insurance should cover a loaner vehicle.


They aren't *required* to give you a loaner. The courtesy transportation program is voluntary.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

EricSmit said:


> They aren't *required* to give you a loaner. The courtesy transportation program is voluntary.


It is, however, a good business practice.

Putting asses in the newest vehicles is a great way to potentially make a sale.


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## 14'ecocruze (Nov 18, 2016)

My dealer provides loners and extremely quick. No hassle whatsoever. I'm kind of curious how good of milage I would be getting if I had gotten a diesel. To many Regen issues I heard of and other numerous problems with diesels in general scared me away. I dont believe anyone in my close family has ever had a diesel so of course they recommend stay away from them as well. I'm sure I will keep a keen eye in that direction as my Cruze gets up there in miles it will be a **** of a choice between gas and diesel. I have read a lot about them latley. Hope your Cruze doesn't have anymore fits hope to see more information on it ass you progress. 50+ in a gasser...what could be pulled with a diesel? 70+?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

MP81 said:


> It is, however, a good business practice.
> 
> Putting asses in the newest vehicles is a great way to potentially make a sale.


Actually, I probably wouldn't have given a new Cruze a chance. Darn 2+ week loaner won me over.


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## EricSmit (Dec 21, 2016)

MP81 said:


> It is, however, a good business practice.
> 
> Putting asses in the newest vehicles is a great way to potentially make a sale.


Oh trust me, you don't need to explain it to me. I'm just stating facts; it's not required.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

EricSmit said:


> Oh trust me, you don't need to explain it to me. I'm just stating facts; it's not required.


Correct - I wonder what the percentage is of dealers that offer it, versus those who don't.


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## MOTO13 (Mar 26, 2014)

Glad you got it resolved. Hopefully Chevy figures this diesel stuff out better. On another note, wouldn't it be nice if girlfriends and wives were like cars? When they don't work, you'd get a loaner until they did.


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## johnmo (Mar 2, 2017)

EricSmit said:


> They aren't *required* to give you a loaner. The courtesy transportation program is voluntary.


The Complete Care e-mail I got includes this bullet point: "Courtesy Transportation or expenses reimbursed if a vehicle requires warranty repairs."

If the program is voluntary at the dealer level, does that mean I arrange my own transportation and submit expenses directly to Chevy? 

I would think that the manufacturer would have some leverage with the dealerships when they go making promises like that to new owners. I'm going to be an unhappy customer if my new car is off the road for more than a day for warranty work and the service writer says, "yeah, no, we don't do what Chevy told you we do."


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## HondaTech2016 (Apr 20, 2017)

Here she is with the other love of my life.


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