# Owner's Manual Maintenance Intervals Have Changed!



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

This is pretty interesting. Check this out, page 11-7, severe service. 

2012 Manual: http://www.chevrolet.com/content/da...rship/Manuals and Videos/02_pdf/2k12cruze.pdf

2014 Manual: http://www.chevrolet.com/content/da...als and Videos/02_pdf/2k14cruze 2nd print.pdf

A few interesting changes:

Spark Plugs:
2012: 97,500 miles
2014: 60,000 miles

The 2012 manual even recommends inspecting spark plug wires. Let me repeat: spark plug wires. "wut?" There are a few new ones that are particularly interesting. 

MTX Fluid: 45,000 miles
Clutch fluid: 30,000 miles

The clutch fluid one was pretty interesting. I didn't even know you could change it! Apparently it's a big thing with LS motors (Camaros, Corvettes, etc.) and some people change it every 1,000 miles. Another interesting one, the Diesel Cruze recommends replacing the timing belt, tensioner, idler pulley, and get this, the water pump too, ever 97,500 miles. 

A shocking one to me at least was the brake fluid flush. Every 150k miles. I felt a massive difference changing mine at ~33k. 

Also, passenger compartment air filter: 22,500 miles. I have 35k miles and haven't replaced mine yet. I guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow!

Can you find anything else that's particularly interesting about the 2014 Cruze manual that isn't in your 2011-2013 manual?


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## KOBALT (Nov 19, 2013)

Wow, never knew of clutch fluid

Sent from my Note 3


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Also, passenger compartment air filter: 22,500 miles. I have 35k miles and haven't replaced mine yet. I guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow!


I knew about the spark plug change for the last few months(that change was made in 2013), but never noticed any of the other changes. I bought a new air filter and cabin air filter this fall from rockauto, at 33,000 swapped both out. My car sits outside 365 days a year, with that said my cabin filter was 90% blocked with small leaves. 

opened air filter box and air filter barely looked dirty, but since I was already in there, I swapped it anyway. I'm going to at a minimum now clean the cabin filter every fall after the leaves drop.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

spacedout said:


> I knew about the spark plug change for the last few months(that change was made in 2013), but never noticed any of the other changes. I bought a new air filter and cabin air filter this fall from rockauto, at 33,000 swapped both out. My car sits outside 365 days a year, with that said my cabin filter was 90% blocked with small leaves.
> 
> opened air filter box and air filter barely looked dirty, but since I was already in there, I swapped it anyway. I'm going to at a minimum now clean the cabin filter every fall after the leaves drop.


I was gonna say the same thing, if you can get the filters cheap then swap annually. Also finding out what other cars use them can help source cheaper options. My Subaru filter is $15 cheaper when ordered as a Toyota Camry filter. In a year I can put 12k miles on it from just out of town trips so that filter is being used heavily. 

With the plug interval being that low what's the point of iridiums over our suitable and better replacements? 

Here is what my interval is via purchasing Dealership a month after I got my car.










Sent from AutoGuide.com App


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## N519AT (Aug 23, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Another interesting one, the Diesel Cruze recommends replacing the timing belt, tensioner, idler pulley, and get this, the water pump too, ever 97,500 miles.


Not surprising for a diesel engine. TDI's have been this way for a long time (15+ years). Replacing everything above, and have the job done by a professional with access to the correct computer equipment to set the timing. I imagine they went with 97.5k versus the standard 100k for the owner who needs a buffer.


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## CruzeEcoBlueTopaz (Jan 5, 2012)

Is it not true that the brake fluid and clutch fluid share the same reservoir ? I was under the impression when I replaced the brake fluid at 125k I was also replacing the clutch fluid.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

CruzeEcoBlueTopaz said:


> Is it not true that the brake fluid and clutch fluid share the same reservoir ? I was under the impression when I replaced the brake fluid at 125k I was also replacing the clutch fluid.


Shook my head on this issue, with a clutch fluid leak can lose your brakes or vice-versa, what were they thinking? Or is thinking ancient history?

Leave your plugs in for a 100K miles, will never get them out. And sure, may not be electrode wear, but still burn filthy HC's and suffer from carbon built up. Never was a problem with cast iron heads, as steel plugs and cast iron are similar metals. Steel and aluminum are NOT!

Replacing spark plug wires? Don't they mean replacing the entire ignition coil module?

Checking my air filter gives me something to do while waiting for the engine oil to drain, just a little vacuuming keeps it clean and as long as I can see plenty of light through it, put it back in. Sign of a plugged cabin filter is reduce vent airflow and the blower motor speed will increase. Ha, need fingers nails to do this, have to be prepared. 

Brake fluid is an on going issue with plenty of debates, Real killer is that ABS modulator, need a second home mortgage to replace this thing. And brake fluid is still hygroscopic meaning it retains moisture that can corrode those valves even blocking fluid flow to a wheel if not all of them.

Some vehicle manufacturers recommend a yearly change, could be an overkill, 2 or 3 years works for me, but a lot depends on the climate you live in, not just some writing in a book. You require or at least did, a $5,600.00 GMTech II scanner with an ABS module installed to do this. What is done, gives you means to switch on the ABS pump that has to be running to prevent air pockets. I get around this by using a power supply to directly activate the ABS pump.

Vehicles without ABS never had this problem, but the law now, so now we are faced with it. People that say ABS does not interfere with normal braking are either idiots or downright liars. 

What about spraying all those rubber suspension bushings with silicone each oil change? If you don't, rust forms on the steel inside of those rubber bushings and quickly wears them out. Idiots that say since they don't have zerk fittings, don't have to do anything.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Another interesting one, the Diesel Cruze recommends replacing the timing belt, tensioner, idler pulley, and get this, the water pump too, ever 97,500 miles.
> 
> A shocking one to me at least was the brake fluid flush. Every 150k miles. I felt a massive difference changing mine at ~33k.


changing the water pump is common, if youve got to remove it to get to the timing belt, minus whale put a new one on while you got it off

the brake fluid has never been changed in any of my cars, thats way up there with the 3000 mile oil change fairy tale

my nephew was service advisor at chrysler dealer, he got $20 bonus for every brake fluid flush


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Cruze diesel is using a timing belt? Guess so:

"The 2.0-liter turbodiesel is updated for the harsher U.S. climate and it has been tweaked to handle more stringent emission regulations, with things such as a new variable-runner, high-swirl intake manifold, ceramic glow plugs, higher capacity cooling, an oil pan heater for extreme cold weather starting *and a timing belt rated for 100,000 miles before replacement.*"

No thanks to the diesel, already had more than my share of timing belt problems, in particular with interference engines. And doesn't have to be the belt, major problems were using plastic idler pulleys or even with steel with very limited lubricated ball bearing exposed to the environment, and in particular to road salt and road debris. 

If this isn't bad enough, some idiot, and I mean an true blue idiot replaced a riveted hardened steel cage with a a plastic one. Was cussing so bad, not sure if I am going to heaven. Then putting these things in an interference engine, how stupid can one get. No one is born this stupid, had to be trained to be this stupid.

Can only guess this diesel is also an interference engine, has to be with that high compression. Is it also an interference engine? Least with a timing chain, receives constant lubrication and is freshened with each oil chain and sealed against the environment.

Now tell me it is an interference engine. Will just leave this as, no thanks.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I like the note under on the page with the spark plug specifications -


> Spark plug gap is for replacement spark plugs.


 (Page 12-3). I read this to mean the Chevy isn't going to fix the OEM spark plug under gap and consistency issues. Makes me wonder just how badly the contract with NGK is written.


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## MD5335 (Oct 16, 2012)

boraz said:


> <snip>
> 
> the brake fluid has never been changed in any of my cars, thats way up there with the 3000 mile oil change fairy tale
> 
> my nephew was service advisor at chrysler dealer, he got $20 bonus for every brake fluid flush


As I understand it, brake fluid over time picks up moisture and contaminants. Under hard use (like mountainous driving or racing), it can then boil at a lower temperatures resulting in loss of braking power. When my next door neighbor ran his car (with a local club) at a track near here (Laguna Seca), one of the items that was mandatory was changing/flushing brake fluid.

Having said that, I've never changed brake fluid in any of my cars (some of which went 300K miles) except to the extent it was swapped out when other brake work was done.

HowStuffWorks "Is brake flushing really necessary?"


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

NickD said:


> "The 2.0-liter *turbodiesel* is updated for the harsher U.S. climate and it has been tweaked to handle more stringent emission regulations, with things such as a new variable-runner, high-swirl intake manifold, ceramic glow plugs, higher capacity cooling, an oil pan heater for extreme cold weather starting *and a timing belt rated for 100,000 miles before replacement.*"





XtremeRevolution said:


> Another interesting one, the *Diesel Cruze *recommends replacing the *timing belt*, tensioner, idler pulley, and get this, the water pump too, every *97,500 miles*.


...uh, this DIFFERENCE sure smacks of *fraudulant *advertising to me!



obermd said:


> I like the note under on the page with the spark plug specifications - (Page 12-3). I read this to mean the Chevy *isn't going to fix *the OEM spark plug under gap and consistency issues. Makes me wonder just how badly the contract with NGK is written.


...does the pathetic phrase _"...close enough for gooberment work..." _ring any bells?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

boraz said:


> changing the water pump is common, if youve got to remove it to get to the timing belt, minus whale put a new one on while you got it off
> 
> the brake fluid has never been changed in any of my cars, thats way up there with the 3000 mile oil change fairy tale
> 
> my nephew was service advisor at chrysler dealer, he got $20 bonus for every brake fluid flush


In Europe, they test water contamination in brake fluid and force you to flush it as part of inspections if it is too high. 50% of people fail. It is a big deal. 



MD5335 said:


> As I understand it, brake fluid over time picks up moisture and contaminants. Under hard use (like mountainous driving or racing), it can then boil at a lower temperatures resulting in loss of braking power. When my next door neighbor ran his car (with a local club) at a track near here (Laguna Seca), one of the items that was mandatory was changing/flushing brake fluid.
> 
> Having said that, I've never changed brake fluid in any of my cars (some of which went 300K miles) except to the extent it was swapped out when other brake work was done.
> 
> HowStuffWorks "Is brake flushing really necessary?"


Flushing is absolutely necessary. It us a safety hazard for two reasons. First, the components inside the brake system will rust if the water content becomes too high, and second, the boiling point of the fluid drops from 400 degrees F to 290 degrees F after only 3% contamination. The difference is very evident in brake pedal feel and stopping distance. Your brakes will fade on an emergency stop from 65mph, and that extra few feet makes all the difference. 

I changed mine at 33k miles with Amsoil DOT3 and noticed a huge difference in brake pedal feel and stopping power. Everyone else who did the same had the same results to report. 

Brake fluid is not one of those "I ran it for x miles in my last car and never changed it so it must not need changing" fluids. Your entire life rides on your brakes. It's a very easy job and off the shelf brake fluid is cheap. 

Sent from mobile.


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## CruzeEcoBlueTopaz (Jan 5, 2012)

I was watching and waiting on a daily basis for the offical 2014 manuals to be released for the cruze just for this very reason, to check to see what sort of maintenance was changed also to check if any part numbers had changed.

Here is a completed list of all the maintenance. 

30k a/c not cold - repaired warranty

40k cabin filter - engine air filter

75k spark plugs - coil pack

80k cabin - engine air filter

85k new oem goodyear fuel max tires

100k oil pan gasket ( leak ) repaired warranty

100k valve cover ( air leak ) repaired warranty

110k transmission fluid - 58 oz

115k both 02 sensors replaced

125k spark plugs - coil pack

140k coolant flush

140k break fluid flush

140k front end alignment

150k cabin - engine air filter

165k transmission fluid - 64 oz

170k new oem goodyear fuel max tires

170k front end alignment


The most recent spark plugs I replaced with on them 50k miles appeared to still be in excellent condition. My original spark plugs I replaced at 75k miles were noticably more worn, what a difference 25k miles makes. I plan on replacing my next set of spark plugs at 200k along with my water pump that has been leaking for the past 70k miles and the original accessory belt.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

NickD said:


> Cruze diesel is using a timing belt? Guess so:
> 
> "The 2.0-liter turbodiesel is updated for the harsher U.S. climate and it has been tweaked to handle more stringent emission regulations, with things such as a new variable-runner, high-swirl intake manifold, ceramic glow plugs, higher capacity cooling, an oil pan heater for extreme cold weather starting *and a timing belt rated for 100,000 miles before replacement.*"
> 
> ...


yes its interference

yes its a timing belt

are you confusing a timing belt and a fan/accessory belt?....timing belt isnt exposed


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

> are you confusing a timing belt and a fan/accessory belt?....timing belt isnt exposed


Not hardly, anyone I had apart, that timing belt cover is more like a shroud, not sealed and a mess inside with road debris. Sand can get in and eat up the camshaft and crankshaft seals, that has to be replaced because you get oil leaks.

Stepdaughter Ford had a timing belt, had another 25,000 miles before it had to be replaced but was using a plastic tensioner and idler pulley that broke, belt was fine that caused engine damage. Wasn't worth repairing, so gave her our 04 Cavalier and purchased a new Cruze for us. Reason why you guys got stuck with me. 

Hopefully the Cruze diesel is using a better sealed timing belt cover and steel pulleys with riveted cage bearings on the inside. Chrysler used a timing belt driven water pump, what a job to replace that water pump and Honda and Toyota were still using them to around 2004. That gave me a darn good reason back then to buy a Chevy.

What the accessory belt shares in common with the timing belt, it has to be removed first before getting at the timing belt, and on many vehicles the driven accessories as well. And also shares using limited lubricated cheap ball bearings, learn you have to replace those as well. With a FWD vehicle, very limited space to work in, so end up with bloody hands.


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## grs1961 (Oct 23, 2012)

NickD said:


> Not hardly, anyone I had apart, that timing belt cover is more like a shroud, not sealed and a mess inside with road debris. Sand can get in and eat up the camshaft and crankshaft seals, that has to be replaced because you get oil leaks.


Welcome to engine technology designed in Europe - they gave up doing things like partially-shrouding timing belts shortly after the end of the Second World War - and the 21st century. (Not to say that there still aren't problems with such things, ask anyone who had an Astra and didn't change the belt at 50 000km just how expensive a head replacement was.)


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

Clutch fluid is just DOT 3 brake fluid and most cars these days. What makes me curious is I thought out hydraulic reservoir was integrated into the brake reservoir. Have to do some looking


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

MD5335 said:


> As I understand it, brake fluid over time picks up moisture and contaminants. Under hard use (like mountainous driving or racing), it can then boil at a lower temperatures resulting in loss of braking power. When my next door neighbor ran his car (with a local club) at a track near here (Laguna Seca), one of the items that was mandatory was changing/flushing brake fluid.
> 
> Having said that, I've never changed brake fluid in any of my cars (some of which went 300K miles) except to the extent it was swapped out when other brake work was done.
> 
> HowStuffWorks "Is brake flushing really necessary?"


Condensation from temp changes is a biggie too. Synthetic Fluid cuts down the water absorption by around 80% and is well worth the extra bucks


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

2012 owners manual:

"Hydraulic Brake/Clutch System
DOT 3 Hydraulic Brake Fluid
(GM Part No. 88863461, in Canada 88863462)"

Still using Dot 3 that is still hygroscopic and been around for years. Dot 5 is supposed to be less hygroscopic, but not sure about the compatibility. 

I can also state that I never flushed the brake system for years without any problems.

BUT THIS IS BEFORE ABS CAME OUT!!!!

With ABS, have new problems that never existed before, a very complicated and expensive system with many moving parts inside that will bind if these systems are not flushed frequently.

So before stating you never had any problems, should specify whether you are dealing with ABS or not.

Again should advertise, if you want problems, we have problems, and very expensive ones at that!


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