# Thermostat Issues



## ndsustudent (Jun 25, 2012)

I have a base model 2012 cruze and I am starting to think my thermostat is not operating properly. I live in northern minnesota and we are in a bit of a cold snap, currently -18F in my town. But my car will not get up to temp when idling or when I am driving it for 20 minutes. Most of the time it will barley leave the Cold area of the gague. I saw there is a recall of some sort for the 2011's in regards to the thermostat, has anyone had this issue with the 2012's? I am thinking of bringing it into the dealership so I hope it is covered by the warranty. 

Thanks in advance!


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

A twenty minute time to full warm up when the outside temps are below freezing is normal for the Cruze. The fact that your local weather is lot colder than that seems to be the reason it takes longer to warm up.


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## jdubb11 (Mar 14, 2012)

just search this site for thermostat threads, there are lots. i live in mpls. i have had both cruzes ive owned in for this. "car is working as designed" aka nothing we can do to help you. nature of this small motor. DO NOT USE FAN SPEED 4, car will never warm up. **** mine doesnt warm up on speed 3 when its 10 degrees or less. good luck


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## ndsustudent (Jun 25, 2012)

Thanks for the input guys. I dropped it off at the dealership this morning, the service tech seemed to agree that it should be warmer than it was which was 2 notches below cold after running for 30 minutes. They just called me back and they said that its operating normally and that there aren't any engine codes but if it continues to happen they offered to replace the thermostat.

I understand that the car will be cold when driving down the highway with the wind through the radiator but what I don't understand is why it won't get up to temp when idling in the driveway with no wind what so ever. Every other car I've owned had no issues getting to temp when idling at least. I am starting to wonder if the recall from this past summer where they trimmed the splash guard has anything to do with this. Maybe the engine is too exposed to get up to temp? Very frustrating to say the least.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

jdubb11 said:


> mine doesnt warm up on speed 3 when its 10 degrees or less. good luck


Just wait until the car is warmed up before you turn the fan speed up past 2, you will have no issues with the car cooling down at that point(enough heat is built up). I also just use the cold/hot at the 1 o'clock position & the controls set on defrost only(no feet). 

My car warms in under 10 minutes this way, once warm I turn the fan to 3 & defroster to also give the floor some heat. I still leave the cold/hot dial in the 1 o'clock position, otherwise within 20minties of driving it gets so hot I could peel my skin off like bacon.


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

Idle speed will not fully warm a cold 1.4T engine. My experience is that it will get to about 130 degrees after ten minutes on idle from a remote start. That gets me cabin heat, which is the purpose of doing a remote start. The engine will come up to temperature at freeway speeds when the outside temps are below freezing. The normal gauge reading is one tick before center when the engine is at full temperature.

Stop chasing the thermostat. It's not the problem. Keep the heater fan speed set at less than the highest setting while the engine is warming up. Use recirculate so that the cabin warms up faster, which helps the engine also. 

I still have the splash guard. It makes no difference on engine temperatures, still takes a good twenty minutes to warm up. Don't chase that either.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

GoldenCruze said:


> I still have the splash guard. It makes no difference on engine temperatures, still takes a good twenty minutes to warm up.


I have had my splash shield cut, but my car is always up to temp within 15minutes of driving. I posted info about my warm up time yesterday on another topic, even when it was 2 degrees yesterday I was fully warmed up in under 10 minutes(including 1 minute remote start). It might be the all the hills around here helping build heat(increased load). 

Here is a link to my post yesterday.
http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/10-e...10971-2-stuck-thermostats-row.html#post160106


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## jdubb11 (Mar 14, 2012)

spacedout said:


> Just wait until the car is warmed up before you turn the fan speed up past 2, you will have no issues with the car cooling down at that point(enough heat is built up). I also just use the cold/hot at the 1 o'clock position & the controls set on defrost only(no feet).
> 
> My car warms in under 10 minutes this way, once warm I turn the fan to 3 & defroster to also give the floor some heat. I still leave the cold/hot dial in the 1 o'clock position, otherwise within 20minties of driving it gets so hot I could peel my skin off like bacon.


no dissrespect but im tired of hearing "wait for the car to warm up". IT DOES NOT WARM UP IN CITY DRIVING. i would never turn my heat on or past number two on the fan and we all know how much air blows on 1 and 2...next to nothing. i need defrost and 2 wont cut it. i have a 8 month old in the back seat and 2 wont cut it. its 0 today and i work in a hr, i will try to take pics or a vid of the temp needle. it wont go past 1/4 or just a tic or two more and if it does and i go to speed 3 or god forbid 4, the temp will crash back down. its a 2012 car. you should be able to use your fn heater how ever you want and not 1)drive in m mode for higher rpms. 2) not use 6th gear. 3) not use more then fan speed 3 at any time. my first car with rs and its worthless as the car doesnt warm up at idle anyways. the wifes car gets to almost full op temp after 5 min of idling!! i know its a differnent car(09 malibu) but its not unheard of for a car to warm up at idle or get to or stay at op temp in 10 degree or less weather. 
now, highway driving is another thing. the car will get to op temp and stay there while driving. if though you stop and a light or get off the highway, temp begins to fall right away. my dealer went through the car multiple times and they contacted gm. car is "working as designed" aka worthless


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## silverram323 (Mar 16, 2012)

I'm in Minnesota also, I found if i use fan speeds above level 2 to soon it takes a while to warm up, So i leave it on 2 till it reaches 180 mark, It was -14 this morning and i tried this -- once on the freeway @ cruising speed, i manually shifted it to 5th gear (more rpms) and it seemed to warm up faster, how ever at 65 mpg it was reading 36-38 mpg in 6th and it dropped to 30 mpg in 5th gear. Give and take.

my .o2

P.S. I wonder if we can block off the radiator? I do this in my dodge ram Cummins diesel pickup as that could run 8 hrs a day and not get about 160.


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## upstater (Feb 22, 2011)

how about this question.... why is the thermostat opening early? if your gage does not move, or like mine goes backwards at times, then cold coolant is being introduced too early. seems like an ECM programming issue?


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## ndsustudent (Jun 25, 2012)

upstater said:


> how about this question.... why is the thermostat opening early? if your gage does not move, or like mine goes backwards at times, then cold coolant is being introduced too early. seems like an ECM programming issue?



This is exactly what I am wanting to know. Also, why does the car need a computer controlled thermostat when the old mechanical ones work just fine? I understand the fact that the car will be cooler on the highway but when idling there should be NO reason why that car doesn't get to operating temp.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

jdubb11 said:


> no dissrespect but im tired of hearing "wait for the car to warm up". IT DOES NOT WARM UP IN CITY DRIVING. i would never turn my heat on or past number two on the fan and we all know how much air blows on 1 and 2...next to nothing. i need defrost and 2 wont cut it. i have a 8 month old in the back seat and 2 wont cut it.


I would never take a 8month old into a cold car, let the car idle for 5-10minutes with the fan setting on 2 as stated above. Fan speed 2 is more than enough air to keep the windows clear while its warming(if you just use the defrost setting). I have driven with two adults on fan 2 with no fogging issues even with a cold car. 

I see numerous people stating they are driving in 5th to keep the RPMs up to try & help warm the car, this does not work as all you are doing is moving more cold air through the engine. more load builds more heat, so 6th gear is fine. 

If you actually idle your car for 5-10minutes with the fan speed low & temp set at the 1 o'clock position within 4 block of city driving you will be past 160degrees. under 10 minutes of city driving I have great heat(with some idling). 

I just realize with a small engine you can't demand full blown heat before the engine is warm. Think of starting a campfire, before you have a good fire going would you blow a fan on high at what little flames you have? It would put the fire out. The heater core in a car is a tiny radiator with a fan attached, you are incorrectly using your heat(as many do) & cooling the engine if you are using high fan speeds before the car is warmed up. 

Do you like cold air blasting you as you drive? If not then stop turning the fan up so high as its counter productive. If you want heat try what I and many others on her have stated, you will be surprised how quick the heat builds up.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

ndsustudent said:


> I understand the fact that the car will be cooler on the highway but when idling there should be NO reason why that car doesn't get to operating temp.


The car warms fine on the highway, most complaints are city drivers. Doesn't variable value timing make the car use less gas at idle? if less fuel is being burnt then less heat is being generated. The car will warm up fine at idle but much slower than driving(just like every other car). If you do idle to warm the engine, just use low fan speed 1 or 2 as to not cool off the engine via the heater core. You need to build heat before you can use the heater.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

I was cold today (10 degrees when I got in this afternoon), so after I got on the highway and let it fully warm up, I cranked the heat. 82 degrees and max fan speed. She went from the usual 220 down to 197/198 while still rolling at 70. Get off the highway and wait at the light to turn, and the coolant dropped to 173 before the light turned. The heat got cooler as well, even with the other settings the same.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

ndsustudent said:


> I have a base model 2012 cruze and I am starting to think my thermostat is not operating properly. I live in northern minnesota and we are in a bit of a cold snap, currently -18F in my town. But my car will not get up to temp when idling or when I am driving it for 20 minutes. Most of the time it will barley leave the Cold area of the gague. I saw there is a recall of some sort for the 2011's in regards to the thermostat, has anyone had this issue with the 2012's? I am thinking of bringing it into the dealership so I hope it is covered by the warranty.
> 
> Thanks in advance!




ndsustudent,
I would like you to keep me posted on your concerns. If you do end up taking your Cruze back to the dealer please let me know. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me anytime. Try and stay warm!
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

ndsustudent said:


> This is exactly what I am wanting to know. Also, why does the car need a computer controlled thermostat when the old mechanical ones work just fine? I understand the fact that the car will be cooler on the highway but when idling there should be NO reason why that car doesn't get to operating temp.


Dang, I want to quote parts of several posts here. Hope I hit the high points anyway.

I did a test run today with below freezing temps that I'll get to in this post.

The engine will actually run hotter on the highway. Doing more work and the turbo is engaged. Air coming through at freeway speeds doesn't make that great of a difference. Remember that the cooling fan is electronically controlled and may actually shut off when not needed.

The electronic thermostat is all about fuel economy. It is key to keeping the engine at the proper operating temperature for maximum economy. And I learned last summer that there is a "reserve" cooling capacity. During the cold months, the digital temp readout was at 226F, or very close. During the hottest parts of the summer I saw the temps stay steady 20 degrees cooler, even had readings of 196F until I stomped on the gas. My thought is the cooler temps during hot weather compensate for hotter intake air.

OK, this morning's test run. the outside temp was 5F, so it was perfect for checking out warming up an overnight cold engine. I did a remote start and got in the car after it idled for 8 minutes. The cabin was noticeably warmer than outside. Fan setting 2, heater temp set to full hot. Digital dash reading was 91 degrees. I cranked the fan speed up to 4, turned on recirculate and drove off.

In a few minutes the temp got above 130F, but then I stopped at a light and it didn't rise at all. Kept on driving, and after another five minutes got it above 150F. This is where the fun began. I lowered the fan speed and saw the temp rise. Raise the fan speed back to full and the temp dropped. Like, several degree drop. If I was stopped at a light I could cool the engine down by raising the fan speed.. If moving at city speed (50mph or less) I could just about hold the temp where ever it was. I let the engine warm up in 10 degree increments that way. I then kept the fan speed at 4. Probably could have played with it all day like that. As it was, I did this for a good twenty minutes or so.

At about ten minutes into my drive and the cabin temp was comfortable.

Digital readout of 150F is at about the one quarter mark on the analog dash gauge. Fully warmed to 225F puts the analog gauge one tick below center. Twenty degree fluctuations of a fully warmed engine don't show on the analog gauge. 

Stopped and let the engine idle while I checked out the frosty water going over the dam on the river. The engine cooled with with the heater controls set on high. Then I took off for the highway.

About ten minutes later I made it to the highway, and the engine temp never got to 180F. Remember, I kept the heater control at max. I had been running the car for about 35-40 minutes by now. The temp did finally make it a bit above 180F on the freeway, but would not do any better unless I revved it so. I saw the temp rise maybe 5 degrees and then drop when I resumed speed. By now the cabin was plenty warm, after all 170F is a lot of heat. I cracked a back window so I wouldn't sweat.

Finally, I dropped the fan speed down to 2. After several minutes the engine came up to temp at 224F and stayed there. Got off the highway, resumed city speeds and started play with the heater again. Yes, I could drop the temp a bit while moving if I cranked the fan speed to full again. At this point I gave up and set the heater controls for comfort. Engine temps then stayed fully warmed.

OK, so think what you will of my drive. It seems to me to show that these small engines don't heat that well on the really cold days. A higher fan speed probably would not cool the engine if the heat setting is less than max.


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

Come to think of it, about 4 hours after that drive I started the car. The DIC read 51F. Engine was already stone cold already.


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## jdubb11 (Mar 14, 2012)

GoldenCruze said:


> Come to think of it, about 4 hours after that drive I started the car. The DIC read 51F. Engine was already stone cold already.


your write up is exactly as my car does as well. i have done all you mentioned as well except ive never tried turning the heat setting down. i will try that in the am as it will be -0. and for your post about the car being cold after 4 hrs...i can go out to eat and its like starting all over again trying to get it to warm up. i have to bring the car in for a very slow tire leak(thinking its a rimm seal) i will ask about the ecm.
its a small motor but in the 15 or so cars ive owned ive never had such problems getting to and maintaing op temp and heat in the car. never had to, or should have to, monkey around with this


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

GoldenCruze said:


> A higher fan speed probably would not cool the engine if the heat setting is less than max.


That may be the difference I have from most that are having issues, I never have the cold/hot dial past the 3 o'clock position & once fully warmed up I have between the 12 & 1 o'clock position. Actually most of the time Its set at the 1 o'clock position with fan speed 1 or 2 until fully warmed up, then I usually leave it alone & just turn on the fan speed to 3 to warm the car once the engine is close to being fully warmed up. 

Within 10minutes of turning up the fan speed to 3 I have to turn it back down to 2 or 1 & sometimes I even end up back off the the cold/hot control closer to the 12 o'clock position. This car makes to much heat any higher than that, Seriously I can't breath & feel like my skin is burning off if I turn the cold/hot knob past 3/4 when the engine is warmed up.

Never had a car this way, every other car I left hot/cold knob at max & just controlled the heat output with fan. Do others run with the hot/cold knob of max? how can you stand it being that hot?


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## jdubb11 (Mar 14, 2012)

spacedout said:


> That may be the difference I have from most that are having issues, I never have the cold/hot dial past the 3 o'clock position & once fully warmed up I have between the 12 & 1 o'clock position. Actually most of the time Its set at the 1 o'clock position with fan speed 1 or 2 until fully warmed up, then I usually leave it alone & just turn on the fan speed to 3 to warm the car once the engine is close to being fully warmed up.
> 
> Within 10minutes of turning up the fan speed to 3 I have to turn it back down to 2 or 1 & sometimes I even end up back off the the cold/hot control closer to the 12 o'clock position. This car makes to much heat any higher than that, Seriously I can't breath & feel like my skin is burning off if I turn the cold/hot knob past 3/4 when the engine is warmed up.
> 
> Never had a car this way, every other car I left hot/cold knob at max & just controlled the heat output with fan. Do others run with the hot/cold knob of max? how can you stand it being that hot?


normally just leave it on hottest setting and turn fan down or off. will try less heat(to get more lol)


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

I have an odd sensitivity to cold temperatures, so getting heat as soon as possible is important to me. That is why i have remote start and heated seats. The slight decrease in fuel economy isn't that much anyway. Because of that I have the temperature control at max and the fan speed at 4 until the cabin warms up enough. I then back off the fan speed.


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## ndsustudent (Jun 25, 2012)

jdubb11 said:


> your write up is exactly as my car does as well. i have done all you mentioned as well except ive never tried turning the heat setting down. i will try that in the am as it will be -0. and for your post about the car being cold after 4 hrs...i can go out to eat and its like starting all over again trying to get it to warm up. i have to bring the car in for a very slow tire leak(thinking its a rimm seal) i will ask about the ecm.
> its a small motor but in the 15 or so cars ive owned *ive never had such problems getting to and maintaing op temp and heat in the car. never had to, or should have to, monkey around with this*


My feelings exactly on this one. I can play with the temp knob and fan speeds and get it somewhat warm but it's pretty riddiculous when my girlfriend's 04 cavalier gets up to and maintains temp waaaay better than my brand new cruze in the same temps, and she doesn't have to monkey with the knobs!


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

Today's drive:

Temperature outside 19F. Remote started the car with the fan speed at 2 and heat at max. Let it run the full ten minutes until it shut off. Got in, started the thing and had a DIC reading of 131F. Cranked both the heat controls to max and drove off. City speeds only, but the engine temp kept steadily rising until it fully warmed up.

Outside temperatures make a big difference for the 1.4T engine. Yesterday I was driving when it was 6F outside and could not warm up the engine fully with the heater controls set to max. I feel for you people that have to deal with cold weather that goes well below freezing. It appears that you have to reduce the heater output by reducing either the fan speed or the heat setting if you want the engine to fully warm up. And I recommend using remote start, perhaps letting it go twice so that you get 20 minutes of warmup time when the weather is well below freezing.


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## Gh0st (Oct 17, 2012)

jdubb11 said:


> just search this site for thermostat threads, there are lots. i live in mpls. i have had both cruzes ive owned in for this. "car is working as designed" aka nothing we can do to help you. nature of this small motor. DO NOT USE FAN SPEED 4, car will never warm up. **** mine doesnt warm up on speed 3 when its 10 degrees or less. good luck


I live in St. Paul.

Yes, do not blast the fan. Leave it on 1 until the engine is at least past the first hash. I have no problems getting my engine warm, I also drive on 494 though for the most part and I don't drive like a grandma.


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## Gh0st (Oct 17, 2012)

ndsustudent said:


> My feelings exactly on this one. I can play with the temp knob and fan speeds and get it somewhat warm but it's pretty riddiculous when my girlfriend's 04 cavalier gets up to and maintains temp waaaay better than my brand new cruze in the same temps, and she doesn't have to monkey with the knobs!


So put cardboard over your grille.


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## Gh0st (Oct 17, 2012)

Don't forget it's a tiny ass 1.4L motor with a lot of modern engine efficiencies built in to it. Press the gas pedal, get the turbo doing something and watch as your engine easily gets up to temp.


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## ndsustudent (Jun 25, 2012)

Gh0st said:


> So put cardboard over your grille.


I don't think you are getting my point. Yes, I can now get my car to warm up by playing with the knobs (fan speed, heat, etc) but I feel that this should not be necessary, especially on a new vehicle. GM says it's operating at specs, but maybe the specs are wrong.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

I don't understand all of this fiddling with the heater controls just to get some warmth in the passenger cabin. I had car with a 1.3L motor in it and it would be putting out heat within a mile or two in the dead of winter. No control twiddling and you didn't have drive on the expressway just to get heat. Of course, it didn't have a computer controlled thermostat.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Jim Frye said:


> I don't understand all of this fiddling with the heater controls just to get some warmth in the passenger cabin. I had car with a 1.3L motor in it and it would be putting out heat within a mile or two in the dead of winter. No control twiddling and you didn't have drive on the expressway just to get heat. Of course, it didn't have a computer controlled thermostat.


Don't believe all the BS about this car not warming up, unless you max your fan/heat knob before any heat is built or there is a problem with your thermostat, this thing is the fastest warming car I have owned. 

Even at -10F I was up to 175-220 within 8-15minutes of driving(combined city/hwy). The only "fiddling" one has to do is not turn the fan speed up until the car has some heat build up starting. I'm not sure about you but I wouldn't want a fan blasting me with cold air when its freezing out, and by doing so it just keeps the car cold for longer. 

every small engine car I have driven will experience some cooling while coasting or maxing the fan speed on super cold days before the engine is fully warm. The 2.2ecotec on my 2004 cavalier would hit a wall half way warmed up idling around town if you used fan speed 3 or higher on days below zero.... the exact same thing the cruze does. 

Remember GM has to design the cooling system for both extreme ends of the spectrum, 115+ degree desert & -30 winters in Canada. With the heat of the turbo the engine NEEDS a large radiator for the extremely hot days, the trade off is slower warming on very cold days(which most will probably never see). an overheating engine will leave you stranded, a slow warming one will not. 

Its to bad all the complainers don't listen & actually try a lower fan speed for 10minutes of driving(or 5minutes of idle+ 5minutes of driving). I have heat within 3 blocks of my house with 5 minute remote start idle(fan speed left at speed 2) even on the coldest days.


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## gt_cristian (Apr 7, 2012)

I envy all of you guys who can see the engine temperature on the DIC... mine doesn't show it grrr :uhh:


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## jdubb11 (Mar 14, 2012)

spacedout said:


> Don't believe all the BS about this car not warming up, unless you max your fan/heat knob before any heat is built or there is a problem with your thermostat, this thing is the fastest warming car I have owned.
> 
> Even at -10F I was up to 175-220 within 8-15minutes of driving(combined city/hwy). The only "fiddling" one has to do is not turn the fan speed up until the car has some heat build up starting. I'm not sure about you but I wouldn't want a fan blasting me with cold air when its freezing out, and by doing so it just keeps the car cold for longer.
> 
> ...


f off dude. its not "BS" that in 30 min of driving with the fan on 2 or 3 that my car doesnt get to op temp. i dont even bother to use speed 4. whenever you want to come over and take my car for a spin let me know. just cuz your car is so great at warming up doesnt mean that others dont have a problem. ive owned 5 other gm cars with the same drive and all have fully warmed in 5-8 min.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Maybe it's not the thermostat. Perhaps the closely mounted turbocharger is sucking all the heat out of the engine?


nudge nudge wink wink


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