17th Sep 2009, 14:45
Well I own a 9 year old Daewoo Matiz SD.
The 2nd gear problem is manufacturing defect, but I came up with the solution for it. If your 2nd gear is not able to slide smoothly, just try to leave your car in 2nd gear when you park your car. Try this for at least a week, & after a week you will find that your gear will slide more smoothly than before. I had the same problem with 2nd & reverse gear. Well every car reverse gear creates some kind of noise, but I did the above mentioned procedure for at least for a week, then my reverse gear never makes any kind of noise, & by doing this my cars clutch has become easy to press than before. Try it & then comment. I'm hoping for positive comments.
23rd Dec 2009, 23:47
Same problems here, I do notice a slight fault in the bracket holding all the gear stick guff, maybe a slight grind on the right hand side where a pin touches the bracket might help the 2nd gear problem.
But at present I need some cables as one has broken; any ideas on cheap available parts, please email rogeralter@dodo.com.au, 2000 model thanks. Will let you know how I get on.
24th Jun 2010, 09:01
I have had my Daewoo Matiz for 3 years now & found the main problems to have been:
The clutch cable snapping 3 times now.
A whistling noise caused by the fan belt.
The back washer hose coming off at the washer bottle end (a real pain to reconnect).
Apart from that, it's been 25k of relatively trouble free motoring.
You get what you pay for I suppose. A cheap basic car by a cheap basic manufacturer.
12th Aug 2010, 22:57
We have our 2001 Matiz for 5 months now (bought secondhand), and we too have the gearbox problem. Have to be at a complete stop to put it into 1st and 2nd gear (and no 2nd gear coming down), but all the rest is fine. It would be great if we could find a similar gearbox that would fit. I still love my little car.
23rd Oct 2010, 11:56
I bought my wife a Matiz for a very reasonable price, and hence accept its minor problems. Like many on this topic, it has a problem selecting first gear when on the move, it will go in with a crunch! I have put this down to the syncromesh being worn, despite the car having a low mileage.
My other experiences with Daewoo's is with several Musso 4x4. These also have a very clunky gearbox; perhaps the change to Chevrolet will address these issues???
13th Apr 2012, 06:19
Regarding the noise from the steering while turning; don't replace the drive shaft or wheel bearings, you will only waste your money. I replaced both and it made no difference. I have decided to just put up with it.
12th Jul 2012, 09:49
If the cornering noise you are hearing only happens when turning to the right, this is caused by there being too much clearance in the thrust of the gearbox mounting. If you are a skilled mechanic, this can be cured by removing the mounting, and elongating the mounting bolt holes to minimise the clearance. Do not attempt this yourself if you are not a mechanic, as the gearbox needs supporting; get someone professional to do it for you. This fault was difficult to diagnose, and I am not surprised that the remedy is not widely known.
7th Oct 2014, 12:40
I have just got myself a little Matiz, and so far so good. It has 95k miles and is a 2000 plate car. I know the owners and the car's history, and they have never had any issues with it, never had to go to a garage or put a spanner near it.
I got is a cheap run around to work and back (about 6 miles), so I couldn't care less about the build quality and stuff, it gets me around so I'm happy. Going to service it as it hasn't had one for a long, long while. If it lasts me a year I'm happy!!!
I own a Mondeo ST, which is receiving all my love and attention for obvious reasons. The car came with a new gear box, headlights, suspension... all sorts. So if anything goes, the chances are I have one already. So all in all, very happy with it.
7th Dec 2014, 22:33
Like other owners, our (bought new) 2009 model 3 cylinder Chevy Matiz developed the difficult gearbox problems at about 48,000 miles... it had been a great car up until then.
Anybody know how to remove the gear lever console so I can fit the new gear change cables I have bought?
I 'cured' the crunchy gears by turning the adjuster on the end of the clutch cable half a turn at a time... trial and error though, you need to get a smooth gear change without having the cable so tight that the clutch slips. I found about 3 half turns of the adjuster about right.
17th Sep 2009, 08:59
Same problem here with the second gear and also reverse.
Thanks to all your comments you solved my worries. It's already the 3rd or 4th time I have to change the clutch cable in almost 7 years. I was worrying that maybe I don't know how to drive, but seems it's a common problem.