u/wecouldbefree

This is what happens when the car is in park (or stopped at a stoplight or something). It’s 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside, AC is on. Idk if you can hear on the video, but you can like hear the engine (?) revving/shuddering or something pumping/cycling (?).

I’ve dealt with the typical Chevy sonic overheating thing lol.. sigh. At worst, it stalls after this sort of thing. Stalling hasn’t happened in a while though, since I did a couple tweaks.

I did the PCV fix kit, changed spark plugs and coils, and fixed a coolant leak.

2019 Chevy Sonic LT 1.4L Turbo

How do I remedy/avoid this?

Hey all- our kiddo is 9, and I know we’re quickly approaching pre-teen hood etc, and I always feel like there are things that we need to instill early on because I know things are going to naturally change in a couple years, and communication etc may be harder then.

What are things you look back and wish you would’ve done earlier with your kids (or instilled earlier, or gotten into the habit of etc)?

Or what are some things you did early on that you feel really paid off as your child (and your parent-child relationship) evolved?

My daughter is going to a different school starting this fall. The commute will be like 1-2hrs depending on traffic (each way). It's a long, frustrating story, but essentially, I am trying to make the best of it. How can I potentially (realistically) monetize that drive?

We live in an urban/metro city and the school is in a rural/suburb area, if that helps at all.

Also, I drive a compact sedan.

My wife and I have gotten to a relatively decent/cooperative/amicable place with wife's ex and his new wife. But, there's always still an underlying tone of "competition" between the households. Wife's ex definitely has a lot of narcissistic traits about him (and I know everyone says that about exes, but truly, I've never encountered someone who so directly and objectively exemplifies the diagnosis criteria lol...), and that lead to a lot of constant showboating and peacocking on his end. Our daughter is 9, and not really at a point of having a housing preference (which I think is a good thing, as she is able to feel safe and loved in both places). It's just really exhausting. It feels like when you're on a group project, but some group members are more concerned about their individual grade than the grade of the group. And in this analogy, the "grade of the group" results in the child's wellbeing, so it's really frustrating because we can't stoop to the same level without affecting SD.

And unlike the "group project" analogy, this situation does not have an independent third party grader like a teacher lol. There is no referee or arbitrator (outside of court, etc). So, it gets confusing and exhausting to know who is "right" or "wrong". And often honestly there is no clear or definite "right" or "wrong", and there is no real measure of accountability, and wife's ex blows through boundaries and decisions in whatever way most benefits him. And we always have to absorb the impacts, in order to somewhat shield SD from the tension. We're just forced to keep engaging in the project.

It feels like everything is an unspoken competition for "favorite" or "best" household. We have a groupchat where we just keep each other informed on kiddo's life- school, medical, coordinating schedules, etc. We will say something like "Looks like [SD] might be coming down with a cold, so we're giving her [medicine], fyi" and he will respond with something about how she is never really sick at his house because he has special humidifiers and specific soaps and how the medicine that he gives is better because xyz. Which, on the surface, of course presents as helpful and engaged, but history has shown that the underlying vibe is "we're better" "you don't know what you're doing", etc. That's sort of one concrete example. It's hard to describe others because oftentimes, it's not this straightforward- it's more the tone of the relationship and even the history of relationship dynamics between my wife and her ex- he would always use railroad her and she would always be passive and found no use in fighting him on things.

I acknowledge that these people will be my "group project partners" for life, basically, so I definitely want it to be a good relationship and simply opting out of interacting with them is not a realistic or productive option here. Never really being able to feel like I can exhale when it comes to them- I'm just so tired of the constant competition, the constant need to analyze their words/behavior, the constantly feeling dragged around by their whims and desires, the way communication/interaction with them can throw off our day, etc. I know that there is a lot of this that I cannot control and it's kind of just the gig.

But, any tips on how to insulate myself from the tension? Any tips on how my wife and I can insulate ourselves? Yes, we need to keep an open and productive line of communication with the other household, but any tips on how to sort of compartmentalize that area of interaction so that it doesn't affect the mood of our house as much?

I know the logical thing is "don't allow them the power to affect you like this". But, c'mon, I think everyone here knows it's definitely easier said than done lol. I don't know. I hoped to write this in a more cohesive way lol but I'm just so tired- hopefully you guys get it.

What has worked for you in this regard?

Is there anywhere in the city where I could legit get a $10 haircut? Single length, just the sides.

I have locs in the middle and I shave/buzz the sides. I get tired of doing it myself or asking my wife lol but I also don’t want to pay an arm and a leg just for that at a shop, especially since my hair grows really fast and this is like a weekly thing.

I will be doing a lot of part repairs/replacements this summer on my 2019 Chevy Sonic 1.4L Turbo.

(Mainly centered around rough idle issues and cooling system issues, of course)

I figure it’s probably important (and will probably come in handy) for me to keep track of everything that has been done. Kind of similar to how they give you that sticker after an oil change lol. That way, I don’t mess my own self up when chasing new issues, and if I ever have to actually go to a mechanic, I can easily report all the things that have already been done, etc.

Do you guys keep track of your repairs and mods? What organization system has worked best for you?

I was thinking a spreadsheet (I’m a data person by profession lol), but I was also thinking it might be beneficial to keep stuff in a physical notebook/binder that I could actually just store in the car.

Is this a thing?

After seeing a couple posts about it here recently, I’m coming to the realization that I probably need to go ahead and replace my purge valve. As I’m doing different fixes, I’ve been trying to eliminate all the plastic parts as much as possible in favor of aluminum replacements. Is that an option here?

Has anyone found an aluminum part for this?

Chevy Sonic 2019 1.4L Turbo

115k miles