Chery IndiS / S18D

If you’re seriously looking at a used Chery IndiS or this “wonder Chinese” has already settled in your yard, prepare for an honest conversation. Marketers at one time did a great job, christening the five-door “mini-crossover” for a plastic body kit around the perimeter and a solid clearance of 185 mm.

How not to leave the last money in car services of the Russian Federation and the CIS

If you’re seriously looking at a used Chery IndiS or this “wonder Chinese” has already settled in your yard, prepare for an honest conversation.

Marketers at one time did a great job, christening the five-door “mini-crossover” for a plastic body kit around the perimeter and a solid clearance of 185 mm. In fact, before us is the usual ultra-budget hatchback from China, originally from the first half of the tenth years (the cars were produced from 2011 to 2015).

It has a simple design: under the hood works 1.3-liter engine SQR473F for 85 horses, suspension consists of a classic McPherson front and beams behind, but with transmissions came misfire - buyers were offered either standard five-speed mechanics or capricious robot EasyTronic.

EasyTronic robotic box (5AMT)

The darkest and most expensive story in this car. Structurally, this is the same mechanical box, but the clutch and step switching are commanded by servo drives (actuators). The ligament works out of hand badly: the car irritates with slaps during acceleration, hangs between gears and twitches in samples.

Native clutch rarely tends more than 50-70,000 kilometers. If you miss its wear, the box will start kicking, lose the points of adaptation, and then from the excess load will burn expensive actuator.

The price of the question bites: a simple adaptation to the service will cost 3-5 thousand rubles, but the replacement of the clutch will pull from your pocket from 30 to 50 thousand. The new actuator will cost another 25-40 thousand rubles.

Every 20–30 thousand kilometers, come to the diagnostics to train the robot under the wear of the disk. In winter, be sure to warm up the transmission at least a couple of minutes before the start, and in dead congestion immediately go into manual mode, forcing the box to remain in first gear.

The belt and the threat of overhaul

By itself, the cast-iron four-cylinder engine SQR473F is quite tenacious, but the valve timing drive here is belted, and you need an eye for it. The plant promises an impressive resource, but in practice the belts break at runs of 80-120 thousand. The worst thing is that when the pistons break, they are guaranteed to break the valve.

Forget about factory intervals - change the belt with rollers strictly every 60-70,000 kilometers. A set of parts from decent brands (like Gates or Dayco) costs about 4-7 thousand rubles, and the work on replacing the service station will pull another 4-8 thousand. This is much cheaper than bulkhead block, which in the current realities starts from 50 000 rubles.

Body woes and corrosion

Budget paintwork and thin metal make IndiS an easy prey for winter road reagents. Foci of rust appear on the thresholds (especially insidiously they develop under a decorative plastic body kit), wheel arches and at the bottom of the doors. In two or three damp winters, the harmless “red” can turn into a through hole.

Local repair of one element today costs 10-30,000 rubles, and full digestion with repainting of the body easily exceeds 80 thousand. When buying, be sure to drive the car onto the overpass and tap the bottom. If the metal is still intact, immediately make a complex anticor.

Heating system (heater radiator)

Closer to 80-120 thousand kilometers, many owners notice the sweet smell of antifreeze in the cabin and the ever-sweating greasy glass. It's the heater.

The part itself is inexpensive, but to replace it, the master will have to completely spread the front panel in the cabin. For this monumental work, car service providers are rightly asking from 15 to 25 thousand rubles. In parallel, watch the plastic expansion tank: from age it cracks at the seams (the new costs 2-4 thousand rubles).

Suspension and steering

The chassis of the car is rigid, short-speed and quite noisy.

The consumable here are the stabilizer racks - they begin to knock every 30-60,000 kilometers (the replacement of the pair will cost 3-6 thousand rubles with work).

Fortunately, ball supports and Silentblocks of the front levers are stronger and hold up to 80-100 thousand mileage.

Approximately to the same hundred, the steering rack is handed over - there is a tangible backlash and knock when passing tram tracks. The new rail costs under 40 thousand rubles, but the knot is perfectly amenable to bulkheading in specialized workshops for sane money.

The petty whims of electricians

Chinese wiring from the early tenth years likes to throw surprises.

Often, the generator is handed over: the brushes wear out or the diode bridge burns out (the bulkhead costs 5-10 thousand rubles).

The generator belt loves to whistle in wet weather, requiring a lift.

From the sensors periodically "make a head" sensor crankshaft position (DPKV) and lambda probe - because of them, the machine can suddenly stall or start to spend under 12 liters of gasoline per hundred.

Also check the seat heating: there was an official recall campaign in 2013 over defective elements that melted the skin.

Nuances of engine maintenance: fighting oil and triniomy

If to 100 thousand kilometers of run your IndiS began to devour lubrication within a liter of 10,000 km - for this engine the layout is normal. But if ICE appetite has grown to a liter for every thousand, it's bad.

Usually, oil caps that are suffocated from overheating (replacement will cost 15-25,000 rubles) or piston rings that are dead. You can try the lottery procedure for 5,000-10 thousand rubles, but this is only a temporary delay before a full overhaul for 60+ thousand.

To minimize risks, pour the tested 5W-40 oil and update it every 7,000 to 8,000 kilometers.

When vibrations and floating revolutions appear, do not rush to sentence the engine. Most often, trifles are caused by banal wear of candles (their resource here is only 20–30 thousand km) or a breakdown of one of the four ignition coils (a new part costs 3–6 thousand rubles).

A mechanical box as an island of reliability

Five-speed mechanics (5 MKP) on the background of the robot looks like an eternal knot. Yes, over time, she has a loosening of the curtain and begins to squeezy bearing, but the clutch itself, when handled carefully, calmly withstands up to 120 thousand kilometers of mileage, and repairing the box costs mere pennies. If you are looking for IndiS for long and relatively trouble-free operation, your choice is only a manual transmission.

Checklist of a smart buyer before the deal

When inspecting a used Chery IndiS, don’t take the seller’s word for it. Act strictly on points: 1. Cold start: Start the engine after a long downtime. Is there a gray smoke coming out of the pipe? The piston crew is requesting repairs. Look, there's no extraneous noise from the valve timing.2 casing. Robot test (if you decide): Try to smoothly move into the slide. Any hard kicks, jerks or the box crashes into emergency mode (the “cog” icon on the panel) is an excuse to turn around and leave.3. Inspection of hidden cavities: Be sure to look under the plastic sills and arch extensions with a flashlight. The metal there should be hard, without through corrosion.4. Check the generator under load: Turn on the high beam at the same time, the stove at maximum, heating the glass and air conditioning. The engine turns should not critically sag, and the headlights should flicker.

What can I buy instead?

If the clearance is not critical, it is better to look at the Chevrolet Spark or Daewoo Matiz – they are easier to arrange and they are easier to find parts in any regional store. If you want reliability in terms of electrics and bodywork, look for Hyundai Getz or Kia Picanto older: they will cost a little more in the purchase, but almost do not lose liquidity in the subsequent sale.

EasyTronic robotic box (5AMT)

• If you miss its wear, the box will start kicking, lose the points of adaptation, and then from the excessive load will burn expensive actuator mechanism.
• The price of the question bites: a simple adaptation to the service will cost 3-5 thousand rubles, but the replacement of the clutch will pull from your pocket from 30 to 50 thousand.
• Every 20–30 thousand kilometers, come to the diagnostics to train the robot under the wear of the disk.

Body woes and corrosion

• Foci of rust appear on the thresholds (especially insidiously they develop under a decorative plastic body kit), wheel arches and at the bottom of the doors.
• Local repair of one element today costs 10-30,000 rubles, and full digestion with repainting of the body easily exceeds 80 thousand.
• When buying, be sure to drive the car onto the overpass and tap the bottom.

Heating system (heater radiator)

• Closer to 80-120 thousand kilometers, many owners notice the sweet smell of antifreeze in the cabin and the ever-sweating greasy glass. It's the heater.

Suspension and steering

• The consumable here are the stabilizer racks - they begin to knock every 30-60,000 kilometers (the replacement of the pair will cost 3-6 thousand rubles with work).
• Approximately to the same hundred, the steering rack is handed over - there is a tangible backlash and knock when passing tram tracks.

The petty whims of electricians

• Also check the seat heating: there was an official recall campaign in 2013 over defective elements that melted the skin.

Nuances of engine maintenance: fighting oil and triniomy

• Usually, oil caps that are suffocated from overheating (replacement will cost 15-25,000 rubles) or piston rings that are dead.
• You can try the lottery procedure for 5,000-10 thousand rubles, but this is only a temporary delay before a full overhaul for 60+ thousand.
• To minimize risks, pour the tested 5W-40 oil and update it every 7,000 to 8,000 kilometers.
• Most often, trifles are caused by banal wear of candles (their resource here is only 20–30 thousand km) or a breakdown of one of the four ignition coils (a new part costs 3–6 thousand rubles).

A mechanical box as an island of reliability

• Yes, over time, she has a loosening of the curtain and begins to squeezy bearing, but the clutch itself, when handled carefully, calmly withstands up to 120 thousand kilometers of mileage, and repairing the box costs mere pennies.
• If you are looking for IndiS for long and relatively trouble-free operation, your choice is only a manual transmission.

Checklist of a smart buyer before the deal

• When inspecting a used Chery IndiS, don’t take the seller’s word for it. Act strictly on points: 1.
• Cold start: Start the engine after a long downtime. Is there a gray smoke coming out of the pipe? The piston crew is requesting repairs.
• Look, there's no extraneous noise from the valve timing casing. 2.
• Inspection of hidden cavities: Be sure to look under the plastic sills and arch extensions with a flashlight.
• The metal there should be hard, without through corrosion. 4.
• Check the generator under load: Turn on the high beam at the same time, the stove at maximum, heating the glass and air conditioning.

Take this car is possible only in one case: your budget is strictly limited to the amount of 150 000 – 300 000 rubles, you vitally need a high ground clearance for trips to the country, and the alternative is a very ancient classic from AvtoVAZ.

IndiS will be a good assistant if you are ready to service it yourself or have a familiar master who knows how to work with Chinese brands. But remember, look for only living mechanics.

• How not to leave the last money in the service stations of the Russian Federation and the CIS: If you are seriously looking at a used Chery IndiS or this “miracle Chinese” has already settled in your yard, prepare for an honest conversation.
• Nuances of engine maintenance: we fight oil and trim: Usually, oil caps that have been blown from overheating are to blame (replacement will cost 15–25 thousand rubles) or dead piston rings.
• The mechanical box as an island of reliability: Yes, over time, it has a lever spinning and begins to bolt the squeezable bearing, but the clutch itself, when handled carefully, calmly withstands up to 120 thousand kilometers of mileage, and repairing the box costs mere pennies.
• Checklist of smart buyer before the deal: Cold start: Start the engine after a long downtime. Is there a gray smoke coming out of the pipe? The piston crew is requesting repairs.
• What can I buy instead?: If the clearance is not critical, it is better to look at the Chevrolet Spark or Daewoo Matiz - they are easier to arrange and they are easier to find parts in any regional store.

Shows, bargaining and re-registration take time: buyers look, promise to think and disappear. Fair price after inspection closes the auction on the spot. If money is needed urgently, the purchase takes away waiting and repeat displays.

Leave a request with the car data. We will discuss the preliminary assessment and inspection. After checking the status and documents, we agree on the final price and terms of the transaction.