about 1 year ago i was driving around in my matiz and the heating shot up and began to smoke. I managed to get it back home only to find the water level had dramatically dropped and was smoke everywhere. I left it to cool down and filled it back up with coolant. Ever since i can only drive it about 8ish miles without the heat flying up and i have to put the heating on full to cool it back down. Ive had it checked once and nothing could be found, it definatly is not the head gasket and 1 suggestion was that the thermostat could be broke? Any ideas?

Sarah W, July 2010

check thearmostat, take it out and put into pan of boiling water, if it opens then its o.k. also check water pump is working before having h/gasket done as these are the cheapest options to do first, if both o.k. then go for h/gasket change.

hope it helps, July 2010

Head gaskets of both engines (0.8 and 1.0 litre) prone to failure due to overheating. This occurs because the plastic heater inlet manifolds eventually warp, losing coolant and leading to the overheating. Replacing the inlet manifold can cost more than the car is worth.

ChicksFan, July 2010