Used 2012 Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A) Consumer Reviews
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Never again!
Gman, Burlington, KY, 02/19/2018
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
30 of 30 people found this review helpful
Purchased my 2012 Equinox brand new and it now has 140,000 miles. It has had numerous issues throughout the 5+ years I have owned it. A number of those were covered under warranty but thousands of dollars worth of repairs were not. From day 1, my Equinox never came close to the gas mileage they claimed. I tested under multiple conditions and always averaged 25 mpg on the highway versus their false claim of 32 mpg. At about 80k miles it started burning excessive amounts of oil and now burns about 1 quart per 1000 miles. After 100k miles the Chevy Equinox begins self-destructing. In addition to the above issues mentioned (and also unmentioned), after 100k miles I have had to pay for replacement of the timing chain, rear main seal of engine (major repair requiring removal of the transmission), cracked exhaust manifold, oxygen sensors causing vehicle to stall at any given stop light, etc..., just to name the items that come to mind. Bye, bye, Chevy.....Never Again!
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Been great so far
Chuck Hoover, Sanford, FL, 10/31/2015
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
76 of 79 people found this review helpful
Bought my 2012 new, it now has 42000 miles on it. It has NEVER been in the shop for anything except oil changes and tire rotation.I have a 4 cyl.FWD will get 33 mpg on highway going 65..about 28 going 78. about 20 in stop and go city driving. It does make a jumpy transmission shift if you hit the gas while it is downshifting on occation not always. Has not been great in snow but didnt have the right tires on it. Just now put better tires for snow on it last week.I drive to Florida 2 times a year from Pa. it is very comfortable.Change oil every 5000 miles.After reading about the poor oil consumption I will start watching it now. Havent had any oil problems yet.
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2012 Chevrolet Equinox for sale near you
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- LTZ 4dr SUVMSRP: $8,750177 mi away
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PROBLEMS PROBLEMS & MORE PROBLEMS
Anonymous, Grinnell, IA, 10/17/2018
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
28 of 29 people found this review helpful
Worst car ever. Timing chain problems. The terrain is also very similar as it has the same motor. Timing chain in terrain is warranties up to 120k miles so why wouldn't the equinox have the same warranty if it's the exact same motor?? That's stupid. The timing chain will literally ruin the motor. I am currently in the process of spending thousands of dollars trying to get this fixed and mine is a 2012. My aunt bought brand new and same exact thing happened to her. I am a single mom and bought my car less than 100k miles and its failing. Transmission problems, timing chain is bad and now I get to see if I need to replace the motor. This is the second car I've bought from GM and I will never buy again. Most of their cars are built with unreliable motors. They are so focused on making it look pretty and techy that they forget reliability is of most importance.
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ECO Mode is a bit squirrelly
pawcoboss, Wilmington, DE, 08/22/2011
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
37 of 40 people found this review helpful
Just bought a 4 cylinder Equinox. Have less than 500 miles on it. Good looks, great value, very comfortable, not going to win any races. Mileage claims I knew going in were significantly overstated but that's O.K. 30 years ago I bought a 1981 Cadillac Eldorado with the V-8-6-4 engine. State of the art technology @ the time. The only trouble was that the car seemed to be driving you rather than you driving it since it would decide when to run on 8 or 6 or 4 cylinders. A real technical flop for GM as it was discontinued after one year. Driving the new Equinox in the ECO mode reminded me of this- shifting into 5th or 6th gear and slow to respond on the downshift. I've since turned it off.
Relatively Happy
Zachary A. Horn, Santa Monica, CA, 03/24/2015
updated 03/27/2017
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
22 of 24 people found this review helpful
This car was great for the first few years I owned it. I bought this car new with 15 miles on it in early 2012. I drive about 30,000 miles a year between work and personal use, and performed all recommended maintenance. Around 50k or 60k miles the car started running rough in between oil changes. When I started checking the oil levels more frequently I noticed it was using 2-3 quarts of oil in between oil changes (performed every 5,000-7,000 miles even though the owner's manual recommends 15,000). At 80k the timing belt broke. At 85k it used 3 quarts 1,500 miles after an oil change. It is currently at the dealership having the engine rebuilt. Fortunately I have 15k of warranty left. Update 03/24/217: I'm currently at $138k miles and haven't had any further problems with the engine or reliability. I just paid the car off, and hope to go a few years without a payment.
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Nothing but issues
Katie, Topeka, KS, 02/16/2019
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
Bought our 2012 Chevy equinox new and planned to drive it until it dies. Well, not even 100,000 miles on it and it’s dead in the driveway right now. Almost all highway miles and all maintenance done as recommended. Starting at 30,000 miles I raised a concern about how the brakes sound to the dealership. I was told “brakes make noise. It’s normal. It’s the #1 search on google.” Would not even ride with me to see what I meant. Something is rubbing when braking at slow speeds and something clunks loudly when braking in a turn. Then we notice that the engine is loud. Ended up having the timing chain replaced. Now it idles very hard and sputters. The muffler needs to be replaced, even though it’s been parked inside most of the time. Check engine light comes on and stays on even after the dealership “fixes” it. We are getting an emissions code, which is lovely since we have to pass an echeck to renew our registration where we live. Now it’s sitting in the driveway and won’t start, even though we just got home from driving it about an hour ago. All of this makes me so angry because I love driving this car. The exterior is exactly what we need, the body is nice looking, steering is sharp. It’s fun to drive. Everything else is just dying a slow death. I’m ready to trade it in for something more reliable.
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Great car until 70,000 miles! Then a total lemon
Family driver, Lafayette, IN, 08/01/2019
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
This was a great car for our family for 6 years, then it started to burn oil and have a ton of engine/transmission issues. The car would stall during acceleration (extremely dangerous) and has some other design flaws in the engine that lead to expensive repairs. To top it off Chevy won’t admit that the 2.4 engine is prone to these issues.
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11,000 and going strong
chickn, Rocky Mount, NC, 09/12/2012
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
9 of 10 people found this review helpful
I have 11,000 miles on the car and it is going strong. It is a 4 banger. I pull a 12 ft utility trailer with a Gravley z155 mower on the trailer with no problem. The car shifts fine, especially if I hold a steady foot on the gas. I get 26+- mpg around town and 26.5 to 30 +- highway, with just myself and my lady in the car. She said it shifted a lot going oover the mountains this summer going to Detroit from NC. She had 2 teen gals and their gear with them. I would say the shifting would be normal for that. The only issue I have with the car is the A/C dash vents.the one on the dash, right of the steering wheel tends to blow either on my face or chest. Can't turn it enough to the right.
Great vehicle so far
mcclane, Oshkosh, WI, 10/25/2012
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
We bought our equinox new 4000 miles ago and it has been all we hoped it would be. I read a lot of good reviews on it so we decided to take the plunge and buy one. We wanted a bigger vehicle without giving up a lot of mpg. We have the 4 cylinder LT model and average over 29 mpg. The majority of our miles have been highway but on the highway we get between 30 and 31 mpg. I'm 6'2" and it's comfortable to take on longer trips. The moving backseat is also fantastic. We have it up the majority of the time to add to the storage and all the way back when we have friends in the back. They have more then enough room (as did I when I tried it out in the back once). Overall, very happy.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE
rumblev, Huntsville, AL, 11/03/2011
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
I was dying for an Equinox and nearly bought a 2010 and boy I am glad I didn't! There is a huge comfort difference! I was worried about backseat space for my 9 and 5 year old but there is more room than I imagined and the trunk space is more than I need as well. The driver and passenger is beyond comfortable and I love the touchscreen radio and the controls on the wheel. My husband couldn't understand why I wanted one but now he loves it too! Gas for me so far was what I did in a 2005 toyota corolla ce. To me its a great vehicle inside and out! I don't think I have ever ridden in a more comfy vehicle. I will try to post when I have put more miles on it (so far 400)
2012 Equinox - better than expected
s_l_w, Georgetown, KY, 06/21/2014
updated 06/28/2016
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
We love the way the Equinox looks. During its first year, our 2012 Equinox was in the shop way too often for a fairly new car. The main issues we had were (1) the hub bearings had to be replaced, (2) the Check Engine light came on due to a faulty gas cap, and (3) the transmission jerks at low speeds. Replacing the hub bearings fixed the issue of the popping noise when turning the steering wheel at low speeds. Replacing the gas cap did not fix the problem, so the dealer just replaced a faulty valve in the fuel system. We still haven't gotten a solution for the jerking transmission and the dealer says they didn't find anything wrong with it. Since that first year, we've not had any problems with the vehicle. We are considering purchasing another Equinox as our next new car.
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Reasonable SUV
RGB, Massillon, OH, 05/16/2018
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Decent mileage, very few repairs. We were able to go 70000 before doing the first brake job and 60000 miles before replacing the original tires.
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Love my Equinox
Tracy Chism, East Saint Louis, IL, 04/10/2020
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
I was skeptical about buying an SUV, however, I think I found the perfect one! Although the vehicle is not brand new, I am very pleased with my 2012 Chevy Equinox! It runs very smooth, and I am getting great gas mileage! It does mot have the big, bulky SUV feel, which I don’t like, but it have the space like an SUV! The LT model have a lot of the bells and whistles I was looking for and I couldn’t have picked a better mode of transportation! I am very happy of my choice!
no concern for safety from GM
aaron69, Versailles, IN, 12/17/2012
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
17 of 24 people found this review helpful
We purchased a 2012 Equinox in Feb. It has been in the shop three time. The first was a simple air bag sensor, the next one was the motor dumped oil all over my garage floor, and the last and most definetely the worst, a fitting on the gas line broke and sprayed gallons of gas all over the garage floor and driveway. The line runs close to the exhaust. Im really surprised that my house and family didnt burn up. Oh but they gave me an extended warranty to make it all better. If you would like pictures I would be glad to show you.
Defroster Issue
heinemann, Hartland, WI, 02/27/2013
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
Defroster, heat blowing on the windshield on high heat (85 degrees), high fan, with the air conditioning button off, isn't sufficent to defrost windshield and melt freezing rain and snow on the upper half and the far left side of the windshield. Dealer says there's no problem. Been a GM buyer many times before but this is the last one even through I'll give up GM credit card $$.
Truly a gem
Jerry Collins, Hillsborough, NJ, 02/25/2018
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Great fuel economy (worst ever had was 27.8 with bad traffic/accidents..but avg 30+). Handled great. Reliable. Comfortable to drive (big but felt snug) and plenty of room in front and back. Loved the blind spot mirror. Accelerated fine for a 4cyl.
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Great Vehicle
rushfan2, Salisbury, MD, 07/16/2012
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
8 of 11 people found this review helpful
My wife and I bought ours about a month ago and have about 1500 miles on it. We hadn't owned an SUV before. I'm 6'7" and the wife is 6'. Plenty of room for both of us. Easy to get into and out of, which is important to me because I've had a hip replacement. Great to drive. Very smooth acceleration, quiet ride. Getting about 24 MPG. Wife drives it to/from work, which is only about 12 miles each way, so that's not surprising. Took it on one trip to Baltimore, about 2.5 hours away, and it was great. We love it and would recommend it to anyone. I also have a 2005 Impala, and we traded in the wife's 2003 Monte Carlo, so we're Chevy people anyway.
MPG Overstated
macysmom9, Houston, TX, 08/30/2011
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
11 of 16 people found this review helpful
First of all, let me say that I love my Eqinox on all levels except for the MPG. You would have to be going down hill, 45 miles per hour with your foot off of the gas pedal to get 32 MPG, as advertised. I have owned this Equinox for 4 months. I drive at least 80% highway miles and always go the speed limit. I have never gotten better than 25.6 MPG, the average is 22.3 MPG. I bought the 4 cylinder model thinking that the gas mileage would be better. Honestly I should have kept my Tahoe. If you are looking for a car that gets good gas mileage....look at something other than an Equinox. I seriously think the EPA needs to evaluate this vehicle again and post the true MPG.
Upgrade from Honda civic
Tree Guy, Manchester, NH, 12/29/2018
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Bought this SUV at 60k miles. I wanted and as I live in the northeast. When I purchased the dealership replaced multiple parts (driver control arm, instrument cluster, brakes all around) which really worried me at the time, and they didn't tell me until after all the paperwork was complete which was kind of shifty... but honestly I have had no issues with this vehicle. The engine is under powered, but it is only a 4cyl. It has occassionally transmission jerking at low gear but very infrequent. I was worried about gas mileage because my Civic avg 35mpg, but I still avg 30+mpg with the Equinox. The best part is it drives like a tank through the snow. I would definitely recommend this vehicle, unless you are a high class Lexus driving snob, this is a good valued, nice looking, well performing SUV.
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Great car
dben300, Butler, PA, 02/06/2012
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
6 of 9 people found this review helpful
i bought this car in sept of 2011. I drive about 110 miles a day and now have around 13,000 miles on it with NO complaints. I am mainly highway driving getting around 30mpg. Being 6'6" it is hard to find a comfortable car but this is by far 1 of the most comfortable that I have ever owned.
Dissapointed!
mrdubious1, La Grange Park, IL, 10/23/2012
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
7 of 11 people found this review helpful
I have 7000 miles on my 2012 Equinox (6Cyl) and so far I am very dissapointed with it. The 6 speed transmission shifts unexpectedly while driving making the car feels as though it's stalling. Acceleration is jerky and at time 'flat' wont move when you need power. Power steering vibrates while parking and backing out of my garage as though your parking an 18 wheeler! and a pump noise coming from engine compartment on drivers side that sounds like a playing card in a bicycle wheel spoke. I can't wait to get rid of this piece of crap!
2012 Eqinox Just OK
grngob, Waterloo, IA, 01/06/2013
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I have owned my 2012 Equinox - 4 cylinder/FWD - since may of 2012. I have never gotten more than 29.5 MPG highway, not close the 32 Chevy quotes. (In fact, I got 22 MPG on one tank - some city miles spoem highway). Very disappointing. The FM radio has reception issues and fades in and out on occaision. It is a nuisance more than anything.
Nosey Drive and not true to its MPG
luckyhands, Rio Oso, CA, 10/19/2011
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
11 of 21 people found this review helpful
I just purchased a 2012 Chevy Equinox 1LT 4 cyl FWD last week after test driving a bunch of cars. I was down to two vehicles (Veloster and Equinox). As a single parent I chose the Equinox for the fact I was thinking about a family vehicle for me and my two elementary daughters. 1st of all, it get's nowhere near the 22/32 as listed. I took a road trip with 95% freeway miles and I average about 26mpg. Wow, what a GYP! 2nd, there is a loud noise while driving over 55mph and get's loader when I reach 65mph. I took it in to service dealer and they said they cant find why its making a noise but they think it's was the tires. [violative content deleted]! I should of got the Veloster. Hope I can trade it back in.
It is a very under powered vehicle
389gto, Los Angeles, CA, 03/02/2015
updated 03/07/2018
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
6 of 11 people found this review helpful
I purchased the 2012 Equinox new that year. I like the looks of this vehicle. While on a highway trip It felt very busy driving. I was trying to adjust the throttle pedal to slight hills for climbing power. I tried the cruise control it helped some. The transmission shifting too low gears when you want to pass. It was better to pull over and let people pass. I sold this to the San Leandro Chevy dealership a few years ago. For this vehicles I get on this vehicle for lemon law notices in the mail. Apparently there must be some trouble with these vehicles. I bought 1997 Ford Ranger XLT with 4.0 liter 5 speed trans with 56000 on the clock. The Equinox is still very attractive. I notice them all the time. The Toyota and Nissan don't have the look.
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stay away
ajcraighead, Oceanside, CA, 12/28/2011
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
14 of 36 people found this review helpful
I picked up the 2012 Equinox in Oct of 2011, it was a down grade from the Toyota Tundra for me. This car I got for the fuel economy, well I do get better gas millage then with the Tundra and I thought was lets buy American. Well that was a huge mistake. Sense I got this car 3 months ago Ive been in the shop 6 times and they still cant figure out what is going on with it. Each time Ive taken it in, Ive been there for 6-8 hours each time. Some engineer for Chevy decided to not include brackets or mounts for future add ons. So now that I want to add factory fog lights on my 1LT I cant. Thanks Chevy. I first got the 4 cylinder which had no pick up on inclines at all, plus just to get me into a car, they wanted to do an aftermarket sunroof. I brought that on back and they put me in the 6 cylinder, that one has no pick up either, but now Im stuck. The engine is so computerized now there is no way to do anything on the car yourself. Bottom line I Hate This Car!!!!!!!!!
Refined, roomy, and an excellent winter vehicle
Jacob Lukasiewich, 12/30/2020
updated 12/10/2021
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I have now owned two Chevrolet Equinox’s. For some reason there is no selection for my trim level. I have a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox LT 3.0 L V6! My previous equinox was a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LS. I really liked my first vehicle it was everything you needed no fancy features or anything. I had the 2.4 L I4 in that vehicle and I noticed it did use a lot of oil and I had to get multiple oil changes. Unfortunately I wrote that vehicle off from a winter accident. I now have a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox and I absolutely love it! The back up camera and heated seats are nice additions in the winter. I have really enjoyed the V6 so far. It gets up to highway speeds very fast and passing is a breeze in this vehicle. I have never experienced any mechanical issues with the vehicle. The engine has great acceleration and the transmission shifts like butter! The interior is very roomy and have been happy with both equinox’s overall. The only problem I have had twice now is some kind of electrical issue with the centre screen. It will freeze up and it disables hands free calling, the volume or station won’t be able to change, and the back up camera won’t come on when I shift into reverse. How I have solved the problem is I shut the car off leave it alone for 10-15 minutes and it usually fixes by itself! Overall though, these are solid built vehicles and would recommend them to anyone! 2010-2017 are the most reliable model years! *Update* 12/09/2021 I am so disappointed. A year into ownership and I am having issues. Took it into the shop and my fuel system was clogged up so my poor engine was misfiring. Got it back today and it seems to be driving fine but all I can say is December has been an expensive month… my reliability score has gone down because I do not feel as confident in my Equinox. I am so unimpressed.
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Good every day vehicle.
ground_zero, Lawton, OK, 06/25/2012
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Externally the 2012 Equinox looks alot beefier than the old model with it's muscular looking exterior, internally the first thing that grabbed me was the large touchscreen radio, sitting down in the chair I discovered how comfortable it is, one of the most comfortable seats in any vehicle I have owned so far. The 4 Cylinder engine chugs along nicely sipping gas relatively conservatively (no 32 MPG Highway, more like 25-30) It's got plenty of space for passengers, the near is a bit disapointing if you plan to carry a bunch of luggage but still enough. It does seem to take corners a tad wide and it's something to get used to especially when parking.
Mostly good
jzr1sy40, Miami, FL, 02/21/2012
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
1 of 3 people found this review helpful
The Pros - Good ride, Comfortable, Nice design, roomy interior, Far stronger that other vehicles in his class, Very comfortable highway ride. The Cons - Lousy millage, in the city I'm lucky when I get 16 mpg, I just took my first road trip, I have 5900 miles in my Equinox, (I have owned it for 14 months, mostly city driving), after an average of 54.8 mph I got an average of 23.6 mpg. Very disappointing.
Four wheel tow
Dale, Peoria, AZ, 03/17/2019
updated 04/23/2020
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Bought to tow behind our motorhome. Was used, but with only 19k miles in 6 years. Came all set up, so we bought it and headed out. Not a speed demon in economy mode, due to tranny shift changes. Best to leave in standard mode. The trailing arms started squeaking at slow speeds...$700 at dealer. Overpriced IMO. 4/23 update. Since moving to southern Idaho our driving has been reduced to about 500 miles per month. No recent issues, using 85 gas w/o issues.
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Great everyday car
Kenneth Hanke, Largo, FL, 01/02/2017
updated 01/08/2020
Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Car has good looks, plenty of room both front and back, very low cost to operate and is very dependable. What more could one want. Car has 37500 miles now and I only had to replace the battery and get oil changes as recommended. I did replace my cabin air filter recently. Car now has 43389 miles on it. I just replaced the tires and battery. No major problems.
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