Eaglerulez

So I just purchased a 2004 black on black C5 Corvette and am very happy about the car. Owning a Corvette has been a dream of mine since I was a young child and to now actually own one is a very nice feeling.

Since it is a ten year old car it does have its share of kinks. There are a few random electrical problems, mainly my driver's side window either needs a new regulator or a slight adjustment of some sort because it gets stuck when rolling down. Also my passenger's side mirror has a weird motor issue where the motor keeps clicking in place when I unlock the car (I think it has something to do with the memory function that the cars have).

Aside from that though the car seems to run well, no check engine lights, the oil pressure, temperatures, etc. all seem to be where they need to be.

The only thing that I have noticed is that after driving for longer periods of time in excess of 100 miles or so in a day, the steering wheel begins to moan a little bit, and I've noticed the suspension creeks a little when going over bumps. I am hoping this is just a lubrication thing but I am confused as to why this happens intermittently and only on longer drives.

With that said, I was wondering what I should do to make sure that everything is okay with my engine, drivetrain, and suspension. I feel pretty confident that I can live with/resolve my electrical problems pretty easily but my biggest fear is driving my car one day and having it break down on me spontaneously or trying to turn my car on and not having it start. I was wondering what I could do to check my engine and drivetrain to prevent things from going awry.

I read through the "Common C5 Corvette Problems" guide and the things that my car has that are listed in the guide are mainly electrical. Are there any other guides out there, preferably with pictures, that can show me how to replace or check parts that would probably wear out after 10 years of use?

Also, I do have a shop called "Corvette Mike's" near where I work. They seem to do some good work with Corvettes but from what I heard they charge a bit of a premium. I kind of want a trained set of eyes just to double check and make sure all of the vital things are okay with the car, but I'm not sure whether a shop like this is worth going to, or if I should take it into a dealership instead, or just handle things myself.

What do you guys think?

black match box

Pay a visit at a local corvette club, I am sure they will be very helpfull in answering any questions you might have and save yourself a tone of money.

Lee DeRaud

You mean the one in Anaheim? My experience with them is (1) they know what they're doing and (2) their labor rate is lower than any dealer.

oldC5

Take it to Spot 28. Warren is the man. His prices are half of Corvette Mike. I have used both and Warren lets you watch while he works on your car to make sure u are satisfied with his work. He is OCD about his work.

Eaglerulez

Well it's good to know that there are a few good options between Corvette Mike's and Spot 28. Though I will probably use Corvette Mike's in Anaheim since they are literally right down the street.

Are there any other guides or resources that are available online for me to check in the meantime?

Thanks for the responses by the way!

CCA Corvette Parts

Take it out and Rod the crap out of it.

Bring home

If it starts the next time you fire it up...repeat

Regards
Chip

Chicago1

leave it stock lol

Chilliwack vettes

Congrats & welcome! Post up pictures when you can - photobucket and tinypic are good picture hosting sites (copy & paste the IMG code).

I know you already own it but this thread is still useful - http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...ion-files.html

Also, if yours is a manual then read up on the column lock issue.

Peter

Eaglerulez

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Here are pics of the car next to my "old" Camaro.

Vetteman Jack

Sure is a nice looking C5 you bought. It may cost a bit, but take the car to a very competent Corvette mechanic and have them do a thorough inspection of the car. I would think that either of the two places mentioned above could do that for you. One thing I would definitely do is change all the fluids if you don't know when that was last done and inspect the belts/hoses for any signs of wear and tear.

Lee DeRaud

Is it from the American Auto over on Commonwealth in Fullerton? My Boxster came from there.

Eaglerulez

Yeah it is actually! Interesting dealership. In a lot of ways it was one of my quickest and easiest dealership experiences I have had (in and out in an hour and a half and that included a test drive and financing). I didn't necessarily get all the sweet talk that I usually do at a regular dealership in order to butter me up, but they had a low mileage car at a fair price with new tires, brakes, and I just popped up the hood again to look at everything in more detail and to my eye, the engine is in very good condition. So they seem to pride themselves on giving people cars that are in good shape but I am definitely more used to the standard car dealership experience.

The only thing that kind of bothered me was the electrical problems that I ran into a couple of days later, but I see that more as a C5 problem. If the engine, drivetrain, etc are in good condition, I am happy.

Lee DeRaud

Know what you mean. Their inventory seems an odd mix sometimes, one day it's all Corvettes and Boxsters, a month later all Volvos and Subarus.