As the previous owner of an '01 Z06 I was wondering if any one could share any common problems with the ' 04's.The '01 I had would go through batteries quite often and it did have the re-ring job completed.Still would have liked to have seen less oil usage afterwards,but much, much better than before.Thanks for any feedback on the '04's.

 

I bought an 04 Z06 in Feb 06. (it had around 9k on it). Now it has about 15k (daily driver). Only thing done prior to my ownership was the column lock recall. Since I have owned it the alternator has been replaced (fixed charge system fault that came up sporadically) and one side gas tank was replaced (leaking at joint). Both done under warranty. Oil was changed in Feb when I bought it and I may have put in about 1/8th of a quart to top it off once (uses very little oil). On the weekends I will run it hard. Great car.....

 

I have a 04 Z16 Comm Edition and all it has required in the column lock issue. I have @ 5,000 miles on it. I love it, just wish the GY F1 tires were NOT so noisey on certain highways. That's not the car's fault though. Otherwise........it has been good to me.

 

'04 MY Z06, 26,000 miles and not one repair. No leaks, no squeeks.

 

My 2004 Z06 has been into the dealer (before I had it) for the leaky rear diff seals, and the rear window had to be re-sealed. Currently the windows have sagged just a tad (before I bought it) so that a bit more road noise is apparant at speeds over 60 mph. I have done the column lock bypass myself since buying it, but that is about it.

They are GREAT CARS!

 

If you're planning on leaving it stock, any late '03-'04 will be about the same*. The '04 has slightly better shocks. If your gonna throw a bunch of mods on it, I wouldn't hesitate to get any of the 4 years.

* the steel shift forks would be an improvement.

 

I have over 11,000 miles on mine and have not had one problem of any kind, it's been driven like a Z06 should be driven and this car cooks. It will soon be on the block when and if my 07Z ever get here.

I just hope my 07Z is as much car as my 04Z is, it has been a fabulous car and I will miss it for sure.

 

So that's what that is ... I get that (Charge system fault) error sporadically on my 02 as well but since it's only like once a month or so I never pay attention to it. I'll have it look into / replaced. thanks for the info.

 

I believe the 2004 fuel system is different than previous years and if you are going to mod the car it may be more difficult to mod the fuel system.

 

I have to add my 2 cents worth as well. I bought my 04 back in February. It had 5300 miles. About as soon as I drove it home, had problems with the clutch. Pedal right on floor to get it to release

Dealer where I bought the car replaced the clutch. I got it back and it was much better for about 1500 miles when clutch bad again. This time they replaced all of the components including the slave cylinder, master cylinder, clutch, pressure plate and flywheel. Now it is great

No matter which car you buy, get a look at the fluid in the clutch master cylinder. If it is dark and there is a black ring around the top, you might need to be prepared for a clutch replacement right soon.

There is a lot of information concerning clutch problems on the forum, including photographs of the above mentioned clutch master cylinder.

I love the car. It is a "throwback" to the 60's just like me. I dont do any racing, but drive it fairly hard on the street. It is really a blast

 

I have an 04 Z. I havent bothered to do column lock yet - hasnt given me any trouble. I replaced drivers side diff seal. New seal is fine and doesnt leak after 5000 miles. The rear diff made noise until I brought it back in and they added the little lubricant bottle (which they forgot to add after replacing the seal I assume).

I dont know the differences between the years, but the laters years are generally going to be better as they fix little things. I suppose using that logic, the best c5Z you can get is the 04! Overall I'm very happy with not only the car but the service I've received; Much better than the Audi and VWs I've owned!

 

Bought my 04Z new and have no problems at just about 10,000 miles. Local dealer did a recall where some washers replaced in the suspension. Installed CAGS and CLUB myself. Don't want the dealer to do the reflash for column lock since my CLUB takes care of that problem. Good car in every way.

 

Ahhh, I remembered a few more points to be aware of. If you're really tall, the 03/04 headliner might be a bit more intrusive (definitely with a helmet), but it's not hard to switch to the 01/02 headliner. Also, the drivers seat does rock a bit even in my fairly low mileage 04, which is definitely a bummer but apparantly also common.

 

bought mine new in may of 04 - presently 11K miles. column lock recall, low oil level sensor replaced, and a diffenential gasket. other than that, the car has no bad habits and no other problems/issues...

 

04' Z16 and I had the same problem with the rear end leaking a bit. sounds funny! lol Dealer replaced the seals and I do think it was just cause it was over filled to begin with. No issues anymore. Had my passenger reveal molding crack as well. Lots of others have had this problem. That happened the first week I had it home. Battery issue as well that lead to the steering column lock message flash on my screen. My car is not a daily driver so I let the battery get low. Congrats on your new toy.

 

What part of the molding cracks? Are you talking about the molding around the outside part of the window? Do they do anything difference on the repair to keep it from cracking again?

 

'04 Z16 here, second owner, had her about 7 months and 4K miles (she has 15K on the clock), used as my DD...downside? I have to park her when I get to work and get home from work.

I'm lucky I guess (knock on wood) zero problems - no column recall, diff leak, nada, zilch and nothing was done by previous owner either.

FWIW I do the clutch fluid swap about twice a month and can tell the difference.

 

I get the same thing periodically on my '04 Z06. Threads I've read on the subject range from "don't worry about it - common problem" to checking the ground connections (Forum member Bill Curlee wrote a very good post on this with pics).

My battery always stays between 13.8 and 14.2, so my sense is that the alternator is doing what it should. If the ground connections are good I'm not going to know what to do.

 

The only down side will be if you don't get one. This is one hell of a car and because it's an '04 and mostly all problems resolved in the final year you should be okay.

 

And for many, they are waayy tooo Fast!