View Poll Results: How Problem Prone is Your C5?
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A Poll: C5 Problems in a Year
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 251
Likes: 1
From: Katonah NY
A Poll: C5 Problems in a Year
I reccomended the Forum to a friend interested in buying a C5. Because a lot of posted threads involve problems, he thinks C5's are problem prone. I disagree, but thought we should take a poll.
How many have had:
• No problems in the last year?
• A few problems?
• Constant problems?
(Note: Please try and make this C5 specific and not general auto such as: flat tire issues, chipped windshield, hit a deer, etc.
Thanks!
(BTW, after I fixed the steering lock problem I've been problem free for 16 months, 10K miles)
How many have had:
• No problems in the last year?
• A few problems?
• Constant problems?
(Note: Please try and make this C5 specific and not general auto such as: flat tire issues, chipped windshield, hit a deer, etc.
Thanks!
(BTW, after I fixed the steering lock problem I've been problem free for 16 months, 10K miles)
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 3,424
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas Nevada
St. Jude Donor '07-'08
Have a 2004 daily driver with 54,000 miles. Front turn signal light went out, headlight lamp gear needs to be replaced, and i am having some minor turbo issues. With those kinda miles it's just basically normal issues that would occur anyways.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,783
Likes: 15
From: Hurricane Alley
Since I bought the car in '03, only problems Ive had were the column lock, headlight gears, replaced the ABS computer, and the gas gauge needle. Within the last year it was only the headlight gears.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 10,804
Likes: 25
From: PORTLAND OR
St Jude Donor '15
2000 Convertible
48,000 miles
I've owned it for two and a half years and had only minor problems(oxygen sensor, tire sensor) until this summer. Had to have the headlight motor replaced and the seat track something or other replaced. Those two items were over $1000.00.
God bless GMPP.
Inger67
48,000 miles
I've owned it for two and a half years and had only minor problems(oxygen sensor, tire sensor) until this summer. Had to have the headlight motor replaced and the seat track something or other replaced. Those two items were over $1000.00.
God bless GMPP.
Inger67
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 237
Likes: 0
From: Palmdale California
...kind of a loaded question. What do you really consider a problem? I wouldn't say that my car is problem free but most things that get fixed or replaced are typical wear and tear items. I've owned a lot of cars and while a C5 is not Civic or Corolla, it is as reliable as anything else. Your friend needs to compare a C5 to other sports cars. If you view the C5 that way you will see that it is the "Civic" of real sports cars. C5 upkeep and maintenance is pretty reasonable as well.
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 251
Likes: 1
From: Katonah NY
...kind of a loaded question. What do you really consider a problem? I wouldn't say that my car is problem free but most things that get fixed or replaced are typical wear and tear items. I've owned a lot of cars and while a C5 is not Civic or Corolla, it is as reliable as anything else. Your friend needs to compare a C5 to other sports cars. If you view the C5 that way you will see that it is the "Civic" of real sports cars. C5 upkeep and maintenance is pretty reasonable as well.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,024
Likes: 18
From: DFW Texas
2000 COUPE MN6 ** OWNED TWO YEARS **
R&R Water pump -- bird chirp - warranty
R&R Pulleys and tensioners- bird chirp- warranty
R&R Harmonic Balancer - bird chirp -warranty- fixed problem - finally.
Bird chirp now back again - new gatorback...some but not complete fix.
Hazard Flasher R&R (no turn signals) - no warranty
Headlight gear R&R Left side - Rodneys gear fix
Fuel Gage inaccuricies - not resolved
Outside Air Temp sensor R&R
Finally got nailed by column lock - fixed w/ COH CLB
That's all for the past two years.
R&R Water pump -- bird chirp - warranty
R&R Pulleys and tensioners- bird chirp- warranty
R&R Harmonic Balancer - bird chirp -warranty- fixed problem - finally.
Bird chirp now back again - new gatorback...some but not complete fix.
Hazard Flasher R&R (no turn signals) - no warranty
Headlight gear R&R Left side - Rodneys gear fix
Fuel Gage inaccuricies - not resolved
Outside Air Temp sensor R&R
Finally got nailed by column lock - fixed w/ COH CLB
That's all for the past two years.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 18,682
Likes: 4
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12
Absolutely no problems (including column lock, faulty ops, electrical gremlins, grinding tranny, leaking differential etc etc) here in the past 6 years. Knock on the wood 
And I am bone stock too
And I am bone stock too
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,783
Likes: 15
From: Hurricane Alley
Pro
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 614
Likes: 24
From: Manteca, CA
2003 Z06, now 37,000 miles.
-Car would not get up to operating temperature. Needed new thermostat, old one stuck wide open. Went to replace the thermostat myself and noticed a belt off. Which was:
-Crank pulley walked forward and sprayed oil out of the crank snout and chewed the serp. belt a bit. New Belts, new crank bolt.
-Clutch would not disengage (33K). Prognosis: Chevy dealer installed clutch wrong at 24,000 miles, did not torque flywheel bolts nor use loc-tite. Flywheel bolt came loose and gutted everything under the bellhousing and ventilated the bell housing.
-Electrical gremilins. Service Active Handling/ABS has gone off twice, and now the car will be driving and the coolant temperature sensor will drop to 0 on both the guage and the DIC digital (sensor?) and the car will go into open loop rich fuel mode. Car will correct itself within ~10-20 seconds and then start to overheat. Car has a new battery in it, replaced at 30k. Need to check into the temperature drop further...
-Car would not get up to operating temperature. Needed new thermostat, old one stuck wide open. Went to replace the thermostat myself and noticed a belt off. Which was:
-Crank pulley walked forward and sprayed oil out of the crank snout and chewed the serp. belt a bit. New Belts, new crank bolt.
-Clutch would not disengage (33K). Prognosis: Chevy dealer installed clutch wrong at 24,000 miles, did not torque flywheel bolts nor use loc-tite. Flywheel bolt came loose and gutted everything under the bellhousing and ventilated the bell housing.
-Electrical gremilins. Service Active Handling/ABS has gone off twice, and now the car will be driving and the coolant temperature sensor will drop to 0 on both the guage and the DIC digital (sensor?) and the car will go into open loop rich fuel mode. Car will correct itself within ~10-20 seconds and then start to overheat. Car has a new battery in it, replaced at 30k. Need to check into the temperature drop further...
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,998
Likes: 33
From: somewhere in New Hampshire
I've had mine since April. Just discovered a few months ago that the driver's door doesn't lock with the FOB or interior power switch. No biggie, it's on my winter list of things to do while the vert is sitting all by her lonesome in the garage (I'll do the relay repair). I have also had the ABS/Traction Control/Active Handling warning on my DIC. This happened only once about 5 - 6 weeks ago, if it happens again I'll be sending my EBCM to ABS Fixer. I've taken the preventive measures of installing a CLB, running a bottle of techron through the tank, flushed the clutch fluid using Ranger's method,and replaced the AC Delco battery. The car had 15K on it when I bought it and now has 17.3K. I love this car and this forum rocks. 
Last edited by RedSoxFan; Oct 15, 2007 at 05:44 PM.
