Gents,

Are there any other gremlins I need to put out a BOLO for with my C5 like the whole steering column lock issue. I had never heard of such until it bit me on Memorial Day weekend. Are there any other preventive measures, aside from reading through all the posts on CF, I could be taking before another issue sneaks up on me???

Thanks again and I'm sure I'll see some of you out around Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Give me a big or when you see me!!!

 

Well one thing to take care of if you want to avoid unnecessary surprises is the battery.

The C5 has a 20ma/hr drain on the battery even when its parked and shut down. For most drivers that use the car daily or even once a week its usually not a problem. But if you leave it sit for a month say, it does drain down the battery. The solution is not as simple as a jump start.

We do have a lot of very smart tech in the C5, but it is 15 year old tech. The systems in the car all have to report in when you start the car and a weak battery can cause some of them to not be ready. Thats where you see intermittent things like Colum Lock issues and Active Handeling/Traction Control issues. These types of things can be due to bad components but sometimes there is nothing wrong with the components its just the less than adequate power they are getting as they wake up.

So daily driver, probably dont need to worry about it, but those of us that use the car less frequently often put a battery tender in the garage and leave the car hooked up to it when its not in use.

A smart charger/tender (something like the CTek) is probably a better choice as it watches the voltage and not only charges but also conditions (desulphates) the battery when necessary.

Good place to start

 

holy crap...where do I start There is a long list forming of parts that go bad, but are unavailable for repair from GM. Just do some searches. My advice is to start stockpiling spare used parts now if you plan to keep the car.