This poll is intended to determine if those who have had no column lock issues do something different from those who HAVE had problems. I am ruling out temperature, as I've done a poll that focused on that before.

So, for those who vote that they have never had a column-lock problem and have never installed a column-lock bypass or had a dealer fix, what is your secret? Do you avoid grabbing or bumping the steering wheel when you enter and exit? Do you start the car immediately without letting the tach and instruments cycle through? Please let us know! Personally, I never grap/whack the steering wheel and I have never had a problem after more than 3 years.

 

Well, very few problems of any kind effect 100% of cars!

 

No problem with my 00 and 04. I have th bypass sitting in the garage ready to go in though.

 

put it in.. dont wait to be bitten...
Also this poll in skewed..
mostly everyone on this forum knows about the problem... the older the car, the less likely they are to not be protected... the new people to the forum are not as aware of the problem.. and would be less likely to buy a bypas...people with 04's eg. are goping to say they dont have a problem and naturally have not bought a bypass... people with say 98's or 99 's cant answer the poll because most have installed a bypass.. there are only about 1100 active C5 users on this forum...
not alot considering almost 1/4 million have been sold...

here is a typical situation copied and pasted from two threads down in this forum:

Service Column Lock. Now what?

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Got the message today. This is the first big problem I've had with my 2002 Z06. Now the car is stranded on the street in front of the house.

What do I do now?!

 

...same here but I feel lucky!

 

2004, never locked but got the "service column lock" code ,would start and die.Dealer replaced BCM, put the by pass in after aI got it back. had about 5500 miles on it at the time

 

I thouht mine was locked...then I put the right keys in.

 

Haven't faced this issue so far. But now that I said something, I'll probably try to leave work and find myself stranded. (Knock on wood). Sometimes I use the steering wheel to pull myself out of the car, other times I don't. I doubt it has anything to do with the gauges cycling through. Since I haven't dealt with the issue, I can't see what the big deal is with the CLB issue.

 

Wait untill you are stranded.. and have to get towed..once the column is locked
putting in the bypass wont unlock it... The dealer does not put in a bypass.. their fix is iffy at best... putting in the bypas is the only 100% cure for the problem.. because you remove the problem from the car... the dealer does not... many people have had the dealer fix this issue , only to have it re-occur..

 

 

I have a '00 and never had the problem on this car and it has 24K miles. However, I went ahead and installed a CLB this last week so I don't have any problems in the future. I have not really done anything out of the ordinary to keep the problem from happening before the CLB though.

 

This statement is a bit deceptive in that I have read many, many times that the dealer tech would walk out to the tow truck, get in the car, rotate the steering wheel while turning the key, and start the car. The owner could have done the same thing and saved a tow, but didn't find out until it was too late. In most cases, it seems, you can unlock the column yourself. Again, I know many C5 owners who have never had a column lock problem, most of whom do NOT grab the steering wheel to get out.

I also want to reiterate the fact that I drive my car EVERY workday, often starting it three or more times per day, for the last 3+ years.
I have also switched to NON-runflats, despite rantings that One day you WILL be starnded out in nowhere land and be sorry. My point is that there may be a habit that greatly accelerates the failure mechanism. Have you ever heard of people who rest their left foot on the clutch pedal while stopped at a light? This DOES cause premature clutch wear, but many are unaware of this fact. It is unlikely that the column-lock mechanism was tested to a few hundred actuations before being signed-off. My guess is that it had gone through 100,000 cycles or more. The real question is whether we are contributing to its early failure.

Another good example is the OEM AGM battery. It has been found that long periods of time between use contributes to an early failure. I drive my car every day and my original AGM is as strong as ever after 3 years. Yah see what I'm getting at?

 

I think, from what I've heard, you may be on to something.

The problem is absolutely electrical related, therefore, a weak battery, a short, hell maybe playing the stereo too lound has something to do with it.

I'd like to know what milage people had on their cars when the problem appeared too. Is it something to worry about after 50k for example or does it hit at any milage?

I'd put a small wager (very small) on it hitting around 2-3 years, when factory batteries begin to hold a bit less charge and begin to wear out.

 

That could be the key as well. I was hoping that some of you 97-98 and even 99-00 owners could let us know if you either have a habit of grabbing the steering wheel or have always had a strong battery. Perhaps you replace your battery every 2 or 3 years, regardless of its strength? Let us know; maybe we'll figure this thing out.

My goal is not to determine why the lock failure is happening, not to bash anyone who has installed the CLB.

Thanks!

 

I bought my c5 with about 25,000 miles on it, and after about 35 hundred miles I had put on, without any warning whatsoever the column locked outside a taco joint 25 miles from my home. I bought and installed the by-pass. I should have done it sooner, since I had read all about it, and I had believed what I read. But, I didn't think it was going to happen to me, or so suddenly. A word to the wise is sufficient. My car is a '99 a4. Fools build their castles on wishes-with only rainbows for beams.

 

I've got 108K on mine and never had the column lock up.
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ooops...forgot that I installed a CLB years back when the car only had 5K miles on it...no wonder I haven't had a problem.

Seriously...when the car was less than a year old and less than three thousand on the odo the previous owner had the lock fail...the dealer got it unlocked for him. I wasn't going to give the lock a second chance to screw up after I bought the car.

 

Mine is still under warranty and I figure I'll take a chance till the warranty is over. Hopefully by then GM steps up to the plate with a real fix. If they don't then in goes the CLB just in case. I don't need the hassle.

 

Mine has been safe so far knock on wood

 

Bought the '02 with 23k on it. Now at almost 29k. Haven't had any problems. No CLB installed. I don't grab the wheel to het in/out, but I do grab it to "adjsut" myself in the seat to get to a comfortable driving position.

Once I get my Recall notice, (if I ever do...grrr), then I will have the dealer to their BS "fix". Once I get home, I'm going to install a CLB that my brother's friend produces just to be safe.

 

How do you instal the CLB, I have 16,000 on my vette and no problems so far but I would rather be safe than sorry.