Hey all,
Ok, here's the deal. I noticed last week that my car was dripping fuild out of the rear. Once I jacked it up, I noticed it was coming from between the axle tube and rear. So I took it to my local dealer today to find out what it would cost to fix it(I'm out of warranty by 4k). They go over the car and find out I've got a second leak at the trans as well. So, they tell me it's gonna be around 1200 to fix everything. So, here's my question. Do you think it'd be more cost effective to just swap rears? The trans is leaking between the trans and rear assembly(MN6).
Whatta think? I've got an appt on Wed to have the work done, but if I can save a few hundred bucks swappin it, I will. I've heard too many problems w/ the seals leaking again, so I won't attempt that on my own.
Thanks guys,
Dave

 

$1,200 to remove the rear and replace some seals???I would find a different dealer

 

Is this true? I've gone to 2 dealers so far and they've both quoted about the same price. If that's the case, I'll most definitely look elsewhere.
Dave

 

rip off

 

I will shoot on the high end here...Lets say 6.0 labor at $80 per/hour to remove the rear differential and reseal it...Lets say $100 for 2 quarts of synthetic,additive,and seals,etc...Thats about $600 :yesnod:

Unless the trans is leaking out the front seal,it wont have to be removed to fix a leak,so you are not looking at much additional labor to repair it...

 

Man, this is really starting to **** me off. The dealer I was going to have do this has been highly recommended by just about everyone I've talked to in Atlanta.
Guess it's time to give LAPD a call and order a whole new rear and save myself the trouble.
Dave




[Modified by mac1009, 4:31 AM 3/1/2002]

 

Hi Dave,
This doesn't even phase me. It's a dealer, what did you expect, honesty? <sarcastic> Isn't it sad that we get taken to the cleaners whenever we need our cars fixed by the dealers we bought them from IF we're outta warranty. I'm sure there are SOME reputable, trustworthy one's out there, but they are EXTREMELY rare these days! It's really discouraging! Seems like EVERYBODY is trying to rip each other off! "Gotta get mine" mentality. JMO


Steve

 

Steve,
You're right. I don't dispute this. Funny thing is, I'm so torn right now. I love my vette more than any car I've ever owned. The thing that's getting me is, every "known" issue that it has, seems to pop up on mine. I'm not in a position right now to afford a new one(took huge paycut :( ), so I may just sell it and get something else for the time being. It sucks, but I'm that discouraged by the whole situation. Thanks all for your input. I'll probably make up my mind sometime today about what to do w/ the car.
Dave

 

I am sorry to hear about your situation. This is a good example why we should be buying the Extended warranty. Mac, I am not saying that to get you angry... I am mentioning this for those that believe that the 1200 for an Extended warranty is too high of a price to pay. I hope you get your car fixed wtih minimal problems in the future. :yesnod:

vetterdstr :cheers:

 

That's kind of a long story. I was under the impression that I had purchased one. But somehow things got screwed up and I didn't. I couldn't find any info in my paperwork and neither could the dealer. I called GM to find out options and found that because I haven't been paying on it, then they can't issue one. I was upset, but I understand where they're coming from. It really really sucks now, but I have no recourse.
Dave

 

Hey mac, it's not clear how buying a new rear-end will do anything but make the cost higher? If you put in a new rear end the labor will be about the same if not a little more?

If you are going to have someone else install your new rear-end, they should be capable of fixing the leaking seals keeping your existing rear-end?

What's up with this?

 

I agree. At the time I initially wrote this e-mail, I was under the impression that I was paying a fair price to have this fixed. It's now apparent that I'm getting screwed in all sorts of ways. Funny thing is, I've found a place that'll swap the rear for me and if I combine that w/ the cost of an brand new rear, I'll pay the exact same price as I would've at the dealer to fix the seals.
I'm just upset by the whole situation. Just sucks when the dealers see a kid walk in and figure I don't know crap about cars, so they try to screw me.
Hell, I told the dealer what the problem was and they insisted on looking at the car. I had no problem with this, and then they tell me they're gonna charge me for diagnosis of a problem I knew I had. Just a bunch of B.S.

Who knows, I need to sleep on it for a few days and then come back and deal with it. Thanks everyone for your feedback.
Dave

 

Ok, finally an update. Believe it or not, I've actually found a mechanic who's not trying to screw me. I stopped by ACD on my way home and they were great. Told me that it'd cost around $250 to fix it, plus parts.
How can you go wrong with that.

Well, to all who made their suggestions, thanks. I've been really upset w/ the car lately merely because every time I have a problem, the general response is that the C5 has been known for them. Ex. column lock, fuel gauge, leaking rears, etc...

So, all I can say is, thanks to everyone who replied to this thread. If I didn't have you guys, I would've paid 1200 tomorrow to fix a leaky rear seal and a trans leak. You have no idea how much I owe ya.

Thanks again,
Dave

 

not all dealers are bad, my dealer repainted the nose of my corvette for FREE because rock chips started to chip the clearcoat, it was a road hazard and they had no reason to do so but they did it without any effort, hell they offered when we took it in to get checked out, so not all dealers are bad..just a majority :(

 

Dave, I am glad that it worked out for you... Next time I am in Ga. you can buy me a beer ok? ;) :cheers: :cheers:

vetterdstr :blueangel:

 

Be careful Dave,
This may be a way to bring you in for work then stick it to ya at the end.
First find out if they have ever worked on a C5 before. And whos' car is it.
Second asked them to justify the hours. It takes 10 hours to R&R a transmission on a C5.
Just be safe and protect your self.
Tim :cheers:

 

vetterdstr:
You got it. Drop me an e-mail and we'll meet up.

C54TIM:
I know for sure that this place has worked on a C5. Another forum member Tom Garland(Nevrenuf) recommended I talk to them. I know how **** Tom is about people touching his car, so if he let them work on his, they're more than welcome to work on mine. They swapped his clutch, so I know they're familiar with the setup. Thanks for the heads up tho.
Dave

 

Not all extended warranties would cover this problem though. Mt experience with extendeds is usually that you can have all the work done cheaper at a non-dealer mechanic, or the things that break aren't covered, and well 1200 is a bit on the low end for a vette extended warranty.

 

Dave;
I'm sorry to hear about some of the problems you had when you came to Tom Jumper. You should have asked for me, I could have helped you out as it is it was looked by someone else. But in all honesty I think the price that was quoted was for resealing the 6spd and rear diff. It sounds like the price you got from ACD is for just the rear diff. Now I know I would have had a lower price for the job but I could not have done it on a wait. The rear of the T56 is sealed with GMS and need to sit for awhile before it can be filled. So even if I had loofed at it you would have had to leave it inorder for me to reseal the trans. And yes I worked on Tom Garland trans just a few weeks ago so I do under stand having to have the job done correctly. I can't do much about some of the prices the dealer has to charge so I will not say I could beat ACD price for doing a rear diff side cover but it would have been real close. But if after you have the rear resealed and you want the trans resealed just let me know there are somethings we can do at a dealer that shops can't when people are real nice we can goodwill a repair you would need to talk to our service manager and with you only being 4,000 miles I'm pretty sure he could do something for you if you were to ask, but you have to ask, if you ask I can let him know but you have to ask! He has been known to go out of his way to help people when asked in a nice way, again you would have to leave your car and he would not pick up the rental but he could mork something out about the trans leak, maybe even the rear, give him a call 770-396-6901 ask for Qinton Maston.

David Fulcher

 

David,
Thank you for the reply and information. My intention was not to deter people from going to Tom Jumper. I know many people who have been extremely happy with your dealership.
Personally, I do not wish to get into a debat over all of this. I was upset by the situation, and yes I posted it to this forum. That was merely to get some feedback from other members on whether or not I was being taken. I have gone ahead and purchased another rear for my car. It will be installed next week. If you would like to speak to me concerning this matter, feel free to e-mail me at dave@dmackinnon.net and I'll be happy to give you my phone number.
Dave