No kidding, why are you trying to fix this yourself? I think the General has some 'splainin to do!

 

NO DEALER...NO WARRANTY...

Just got to do what needs to be done to get it fixed...

Neill

 

I'd get that sucker on a boat to Florida and get a dealer to fix it. That should not be happening with a C5, let alone any 2 year old car.

:cheers:

 

i would contact GM about this because this could be a quality control issue they would have to deal with because there could be other C-5s with the same problem. check with adam boca at NCM as he may know who to contact at the factory. :chevy

 

At least you didn't get hurt when it happened.

 

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

HOLY COW!!! Looks like my guesses were close. I would have expected a mount on the lower A-arm to fail before one of the uppers, though. Glad that the car didn't hurt you or anyone else! Find the most competent welder on that island and have them TIG weld it for you. Have them check the rest of the mounts on the frame while they're at it, especially the other mount on that arm. Better to catch any developing problems now, plus you'll feel better about the car. Too bad you're not in Jersey, I know a guy who can fix that in a snap, and it'd be better than any welds GM ever did! Best of luck with the repairs! Give her a nice relaxing Zaino rub when she's done. And OK, no wisecracks about the wheelwells. ;) (read about my fanaticism here... http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=261774 )

Hope you're back on the road real soon!! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

 

I was gonna say TIG . If you MIG , don't use a pocket MIG. Use the regular size one. :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

Before you weld on that car be sure to properly unhook your computers. Otherwise as soon a you start to weld on the car you will fry them. Ask your nearest dealers service department or contact Chevy. :yesnod:

 

I don't have a C5, but a 2000 Z28 and I had the left spring perch weld break on the left rear(after 20K mi.). The local dealer would not warranty it. They told me that because I had swapped the pan-hard rod out, that was the cause. :bs They wanted to install a whole new rear-end, :eek: luckly the tech that found the problem told me that I could just get it re-welded and save $2K.
Even though the cars are manufactured in different plants I found this to be a little weird. :eek:
I ended up getting it re-welded at a shop where the guy works on a lot of GM cars, and he happened to have a 2000 Z28 on the rack. And the weld on that car was perfect, the one that was on mine was just a few tack welds. :mad
Good luck on getting yours fixed though, hopefully you have getter luck than me

 

That really makes me think. My car is still up on stands from my fanatical cleaning rampage, so I'm gonna go around it again tonight and scrutinize the welds on those A-arm perches. :yesnod:

 

I saw Adam online this morning, he has the link and pics and was going to get in touch with someone at the factory...

Hopefully something GOOD will come out of all this.

:rolleyes:

Neill

 

:nonod: Lets just hope your car was a freak with a weak weld in combo to being driven where it is.

 

I can't believe people are recommending re-welding the bracket. This is not a tractor. This is a 2 year old car, which NEEDS TO GO BACK TO GM, so they can x-ray the metal and figure this out. If you re-weld it, the factory will never figure out what went wrong in the first place, and that needs to happen.

Remember the PINTO? This is in the same category. Plus, if you ever sell the car, you may be putting someone else's life in danger. Sorry to sound like a panzie, but this is where consumer rights matter. GM screwed up, let them fix it, at their expense. Maybe you'll even get a new car out of this... If it were me, I'd already have a lawyer handy.

I know where I'll be spending my evening...under the car with a flashlight. CRAP :mad :mad :mad


[Modified by TTRotary, 12:27 PM 3/22/2002]

 

Thanks for the concern...

The part is a simple bracket, welded to the frame in the first place. The bracket itself appears to be fine and the frame for sure is fine. I'm about to go pull everything apart in a few minutes, but I suspect that once everything gets cleaned up that both the frame and the bracket will be in the same as new condition as when the factory had them before they did the weld. My guess is something went amiss in the weld and the weld itself just failed.

I am already in talks with a GM rep at the moment and the pics and details are flying around their offices...

:cool:

Neill

 

Downloading some new pics now...

Not good...

The frame rail appears to be cracked...

:mad

Neill

 

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

What the heck is going on here???

 

Did you hit anything makor recently??? That is crazy!!!

 

No...that is what is so crazy.

If I smacked something hard, I could understand and ALMOST excuse it...

but NOPE!

Neill

 

Please keep us updated. This might have implications for every C5 out on the road. :eek:

 

You bet. I'm thinking that what we have here is the first instance of a frame failure on the C5 chassis. Why Bat? Because of where the car is located. I don't think the roads are to be blamed (even though I know what Bat means having been to the USVI many times). What I do think accelerated the failure process is the extremely corrosive air in which the car is continually bathed. You've got heat, high humidity, and salt air.

Not a problem with a good clean weld, but a problem on a weak spot weld or tack weld. This being an automated production process, I would expect other failures to occur on older cars over time...maybe in a couple of years...or maybe in a couple of months. The scary part is that the upper control arm mount does not bear significantly high loads. But the upper shock mount does. Those who have mounted coilovers should think about this very carefully. Luckily, the lower control arms and rear subframe are forged alloy. Let's hope the subframe brackets have decent welds :eek: :eek: :eek:

Bat, did the crack occur on a hydroformed (non-welded) part of the frame, or did it occur on any of the reinforcement plates that have been welded to the frame in various places? I wonder what came first...the cracked mount or the cracked frame. the two are obviously related. I really think this car needs to go back to GM without being touched, but of course it's not my car and I'm not there to experience your frustration. Sorry for your troubles, Bat