The a/t shift cable on my 04 was starting to feel a bit out of the norm and since there is only 26,000 miles on it one owner ( me) I decided to check the plastic grommets to see if they were the problem. They were like new, so I went ahead and ordered a new cable and be done with it. Not a big job, just a lot of bolts to take off ( heat shield-36 alone) but my biggest concern was getting the exhaust cross over bolts out without breaking the studs. Instead of rushing and since I don't have a set of tanks and torch, I soaked the nuts with penetrating oil and let them sit over night. The car's off the road for winter so there is no big rush so I went back the second day and soaked them again over night. You'd be surprised how rusted those studs and bolts were on a car with 26,000 and no winters. All the other fasteners were like new and they spun right off. Any how, the third day I put the ratchet on and they came off like butter. Couldn't budge them the first time without fear of breaking them off but the two day soak worked like they were new. I would like to mention that if you take your time and don't rush, think it out and you can save yourself a lot of head aches and money. A word to the wise. I saw a you tube video on how to replace the cable without removing the exhaust and heat shield. DON'T TRY IT! They tied two ends together and snaked it through. What a crock! There's no way the new cable will pass through with the rubber anti rattle bumper and the plastic hold down bracket. And if you tried, I'm betting you would bend the new cable. The slightest bend or kink and it's junk. Besides, it would not be installed correctly since you didn't snap the hold clip on. Take your time and do it right. Just an FYI for anyone who is going to do this job.

Nice write up. I replaced mine about two years ago. Florida car, no winters, original owner. Plastic just breaks when plastic breaks.

The cable itself is virtually impossible to break, but it would have been nice if GM would have used aluminum grommets instead of plastic.

Moved to C5 Tech.

You saved a bundle, my C6 cable broke left me stranded, they charged $700.00 at the dealership.

There's not much you can do when it breaks on the road except bite the bullet and pay for the tow and garage. That's why I changed mine out even though it still worked. Just didn't feel right . If I hadn't, I would never had any piece of mind until it was replaced. My Chev dealer also quoted me the same price. Since I have a quick Jack the job was no big deal. Like my op, the biggest worry was the cross over bolts. The cable was $66 from Caltrag. Be savings from dealer's price.

Smart move, I also felt the shifter was getting harder to shift out of park, but never two and two together, till it broke, and now smooth again in shifting.

Thank you for your Service!

Actually, I managed to snap the shift cable by lifting it just a bit too high to remove the front grommet. Popped loud as a three-base hit with a softball bat.
I had no lift and strayed beyond my limited abilities so I took it to a garage. 😳