krobc5

I have my C5 for sale and I am looking hard at the '05 C6's. Could someone give me a run down on any problems or issues I should look for. I know in the C5's certain model years at specific problems. Any input would help. Thanks!!

Kevin

Doughan

The major issues are crank pulley on a certain VIN range, delaminating roof on body colored coupe tops, and dead battery syndrome.

DaBullish1

I have a 2005 C6 that I bought in February 2005. I haven't had any of the problems described above, but my car is somewhat a garage queen (I drive to work 30%) with only 18-19,000 miles on the odometer. I have broken the rear end differential and Chevrolet repaired it for free. However, when the GM engineer (he was visiting the dealership) saw my car (LG Headers, Callaway Honker, Borla Sport exhaust & PS2 tires) I was told that any further rear end damage was on my dime. It is a known fact that the rear end on the 2006 and later models is more robust. It is also known that the rear end only breaks when the driver induces wheel hop and does not immediately let up on the throttle.

Surprisingly the Gm engineer was more concerned with the PS2 tires than the bolt ons. I have never drag raced with the car (one road course day). The rear-end broke on a cold evening (less than 60 degrees F) accelerating on pavement with ripples in the blacktop. I was pulling into traffic and was too stubborn to let up when I felt the wheel hop coming. The 2006 rear-end is better, but the 2005 is fine if you use good judgement IMHO.

not08crmanymore

SEP 05 PURCHASE HERE.10,850 MILES.No issues other than radio static and a squeaky roof,both fixed under TSB/warranty.Mine is one of the last 887 built for the 05 year,so I think it was late enough in production to avoid many of the issues.I personally wouldn't go for an early vin 05,but that's just me.

Vette_DD

2005 C6 A4 with 19,000+ miles, traded for 06. Had to replace the shifter (hard to get it out of PARK) and the non-Nav radio (intermittent sound). Top had started popping & creaking, even after the adhesive fix.

not08crmanymore

By the way-0% for 60 months on 06's if you can find one!well,I don't know what just happened w/this post,but what the hell!lol.

grumpy63

I have a PR 05 built in Aug 04. It has 30,000 miles and zero problems. I took the roof in for the recall dealer said it was OK but did the resealer thing anyway. It is my 5th Corvette and the best one overall by far.

quickride

I have a fairly early '05 built in January of '05. I've got 15,000 miles at this point and so far I haven't had any real problems. I took the car to have my painted roof inspected and they did the adhesive fix. I should add that I was not having any problem with the roof (no popping noise) when I took it in. I took it in because of the letter I received. As far as other things mentioned about '05's, I haven't had any of them.

Currently, I will have to address the rattling posi-traction differential noise which affects more than just the 05's. The lube was changed back in February and noise went away BUT now it has come back even more pronounced.

That's it.

VET4LES

2005, 14,000 miles and only problem has been the roof recall and fuel card replacement.

Wayne O

There were some issues specific to the very early 2005's...some issues extend into subsequent years. Problems however are the exception rather than the rule. I conducted a survey of 2005 owners a while back and the vast majority (something like 90%) considered their first year C6 to be reliable and they were quite satisfied. Any year car (and make car) can suffer from a problem.

FWIW my 2005 C6 has been extremely reliable and trouble-free. What few issues I've had I consider to be minor. Certainly check the service record of any car you're considering but my 2005 has been great!

Boozman

Mine was one of the first 5,000 made and it has never been in the shop.

iridelow

I have an 05 w/ 16K miles on it and the ONLY problem I have had is I can't get that freaken grin off my face. It's just stuck there. I've been to dealership several times and they can't get it off either. Oh well, I will just learn to live with it.

talon90

To answer your question directly yes, there were some problems with the first year C6. There were also some problems with each subsequent year as well. I have a 2005 built in October of 2004 and it has been absolutely problem free for 13,000 plus miles. The 2005 cars with early VIN's had issues with a crank bolt pulley. Most were subject to the painted top delamination recall, some MN6 cars had issues with DBS (dead battery syndrome), some had issues with fuel senders. That said, you can find a good one as I did. Make sure you do your research. Make sure you have the car's VIN run through the GM VIS to have a look at any recall status and the maintenance history. That alone will tell a story. Based solely on my experience I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another 2005. Good luck in your search.


Make sure you have a look at the C6 FAQ located here:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=927981

Paul

VET4LES

The good news is each of these problems have been identified by GM and have or will be taken care of under warranty.

S2K

'05 vert w/37k miles.

1. Excessive oil consumption required engine tear down and cylinder fix
2. Broken syncro (MN6)
3. Vert top liner needed replacing (twice)
4. Rear Diff noise required clutch pack replacement and fluids (TSB)
5. Broken clutch return spring (like it better without it)
6. Brake squeak (I replaced with ceramics myself since GM doesn't care)
7. Rear trunk key lock doesn't work (they are fixing this now)

Hoonose

I've had a bunch of many '05 specific problems:

Early '05 Z51 MN6 VIN 4997
12,400 miles, daily driver.

Rocker panel and underside damage per initial dealer PDI right off the bat, fixed!

DBS X 3 or 4, but none in 20 months. Got the reflash at 2 years.

Clutch 'sticking to the floor' problem several times at high RPM, fixed by me with 50 cent bracket to reduce clutch throw. No more problem in 2 years.

Replaced squealing brake pads under warranty at 12 months. Also took care of excessive brake dust.

A/C freon removal fix at 12 months.

Repaired stuck outside rear hatch button ala Pipedreams DIY.

Paint chip damage to the front edge of both rear 1/4 panels due to poor door alignment fixed and painted.(at my expense) Home made rubber bumpers installed by me. No more chips. Now GM provides for their own bumpers.

Did the fluid exchange for noisy rear end at 2 years. Seems to have worked, so far.

Replaced clutch slave fluid numerous times with significant and now
sustained improvement in clutch feel and smoothness.

Very loose rear sway bar bolts found when inspecting underside.

Also loose passenger side rear axle bolt.

Roof still needs repaint and/or replacement. No delamination yet. Roof has slightly mismatched original DSOM paint. Dealer is aware.

Driver seat rocking just fixed. Had that twice fixed with my C5. Track seems 'grindy' on movement.

Shifter has been rattling at mid RPMs especially when cold (<60 degrees) the last few months. Getting worse, it would be hard to sell this car with that buzzing noise. Reported to dealer who couldn't help at this point in time.

The car goes back in soon for the roof, seat track again, and hopefully the shifter...

I still enjoy the car, but I would never recommend an '05.

jschindler

I had two 2005's. Neither one of them had any problems at all. The known issues have been covered above. I really believe if a 2005 was going to have one of the known issues (Crank bolt, removable roof, or DBS), they would have by now.

Buffy

Interesting. I've found that the PS2s, although stickier, are much less prone to wheel hop than the OEM Goodyear Supercars. I'm sure it could be made to happen, especially in a case like yours with a bumpy road, but it isn't the issue it was with the stock tires.

P.S. Another '05 with near-zero problems (only exception was the ash tray door not staying closed problem, which I think affects most years of C6s).

StanNH

That about sums it all up. Individual "I never had a problem" responses don't really answer the question.

The first 11,039 cars could suffer a crank pulley failure...the fix was to install a Diamond Impregnated Washer. I think less than 3% of the early production cars were actually affected by this.

The DBS issue affected 2005 MN6 cars only, but there were other battery related issues that were seen to a lesser extent in 2005 and 2006 cars. These problems were addressed with a computer reflash TSB, as well as the elimination of the shift to reverse circuitry in 2006.

The roof problems involve 2005 and 2006 cars, but not all. Problem free cars should have had the roofs treated with a new adhesive, while problem roofs were replaced.

Other issues are less common. The best bet is to review the service records to see exactly what work was done.

BACH

i have an 05 vert i had 1 problem which i found is common to the 05vette. after filling up the tank the gas gague showed empty, most of the warning lights went on etc. after a few minutes it clear up found out it was some sort of programming glitch a 15 minute visit to the dealer fixed it. no problems since