The latest annual Consumer Guide issue rates new Vettes (not 08's) "Way Below Average"

Has your C6 had its share of problems or is this "Consumer Guide Hype"??

From what I've been reading on the forum, the 08's have their share of quality control issues also.

Thoughts/comments??

 

2 years and no problems for me.

 

JD Power doesn't seem to agree.

 

2006 C6, Z-51, 3-LT, absolutely no probems. Have had three Vettes in the past (58, 68, 06) and this is by far the most trouble-free.

 

From my own experience, owning total of 8 Corvettes so far i need to say without offending you that your findings are wrong and i have never heard of a more reliable true sports car under 100k than the Corvette, it keeps an amazing resale value and it is very reliable. I never took any of my vettes to the shop for anything other new tires, oil changes and aligments here n there...

 

The only problem I have, is everyone else drives too slow.

Mine has been perfect, except for the ashtray door kept opening. I'm surprised they still put ashtrays in cars. The dealer fixed and all is well.

I..P..

 

Our 07 MN6 had major trans problems that started at about 4,500 miles ! Nothing since then and I hope it stays that way but so far I'm a little worried about reliabilty.

 

07 coupe, 17k miles, not a single problem.

Car will be one year old in December.

 

I'm sure it raves about asian econoboxes though

 

If you read this forum regularly, you'll note that there are a number of chronic problems with the Corvette. Most of them aren't disabling, but a few are. Those mainly center around the keyless ignition system and rapid battery discharge issues. 2005s had the most problems. Roofs delaminated and blew off, harmonic dampers unscrewed, column lock problems, shift to reverse problems, so-called DBS, etc. The 2006 got rid of the column lock and the requirement to shift into reverse at shutdown. That got rid of a lot of problems. Chevy put a bandaid washer on the harmonic damper which reduced the incidence of balancers unscrewing (actually keying the damper, as was done in 80,000,000 previous generation small blocks, would have fixed the problem completely, but they didn't do that). Halfway through the 2006 model year, Chevy changed the top material and seems to have solved the top delamination problem. A couple of software updates seem to have gotten rid of most of the DBS complaints. 2007 and 2008 cars seem better with these problems already remedied. But other problems are showing up, such as the recent spate of loose axle nuts, rocking seats are making an appearance as the older C6s gather more miles, etc.

The normal Corvette problems of squeaks, rattles, positraction clutch chatter, etc are still with us of course. The C6 also has a hydraulic clutch issue. The design with a totally enclosed slave causes the fluid to run very hot and deteriorate. That's a design fault which plagues all manual C6s.

Of course we have to remember that forums disproportionately talk about problems. Owners of cars which have no problems aren't nearly as vocal as the owners of cars who do have problems. So that can give a false impression that all Corvettes have serious issues. Some do, many don't.

Consumer Reports suffers a similar problem in that they depend on surveys of their membership to determine auto reliability. Those who have problems are a lot more motivated to return surveys than those who have no problems. So the absolute problem numbers are suspect. Still, the same holds for other car makes they survey, so the relative rankings should be mostly valid. But because the number of Consumer Reports members who own Corvettes is relatively small compared to the number who own Camrys, for example, they may not be a statistically valid representation of Corvette reliability rankings.

 

Use Consumer Report for buying vacuum cleaners not sports cars.

 

I have owned my 07 coupe for a year with no problems.

 

It is refreshing when someone takes an objective look at the C6 issues. too many people on this forum get too defensive

 

I have had a few problems, some of which were addressed above. I have a 2006 Coupe A6 and it has been in the shop: 3 times for a dead battery which they finally replaced; 3 times for active handling light issues - I'm still not certain that's fixed for good; 3 times for the painted roof - finally replaced; clutch pack issue; 2 times for engine drag light - no clue what's causing this; rear window defog inop; memory seat inop; ash tray cover replaced; transparent top noise. So far that's it.

 

I've had an '05 coupe since April, 2005. No problems with it.

 

I saw the same article, and it does not make sense. They list the 2005 Vette as having lots of problems. But if you look at the 06 or, if I remember correctly, the 07, they give great marks for reliability. Then to conclude that future purchases will have major problems makes no sense. Look again at the article if I am wrong.

 

2005 here since December 2004. No problems

 

I've had to deal with most of the same issues other C6ers have experienced, all covered under warranty & all usually small stuff.
But I did have a couple issues that were for the most part unheard of, also.

First was a defective/broken bracket holding spark pug harness resulting in wires melting & shorting out, leaving half the engine's pistons w/o power.
The 2nd oddball thing I learned about just yesterday.

Had thrown an emissions system code a week ago.
Naturally it went to the dealer first chance I got.
Now I'm waiting for a new catalytic converter & O2 sensor.
O2 sensor aside, how often does a CCer ever go on the fritz?

While my issues have been mostly little stuff at no out of pocket cost to myself to have made right?
What about the time I spent sitting in a Chevrolet dealership's waiting room?

For the most part I tend to roll with such things ,accepting the fact crap happens.
But many others take a much dimmer view to malarkey with their ride.
Their POV isn't strange, either.
Can't fault 'em for not being happy a $50,000+ automobile isn't, for the most part, trouble free.
Or at least as trouble free as their one-quarter the cost rice grinder DD.

Given the chance any disgruntled owner will eagerly respond to any/all quality surveys, if for no other reason than to vent their anger & I don't blame 'em.

 

The owners (us) control the rating that our car gets from the owner feedback. Very simple.

So, FWIW I always answer those surveys in the most positive light no matter what. It's in my self interest. Better score, better resale, etc.

Of course with the car company I am more harsh and give feedback to improve the vehicle and always report it is overpriced and the warrantee is not long enough, etc.

 

Other than having the roof "foamed" and the rear end fluid changed with AMSOIL, I have had no other problems.

One thing that is common with a lot of cars is the soft windshields that pit badly. My 06 has 13K miles on it and when I get in the sun in the early morning it looks as if the windshield has been blasted with sand, which I noticed this morning and then cleaned the windshield twice...to no avail...AMAZING.

Overall, I am well pleased with the quality of the C6.