First major problem
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 901
Likes: 45
From: Winter Haven FL
First major problem
Wife and I were cruising neighborhoods last night admiring Christmas lights and I started smelling hot coolant. Checked the dic and temp was up to 210. Drove 67 miles to work this morning and it was fine moving but would creep up at stop lights then cool down once moving. My ex stepson is my service writer at my chevy dealership and was a former mechanic there. He hooks me up. Turns out to be water pump leaking at 38k miles. Replacement, new belts, coolant etc $585...and that is the family deal. First major mechanical expense on my 2011GS. Merry Christmas
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 12,349
Likes: 4,133
From: Huskerland
2021 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
I was guessing a fan wasn't coming on or something.......but if you could smell it that's a good indication the coolant is getting out of containment......
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 6,072
Likes: 196
From: Arizona
IMHO, $585 for having all that work done is a good price -- especially in today's world of auto repairs. That 'family deal' price is really helpful.
You've gone 38K with no 'major' repairs -- that's great!
When we got our '13 GS ragtop, we didn't even make it 20 (twenty) miles -- I must have run over a piece of sharp debris on the highway (never saw anything) and took out the left rear GY runflat. A few months earlier, Goodyear had stopped offering any type of road hazard warranty, so we had to fork over a little over $500 to get back on the road. BTW, runflats DO work as advertised, and I will not be without them on our Vette. Gash in tire was so bad that the tire would hold absolutely no air -- no tire-repair-in-a-can could have patched it, even temporarily.
You've gone 38K with no 'major' repairs -- that's great!
When we got our '13 GS ragtop, we didn't even make it 20 (twenty) miles -- I must have run over a piece of sharp debris on the highway (never saw anything) and took out the left rear GY runflat. A few months earlier, Goodyear had stopped offering any type of road hazard warranty, so we had to fork over a little over $500 to get back on the road. BTW, runflats DO work as advertised, and I will not be without them on our Vette. Gash in tire was so bad that the tire would hold absolutely no air -- no tire-repair-in-a-can could have patched it, even temporarily.
Last edited by Virtual Geezer; Dec 21, 2015 at 10:46 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 10,452
Likes: 1,146
From: Wayne Township WI
My 'friend' is a SW at large Chevy store, he quoted me $850 for front brakes/discs/labor. Whadda pal. Got the job done for half.
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Drifting
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,746
Likes: 35
From: Jupiter Fl
Remember, The stories you hear on the forum are from people who,s cars have experienced a relatively short water pump life span (Yes it sucks, because there is no "Good Time" to have a pump fail). No one is going to post how great their water pump life is because we expect it to last a long time. FYI my water pump is working great !! No Issues at all in over 128,000 miles.
Pro
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 512
Likes: 25
From: Ashland KY
Wife and I were cruising neighborhoods last night admiring Christmas lights and I started smelling hot coolant. Checked the dic and temp was up to 210. Drove 67 miles to work this morning and it was fine moving but would creep up at stop lights then cool down once moving. My ex stepson is my service writer at my chevy dealership and was a former mechanic there. He hooks me up. Turns out to be water pump leaking at 38k miles. Replacement, new belts, coolant etc $585...and that is the family deal. First major mechanical expense on my 2011GS. Merry Christmas
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 13,262
Likes: 3,150
From: SW Florida
2021 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
And to think ... Back in the day you could buy a water pump for a 69 small block Chevy 350 for about $59 and install it yourself in about an hour (if you took your time).
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Last edited by Turbo6TA; Dec 22, 2015 at 04:46 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 5,118
Likes: 122
From: Madison (Huntsville) Alabama
CI 6-7-8 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '09
I had the water pump replaced on my C5 about 5-6 years ago, but I had over 100,000 miles on it at the time. Cost me about $800 at my local Vette shop ... not the dealer. That's the only major non-elective thing I had done on the C5 in about 10 years of ownership.
You got a good price.
You got a good price.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2011
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2014
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From: Chino CA
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 4,574
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From: Pearland / Houston Tx
Unfortunately can't find antifreeze for $2.99 a gallon like I used to.