birrclan

just bought a 1800 mile '06 z. thus far the roof has begun to seperate (it did have the initial "glue fix"), the differential thumps when i do a tight turn in either direction, and the stupid ash tray door won't stay shut. i really don't want to go thru the roof replacement but assume if the glue has gone in once, they won't redo it. i had hoped that a low mileage car would be trouble free. wonder what it would be like with a few more thousand miles?

und3rgr0undk1ng

sorry to hear about your misfortune with the car already. I know how it feels to spend a bundle on a like new car and have lil things start to go wrong right away. good luck

jbp8653

I had the roof replaced on my 06Z with the new panel and the job was perfect. The diff noise is a common problem that Vettes have had for years. My 73' did the same thing way back then. They have a fix for it, either change out the fluid or replace the clutch packs with the up dated part number. I did both of these as well and the new part number performed perfectly until the time I traded for a 07Z. The ash door on my car was fine. Its a great car, don't let a few minor issues make you dislike the car. First years are famous for these issues and the best part is they are all under warranty!

docb

I agree with above. Hopefully get these ****ling problems fixed, you'll forget about them. The car is fabulous, more fun than most of us deserve.

DoingOK

Hmmmm. I had the ashtray fixed, had the roof replaced and just had the additive put in the rear end. The smile when I hit it: Priceless.

ranger1

I have an 06 Z, with 13,000 miles, I picked her up Dec 2, 05. I have had the roof fix with glue then the new top, very fine now... and the water pump, the rearend fluid changed, the rear end still makes a bit of a grind in slow turns when cold. But she just makes more h/p and rails... with a tune (jim hall) intake, and LG pro long tube headers..... I love this car, everytime I drive her, I'm even more amazed...

Garry

Foosh

Birrclan, I think you should buy a Lexus. You likely wouldn't be happy with a Ferrari, Lambo, or Porsche, either. True performance cars often have issues, and yours are relatively small.

Gary2KC5

You did realize you bought a Corvette Z06 right? This is an all out performance car. You did probably read that the car outperforms Lambo's, Ferrari's, Porsche's, etc., right?

The reason that there are some quality issues is that the car costs half, no a third, no even less than that of the cars it performs with.

consider this...even if you had shelled out $180,000 for another car in the Z06 league...there would be some (maybe not as may) issues. cars are a machine and will always have some issues.

Have you actually tried putting your right foot down and seeing exactly why you bought the thing?

You shouldn't be disappointed with that. If you didn't buy it for that then get something that focuses on interior quality instead of performance.

2KZ28CAM

I'd be too busy looking for that worthless exhaust fuse to notice a loose ashtray.

After that, I'd be too busy looking for a track or runway to hear the LS7 screaming at 7K with the butterflies open.

After that, I'd have the dealer fix the roof. I'd also take care of the ashtray thing myself with about 25 mins of tinkering on a Saturday afternoon. No big whoop. It's a used car, right?

After that, I'd be calling Lou, Jim, and/or Jason (or all of the above) for appointments to make a great car even better.

After I got it back from them, well.....does it really matter?

See ya down the road.

Corvette1221

I bought mine new. Couple of issues, The ashtray was broken, the powersteering fluid resivour leaked because it had too much fluid in it and a small leak from the waterpump.

1. Fixed the power steering by emptying some of fluid out.
2. Fixed the water pump by torquing the bolts slightly.
3. Fixed the Ashtray, about 90 bucks (cause I didn't want anyone to touch the car). The part to replace the door comes as a complete unit with the door and tray including the lighter. Looked up the instructions to replace it on the internet and it took about 1/2 an hour to replace the whole ash tray.

Rear end, I have heard once in a blue moon when backing out of the driveway and turning. But not enough to be annoying.

the car now has 12500 miles on it and it has been great. No roof issue but I don't drive much in the heat of the day, most of the time sits in the garage. I do believe that it will have to replaced if I leave it in the sun, but truth is never been parked for a long time in the heat.

bottom line, I am sorry to hear about your problems but don't let a few things that can easily be fixed make you feel bad about it. They can be fixed.

Good Luck

O7zeeO6

Birrclan, my intent in writing this is to either make you feel better about your car or do a reality check with your decision.

I have an 07 and have the rear end grinding noise as well, and the ash tray starts to stick but still closes, and the roof is staying glued thank God.

I do have other "issues" with the car in addition to what I mentioned and many CF members has flamed me for it, such as the lack of hatch assist (got flamed the most), long throw shifter, uneccessary electric power drain when the car is off, lack of passenger power seat, excessive brake dust, ill designed third brake light, occasional difficulty in shifting to reverse, large turning radius, and probably a few more I have yet to experience.

As you can see my flaw list is pretty long, but the main reason I bought this car is because of its performance prowess. I live in Germany and when I'm going down the Autobahn knowing that I can outperform any stock Porches (except the Carrera GT), cruise at 135+ mph for hours at a time when I choose to and smoke everyone in the Autobahn by going 190+ mph, and hear complements about the car from people between the age of 4 to 94, the joy and excitement it brings me just overshadows any flaws that the car have.

If you can't relate to what I just mentioned, then maybe you need to reconsider your decision to purchase a Z, and probably a less capable sports car that has less flaws is what you really meant to purchase. I'm sure someone out there will benefit from your loss and will thank you for it if you decide to part with the Z.

My two cents.

WeaponsGradeTorque

vetdude

First, I agree it is frustrating when you spend this kind of money and have problems right out of the shoot. But, keep in mind these problems are relatively minor and, given the age and mileage, will be fixed under warranty/recall. On the bright side, you've got all the nagging problems all at once, so, drop her off (at a reputable Corvette dealer) and let them fix everything in one shot. The main thing is, don't let it get you down. There's ton's of smiles per gallon to be had with that car! Good luck!

BlaznZ06

If Lexus can do it why can't GM?

Oh, wait. Its a performance car so it should come from the factory with flaws. So, that the purchaser can have a better inner race car driver experience.
Racers understand things break.

I think things like the ashtray and roof shouldnt happen on any $70k+ car, period.

C5 Frank

1st off congrats on your purchase!
My roof began making noises TWO DAYS after I bought my car NEW!! But I must say that after I got the replacement smc roof it has been fine! As for the rear noise, mine makes some noise as well. I think every Z06 does. It is part of the character of the car. Mine is not bad and I havent needed to worry about it. As for the ashtray door, my dealer replaced my center console and it fixed it. There are always a few bugs with any new car. I love my Z06 very much, but there are some quirky things about it that you have to accept. Take it to the dealer get it fixed and drive it as much as possible. You will forget those issues real quick. Good luck!

outnumbered

All quite normal. A dealer visit will take car of your issues.

I had 8 minor nagging issues. All fixed under warranty. The car has been great ever since.

Get it fixed and enjoy the performance bargain in the industry.

Foosh

I agree on the ashtray.....poor design.

With regard to the rear-end (actually we're talking about the differential clutch packs), it's a tried and true design engineered take an awful lot of torque. We're also running insanely wide tires that don't make the same number of revolutions on the inner and outer side of the turn. Nonetheless, it's a pretty bullet-proof unit that can take a lot of abuse. Yes, the clutch packs sometimes make some noise, when cold and on tight, slow turns. Even so, and noise aside, it's harmless, and the car can be driven indefinitely, with clutch packs that are a bit noisy.

With regard to the roof, it was an experiment in weight-saving, as was the all aluminum space frame. Sometimes, you have to push the edge of the envelope to make evolutionary engineering advances, and that means, certain things don't work out. That's why GM switched back to the heavier SMC roof. The polycarbonate bonding process was too unpredictable.

As I said on the previous post, you should read back through Porsche, Ferrari and Lambo history, if you want to see some really expensive engineering weaknesses, as they were pushing the envelope. In the meantime, I'm not going to worry too much about things like ashtrays.

Larry T

ASHTRAY??? Did we get an ashtray too? Just made my day...

equipone

Never buy the first year of a new model car or these gremlins will be your nightmare.

BlaznZ06

First and foremost, I agree with Foosh about the Z and its performance.

However, 95% of all the Z purchasers are not going to take this car to a track.

Thus, their buying experience is going to be different than a person who tracks a car and understands what happens at the track.

The Joe that gets this car to go fast down the high and city streets looks at his buying choices differently. These reasons are usually more emotional reasons verses technical reasons.

So, I am coming from the stance that its bad press.