Service Charging System ...is this car reliable?
 

I'm starting to lose the "reliability" clause of my relationship here.

Looks like the alternator is going south on the car. DIC says check system, meter is reading low on voltage, horn works so it's not a fuse. Tow truck has been called.

So...

Replaced clutch
Repaired CAGs wiring
Replaced reardifferential seals for leak
Replaced rear oil for chatter problem
Replaced Shifter icw noise
Replaced tunnel shield due to excess heat
I see an oil leak in the engine area around the oil pan (next to be repaired)


I got the car in January of 07. I'm not too pleased with its track record for reliability.


Elmer

When you pay $40k-$80k for a sports car that outperforms anything under $500,000; you get a few hickups... this is to be expected. Did you have catastrophic engine failure? Deal with it, these are minor issues and it's under warranty. :thumbs:

My C6 is the most reliable car I have ever owned... clutch, crank bolt, fuel sensor recall and all. :yesnod:

:withstupid: I'm sure the $500,000 cars have just as many gremlins, but imagine what parts availability on those cars are. :eek:

I bought my 07 C6 in December 06 and the only time she's seen a service bay is for two oil changes. :thumbs:

Were my car to have that record, I would NOT have posted the thread. I jumped in the car to run an errand yesterday and bam, DIC starts singing at me. My Camaro went back for an EGR recall and a tensioner pulley replacement, that's it for the first 36 months. I put turbos on it and have had less troubles than this new car.

I can see "stuff" happening but my car is "down" while being "un-stuffed". I expect to drive the car and have it perform reliably. I DO NOT hammer this car and it should not have engine or rear end leaks, or noise from the rear end, or clutch failure (with my first clutch use it chattered), Check engine lights on day 2 of ownership.

I love the car but it really needs to be reliable or the love will wane into another car that will perform and still be reliable.


Elmer

I agree with you. After many trips to the dealer for repairs, the final straw was when my '05 died on the freeway due to a faulty crankshaft position sensor. I want a reliable car at any price. I traded for an '07 in December and have had the alternator replaced since. I will accept a few minor inconveniences, but not unreliability.

While I am certainly sorry for the myriad of troubles you've had, they aren't any different than the issues faced by other car owners. While I certainly won't say that my C6 has been perfect (new roof, 3 DBS attacks, rear end clatter), I would have to say that it's been about average in reliability.

Sorry to hear about the reliability issues. In my experience the car has been extremely reliable, one of the most reliable cars I've ever had. I think you guys are some of the very few that have had so many issues.

Having said that, it seems like the `05s did have a slightly elevated degree of issues, especially early on in production (bad fuel gauge sensors, crank bolts, DBS, etc). But from `06 and on they seem to be doing quite well.

I suppose there will be occasional issues with some cars from any manufacturer. Think about it, it is not reasonable to assume that every single car ever built (regardless of manufacturer) will be 100% reliable. These are machines after all.

I hate to say it, but in the realm of the C6, if you have that many problems, you are simply unlucky. Sorry to hear about it and hope everything can be corrected - because the car, when running properly (as they most often are), is indeed excellent - and generally very reliable.

Dont worry too much. Even a BMW that is supposed to be build in Germany can give you thise headaches. H3ll...maybe even more :)

Ex:
The new BMW 335i has a huge problem with their High Pressure Fuel Pump, and when that fails, you are 110% left out on the road - talk about inconvenience there :eek:

Yup, I concur, that would be classified as "inconvenience".

I'm trying to take this all in stride and hopefully this(these) is(are) my last issue(s). It simply needs to stop and put some "time" on the clock where I just drive the car and not have spells of dealer contact to fix "little" things.

I totally disagree.... This is just :bs ..I surely DOUBT that this car out performs a $500k car.. Please... Deal with it myA$$, that car has too many issues to just "deal" with it.. I'm sure if the shoe was on the other foot your thoughts would change, or you just might be one of those people that could care less that the $50k you spent is not what you thought it was.. Good for you..

I just ordered an '08 and if I had those problems, I'd be on the dealer, GM and BBB like flies on sheet..

/joe

:iagree:


Has GM addressed these common issues in later 07's or 08's? Now I am concerned, since I just ordered an 08. . . . the last thing I need is another problem car. . .

Clutch issues
CAGs wiring
Reardifferential seals leak issues
Rear oil chatter problem
Excess heat in console
Engine oil leaks. . .
roof issues
anything else?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you have never owned a high performance sports car ...?

Every single person I know who owns a Porsche, Viper, etc. and actually drives them has just as many issues as us... for a whole lot more money. If you don't know that a C6/Z06 out performs everything under a half mil, you have some research to do buddy... ;)

Yeah I do agree that needing to have your clutch replaced and also dealing with engine and reardiff leaks is unacceptable in a new car no matter who the manufacturer or what level of performance the car offers.

Maybe after it's all said and done you'll be in the clear. At least the car is under warranty but there is also a level of inconvenience where it becomes a "time is money" issue when you're out of pocket for a length of time.

Since when are "noise" and "console heat" issues classified as "reliability" problems? Quality issues, certainly, but reliability?

You have serious and legitimate concerns over the clutch and alternator, but it clouds the argument when the other issues are mis-classified.

On the positive side, did the new tunnel plate make a noticeable difference?

Yupper, never had a HP sports car (I don't think my 65 coupe classify's as a HP car)..... But that being said, I surely wouldn't mind having a Ferrari 599,612 or a F430... All way under $500k..

/joec

Noise is the clutch disc pack issue in the rear end. That seems to fall into mechanical reliability short comings.

Console heats was eliminated with the modification of the insulated tunnel plate. GM should have fixed it so I wouldn't have had to deal with it. My comfort (read Wife) is paramount and it may not have "stopped" the car but it "started" my wife and that is 100 times worse. Point is... Why did I need to correct it? It isn't a state secret. GM knows of the issue but they choose to let it ride. I shouldn't have to correct deficiencies on my own. It was a $300 fix.

Bottom line? Everything on my list has removed my car from service in order to correct the issue. Reliability is the word I chose. Downtime is not adding to the reliability stockpile of "feelings".

BTW, I just got the call from the dealer. The towed car has been checked and verified that the alternator is bad and they're keeping the car. The part is coming in on "overnight" and they'll fix the issue tomorrow. I also mentioned the oil leak coming from the engine. I haven't gotten word on the source of that or the events that will be done to correct the leak.

Elmer

Well, I've had a few cars with "hustle". The latest is my 550 RWHP 1998 Camaro Z28. It spends less time in the shop than the new car. The Z rarely failed to respond for the 9 years it acted as my daily driver. The Vette is my daily driver now and I fully expect it to function that way and it needs to improve the track record in that category because right now? I don't trust it to be used on a daily basis without need for constant repair.


Elmer

...and as I said, a Corvette kills them both performance-wise for all the way under $70k...

Interesting that you should post about reliability issues here since I also just posted about my C6 dying unexpectedly. And reliability is the word I am also using. You have had more problems than I have and I am wondering about reliability.
There are lots of folks here who will overlook the vettes problems because it IS a corvette. I can't and it sounds like you cant either. Lets hope our cars get fixed and no more problems. BUT?????

You have expressed the total gist of my position.