New Member - need good mechanic in Denver (and advice)
 

Hey guys,

I inherited a 2002 C5 from my wifes father who passed away. Unfortunately, the list of things to fix on it looks like the constitution of the United States. I took it to Century and they gave me a quote for 11,000 dollars!

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good 'smaller' shop within 150 miles of Denver? We really want to save this car, but we can't put 11k into the dealer's pocket. They are even quoting a new BCM for 2000 dollars.

Besides the complex stuff, any members around Denver good with the wrenches? I've been working on offroad trucks and jeeps for awhile, but Corvettes are a new nut to crack.

Thanks!
Tateman

$11K :willy::willy::willy: holy smokes, that's insane!

I'm too far south to help you out but I'm sure someone from Denver will chime in sooner or later. This forum has helped me do all of the repairs and maintenance on my C5 myself, its invaluable! Do some searches for your issues here and it will save you $$$$.

And welcome to the CF! :cheers:

Call Trent at Colorado Performance Unlimited. He on the east side of Brighton. His prices are right and he does LS stuff almost exclusively. Redid a cam cover and rocker stud for me, and I referred four friends to him for performance mods and one to rebuild his LS7. Quality guy, reasonable rate. I would absolutely talk to him.

I have used Clint at A.I.R. for several years on my C5 street/drag C5, and he has always been great. Any issues always resolved promptly, and prices are fair, both parts and labor. I spent over 16K there on that C5. When I stopped racing after the 2015 season, I sold the alcohol fueled beast it had become, and picked up another C5, this one 100% factory original. It has been perfect in every way, and when it needs service, Clint is who I'll call. Take your list him and get his take on it. And btw, you can by a really good C5 in the low to mid teens now, so unless the sentimental attachment is too strong, then maybe selling it and buying another makes financial sense.

What problems are you experiencing with your c5? I've done a little bit of work on mine and could at least give you some advice as to what you're getting yourself into.

I know you are asking for something close to Denver and would prefer a non dealer shop but I did want to mention my brother in law Cody Jantz at the Harchelroad Motors Performance Center in Imperial Nebraska. We are just over the State line from Holyoke Colorado. Though we are further away than your requested mileage we do have our dually and trailer out in the Front Range frequently picking up and delivering vehicles that we have performed service work / upgrades / restorations on. We know our way around C4's, C5's, C6's, and C7's. We keep around 25 to 40 Corvettes on hand for sale too.

Over the past 15 years we have built a very good Corvette business that caters to Corvette owners. I can't say how our prices would compare but I know we would sure like to quote you the repairs. I would sure enjoy knowing that you are able to enjoy the Corvette and be able to keep a piece of your family history with you.

If I or anyone from our Corvette Performance Center may be of help please do not hesitate to call Toll Free (844) 675-9565 and ask for Dillon Harchelroad. Or send me a private message. I will gladly put you in touch with Cody Jantz (brother in law who is also a very competent Corvette tech).

Note that you don’t need to fix everything on a dealers list.
They write up everything no matter how minor to A.) get the bill up, and B.) there may be a possible liability issue down the road for anything they see & don’t mention.

I would second the recommendation for Trent at Colorado Performance Unlimited. It's his own shop out of his own backyard, and he's been doing LS since at least the 90s from what I can remember. He's who you want working on your powertrain, but because of his shop size the turnaround could be a bit slow. Additionally, Clint at AIR is good too. He actually worked with (under?) Trent for awhile and then started his own place.

Last one: Corvette Connection. They'll be expensive (not sure if dealer-level). If you need less performance-oriented and more cosmetic (interior/exterior), while they do a lot of performance I think they are THE best place in CO to handle the cosmetics.

I'm also curious about what is actually wrong with the car. What all did the dealer try to sell you? I'm a mechanic and live in Thornton if you need some help or advice. I domt.haveuch experience wrenching on Corvettes though.

RMCR in CO Springs does good work, but they are very difficult to get ahold of and lost my business because of it. Nevertheless, if you can stop by in person, you'll probably have a good experience with Mark.

Just a heads up, the OP hasn't logged on in almost a month. Think this thread is a lost cause till he chimes back in.