DerStig

Hello everyone,

I'm one of those BMW fans who have been watching GM very close with the release of C7 (and now Z06). I quite like the direction they have been heading towards with the new generation and may consider getting a Z06 one day.

I am currently driving a 2015 F80 M3 (this is the new M3 with I6 and turbos). Why I am writing here today is to ask about reliability of the new C7. I was browsing this forum today and saw that there is a C7 issues thread. I started reading that thread and was quite surprised the number of issues I have seen as well as the types of issues themselves.

I am an early adopter of this car myself. My M3 was the 6th one to be sold in the US. I took delivery of the car 1 week after it was released in North American market. I have had no issues with my car, and so far the issues that people have reported in the M3 forums by early adopters are fairly minor and very rare.

I am not trying to bash the Corvette or GM here. Believe it or not, I am quite proud of the accomplishments they have made and for the first time in many years, I am honestly considering buying one of these myself one day. I like to keep my cars for many years and for me reliability is everything. I have an M5 before this and another M3 (the V8), and a 335 before that. BMW is pretty good when it comes to reliability and of all these years of ownership, the only issue my cars had (commonly more than one) was the door seal lubing to resolve the squeak noise that comes when you go over rough road. That's it! We are talking about 8 years of ownership across 4 cars.

I am seeing a lot of production issues and a lot of technical issues (electronics, A/C, USB, music, etc). These are fairly core issues. Now granted a lot of these were reported late last year and early this year, some are still being reported even this month. What is your take on this car's reliability? I know there will always be those people with no issues, and some unlucky ones. But what is the common consensus? Also how is the Chevy service addressing these issues? Do you feel comfortable taking your C7 to service? Do they put a lot of miles to those cars?

Sorry if I sound stupid or offend people. I am genuinely curious.

Thanks!

FRC_1

The people that post queepy crap wrong with their C7's is the definitely the minority. Some of the folks on this forum expect Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini quality in a 60-73K sports car. Very few cars are having issues that require service. It's a mechanical vehicle, things will break and that's what a warranty is for. Most normal folk will take it in for service issues, others will post "my first problem" threads which no one cares about. I've had mine since early June and it's been flawless. If you read every little problem people complain about on here you'll drive yourself crazy. The car is leaps and bounds above any previous generation Corvette. Sure you could buy a lemon and the rear wheel falls off or the engine blows in the first 3,000 miles. Any other car manufacturer will have those problems too... including BMW, Porsche, the list goes on. Spend your hard earned money on what YOU think is quality/value, for that the C-7 wins hands down.

fizzman

Wow looks like you escaped the 335i twin-turbo HPFP fiasco where the engine would go into Limp mode randomly due to the fuel pump failure. i have a '09 335i with the N54 twin turbo and so far i've taken the car in for:
1) 1 replacement of the HPFP
2) passenger side door lock failure
3) short in the electrical system that caused all the turn lights to fail
4) VANOS solenoids in the intake failing (this was a head scratcher)

Don't get me wrong, i love this car and it's insane torque curve and it will be a sad day when i part with it. but I don't think the german makes are as reliable as the Japanese brands (Lexus, Acura). Those cars are bulletproof in terms of reliability. not fun to drive but very very dependable.

F7addict

Every time I'm at a manheim auction and they are running off lease bmw's I can't tell you the amount ticking and motor noise I hear on them. I have only leased beemers never owned. Just sayin.

hifiguy

I've owned 54 cars over the past 43 years. Most have been reliable except for a Jaguar XKR and a Ferarri 328, which were both nightmares, in the shop 80% of the time. My daily driver BMW 750iL didn't have problems until after 100,000 miles and the were minor issues costing less than $2-3k to repair. I've owned five Corvettes including my new C7. Bought it in May and have put 2,900 miles on- yes, I'm driving it daily as it's far too much fun to keep in my garage! During my first oil change, I did not see one C7 in my large dealer's service center, the techs say "they're bullet proof." Buy a C7 and have some real fun!

wayles

With less than 1500 miles on mine, I can't speak to long term reliability, but my initial quality has been great. NO issues what-so-ever.

I have owned numerous BMW's in the past and this car compares favorably with the best of them, and well above the one I had problems with.

On any forum you will find folks who seem to just like to complain about every little thing. They seem to loose sight that this is a mass produced vehicle, not a one-of custom car. GM has done a great job with the new vette, and I really don't believe you can go wrong purchasing one.

The fun-to-drive quotient is through the roof and more than makes up for any minor glitch that may crop up. Your M3 is a really nice car, but go test drive the new Stingray and see if it doesn't rock your world.

fizzman

good to hear that your initial experience with the C7 was problem free. I'm hoping the 2015 models address some of the '1st year model' problems

W88fixer

I have no statistical data to back up my opinion but I’d bet that the Bugatti, Ferrari, and Lambo types have plenty of problems and when they do, very expensive ones when out of warranty along with a great lack of qualified service facilities.

I’d also bet that in general, the owner’s of such expensive/exotic cars send their cars in for more frequent, more extensive maintenance than is expected of Detroit cars.

While I’m pleased for an individual who says he’s had great reliability from Brand X/Y/Z, it is a sample of one and is therefore meaningless. Don

george vee

I have 8500 miles on my early production Z51, got it in Sept 2013 and it will be 1 year old next week. No issues at all and it's rock solid no rattles.

zbrett

Bought a 2006 C6 with a GM Extended warranty plan. Never needed to make a claim on the extended warranty that expired in 2013. Just ordered a C7 and I will not be purchasing an extended warranty. I also owned a 1995 E36 M3s (one of the first ones off the boat), so don't feel bad about switching sides. I don't.

Sin City

I would say that in 6 months and 4200 miles, this car gives me complete confidence. I've never visited the dealer yet.

I do believe though that you should look for fit and finish issue inside and outside before you buy one and see if it's acceptable. As to reliability, it's rock solid IMO and way under stressed.

rsl2715

ZERO PROBLEMS!! 4800 miles 7 months DD on non rain days or low temp days.This C-7 Z-51 is the best by far Corvette GM has produced to date.R

Previous Corvettes 72 C-3, 2000 C-5 still have 345,000 miles engine reworked ect.R

Kyflyer

We bought ours in November 2013 and it now has 8,000 miles on it with no problems. We are aggressive drivers and it has seen triple digits frequently although most of it is local cruising. We are taking it on a Route 66 tour later next month and we have no fears of it not making the journey flawlessly, and if we do there is Onstar. We may have a long wait for a rollback, but that goes with owning any car as the are all mechanical and electronic and both systems can fail. Our only recent auto that had a severe failure was a 2005 MB SLK 350 and it dropped a valve and required and extensive repairs, but it was all covered by warranty.

dvilin

Back in 2008 when I was getting ready to order a new Vette I also read all the issues people were having with their Vettes. I then realized the problems for the most part were the exception and not the rule.
Most owners post the problems to share or seek solutions but the CF forum is a very small population.
I had my 2008 up until this week and never had one single issue with it.
I had no hesitation at all when I placed my order last week for a new Vette. I am very impressed with the overall quality of GM.

Rand1993

I have owned many brands. The most problematic was a 2007 BMW 750Li. I won't buy another BMW. My family now owns a 2013 Lexus ES350, a 2013 Toyota Avalon, a 2012 Toyota Highlander, and a C7 Vette. The Toyota products have been bulletproof. No issues with the C7. Incredible car! You shouldn't hesitate to purchase one.

nmerhaut

I've owned a '65, a new 2008 C6, a new 2009 Z06 and now the C7, days old. The only problems ever with the '08 and '09 were fluid additive in the diff for the "crunching problem" and never had another problem with either and My Z saw several HPDE, both great cars.

The C7 will be reflashed tomorrow, only because of a seat memory glitch which I've heard is minor and easily reprogrammed. If you haven't driven or ridden in the C7, please do ASAP. I believe you will be sold and won't look back. The ride, the torque, the handling are all thrilling and very, very precise

Glenmcp

VIN 1500. Only problem is locking onto HD radio stations.

Rockyravoli

I placed my order for the 2015 C7 Z-51 convertible on Friday and the sales person had me meet the shop manager. I said I guess I will be seeing you in the future; his comment was "only for oil changes, we don't see any problems with corvettes."
Moreover this dealer in Utah gave me new car loaner vehicle to use while I wait for my corvette to come in which could be 8 weeks. I traded my 07 in on the new one and they wanted to try to sell it while the weather is still good for driving. I can't see too many dealers that offer that kind of service.
Great guys Riverton Chevrolet in Sandy Utah.

sdk

4 months, 5900 miles.......no problems!!!

tunaman

There were some initial first year car bugs and issues to work out, and through the 2014 MY they did work them out. Most of the issues reported were with low VIN cars, although there are still a few relatively minor issues mostly which are reported (as would be expected with most any mass produced production car).

We picked ours up in June and drove it across country (Museum delivery), 4230 miles total, and broke it in along the way. No issues, and now that we are nearing 8000 miles still no issues to report.

As in most aspects of life, you don't hear the successes but you loudly hear the failures. I would bet there are far fewer issues collectively than it appears from the thread, if you were to poll all owners.

GM got it right and the C7 line is an amazing addition to the Corvette heritage. If you do end up buying one you will be pleased.