What problems to be awere of in 2003

[Carl S.]

I am looking at two 2003, one is a 1SB Quick silver coup with 5k miles and the other is a 1SC convertible with 22k miles. The pricing is close, I have always wanted the anniversary package because I love the color. What defects or problems should I be looking for in general in the 2003.Thanks for all your help in advance

[Michael J.]

Re: What problems to be awere of in 2003

My biggest problems with the one I had were, as a new car: 1. Cracked gas tank and leaking from the straps being over tightened at the factory 2. Electrical issues and shorts that caused me to go through 3 batteries in the first year 3. The emergency brake needed new everything since it would not engage well enough to pass safety inspection from the state.

These were all evident within a year of purchase, hopefully a well used one today would have all these fixed. Good luck.

[Richard M.]

Re: What problems to be awere of in 2003

Carl,I have a 2001, areas to look at are, under the battery box some GM rocket engineer decided to mount the ECM and its main wiring harness and if there is battery leakage well guess what, so I'd pull the battery out and have a look, its not hard to do, also TSB #03-04-20-006A: Fluid Leak at Rear Axle was issued to fix fluid leaks on the left side output shaft, so look there. C-5s have built in trouble scanning capability so you can check failure codes and code history, ignition switch modules are prone to failure, and the C5 has a lot of wiring ground lugs which can get loose or corroded and create electrical problems. I know all this sounds bad but if you have a factory shop manual they are easily fixed. RM

[Carl N.]

Re: What problems to be awere of in 2003

Carl, by 2003 most of the problems with the C5's were sorted out but as with any car they can have problems. I have found them very easy to work on (except for the clutch). you need to run diagnostics on the car before you purchase it -very easy takes about 5 minutes no tools or computer required. You will find very little info on this forum about C5 or C6's but following this link to the forum which I feel offers the best tech info for the newer Corvettes. While I'm not saying shop manuals are a bad idea, they are expensive and I have found all the info I have needed since 1998 on line to do all the R&R I needed on the cars I've owned. Check out the C2 site on this forum also http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-tech-1/

[Edward J.]

Re: What problems to be awere of in 2003

Carl, When corvette built the c5/6/7 cars every year was a improvement, but are really a trouble free car. C5 s really don't per say have one direct problem, I work on cars for a living and have quite a few newer corvettes that I service. the one big thing that seems to be getting a lot of attention is the ZO6 having valve spring issues, and I have seen some ABS module problems with a failed internal relay, these how ever can be repaired, as the for the valve springs GM has issued a new part no. for them. Its a great get in the car and turn the key and go.

My advice is before you buy any used corvette is pay some shop or GM dealership to inspect and check the operations of everything, look for oil leaks, and make sure you test drive car for about 20-30 minutes to get car warmed up good,

[Chris E.]

Re: What problems to be awere of in 2003

If both cars are '03s, I would focus more on the current condition and maintenance history of them.

Generally speaking, the Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) in the C5 generation started high in '97 and dropped significantly every year. By '01, they were pretty low. I think buying a well cared for, low mile '03 would be a pretty safe bet.

[Tom H.]

Re: What problems to be awere of in 2003

If the car has the magnetic ride control. be sure the factory shock stuffers were removed during dealer prep. I have seen many cars that still have them in. Look under the car at the shocks. If they still have a little yellow ribbon sticking out, they are still in there !!! ( These shock stuffers were installed at the factory to keep the shocks from moving during shipment. We were to remove them during dealer prep. Many dealers did not remove them. A car with these stuffers will ride very harshly, as the shocks cannot work with them installed. ) If you look at enough 03 to 04 cars with mag ride, you will find a set. I promise !! One picture is what they look like when they are removed. The other picture is what one looks like installed.

[Patrick H.]

Re: What problems to be awere of in 2003

These shock stuffers were installed at the factory to keep the shocks from moving during shipment. We were to remove them during dealer prep.

How many sets of those do you have to sell to those eventually trying for a Bloomington Gold award?
After all, they're supposed to be judged as they left the factory over in that arena.

You probably keep them in the same box as the 2014 Stingray shipping covers.

[David H.]

Re: What problems to be awere of in 2003

Trans-axle seal leak on driver's side. Both my 2001 and 2003 ( one manual & one auto trans) had this problem. Otherwise both cars were pretty much trouble free.

[Richard M.]

Re: What problems to be awere of in 2003

Big Amen! Tom those shock stuffers on MRC equipped C5's if not removed make one ride like an outhouse in a earthquake! RM

[Tom H.]

Re: What problems to be awere of in 2003

I have quite a few of them, Patrick !!! All in my desk, of course. LOL

[Walter F.]

Re: What problems to be awere of in 2003

Make sure the shocks on magnetic ride are not leaking and in good working order. Friends were leaking with a well kept low miles 50th edition . A $4000.00 repair.

[Mike E.]

Re: What problems to be awere of in 2003

If it's a manual transmission check to see if the steering column lock has been disabled. I had issues with my '01 Z06 column lock. It would fail to unlock making the car un-drivable. I got tired of continuous problems and bought a little box that defeats the column lock. Not really the best solution but it kept from getting me stranded.

I think there was a firmware fix in the BCM for automatics that defeated the column lock.


Mike

[Jeff P.]

Re: What problems to be awere of in 2003

If the car has the magnetic ride control. be sure the factory shock stuffers were removed during dealer prep. I have seen many cars that still have them in. Look under the car at the shocks. If they still have a little yellow ribbon sticking out, they are still in there !!! ( These shock stuffers were installed at the factory to keep the shocks from moving during shipment. We were to remove them during dealer prep. Many dealers did not remove them. A car with these stuffers will ride very harshly, as the shocks cannot work with them installed. ) If you look at enough 03 to 04 cars with mag ride, you will find a set. I promise !! One picture is what they look like when they are removed. The other picture is what one looks like installed.

LOL I can surely attest to what Tom just stated...I bought an '03 AE with 20,000 miles on it in april of '13....rode like a bear driving it home...guess what...still had them in after 20,000 miles and 10 years of previous ownership....took like 10 minutes to remove and I saved them...lol

[Paul O.]

Re: What problems to be awere of in 2003

One item same issue as C4 car headlight motors nylon gears strip. Sounds like a machine gun firing. Also the bump stop for motors can also fail one fix is to shim the motor closed to the base of the bumper. Had to help a local member he had both issues gear and the bump stop. Here is a illustration of shimming and the bumpers and then a good article from the forum on a rebuild but some suppliers are selling rebuilt exchange units.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-general/1767764-headlight-gear-fix-highly-pictorialized.html