Camaro ZL1 Quality Issues

[Sven59]

Originally Posted by ZL1-V

1 post?

You gotta start sometime lol

[OldScoolCamaro]

^, actually, that's the first report of catostrophic engine failure here on C5 since the introduction of the ZL1 ...and the LSA was used extensivley before in the CTS-V...no change between the two. Go figure.....things can happen, but I am skeptical.

[sspddmn]

Several issues on my 13" AGM 6spd:
-Brake fluid leaks from the resevoir
-After breakin had to do a 4 wheel alignment. Still pulled to the left after the alignment. Now at 6k miles and still pulls to the left.
-Clutch is clunky and chattery
-Knocking noise from somewhere that I dont even know where its coming from. Heard it after mounting GoPro to driver side fender.
-Paint is so thin that it chips and stains easy. Bird poop especially. Watched as bird pooped on my car as I was cleaning it and I removed it immediately. Clear coat stained already within seconds. GM going cheap on the paint? C'mon!
-Same thing with the black wheels, thin thin paint. GM? You couldnt even powder coat it?
-Not to mention the power steering issue. 1st went out on me at apprx 500 miles. Then 2 more times after that.
Other than these issues, I absolutely LOVE this car!!!. So regardless GM, great job!

[CHRIS WU]

Had a 2002 Surburban with 150000 miles and never let me down once!!I miss that....
2013 ZL1..... I think GM went cheap with the paint on the body and wheels but otherwise the only problem I have is don't have time to drive it....Had it for 3 month...500 miles on the clock...

[Jetcop20]

Traded in my 2012 SS/RS convt on a 2014 Jeep SRT...what a hoot to cruise/drive at 140 in 7th gear. Been dealing on a '13 ZL1 triple blk convt. but damned if I'm wondering if there is something to all this whining...guess I'll have to get out my DOCTORS proctologist scope and take a better look before I wrie them a FN check.. the sticker says 66,570 they want 60k we shall see

[HDRDTD]

Originally Posted by Jetcop20

Traded in my 2012 SS/RS convt on a 2014 Jeep SRT...what a hoot to cruise/drive at 140 in 7th gear. Been dealing on a '13 ZL1 triple blk convt. but damned if I'm wondering if there is something to all this whining...guess I'll have to get out my DOCTORS proctologist scope and take a better look before I wrie them a FN check.. the sticker says 66,570 they want 60k we shall see

I have a 2013 triple black M6 ZL1 vert with 13,000 miles with absolutely NO problems, and the top is still perfect.

Only 303 made.

[Sven59]

25,000 miles on mine, very few mechanical issues. I don't get upset about the minor things or the luxury of the interior, I bought it for performance, which is where the money is at in this car.


Posted from Camaro5.com App for Android

[OldScoolCamaro]

Originally Posted by Jetcop20

Traded in my 2012 SS/RS convt on a 2014 Jeep SRT...what a hoot to cruise/drive at 140 in 7th gear. Been dealing on a '13 ZL1 triple blk convt. but damned if I'm wondering if there is something to all this whining...guess I'll have to get out my DOCTORS proctologist scope and take a better look before I wrie them a FN check.. the sticker says 66,570 they want 60k we shall see

...haha, actually some whiners here need to go lay down on a couch and talk it out with a professional...just sayin'! I know a guy who has a new top of the line Jeep....he swears by it.

[Tyler H]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wyndham

There's nothing wrong with the cars. Don't read too deeply - while I have no intention of belittling those with issues who've posted in here....the spread of those with problems/without in the real world is not represented accurately on an enthusiast forum.

I have had both now (the ZL1, and the 1LE)...and they've both been flawless. What people just need to realize is that true perfection is impossible. When you build tens of thousands of vehicles, each with several hundred moving parts all their own....a small percentage of them are going to have issues...you can't avoid it.

That's why there's a warranty. Accept this reality...use the warranty...and that's how to enjoy the car to its fullest in the event of a problem.

I have seen more times where the Camaro team has stepped up almost immediately to fix a problem with cars that they saw a member experienced on this forum...it's pretty awesome.

AGREED!

[CHRIS WU]

Agree with SEVN59 :0 bought the car for the perfprmance......I really can carless about the paint issue and interior....

[bowtiefamily]

1. I am thankful that Chevrolet brought back the Camaro.
2. I can't believe that the price on the ZL1 was as low as it was. After market companies were charging well north of the sticker price just for the engine performance.
3. I love it. It is aggresive, comfortable, and a blast to drive.

No issues here....even if there were it happens.

[Jetcop20]

Just picked up my new '13 ZL1 today....my son helped with the inspection. It sat on the dealers showroom floor surrounded by velvet stantions. 9 miles on the clock. We went over that car from paint to fit and finish with NO problems..wrote check.....fired it up put the top up and off we went. 45 degrees and a great slow ride home thru Sat. traffic. It rode like a dream...smoother than my '12 SS/RS vert. It will sit next to the '14 SRT...decisions decisions ....only the weather will dictate choice

[speadfreak]

looks like i found the right place. yesterday, i fell in love. test drove a 2015 ZL1 for the 1st time and must say i was in for a surprise. i felt like a man lost in the desert with a parched throat and no water who suddenly stumbles upon an oasis full of delights. i want that car so bad, it's not even funny. the roar of that engine is the ultimate siren song, but you guys already know that.

test driving it on the highway with medium traffic was just plain wrong and does not do it justice. you can feel the engine is a restless beast resenting to be kept at legal speeds and only wants to unleash its raw power with no regards for the consequences.

i walked in the dealership thinking GM was probably pulling a fast one on customers, all style and no substance. just so you understand where i come from, i never owned american before, but recently was driving a rental 2015 malibu and was impressed by the obvious improvement in quality. that got me curious, and seeing how beautiful that camaro is, i thought 'what the heck! why not.'

so back to the test drive. i need some help understanding what i don't understand.

1- i noticed a mechanical sound from the gear meachanism when shifting from 1st to 2nd (yeah, don't talk to me about automatic ), but i am not talking about the regular sound from the stick you usually hear when shifting gears; this was more, how shall i say, like a 'clunking' sound coming from deep within the bowels of the car, from the front and underside, faint but noticeable all the same over the roar of the engine; that's the only time you hear it: shifting from 1st to 2nd; otherwise, shifting from 2nd on up and down from any other gear is smooth and produces no such sound; the car only has a little over 12 miles.

seeing as i know nothing about cars and mechanics, i say this is not normal and indicative of some defect. am i wrong?

2- when launching the car onto the highway and accelerating from 25 to 75 mph (couldn't push it more because the left lane was stuck at 75, which made me realize i needed to be careful not knocking the other cars out of the way ), the car skipped laterally when going over some surface irregularities such as bumps or slight holes in the pavement as if briefly losing traction;

is this also normal behavior? felt like the damn beast wanted to go airborne almost

3- coming back to the dealership, upon breaking and decelerating normally, a strong smell of burnt rubber started to fill the cockpit, but not to the point you couldn't breathe and had to open the windows. it was faint, but it was there strong enough to take notice.

what should i conclude from that? is that also expected because the car hasn't been fully broken in yet?

4- dealer couldn't tell me if it is possible to shorten the travel distance of the clutch pedal, which i find a little too long. i'm more accustomed to short and fast clutch release.

is it possible or should under no circumstances be attempted? i am wondering if this is the sort of mod that would make a car like this dangerous. would it improve the ZL1 handling or not?


thanks for any pointers.

[SSCam99]

No problems.