# Reliable? Do I keep her?



## Nomad (Dec 22, 2009)

I've got an 05 a lot like the one in the upper left corner of the page. She's silver and has everything I've ever wanted in a car. She's got 65k on the clock and has taken very good care of me for the past few years. 

Last week after returning from a road trip on my motorcycle, I noticed a puddle under the front of my car. I took her in to my mechanic and he confirmed it was a leak from the radiator. Then, he schooled me on something I didn't know. Our radiators are plastic. Plastic? Really? Yep. 

I'm astonished. I'm sure most of you know this, but I didn't. OEM replacement is around $400 and change. Wow. I could replace it myself, but I simply don't have a place to do it or the time. So, I've got to tack on more for labor. Ain't cheap. From what I've learned, there's a lot of plastic crap in there that's simply not going to last. It has less to do with miles than it has to do with age. Plastic becomes brittle and simply isn't as durable from what I have found out. This is a concern for me, especially since I'm out of warranty. I don't want to get so upside down with this thing that I can't afford to fix or drive it. I love this car and want to keep her, but the bottom line is, I'm not interested in having a machine that will start falling apart at a certain age no matter how much I love it. I can do everything right in preventative maintenance but if the materials used to build the car aren't really designed to last, then it's a lose-lose scenario. 

Do any of you have similar concerns or made the same observations?


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## SANDU002 (Oct 13, 2004)

I can't speak for the way parts are made. However, if you follow these forums on a regular basis, we will see that the radiator on these cars are subject to failure when they reach mileage similar to yours. I don't believe repair costs are that much different from any other car that has a radiator failure. All cars have a great many plastic parts. If you want real metal then you need to go back in time (car wise) and see how much they cost to repair. Believe me the people on this forum can attest to that.


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## Nomad (Dec 22, 2009)

Thanks for the reply. I guess I'm just thunderstruck at the cost of the radiator and that it failed so soon. Most of the cars I've had in my time have only needed radiators after much higher mileage. Of course, those were metal and that was long ago. 

I'm still debating putting in an aftermarket one. They can't be THAT much different, can they?


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## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

Plenty of aftermarket ones out there for 1/2 of the OEM price with lifetime warranty. I know I paid under $200 shipped for mine(Silla). You can get a solid metal one but your going to pay probally 2X as much as the OEM on for no real good reason.

As far as them being plastic... most, if not all, cars these days have metal cores with plastic end tanks. My wife's IC on the HHR SS was the same way. Same with her radiator as well as my Vette and Mustang.

While you are there, I would do a new t-stat as well.


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## gt4awd (Mar 26, 2012)

I agree failure at 40-70k miles on a radiator is rather weak. Most radiators do last 100k+ miles. Would highly suggest not going with the OEM unit. Get an aftermarket one. Just purchased mine at 46,000 miles, and a week after having her found the radiator was leaking. They replaced with aftermarket unit for free under the 15 day new purchase agreement. I did also purchase the 3 year full coverage just in case which is already paying off. Having A/C problems, and door lock issues. I'm sure more to come...


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

My Vette is a 99 with a 100k, and the radiator hasn't failed. Don't know if it's a quality issue or just a defective part, no idea. I assume most parts are built to last longer than that and it isn't a substandard part. I'd replace it and press on. Aluminum motors don't need much cooling, so a little radiator is fine. Shop around for price, sounds damn expensive.


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## GuatoLT1 (Jul 22, 2009)

This is the wrong car to own if your worried about costs of replacement parts. Nothing is cheap to fix on these cars if you can't do the labor yourself. I just got rid of mine with 19,000 miles on it. The car was a lemon and thats an understatement. Yes i used the car for what it was intended and i took very good care of it. But i had so many problems with it, it was a joke and i just got sick of dealing with it. I drove it maybe 4 days out of the month and every time i took it out of the garage something was wrong. From the E-brake sensor that beeped every minute, to having to replace every pulley 3 times, to bad wheel bearings, to bad gas cap, to AC going out, to not going into reverse all the time and a lot of other stuff i just gave up. I wish i could get another one but ill pass and just eventually get a corvette. To many problems with a car that was rushed into production and not really meant for the American terrain. Great car for the highway but not for the streets or track.


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## gt4awd (Mar 26, 2012)

Sucks too because I sold my Mercedes due to reliability issues, and bought the GTO at low miles in hopes of avoiding the same issue... The warranty I purchased should cover most failures though...


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## Texanfan392 (Jan 24, 2012)

Ironic I read this the other day and my glove box fell out. Thanks for the jinx..haha


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Radiators are cheap and extremely easy to install even at the curb (check your local ordinances on drinking beer in the street ). I see no reason to spend a bunch on a high end radiator for 98% of owners. If it's lasted 7 years and a replacement (with a lifetime warranty) lasted another 7 that's a lot of years. Less than $200 and an hour's worth of work including cracking a couple of beers.

Anything on any car can break. It's car is pretty reliable for its class but as said if cost is the main concern I'd sell it now while you can. 

Most of the car was not "rushed to production". The platform and car had been around a while. The few changes for the U.S. market aren't the cause of any issues that I've heard of.


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## gto_grl1982 (Jun 19, 2011)

You should just replace your radiator and move on! Enjoy your car...that's why you bought it! I have an 04 cosmos purple m6 gto and absolutely love it! I wouldn't trade it for anything else! It only has 24,900 miles on it as of now, so I haven't had to replace anything yet, but I'm sure I will eventually. It's just like any other car...it's gonna require money to be spent on it. lol. No offense to mustang or vette owners, but you see them everywhere...that's why I wanted a gto..they're popular, but not everyone has one! When driving by people are like...what was that?


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## markpetersonii (Jul 14, 2010)

gt4awd said:


> Sucks too because I sold my Mercedes due to reliability issues, and bought the GTO at low miles in hopes of avoiding the same issue... The warranty I purchased should cover most failures though...


Well, this is the best thread I've been in... 

I have a Mercedes and a GTO. Lol 

I haven't had any real issues on either though. Knock on wood!


Sent from my mind using telekinesis.


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## blk88verde (Jul 12, 2005)

I had a 2002 Mercedes C230K 6M - had failed rear shocks and broken front sway bar end links - I was not abusive to this car. The OEM Michelin Pilot tires barely lasted 10k miles. Turned the car in when the lease ended. Bought my 2004 GTO to replace the Benz. Only Issues I have had in 35K miles with my GTO was driver door handle repaint and gas cap recall.


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## olddohc (Apr 20, 2012)

Nomad said:


> Thanks for the reply. I guess I'm just thunderstruck at the cost of the radiator and that it failed so soon. Most of the cars I've had in my time have only needed radiators after much higher mileage. Of course, those were metal and that was long ago.
> 
> I'm still debating putting in an aftermarket one. They can't be THAT much different, can they?


sell it to me i need a silver one. where are you located


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## TearingRaven (Jan 19, 2010)

I know exactly how you feel. I bought my GTO at the end of January. Man, was I stoked. 17,883 miles on it when I bought it. 

The first week:
-Flat Tire (turned out two tires were bad)
-Oil Pressure Sensor fails

Later:
-Solenoid on transmission harness fails

Now:
-Radiator fails

So yeah, not the most wonderful experience I've ever had with a car. I havve not even driven it 3,000 miles yet. We will see how she does after this but this car's future is in jeopardy. :shutme


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## olddohc (Apr 20, 2012)

TearingRaven said:


> I know exactly how you feel. I bought my GTO at the end of January. Man, was I stoked. 17,883 miles on it when I bought it.
> 
> The first week:
> -Flat Tire (turned out two tires were bad)
> ...


how much was it to fix all that garbage?


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## TearingRaven (Jan 19, 2010)

olddohc said:


> how much was it to fix all that garbage?


-Flat Tire (turned out two tires were bad)

Dealership replaced both tires, unsure of cost

-Oil Pressure Sensor fails

Dealership replaced sensor, 1 hour of labor and sensor is about $70

Later:
-Solenoid on transmission harness fails

Dealership took care of this as well. Ended up tearing down the entire transmission and completely rebuilding it. Cost? A LOT. 

Now:
-Radiator fails

This one was on me. Thought it was under warranty but apparently not. I have some buddies at the Chevy dealership I bought from so I paid for the radiator (170 shipped) and gave the tech $30 cash for the labor. Good to know the right people. 

I haven't even put 3,000 miles on the car yet so I hope it holds together for a little while.


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## TR GTO (Mar 17, 2007)

I lost the two rear tires a week after I got mine as well. Started on a real sour note. I've now had it for 5 years and kept up on the regular maintenance and replaced the brakes two days ago. I've been slowly upgrading the suspension and appearance as I go and I've never had a more trouble free vehicle. I know results my vary, but I love this car and it is easy to work on.


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## olddohc (Apr 20, 2012)

I almost bought mine today. Drivers seat wouldnt adjust and the lug stud was busted off on the rear hub. He lowered the price but i gotta sleep on it. Also it didnt feel as Fast as i was expecting.


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## 68greengoat (Sep 15, 2005)

^^^^Maybe it wasn't as fast as expected because it's been beat into the ground. Hence, the broken stud. Tires worn evenly, or does one set have a lot less tread?


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## GTO-m (Apr 1, 2010)

My water pump blew right around that mileage, but no issues with the radiator.


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