3rd Jan 2009, 09:45
I have a 2000 Silverado Z71 Extended Cab 4WD LT - fully loaded. It is a very poor quality vehicle, and has been since the day I took delivery in 2000.
All u-joints failed.
6 sets of front rotors.
3 sets of back rotors.
Backing plates, brake lines and fuel lines all rusted out.
Rear bumper rusted out.
Frame has rusted with some pinholes in it.
Engine knocking at startup.
Bottom of rockers rusting out.
Drivers leather seat cracking extensively.
Vehicle today has only 50k miles on it. Both GM and the dealer were largely unhelpful, and the dealer (Sun Chevrolet) failed to fix issues that they charged for.
This is a very lightly used vehicle, and is the worst vehicle I have ever owned. It is the 7th GM truck I've bought new, but as a result of this I will never purchase another GM vehicle as long as I live.
10th Jan 2009, 15:24
I have a 2000 Z-71 with 180000 miles. They have been hard miles; this truck has been ramped, ran through numerous mud holes towed over 12000 pounds on many occasions. Yet the only thing I have had to replace is the steering arm and power steering pump.
The truck has been serviced regularly and maintained by myself no one else. It still gets 18 mpg and runs very fast.
I would never buy a piece of crap Ford, Dodge or any foreign product. This has been by far the best vehicle I have ever owned.
Oh yeah, by the way, this cold start knock is caused by not using a specific AC Delco filter. I know this cause mine did it too when I used to use fram filters. Was told by a very knowledgeable mechanic that I needed to use this certain filter, and the knock completely went away. Chevy all the way!
3rd Feb 2009, 10:26
I doubt the start up knock is caused by an oil filter. I've used many different brands of filters on my 2001 4.8 Silverado and the cold start knock has never changed. It started doing that when the truck had around 50k miles. It now has almost 80k miles and the knock seems to be getting worse to the point if it is very cold outside it almost scares me.
20th Apr 2009, 15:59
2006 Silverado Ext cab,23,500 miles. All four doors rusting, both front & rear bumpers rusting, all four chrome covered rims rusting. This truck lives in Maine, it gets run in the auto car wash every week during the winter months. Nice weather I do it myself. Full wax & buff twice a year. I maintain this truck very well. Now I notice all four doors are rusting on the bottom seem along with all the other rust I mentioned. Anyone else have this much rust on such a new truck?
7th May 2009, 22:05
I proudly own a 1999 Z71 5.3. With the exception of a dealer replaced transmission at about 42000 miles, the truck is solid! It is all stock except a hypertec program.
I bought the truck used in 2006 when it had only 53000 miles. Since then I've been driving the thing like I stole it. I tell some, "you gotta run a Chevy hard."
It now has 120000 miles and only changed brake pads once. The gas pedal used to be kinda sticky, or little hard to press, but there is an adjustment screw on the throttle body right where cable connects. Turn the screw to increase the idle rpms and just wait about a minute; the computer will bring the idle back down to normal. Then the pedal works fine.
I drive the truck mostly interstate to work about 650 to 700 miles per week. Looking forward to owning this one 15 years like the last one. Keep the faith.
20th May 2009, 08:05
Gentlemen I am sorry to read about all your problems. But to all of you, the engine knock that you hear in cold weather is due to a short skirt on the pistons, not rings or anything else. If I remember correctly, Chevy finally fixed that for 07.
The guy with the vibration at 50 to 75mph, you have a broken steel belt in one of your tires.
I own a 2000 Chevy z71 off road. It has been modified to give more ground clearance and sit on top of my 33" tires. Cold air intake cat back exhaust. All in all my 5.3 is push about 350 horse versus the stock 300. I have towed with it onside of the country to the other and never had a hitch. I now have 130,000 miles on it and it still runs circles around everything else on the road. Everything breaks with time. Electronics are the worst, there is no way around them. The only thing I have had to replace on my truck was tires, oil, oil filter, fuel filter, brakes and a fuse here and there. Everything I have done is pure routine maintenance.
You guys replacing your u-joints; when was the last time you got under your truck and greased them.
Brake problems; ever thought to pop a tire off and check out your front end.
You take one or two hours a month and do a little TLC to your truck and it will run forever.
As old as my truck is, I will take it any where any day. There are more "foreign cars" on the side of the highway. You see a domestic, it is that guy that won't take the time to grease up his truck.
9th Dec 2008, 15:45
I bought a used 2000 Silverado 1500 RCLB 2WD three years ago to replace my old truck, and three years later, I've still have the old truck.
My newer Silverado has been disappointing because I waited so long to get a nice truck. It has the 5.3 liter that knocks some when it's cold, but what's more annoying is that it ticks fairly loudly after starting it hot for 30 seconds or so. I run synthetic oil and better gas. but makes it makes no difference.
I always enjoyed hearing my old V8 roar to life and it made me Chevy proud. Now I try to turn the radio up when I start my newer truck to avoid hearing anything.
With 3 times the mileage (336,000 miles) and almost 4 times the age, the old truck is still a symbol of what made GM great. The new 2008 Silverados seem popular, but I think I bought my last Chevy three years ago.
Throw in a so-so auto transmission that won't shift out of 2nd. When it's cold, unless you whine it out, and it becomes so much easier taking the old truck to work and leaving the newer one sitting next to the garage during the winter. So much for trying to upgrade trucks.
GM should have left the solid 350 and manual transmissions (as an option at least) in their 2008 models. I probably would have one sitting at my parking space at work instead of sitting at home next to the garage in a snowbank.