2002 Chevrolet Silverado 4.8 gas

Summary:

Hunk of junk

Faults:

The truck had electrical gremlins from the day I bought it.

The exterior lights would sometimes stay on automatically for no reason. The dealer could never figure it out.

The car had manual mirrors that would not hold their position. The left and the right mirror would always sag, which is dangerous because instead of looking at the road behind you, the mirrors would face the ground.

At 60k miles, the automatic transmission blew out and had to be replaced. I never drove the truck like a mad man either, so I wonder why the transmission was so weak and unreliable.

The truck was fine until it started getting problems. At 150k the engine died out and I sold the car to a junkyard and never looked back.

General Comments:

The truck was alright to drive when everything was working properly. The fact is, the Chevy is like a rock and didn't hold up to regular use. I never even used the truck for work. It was just my everyday truck/ car. GM needs to work on reliability like Toyota. If they don't, it's going to be the end of GM. Next truck of mine is probably going to be a Dodge diesel. I need to tow.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th December, 2021

31st Dec 2021, 19:28

And yet out Silverado’s were polar opposites. Strong towing and full frame.

7th Jan 2022, 13:17

I can say I have never owned a GM product. I certainly have fixed a lot of them for other people. After working on them it confirmed my distaste for GM. They are one of the least serviceable devices on the planet but better than Volvo.

My neighbor had two GM truck/SUV with the 5.3L and the truck engine blew up due to camshaft failure in the selective cylinder de-activation system. He sold them both and purchased a Ford Expedition.

They should have been left to fail after the great recession and the money spent on electric car development.

We own one Toyota and two Nissans, and combined they have about 760,000 miles.

They all run like the day they were purchased.

BTW. Why would anyone drive a full size anything as daily driver these warmer days?

7th Jan 2022, 19:33

Who on earth would want an electric car? I just replaced my 6 year old battery for $120. How much was yours? There’s gas stations every few miles. Pull up, fill up and go. I'm actually driving less the past couple years. Life is good.

7th Jan 2022, 21:57

If you own Nissans that have served you well, I'm assuming they are from the mid 90s or older? That's when they produced quality vehicles. After the merger with Renault in 1999 it has been a downward spiral ever since.

8th Jan 2022, 17:55

Did you use a battery maintainer?

9th Jan 2022, 09:25

I do not think he is saying buy electric, rather GM cannot make a decent petrol or diesel. They might as well try and compete with Tesla.

9th Jan 2022, 22:03

My best was an 82 Datsun 280zx. White with dark glass T Tops. No issues ever, and everywhere I took it during the 80s it was well appreciated. I put no extra maintenance in it the first 50k miles. Then I sold (a mistake). It was a very cool classy sports car in its day. Not extraordinary with performance, but it was great. No problem ever getting a date with it. Not that a car is any big factor that way. I think cars made in Japan then also had better paint and mechanicals. This was far from cheap as a new car. The following year Datsun put the Nissan nameplate on these.

2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Extended Cab 4.8L V8

Summary:

Like a rock. It will not die, still going strong, rust free, tons of miles

Faults:

Transmission was rebuilt 23,000 miles ago.

Brake master cylinder.

Crank/pulley/sensors/cam sensors.

Tailgate was replaced with '04 salvage.

Original exhaust rusted from Wisconsin winters.

Check engine light blinks; no one can seem figure what be the problem.

Two alignments.

2 batteries.

General Comments:

The truck was always reliable, starts up, and still runs relatively like new. I never had any major expensive problems besides getting the transmission fixed! This truck has done me well throughout the years; before I had two Caprices ('77 and '89); both were great long lasting cars. I need a truck for hauling, so will replace with another old Chevy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th November, 2020

18th Nov 2020, 23:13

If the check engine light blinks, it indicates that the engine is misfiring and dumping unburned fuel into the exhaust. The misfire needs to be corrected, or else the catalytic converter could become red hot and cause the car to catch fire. Hence the flashing light. It catches the driver's attention more readily. It is telling you to stop operating the vehicle until the problem is fixed. A potentially hazardous condition. Get it fixed ASAP. Any mechanic that actually knows engines should be able to solve this easily. Good luck!

19th Nov 2020, 21:31

That’s a bit of an overreaction. It should be fixed, but is not that urgent. An oil light coming on requires a more urgent response than a check engine light, blinking or not.