Dash Display: engine service due and active handling due

[Bigboysurf]

I am thinking of buying an 04 Z06 Z16 which I test drove the other day.
This car needs a lot of love as it hasn't had any in quite a while.
It's mostly all there, but a lot of little issues.
44,000 miles, decent body and paint, HRE rims, missing antenna, after market
stereo, which really doesn't fit well in the dash, AEM intake, what I think might be a
B&M short shifter, Goodyears on the back, no name brand on the front.
The service parts id sticker in the glove compartment codes the car as
1YY37, and Z16.
Now, don't these codes mean this is a Commemorative Edition.
If it is, this car does not have the Commemorative stripes on the hood roof or trunk.
What it does have are two thin white stripes that start at the front of the hood, and border the
double humps of the hood to the back edge, but have Commemorative lettering and a
Chevrolet logo towards the end of the stripe.
There are two stripes that mimic the front ones, but start at the base corner of the back
windows, and gradually turn in towards the outside of the third brake light.
It has the 24 hours du mans emblems front and back, and the cross flag logos on the seats.
Just before I turned the engine off after my test drive, the service engine and
service the active handling were flashing.
What service needs to be done for the active handling?
I'm guessing that the engine service would be oil and overall check over.
This car is on it's second owner, and says he didn't get the invoice window sticker, any
paper work, or even the manual, just ownership papers and registration.
He wants $21k, but all the little issues are kind of making me hesitate, though
deep down I know I should jump on it.
Can someone shed some light on the stripes and what it should have,
and does anyone know what the active handling service involves.
Thanks for the help.
Hesitating in Paradise.

 

[timfitz63]

I can't give you any real answers about the service lights, but someone will be along eventually who can.

Personally, I think you're wise to be hesitating on this one. I don't know how many Corvettes make their way to Hawaii, but there are plenty 'Z16' Commemorative C5's here on the mainland; I'd keep looking for a car in better working order. Based on your description, it doesn't sound to me like the striping is factory; I think the original buyers had the option of having the striping applied or left off (i.e., still on the decal backing sheet), so this car may have been one of the latter. But I thought either way it came with the striping...?

 

[LLC5]

Keep hesitating. The way you described it makes it sound like it has been altered, and I don't mean in a good way. Make sure that you have someone you trust do an extremely thorough check out on a hoist before any purchase. There is no way to know how much the active handling and CEL light will take to fix without retrieving the codes and then proper diagnosis. There are better vehicles out there, keep looking.

 

[Hib Halverson]

If the car has Z16 in the glove box ID sticker than it's a Commorative Edition. I own Z16 #00039 and it's a great car.

Your description has me thinking the car has been repainted or may have had some body panels changed. All the Z16s had a carbon fiber hood so I'd verify that part is on the car. If it's not a significant part of the Z16 package is missing. To my knowlege those cars were not offered with the stripe package not installed.

As for what it's supposed to look like...there are two wide silver stripes on the hood, roof and deck along with red pinstribes and a CF stripe on the hood. See this article elsewhere on this site to see what the car should look like.

As for the service engine and service active handing lights...those are not lights which come on when periodic maintenance is necessary. If the Service Engine light is flashing that means there's a major problem with the engine controls which is causing the engine to run poorly and polute the air badly. If the Service Engine light is on steady, there is a problem with the engine controls which may or may not be serious. They are lights which come on when something is wrong with the engine controls and the stability enhancement system. Either can be expensive to fix depending on what's wrong. If the Service Engine light is actually flashing when the engine is running, that means the problem with the engine controls is causing the car to put out a lot of polution, likely because the engine is missing.

See if the guy will let you get the fault codes which are set then post the numbers. Elsewhere on the CAC are instructions for "pulling" codes from C5s. If you do that, maybe we can give you an idea of what the cost of repairs might be.

As for the sound system it sounds like the car's been butchered in that area.

$21,000 is too much for a car which may have been improperly repainted, has faulty engine and active handing, a radio which doesn't fit and mismatched tires.

 

[dadaroo]

You are looking at buying a car that is throwing problem messages and you have not posted any DIC trouble codes. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO PULL THEM?

 

[Bigboysurf]

I will give instruction to the owner on how to retrieve the codes, hopefully he won't mind getting the codes for me. Will post results when I get them.

 

[dadaroo]

Codes should be pulled, recorded, and cleared/removed. Then go for a drive and pull them again before you turn the ignition OFF. Need to record the module under which they appear, and whether they are H, C or Hand C.