So I've reached my breaking point with the SS. The steering column issue makes me HATE HATE HATE the car every single time I drive it. I don't want to wash it, I don't want to clean it, I don't want to mod it, I want nothing to do with it, I actually want to trade it in and never get another GM vehicle ever again.

That's how much the steering column issue has affected me. What should I do guys?


To explain more on the steering column issue for those who aren't aware:

I'm on my 2nd steering column that has wore itself out and rattles like a bunch of loose bolts in a coffee can every time going over bumps or low speeds and with PA roads those are every where.

Had this same issue with my LS and went through 3 steering columns until I finally got one that didn't break itself. 1st column on LS went on stock springs, second went out on sportlines, 3rd is still going okay at 130k miles. On SS first went out on stock springs, second went out on Pedders and now GM REFUSES to warranty their shitty steering column because they blame it on the Pedders. I refuse to spend $800 out of my pocket on another one of their shitty steering columns (car just lost bumper to bumper warranty in April). Oh yeah, also my brakes make massively loud squeal every single time I slow down, very embarrassing, GM says "it's normal for performance GM brakes"

 

walk away from it a week if that doesnt work put it up for sale and get something else. ive had cars I had no interest in doing anything with after awhile (g8gt) so I sold it and got something different. problem solved

 

Damn, I've never had a problem with my steering column.

Also, with the brakes you either need to lube up the slides, or go and do a few 100-0 braking runs back to back. That quieted my rear brakes up just like that. I haven't had the problem since.

 

Brakes are front; I lubed and after couple of washes and rains it's back to ****. And I don't know really the fact that they won't stand by their crappy parts only makes me wonder what happens if one day I spin a bearing or crack the trans case, they'll blame it on my dual interceptors and tell me to gtfo then I'll just be **** out of luck you know. Who designs a steering column that can't handle slightly stiffer springs?

 

You can order a NEW coulmn from rockauto.com. And it states in there description that it fixes the weak part of the stock piece. I ordered one from them not too long ago and only paid $67+ taxes and shipping for it. It only came to $97 total. Not expensive at all. And it is very simply to replace. I did mine in a few short hours. And I was taking my time and drinking beer ! Seriously. Just replcae it with the rockauto piece. It will last much longer and not rattle. The column rattle drove me nuts also. But it didn't make me hate my car !

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^do this^^^^^^^^^^^^

then go out on a back road get up to 60 mph and stop aggressively. do that 8 times or so and then stop really hard. this should clean off the build up on the pads.....they are a great pad, race style setup pads...they need to be worked in, had to do this every spring.

 

This guy?

More Information for DORMAN 425161

 

Thats the one. It is a much better one then the factory one. Why gm didn't update the origanal design with one that is stronger is beyond me. They really should have done a tsb at least for the columns. Maybe they did.... But I never bothered to check. For the sake of just under $100 I was okay with replacing it myself. I enjoy working on my car most of the time.

 

Interesting...are there any other symptoms other than a rattling column? Mine makes some noise, but I think I've mostly just gotten used to it over time. Car still feels tight, just noisy over rough surfaces.

 

I don't think there are any other symptoms. My car still felt good and tight also. It just started to rattle more and more over time untill it drove me nuts.

 

Yeah mine rattles a little over bumps.... but i came froma 1997 integra where EVERYTHING rattled... so this is a big upgrade for me when it comes to ride and rattles and noises LOL.

 

u can also heavily grease the column. i found when mine was rattling like a **** that simply replacing the brakes

 

damn, sounds like a bad day.....if u ever decide to trade it in im interested in the exhaust but it doesnt seem like that big of a problem, i vote just fix it and call it a day. every car has its problems.

 

Hi Aleksey,

I am very sorry to hear about the issues with your vehicle. I would be happy to research this for you. Can you private message me your full name, address, phone number, Vehicle Identification number, involved dealer, and approximate mileage on your vehicle please?

Kindest Regards,
Crystal L- Chevrolet Customer Care

 

yours isn't the only one doin it, mine does it , I just avoid the bumps lol and im 4x4 status lol

 

These cars do have so many problems

 

I'm going to PM Customer Service and see how this goes.

And I could spend $100 on a new part that might fix the issue but now the question that comes up is what will be blamed next time anything goes wrong with my powertrain? I'll end up having to fix everything myself at this rate and I don't know if I'm really interested in that being not only the fact that I work 7 days a week but that I don't have extra money to dump on stuff that should be warrantied.

 

No response from GM Customer Service still....

Does anyone know if the steering column in 09 and 10 is the same? Because this part only lists for 09 model

 

Hi Aleksey

I am currently working on researching the information that you sent to my inbox. I will send you a response before the work day is over today. Please check your inbox later today. Thank you and I apologize for the delayed response.

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

This. If you have a high performance GM brake system, they do squeal, most notably, Corvettes. Problem is, stupid old farts can't seem to get through their head that they need to heat up their performance brake system designed to stop from 186 MPH to stop the squealing, so they go and buy crappy aftermarket ceramic pads instead that offer a fraction of the stopping power.

 

This is great advice too. Worst part about the job is shoe horning yourself under the dash and then trying to get the new column up into place. Make sure you have some good low profile tools to get the bolts out.

 

I just make 1 or 2 hard stops a day and my brakes work fine and don't squeal. I used to not do that and they did squeal and rears were badly grooved by 22k miles. Skipping a few days you can feel the rear brakes shake until I do a few hard stops. After that they are smooth again.

Use the brakes as they are designed and they work great.

 

Never brake until the car becomes motionless, that will imprint the brake pad into the rotors and cause vibration issues in the futur.

 

Still waiting for Customer Service. And being manual I barely use brakes to slow down, it's mostly down shifting, then braking to come to a complete stop with an obnoxious squal that scares people around me

 

I suggest you sell the car. sad to say. I see you run ott rotated mounts with a TTR solid
upper mount which would create horrible vibrations, not sure I would blame the column,. But by what I know of Cobalts, this mount combination you have in your signature is terrible for vibrations and creates stress on the torque axis motor mounts.

On your latest post, brakes slow the car down. Downshifting is to be in the appropriate gear in advance for whatever corner or situation you need to take care of. Using the "engine, trans and clutch" to slow the car down is not, based on my experience, a good driving practice.