rockethead7

My guide to owning a C6: the little things.



These are my personal opinions and comments intended mainly for readers who are new to C6 ownership. People who have owned C6s for a while probably already know this stuff, and probably would be wasting time by reading this. But, if someone is new to C6 ownership, these are a few of the "little things" that might be good to know, but aren't in the owner's manual, or might be easily overlooked.



**Passive entry/ignition system**
As you already know, the car has a passive entry/ignition system. Just put the key fob in your pocket and you’re good to go. But, there are a few additional things to know about this system:
- The car has multiple antennas that it uses to triangulate your position. It knows when you’re on the left, or right, or rear, or inside, etc.
- The car won’t let you lock your keys inside. (EDIT: Well, mine hasn't yet let me lock my keys inside, but in later posts, people have described circumsatances when the car will lock the keys inside.)
- There are customizable settings in the computer (see owner’s manual) for the unlocking behavior.
- Get in the habit of putting the keys in your right pocket instead of your left pocket. If you’re like me, sometimes you put your left leg out of the car before you’ve rolled up the windows and shut off the ignition. The car does not like when you do this, and it behaves a bit differently than if your leg is inside the car. It thinks you’re outside, and now rolling up the windows isn’t allowed. If you don’t realize this is the reason, you could easily get a little frustrated thinking that the car isn’t behaving properly, and think that your window switches aren’t working, etc. If you put the key fob in your right pocket, you’ll never have a problem.
- There’s a button above the license plate to pop the trunk. It works when the key fob is near the rear of the car.
- There’s a little slot in the glove box to insert your key fob and get your car running if the battery goes dead (see owner’s manual).
- There’s a physical key hole above the license plate and a manual pull tab in the trunk that you can use to get inside the car if you have a dead battery (see owner’s manual).



**Radio interference**
Radio interference is an issue for the passive entry/ignition system:
- Sometimes your car’s dashboard reports that no fobs are found, yet you have the fob in the car, and the battery is fine. You can easily get frustrated by thinking that something is wrong with the car. And, maybe something is wrong. But, sometimes this symptom is due to radio interference. Personally, I started thinking that the passive entry/ignition system was a piece of junk when I first got the car. But, I started to realize that it was mainly complaining about the lack of key fobs in the same places every time. There was this one parking spot that I used pretty frequently, and I started to realize that it always had the problem at that same parking spot. When I started parking the car somewhere else, voila, no more complaining about a missing key fob. The same lack of recognizing a key fob could be true when actually driving the car through some interference zones.
- The designers of the car knew that this could be a problem, so they programmed the car’s ignition to keep the car running, even if it doesn’t see a key fob. So, be aware, you can’t simply walk away from your C6 when it’s running, and expect the car to shut itself down if a car jacker quickly hops in while you stepped away. The ignition will stay on.



**Washing**
Some tips about washing a C6:
- The dash and appointments are a flat color. Some people (like me) prefer the flat color. Others like to apply Armor All to gloss it up and make it shiny, almost a “wet” look. But, if you gloss up your dash, it tends to create a lot of glare on the windshield (worse on the C6 than some other cars). It’s really distracting (at least to me). And, it makes it more difficult to see through the windshield (hazardous). Do what you want with your car, but my advice is to keep the flat look, and don’t try to gloss it up.
- Keep the mirrors clean. They build up with gunk that makes permanent spots if you don’t keep them clean.
- There’s something about the aerodynamics of the big butt C6 such that the car’s rear gets dirty nearly every time you drive it. I think the big tires kick up dust into the air flow over the car, and it swirls around the big butt and collects back there or something. Anyway, wash your butt often.



**Torque Tube**
There’s a big torque tube that goes from your engine to the transmission (which is in the rear). The torque tube is located between the driver and passenger, under your shift **** and center console. The torque tube spins at the same amount of revolutions per second as your engine does.
- It’s no big deal for short trips, but if you’re driving for 30 minutes or more, this gets fairly hot. The cup holders next to the shift **** heat up whatever is inside. Finish your cold drink sooner rather than later. Or, ironically, don’t keep your cold drink in the cup holder. Also, don’t keep your smartphone in the cup holders, or your phone gets pretty hot too.
- The center console is only a few inches behind the cup holders, but for whatever the reason, it doesn’t get as hot as the cup holders do. I still wouldn’t put anything in there that is super sensitive to heat. But, it’s not as bad as the cup holders.



**Left knee**
- If you’re like me, you sometimes like to pull your left knee up to the left of the steering wheel. In a C6, don’t do that. The interior is tight. It’s too easy to get your knee pinned between the steering wheel and door, and then you can’t steer. Just leave your knee down.



**Waving**
- If you listen to many of the people on this forum, if you don’t wave to other Corvette owners when you pass them by, you’re the scum of the Earth.
- If you listen to me, wave, don’t wave, whatever you feel like. Some people like to think that owning a similar car means that everyone is friends. And, wouldn’t that be great if everyone was your friend? But, sadly, I meet a lot of Corvette people in person, and some of them are just not nice people. I don’t feel obligated to wave just because someone owns the same model car that I own. Sometimes I wave, sometimes I don’t. Period.



**Winters** (if you live in a seasonal area)
- Buy a battery tender that keeps the car charged. It’s a royal pain to deal with a dead battery.
- Your C6 sitting there doing nothing is draining its battery faster than other cars might. I think it’s because the car is always probing for the key fobs (but I don’t know for sure if that’s the real reason). There was a TSA and a software update (if I recall correctly?) that minimizes the battery drain. But, I still think a battery tender is the way to go.



**Windows**
The car was designed so air-tight that they actually had a problem closing the doors and rear hatch/trunk. Their solution was to have the windows “index” (verb). This means that the windows will go down about an inch when opening/closing the door, and then roll up that final inch once the door is shut. The computer controls this.
- Sooner or later (especially if the battery goes dead or is replaced, but sometimes even if it didn’t), the car windows will need to be re-indexed. The windows won’t close properly until you do so. Thankfully, the procedure is something you can do yourself.
- Close the door, raise the window, hold the up switch for 3 seconds, release the switch, hold the switch up again for 3 seconds, release again. (This is also in the owner’s manual.)



**Front clip/spoiler**
The front clip is really low. There almost isn’t a C6 alive with more than 500 miles on it that hasn’t gotten some scrapes on the front clip/spoiler.
- Take caution over curbs and speed bumps. Drive slowly.
- Don’t try to put the nose of the C6 over those concrete wheel stops in parking lots. Just park with the nose 6 inches behind the wheel stop. Don’t worry, the C6 is a short car, the rear of the car won’t stick out into the driving lane.
- When on a down-ramp in a parking garage, when it dips from sloped to level, try to take that on a diagonal angle whenever possible. It’ll help avoid scraping up the front spoiler/clip.



**Toll road transponders**
- This might vary from state to state with the different transponders that each state uses, but at least in my state, the transponder doesn’t work very well in my C6. This is a known problem, and the state even lists the Corvette C6 as one of the cars that they don’t recommend putting the transponder behind the mirror (the default placement for most cars). I don’t know why. Maybe it’s due to radio interference, or the frame of the window glass, or who knows what else? I don’t know. But, the darned thing doesn’t work very well in a C6. I actually had a good amount of luck putting the transponder in the trunk. But, then it became a royal pain to go get the thing out of the trunk during the times that it didn’t work. I now just keep it in my center console (despite the mild heat buildup), and whatever happens, happens. If I wave it around inside the car, or out the window, it works most of the time. But, I sometimes find myself reading the transponder number to the telephone help attendant, or handing it to the on-duty attendant who moves the transponder away from my C6, then the gate goes up.



**Navigation system** (if you have that equipment)
- No, I don’t know of an override that allows you to input destinations while the car is moving. Some people have wired up a switch that cuts off the speed sensor wire from the navigation unit. Flip the switch off, and the nav system doesn’t know the car is moving, so you can input a destination. Turn the switch back on, and it resumes the “dead reckoning” navigation algorithm (it needs this to navigate properly). I haven’t tried it myself, but it seems like that override method would work. I’m just not a fan of cutting wires and mounting switches. I like to keep my C6 as factory stock as possible.
- Frankly, I think this idea of blocking people from putting in a destination while moving is stupid, and one of the dumbest “innovations” in the C6. They don’t want you to crash while driving and paying attention to the nav unit instead of the road. What if you have a passenger who is inputting the destination? Nope, still can’t do it. It’s ridiculous. And, ironically, while you are driving, you can play with every other button on the dashboard, set the clock, change your daylight savings time settings, stereo control settings, etc. But, if you want to input an address, nope, can’t do it. Ugh. Dumb.
- It’s also a pain in the butt because the nav system seems to need to know the exact street, like N. Main instead of just Main. If you want to go to 50 N. Main, and there is no 50 S. Main, nope, you can’t just put in 50 Main and it’ll figure it out. You have to select N. Main vs. S. Main, then you can fumble through which one is correct. The Garmin products do this better than the in-dash units. So, my message is: be sure to know the exact address before you go to your car.
- Other than the above complaints, I actually do love the nav unit. I think it’s far better than most of the in-dash units I’ve seen in tons of other cars (including very expensive ones). If you haven’t seen some of the other units on the market, I suppose it would be easy to complain about the C6’s nav unit. But, really, I think it’s far better than most. It could use a little tweaking, and some sharper resolution, but overall it’s great. Spend some time learning the system. I think you’ll learn to like it once you get used to it.
- I bought one map refresh so far from the GM map update phone number (1-877-NAV-DISC). The new map was still as out of date as the prior map (at least in my area), and I still didn’t see some roads on the new maps that have been around for a long time. I’m sure they’re always making the map discs better, and always updating them, but there’s no guarantee that a new map will have the new road updates you’re looking for. If you want to know if the new update includes a specific road/address, you should ask someone on this forum who has the new update to look for an address for you, before you waste a bunch of money on an update that doesn’t have what you’re looking for.
- The verbal command “POI off” will turn off the silly icons on the screen. I stopped even using verbal commands to my nav system, except maybe “I need gas” or some other obvious ones. I got tired of golf courses or coffee shops popping up on my screen when I actually asked for something else entirely. It took me a while to figure out how to turn off those icons once they accidentally got turned on. Again, the words you speak are “P.O.I. off” to get rid of the unwanted icons on the screen.
- Don’t even try to talk to the nav system when the windows (or convertible top) are down and you’re driving at any speed. Forget it. It’s not going to hear you correctly.



**Resale value** (when it’s time to sell)
- Look at eBay. Like, no Corvettes ever sell there. Look at Craig’s list. Like, no Corvettes ever sell there. Look on this forum. Like, no Corvettes ever sell here either. Look at AutoTrader. Like, no Corvettes ever sell there. (OK, yes, SOME Corvettes sell in those places… just not nearly the same percentage as other car models that sell with no problems.) It seems to be an un-alterable and ironic universal truth of human existence that Corvette owners think their own cars are worth more than anyone else will ever pay for them. I recently saw a C6 on eBay, 2007 coupe, and the guy wanted $41-$42K for it. He even put comments in the eBay listing about how angry he was that people were only bidding $28-$29K (which is about spot-on with what the blue book value said his car was worth). Get it through your head; your Corvette is ALWAYS going to be worth more to you than it’s worth to someone else. Live with that reality. It’s wonderful to be enthusiastic about your car. Enjoy it. Love it. Treasure it. Corvettes evoke emotion, and that’s great. But, when it comes time to sell it, keep in mind that NOBODY CARES how special your car is to you. It’s worth whatever the going market will bear, and the online bluebooks track that stuff. And, when you’re talking about C6s, the reality is that most people are going to finance the thing. (I actually think that if you’re buying a used C6, you should think of it as a toy, and if you can’t afford to pay with cash, don’t buy the toy. I might have a different attitude about buying a new one at 0% interest or something like that. But, when selling your used C6, most people aren’t going to be paying cash, regardless of my personal opinions on the matter.) Banks will not let someone buy a used C6 for $42K when the bluebook value is $28K. So, don’t be all surprised when the rest of the world doesn’t treasure your Corvette as much as you do. Nobody cares that you have a rare color combination of special ordered blue interior stitching with gray exterior, or whatever. You bought what you bought because YOU like it. That’s great, but don’t expect everyone else in the world to have the same taste that you do. And, if/when you do find someone with the same taste, don’t expect that person to pay higher than the market value. I’m glad you love your car. But, if you love it THAT much that you don’t want to let it go for less than $10K over market value, then keep the darned thing.




**Modifications**
One of the greatest things about Corvettes is that they’re so easily modified. Personally, I’m a “keep it factory stock” kind of guy. But, I’m really happy that there are so many great aftermarket modifications available for people who enjoy that kind of thing.
- If you modify your car, don’t make it hard on the rest of us by parading into the dealership and demanding that they fix something under warrantee that you modified. Now, I’m not talking about putting a custom license plate bracket on the back, and then demanding that they fix your 100% stock engine that failed. Obviously, that’s fine. I’m talking about when people modify their engines, then are all surprised when the engine fails and the dealership says that they won’t cover it because it’s been modified. That’s the policy. There are laws here and there, and you’ll find people on this forum touting some crazy law stating that the manufacturer must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the actual piece that failed had something very directly due to your modification. It’s a laughable nightmare that people actually believe that ONE law overrides written policy, and/or a thousand other precedence cases to the contrary. Our legal system isn’t that cut and dry, and the law they’re touting probably won't actually hold up in a court. You can pretty much find a law somewhere that backs just about any opinion you have… but, that doesn’t mean it’s relevant or valid, nor that a jury/judge will rule in your favor. There are laws that contradict other laws riddling through our entire legal system. Hanging your hat on one law is a silly mistake. Don't fall into the trap of believing in conspiracy, or thinking that the GM attorneys who wrote the policies weren't aware of the laws when they wrote them.
- These dealerships WANT to fix your car. They’re not in on some sinister plot to keep you from modifying your car. They LOVE warrantee repairs; they don’t have to debate over price with the consumer, they don’t have to wait for you to dig up the cash to do the work, they just simply get paid by the factory, do the work immediately, easy cheesy, done, out the door, cash in pocket. If they can fix your car under warrantee, they do it. If your modifications voided the warrantee, sorry, but you have to pay for the repair yourself. Every ounce of time/money you spend fighting this (most of the time, in vain) makes it harder on everyone else, and increases the costs for everyone else. (This is especially if you try to hide your modifications and sneak warrantee work in under the radar that you don’t deserve, which makes you a pig in my book.) If you want so badly to modify a C6, just pay for the repairs like you should, and/or buy an older one that is already out of warrantee anyway, and modify that.
- When it comes time to sell your modified C6, you can expect it to be worth a lot less than a factory stock C6. That’s just the way it is. Very few others are going to want your particular modifications. And, when buying in the used market, most people would rather buy something bone stock than heavily modified. That’s just reality. If you don’t like it, don’t modify your car.



**Respect the power**
Let’s not kid ourselves, whether you have the base model LS2 at “only” 400HP, or the LS3 at 430HP, or one of those Z06/ZR1 supercars, they’re all pretty darn freekin’ powerful.
- Look, I’m not a superstar driver. So, take my advice, or leave it, whatever. But, frankly, I think driving ability is like intelligence; if you survey everyone in the population and ask them their intelligence, 85% are going to say that they are above average. In reality, however, the bell curve is skewed completely the other way, and most people are below average, while a smaller percentage of extremely intelligent people pull the average up. (Median and average are two different things.) Driving ability is a lot like that. Most people think they are better drivers than they really are. I’ve never crashed my Corvettes, but I won’t let myself claim that I’m an above average driver.
- Personally, I love the computer(s) in my C6. I think the computers have saved me from an accident twice. I am definitely one of those weird people who own a 400+ HP car, yet very very very rarely puts the pedal to the floor. But, a couple of times when I did, I’ve found myself screaming down the road in bumpy turns, on the edge of control, and the active handling/braking have kicked in to stabilize me. I think if the C6 didn’t have those great computers, I’d have crashed twice. Message: don’t turn the computers off. To be honest, I’ve never even used “competitive” mode. EDIT: Also, don't rely on the computer to save you in all situations. The computer helps, but if you're completely out of control (which can happen), no computer will save you.
- I’m sure with proper practice and instruction on a closed course, you and I would both be better at this. But, again, don’t kid yourself into thinking you’re a better driver than you are. Respect the power of these cars.



**Handling**
Related to power, let’s talk about handling characteristics:
- Under power (pedal down), the rear of the car gets really squirrely. I’m sure that a great driver will do better in a C6 than any similarly powered car that has a rear or mid engine. But, if you’re not a great driver, the loose back end of the front engine C6 will pose a problem. I have seen people in stock Porsche Boxsters or 911s beating C6s in those “everyman” casual track courses. C6s always catch them on the straightaways, but lose them in the turns. This is (I think) because few people are actually good at driving their C6s. The C6 *is* the superior car, and a professional C6 driver will blow away the Boxsters and 911s every time. But, without that experience/training, the average or below average driver is going to do better in a Boxster or 911 than the unforgiving bucking bronco Corvette C6. Message: don’t get cocky in turns, or you’ll end up facing the wrong way. Take a driver’s course and practice on closed tracks if you want to get good at handling the car in turns under power.
- The C6 is a well planted car, until it’s not. The gap between great grip on the road vs. out of control is almost nonexistent. You can take the C6 into a turn, and it’ll hold great, but then when you push slightly more, suddenly it’ll break loose without warning. Other cars give a lot more warning as they’re approaching their control limits. You can feel/hear the increasing indicators that you just can’t push any more G forces, so you know to back off. You know where the limit is before you reach it. But, the same is not true in a C6. The car stays planted in high-G turns better than just about every other car on the road. But, you need to just *know* where the limit is, because you’re not going to get a lot of warning.
- Better tires are advisable. I am a “keep it stock” kind of guy, and until now I’ve been loyal to GoodYear exclusively. But, I ended up buying Michelin PS2s (non-run-flat) to replace my stock run-flat GoodYear Supercar tires that came with my Z51 package. (Thanks to those on this forum who advised me.) The Supercar tires probably ARE better than the PS2s when they’re brand new. But, for whatever the reason, put a thousand or two miles (or a couple of years) on the Supercar tires, and they turn into slippery messes. I’ve only had the PS2s for a year now, so the final opinion is still out, but already I like them better than the Supercar GoodYears. Even with better tires, though, please don't expect the car to give a lot of warning when approaching the performance edge. It's still going to break loose with little warning. Better tires might move the break-loose point further out, but you still need to just know where the break-loose point is, rather than expecting the car to tell you. There's a tiny hint of warning when it's going to break, but not much warning.
- The C6 really doesn’t like bumpy roads under power. Bumps under power in a curve are even worse. Don’t do it.
- The short wheelbase has a funny effect on some roads, and the car feels like it’s hopping down the road. This is even worse if you’re trying to navigate these roads in high performance conditions, and the car can bunny hop itself out of control. Don’t do it.


Again, related to power and handling, well, I wrote a lot of text… but ironically, I probably spent more time writing about my Corvette handling/power experiences than I spent actually experiencing them. I really only have a few minutes of high performance experience in my C6 (less time than it took me to write the comments). An incredibly vast amount of the time, I drive my C6 like my grandpa drove his Chevy Lumina. So, well, I wouldn’t be surprised if nobody put any faith in my inexperienced comments. I’m not a high performance driver, and I’m not the best person to give advice on these topics. But, take it or leave it, those are my thoughts. (The same goes for all of the comments I made.)

cutnout

This is a very professional treatise. Sharing info sometimes helps the new owners and us old ones. A friend locked himself in his new C6 and didnt know how to find the release on the left side of the seat. He called me on his cell in about 95 degree heat and was glad I answered. He hadnt read the manual and a lot of owners dont. Good info in the manual after all once one gets past all the safety stuff.
I still have difficulty with the Nav unit and after 3 upgrades. Having to touch the "accept" every time I turn it on is a pain(more lawyer stuff). It just isnt easy to learn and I forgot to change the Zone sometimes.
I still say thanks for you and others that explain the way to get along and enjoy the best sports car for the money.
Sincerely, cutnout aka Charlie

darbn

Good stuff.

mpuzach

The car will let you lock your keys inside. If you don't believe me, try this: Put on a jacket, put your fob in your jacket pocket, and go for a drive. Before heading home, stop the car, shut off the engine and get out. While outside the car, figure out that it's now too warm to wear the jacket. With your fob still in your jacket pocket, use the button above the rear license plate to release the hatch. Remove your jacket, place it inside the hatch storage area, and close the hatch. Now try to get into the car. Ain't gonna happen.

Vette_DD

It will lock your fob in the car if it "thinks" at least one fob has left the car.

PlanetZoom

Rockethead7, great post!

R&L's C6

This story sounds pretty specific, Mike. You wouldn't know of anyone this happened to would you.

Raazor

cliffs?

R&L's C6

Still on chapter one.

rockethead7

I believe you. Thanks. I made an edit to the original post.

rockethead7

Feel free to write them.

Raazor

i'll make my own cliffs:

don't leave your FOB in the car

/thread

spdkilz911

Good info. I have run across a few of these items in my two weeks of ownership.

mpuzach

Nah! And I also wouldn't know anyone who had to call their wife to make a 20-mile drive to the parking lot of the dry cleaners near his office in order to bring him the second fob so he could enter the car. I wouldn't know anyone like that at all.

Tracy

Good post, rockethead.

LS WON

Don't forget those front tires usually wear out faster than fronts which is normal. The radio reception on the Corvette is terrible because it isn't a metal car. This is what I read about things to look for when buying a used C-6 from Corvette Magazine. Left knee likes to hit driver side speaker
How does one manipulate that left push in rotary **** to turn up or turn down the interior lights in guage cluster?
Otherwise you got it covered.

Boomer111

The cornering limited comes as a surprise is maybe the best tip. Like where is the road feel?

One good thing about under steer.

Mine although modded with Z51 bars and Koni FSD shocks seems very neutral, certainly under steer if any is at the threshold of losing it.

Joni Lynn

Thanks, great timing on this thread. I just got my first Corvette, a new C6 and it's good to get some info this way rather than the hard way.

phileaglesfan

Fantastic write up! I agree with the statement about locking your keys in your C6. It is possible. I personally hate automatic locking so I recommend turning it off for BOTH FOBs. That is one feature I hate on cars. Auto unlocking is fine since it won't do anything if it cannot sense the FOB anyway.

Chevy recommends damp rag to clean interior. The seats are not that good leather to start with and the outside parts are vinyl anyway. My 08s seats looked like they were 10 years old within 1 year. I tried just the rag technique on my 11 GS Vert and seats still look like new. I do use Zaino once per year, very light though. Clean then protect it.

I also recommend finding a car with Mich A/S ZP tires if you want to go that route with your narrow body C6. I did on my 08 and missed the grip of the Goodyears. PS2 ZP or Super Sports (non run flat) are probably the best tires out there for the C6.

cclive

Mike certainly has a great imagination when speaking hypothetically