SophieCat

Hopefully I'm in the correct forum now.

So I picked up my 2010, headed on down the interstate, car in front of me one lane over hit something that was laying in the road, flipped it into my lane right in front of me and I hit it with the driver's front tire. Tore the front skirt all to hell and took a small chunk out of the rocker panel. $485 to repair. Didn't see any reason to turn it in on insurance since it was so minor.

Two weeks later I'm turning left in a huge intersection OTP in Atlanta, whacked one of these little concrete lumpy things they put to the left of the left hand turning lanes that the great city of Atlanta has installed for whatever reason......bent the skid plate, popped the front bumper up. $550 to repair.

The one thing that I'm having a hard time with is that the front skirt scrapes the ground on EVERYTHING. I mean, EVERYTHING. Thankfully I've broken the habit of pulling into a parking spot until I feel the "bump".

Is this normal? The last vette I had was a 1992 and this is an entire different car, I know.

Any words of wisdom other than "watch where the hell you're going" I have gotten that enough from the DH (dear husband)

I love love love LOVE this car, but $1200 in repairs inside 30 days of ownership is a tough pill to swallow. I bought this car as a daily driver and would appreciate any useful advice on the above-mentioned issues.

Thanks.

mcandrew67

maybe get a new husband? That way you won't have to hear about it

I think you will learn the boundaries of your car, looks like from the hard way, but you will learn.... your width and depth perception will improve the more you drive.

SophieCat

I'll pass on the new husband......he's the best one EVER........

There are certain things that he just can't resist giving me grief on....yes, the blonde hair contributes to that, but the fact that he's got the hot wife with the Corvette goes a long way towards his refrain.

Am I the only one that's had the kind of bad luck?

laconiajack

Their is a great device called the "Curb-Alert" you might consider. With the long slopping hood on the Corvette you will never stop occasionally pulling too close to parking barriers unless you park with your car's rear end out in the isle. Curb rash (hitting protusions with your wheels) will also continue until "curb-feelers" come back into vogue. Don't become discouraged.

wiggins82abn

Learn the new depth perception as this car is lower to the ground; take large bumps at an angle; and get into the habit of backing into parking spaces.

NaplesDoc427

I learned to go out of my driveway head first, then she doesn't scrape, if I back out it scrapes so loudly I cringe the entire time...

St.Char

Scraping the front air dam is very commom, it is unpainted and very flexible. If you do end up having to replace it a some point, it is enexpensive. Just aoid scraping those painted parts, not so cheap to repair.

talon90

Sorry about the run of luck that you have had. Yes, this is a whole different animal from any prior Corvette you may have had.

This car is very low to the ground and you are going to have to get used to that. You can't traverse things in the road (plan on swerving to avoid things first) and you can't plan on having the front wheels be your guide in parking lots. The car has roughly 3.5" of clearance and even a small animal in the road will likely be larger than that.

Get to know the boundries of the car and commit them to memory. With that said there are always going to be things you can't avoid but it is much easier always planning to take evasive action first and choosing not to rather than having to make a last minute decision.

sevinn

I think your husband gave you sound advice. You just have to learn where outer limits of the car are. The airdam is meant to take some abuse, but the other parts not so much.

Be safe and best of luck.

cldgin2

I've learned to leave a lot o space between the cars in front of me, or just get the hell around them so no one is in front

That way I have room to make choices

4SUMERZ

When I first drove mine, parking lot curbs were my enemy....I always used to touch the skid plates, but luckily, the curbs were low enough to not scratch the paint. I since lowered the car, so I installed a front facing Night vision camera, in front of the center rubber air dam, so I can stop far away from the curbs. I was either going to go with a camera, or the curb alert system sold by a forum vendor.

J Vette

FWIW, I believe anticipation is the key to successful driving. More especially even with a car which sits as low as the Vette. IE, I try to drive 100-200-300 yards ahead of the car. IOW, I'm scanning everything on the road at least 1-200-300 yards ahead. When you see a piece of rubber in the road 200-300 yards ahead, you must consider not only your path in reference to the obstacle. But also those ahead of you and their path and how their path will effect you. IE, if I see a piece of debris in the lane in front of a car which I am following, I try to move out of that lane quickly, in anticipation that he will hit it and sling the object into me.

However, this kind of defensive driving means that one must know at all times where every car around you is at at any given time. This demands you spend a lot of time with eyes in the mirror ascertaining the proper info on their whereabouts. This is often more driving than many want to do. But in a panic situation where one must evade an oncoming car which has spun out of control, THIS will be your best weapon for defense. If you don't know where all the cars are in your own immediate space, your panic move may result in more destruction than if you stayed put. Whereas, IF you know the right lane is open and available, you may be able to just pull over one lane to avoid a head on collision.

I've tried to teach my wife these things over the years. And she does good sometimes. But many times too, she just drives along with little or no forward vision extending much past 20 feet in front of the hood. That kind of driving offers little of no defense from a crash or a boo boo from flying debris.

4SUMERZ

It's not that i don't believe you, but.......

Never-Enough

Pay attention

Don-Vette

Simply be aware of where the hell your driving and avoid steep driveways.

Vette_DD

"Stuff" happens with these cars. I've been driving a C6 for almost 8 years now. Within 12 months, I ruined 2 rear tires by running over objects on the interstate that I couldn't see.

And this bunch is not going to quit until you post a pic of you with the Vette.

Bedouin

& can't overstate how important this is.

truckplay

I know the feeling, my car was a week old when some bozo lost the tread on his tire and a chunk hit my passenger mirror & broke it. as far as how low the car is, well, it is what it is and as far as the roads in ATL ..... well I don't know how long you have lived here but they DO SUCK.

good luck

AORoads

having had two C4s, I can tell you clearance-wise from front end to rocker panels, there is no comparison. and yes, you will have to learn a whole new way of driving your car. it is that simple and obvious (as you've already experienced the bad things that can happen).

if you stay on here long enough (or search back thru some "accidents" threads/posts) you will find some of the darnedest things that not only "remotely" could happen, but that do happen. more than once, and with more than one person.

I haven't read everyone's comments, but you'll get used to driving the car in a different manner. and for all those who claim their car doesn't scrape everywhere and every thing, I'm with you: mine hits just about everything, too.

3GenVettes

Does your car have the Heads Up Display? If so the HUD projection is a very good indicator of where the front of the vehicle is. So if your pulling into a space where there are parking blocks, and you have a mental picture of how far back they are you can use the HUD as a visual indicator of where the nose of the car is so that you can stop in time. Since the vette is shorter than a lot of cars you generally don't need to worry about pulling all the way into the very front of a parking space.

Good luck, I'm sure it will get better.