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I agree, choose the early time slot. Hilton Garden Inn is a nice/clean hotel off of route 231. Fountain Square Park is a nice little village to grab a meal or a cup of coffee, we had a phenomenal meal at "440 Main".
On the drive back I recommend varying driving styles. Do not stay at a constant speed and RPM for more than 30-45 mins. Do a mix of city and highway driving. Do not go WOT until 500 to 1000 mi. Schedule a stop to get your first oil change done around 500 mi. I would stay in normal automatic transmission mode for most driving unless you are at a constant speed, then you might want to go to manual mode to make sure all cylinders break in properly. The automatic transmission also needs to break in and learn the shift points, so only use manual mode to stay out of V4 mode when necessary.
I agree, choose the early time slot. Hilton Garden Inn is a nice/clean hotel off of route 231. Fountain Square Park is a nice little village to grab a meal or a cup of coffee, we had a phenomenal meal at "440 Main".
On the drive back I recommend varying driving styles. Do not stay at a constant speed and RPM for more than 30-45 mins. Do a mix of city and highway driving. Do not go WOT until 500 to 1000 mi. Schedule a stop to get your first oil change done around 500 mi. I would stay in normal automatic transmission mode for most driving unless you are at a constant speed, then you might want to go to manual mode to make sure all cylinders break in properly. The automatic transmission also needs to break in and learn the shift points, so only use manual mode to stay out of V4 mode when necessary.
Most of all, have fun!
I'm a Hilton Diamond member, so using some points in some hotels on this trip where I can.
Have the early time slot and staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in BG as well as in Little Rock, from there out we'll find places as we go :-)
Museum -> Memphis
Memphis -> Oklahoma City (oil change)
Oklahoma City -> Albuquerque
Albuquerque -> San Jose
We did the sites on the way. Graceland, Route 66, Cadillac Ranch, Four Corners, Grand Canyon, Barstow (ok that's a joke). Although we didn't spend too much time at each, I felt it was enough.
I'd allocate as much time as possible for the factory tour (go at your pace, not theirs) and the museum. They go the extra mile to make sure you have a lifetime experience, take advantage of it. Last bit of advice, credit card for the museum. I walked out with about a $750 bill, it was worth it.
I used the dealer you are probably planning to go to in little rock. They added 10qts and refused to correct it after i showed the dipstick overserviced. I had to drain myself after limping home to mitigate risk.
You may want to reconsider.
I carry a turkey baster and empty quart bottle in back because the dealer has put 10 qts. of oil on two of the three oil changes.
Yea, this is one of my worries. I've committed to the trackwrap thing, I worked a deal with the vendor to do it and review it. I have one 6" x 40' roll to work with. He said the 6" stuff is easier to work with but I still do worry about how much time that will take. I'm feeling a little better though that some folks are saying they were done by noon or so after coming in early like we are talking, that may give me more time with this. I'll let folks know on this forum how it goes with the wrap.
What he is asking me to do with the roll I have is outlined in the image below that they doctored up. The installer I'm using wants me to do more than just these areas, but again, time is an issue and if I can get some protection rather than none I'm good.
Hard enough to convince my wife to help me with the trackwrap, there's no way she would allow the blue tape :-) Although it could look good with the Tension Blue stripes :-)
I too started out with one roll of 6" by 40' TracWrap, but had to order another. I ran out of the first roll well before I covered the areas you show. I did a little more than this myself (side skirts, a bit more extensive around the rear brake ducts and fender flares) but ended up using most of that second roll.
I too started out with one roll of 6" by 40' TracWrap, but had to order another. I ran out of the first roll well before I covered the areas you show. I did a little more than this myself (side skirts, a bit more extensive around the rear brake ducts and fender flares) but ended up using most of that second roll.
Any pics?
I'll have to stick with the one roll, that's all that's coming, I'll do my best!
Don't waste your time calling a Chevy dealer to ask if they can change your oil, of course they'll tell you yes. When i was driving back to TX in my new Z I checked how many vettes a dealer had on the lot and I cross referenced this with the local corvette club Chevy sponsor. They were "insulted" when I pulled in and asked if they knew how to change the oil in a dry sump engine...it was a good laugh.
Don't waste your time calling a Chevy dealer to ask if they can change your oil, of course they'll tell you yes. When i was driving back to TX in my new Z I checked how many vettes a dealer had on the lot and I cross referenced this with the local corvette club Chevy sponsor. They were "insulted" when I pulled in and asked if they knew how to change the oil in a dry sump engine...it was a good laugh.
Don't waste your time calling a Chevy dealer to ask if they can change your oil, of course they'll tell you yes. When i was driving back to TX in my new Z I checked how many vettes a dealer had on the lot and I cross referenced this with the local corvette club Chevy sponsor. They were "insulted" when I pulled in and asked if they knew how to change the oil in a dry sump engine...it was a good laugh.
The phone call was really the last thing. I searched these forums for the dealer to see if there were a ton of negatives and I searched their inventory (15 total in stock, 4 Z06's and 4 GS') to get an idea as to the volume that they do.
Call was mostly to confirm the internet reservation I made and see how long it would take, but I asked a couple "dumb" questions to see what kind of responses I received as well.
I think I feel OK with them, but will check the work...
To be more specific, the dealer I visited is in Jacksonville AR with plenty of reviews on here. -When I handed the key over I specifically requested that they add 9 quarts and give me the 10th to top off as required; they wrote this on the ticket. When I received the car back, I idled the car to 175 degrees F oil temp, shut down, and measured the dipstick at 6 minutes. It was clearly over the top of the hash marks. I showed the service writer who called the mechanic over. The mechanic gave an attitude and walked off saying he was already complete with the job.
The service writer called their manager who said he will only allow them to add exactly 10 quarts since the owner's manual lists 10 quarts as the overall capacity. I explained that they are not factoring residual oil and the car is clearly over-serviced. The senior person on duty asked me what I wanted out of this. I asked that they either drain enough oil to the correct level or start over and do a fresh oil change correctly by the service manual procedure. All I wanted was the correct oil level so I could go home. Still they refused so I left and opened a case with Chevy Customer Service.
Continuing home, I used a "transfer pump" from walmart and drained about .75 quart to put the car in spec.
Morals of the story:
9.0 quarts has twice put me exactly at 50% on the hash marks with a by-the-numbers check procedure.
This was a very high volume dealer in jacksonville, ar that has many reviews on here, and they flat out refused to correct a problem when I explained the procedure, the problem, and the risk to my 12 hour old car Z06. If I were to do this over, I would have just driven the car home on the factory fill at low rpm then completed the oil change at home.
Even though a dealer might laugh at you if you ask if they know how to change oil - rest assured you need to check their work and be prepared for them to accept damage to you car from a service manager that won't reference a service procedure.
P.S. congrats on a great car and you will greatly enjoy the museum delivery.
I fly out next week for our delivery and then long drive back to California.
Curious, from others that have been through this, anything you would have done different. Something you might have brought, or might not have brought with you?
I think I have things pretty well lined up, but figured I'd check with the experience of this group!
Ken
Doe's Eat Place for dinner in LIT. Google it.
Congrats on your great fortune. Enjoy your new GS. Drive safe Mountain.
Suggest a dinner at the Montana Grill in Bowling Green the night before your delivery. On Scottsville Road in Bowling Green. Enjoy the delivery experience. Congrats on winning your car and good luck with our Kentucky weather. It can change in less than an hour from good to awful.
What would I have done differently? Allowed more time for TracWrap installation, as discussed above. After the factory tour and the museum tour, and the paperwork, and the orientation about the car, it was past 1pm, and we started at the 0745 time! We had lunch and then began the TracWrap install, and it felt like it took FOREVER. My detailer warned me ahead of time, but I didn't really believe him. I didn't even make it look super nice, but it was still very time consuming. My schedule required that we drive about 5 hours that day, so I was pretty tired...
That said, I would not have done the 850 mile trip without the TracWrap. It really gave me peace of mind, in addition to looking and performing much better than the painter's tape.
Since I picked it up on a Friday, I needed to get the 500 mile oil change on Saturday, which limited where I could have that done. If I had picked the car up earlier in the week and didn't have to be at a specific dealership for the 500 mile oil change the next day, I wouldn't have had to drive 5 hours after doing the frustrating TracWrap install. I could have just done the whole R8C experience, installed the TracWrap, and then enjoyed dinner and a good night's sleep before starting the long trip home.
That's the best advice I have for you! Have a great time! You'll love it!
Very helpful info below and I will push it when I'm there and check it after. Crazy too because the manual does not call for 10 qts, it calls for 9.8, so they are wrong there anyway. Is there a nice Chevy tech bulletin that I can print and take with me that explains process in detail? I have already printed #PIP5290C to bring with me that talks about some of it, but it does not detail out the service procedure and I'd like to just hand it to them and tell them it is exactly how I want it done.
Originally Posted by lrobe22
To be more specific, the dealer I visited is in Jacksonville AR with plenty of reviews on here. -When I handed the key over I specifically requested that they add 9 quarts and give me the 10th to top off as required; they wrote this on the ticket. When I received the car back, I idled the car to 175 degrees F oil temp, shut down, and measured the dipstick at 6 minutes. It was clearly over the top of the hash marks. I showed the service writer who called the mechanic over. The mechanic gave an attitude and walked off saying he was already complete with the job.
The service writer called their manager who said he will only allow them to add exactly 10 quarts since the owner's manual lists 10 quarts as the overall capacity. I explained that they are not factoring residual oil and the car is clearly over-serviced. The senior person on duty asked me what I wanted out of this. I asked that they either drain enough oil to the correct level or start over and do a fresh oil change correctly by the service manual procedure. All I wanted was the correct oil level so I could go home. Still they refused so I left and opened a case with Chevy Customer Service.
Continuing home, I used a "transfer pump" from walmart and drained about .75 quart to put the car in spec.
Morals of the story:
9.0 quarts has twice put me exactly at 50% on the hash marks with a by-the-numbers check procedure.
This was a very high volume dealer in jacksonville, ar that has many reviews on here, and they flat out refused to correct a problem when I explained the procedure, the problem, and the risk to my 12 hour old car Z06. If I were to do this over, I would have just driven the car home on the factory fill at low rpm then completed the oil change at home.
Even though a dealer might laugh at you if you ask if they know how to change oil - rest assured you need to check their work and be prepared for them to accept damage to you car from a service manager that won't reference a service procedure.
P.S. congrats on a great car and you will greatly enjoy the museum delivery.
The owner's manual discusses the procedure in detail on how to check the oil level. warm engine oil to >175 degrees F, shut down and check in 5-10 minutes. Ironically there is also a color plastic label on the dry sump fill cap.
this is a picture of how high they serviced mine using all 10 quarts and refusing to fix the problem.
The owner's manual discusses the procedure in detail on how to check the oil level. warm engine oil to >175 degrees F, shut down and check in 5-10 minutes. Ironically there is also a color plastic label on the dry sump fill cap.
Yea, saw that, I have it as a PDF so I can print it, just wasn't sure if there was a TSB or something as well. Thanks!
I did the delivery in November and drove back to the Bay Area. Had limited time due to work schedule so I did it in 5 days. The day of delivery we wanted to go to Memphis, but stopped before that due to a very heavy rainstorm we were driving through after leaving Bowling Green. Allow plenty of time at the factory and museum and enjoy the day.
We did the drive over 5 days, tried to keep it to 6-8 hours driving a day. I-40 with some Route 66 excursions, with the stretch from Albuquerque to Kingman taking the longest due to a lot of stops. We had a route planned out, but were flexible. Usually by around 2:00pm or so we would have a good idea how far we would go and we would get online and book a hotel. This also kept us from pushing too hard, so that we would stop and enjoy the trip.
Most of all, enjoy it. The first on-ramp after you pass 500 miles is incredible!
I'll have to stick with the one roll, that's all that's coming, I'll do my best!
Don't have pics that are close enough to show anything. Being clear, it wasn't really noticeable from 20 feet, but from 3 feet it was pretty rough on the complicated compound curves. Several people assumed I had not yet removed the factory shipping protection. After your experience applying TracWrap you will not mind at all paying an expert shop to do it right.
I'd love to do a GM Factory delivery of a new C7! If not for the extra $$$.
I've already seen the NCM, so that would be repetitious to me. The GM Factory upscale tour, I'd love to see that while in Bowling Green.
Since I'm not interested in the NCM-tutor delivery, picking up the new C7 from the actual GM Plant, would be a slamdunk to avoid the delivery fee completely. At least for me.
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Last edited by Skid Row Joe; 02-04-2017 at 08:25 PM.
Reason: edit......
02-03-2017, 11:46 AM
