Desmo999

Finally picked up my 2016 Z06 M7 (Torch Red, Black Leather, Z07, CFZ, 3LZ, Competition Seats) today after a 6+ month wait!!! This is my first Corvette although I almost caved on a C6 a few years back. Despite some “could be a bit better” items that get beat to death online, I’m thrilled with how the new C7 turned out!

After reading through forum posts for months to survive the wait, I wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone here who contributes a TON of awesome factual and constructive info. I figured I’d share a few of my notes for other prospective new owners:


GM’s So Called Order Process

Minor rant time - IT SUCKS. GM’s system of dealer favoritism, restricted allocations, and selective “constraints” assignment means it’s a crap shoot when and what you can order when you venture into Z06/Z07 territory without waiting for months or getting lucky. Truly the most broken process of any manufacturer I’ve ordered a “sold” car from in advance. In the end I almost got the Z06 exactly how I wanted it, but finally had to drop CFV (Carbon Fiber Visible aero) since it seems this option will never make it to any “average” dealerships due to the 15% level that the constraint seems to hover at. Buying from 2-3 “top national dealers” and shipping a car across the country seems insane if you want to support your local dealer. You’re not exactly going to ship a car back to one of the “national dealers” for any service in the future. Nice setup for these anointed dealers…take the orders/profits and never have to deal with any follow up on the cars. You always get EXACTLY the options you want if you order cars from brands like Porsche, Mercedes, and other EU manufacturers - nutty that you can’t do the same from a domestic manufacturer like GM.

My timeline looked like this (with GM status codes that I know):

Started with - 2015 Z06 + Z07, CFV

2/5 - (1100) Order placed at Momentum Chevrolet in San Jose

…New allocations for Z06’s flowed through to Momentum, but no allocations on Z07

5/21 - (1100) Window passed for getting a 2015 allocation, and had to switch order to a 2016
6/11 - (2000) Dealer had allocation for a 2016 Z06 + Z07 if I dropped CFV for CFZ*. Done!
6/15 - (3000) Finally! Accepted order with a TPW of 7/6
7/2 - (3800) Produced and beat the TPW a week early!
7/14 - Released from Quality Hold with other 2016s! Supposedly “Shipped”.
7/28 - Arrived by rail to Milpitas, CA
7/30 - Delivered to Momentum Chevrolet in San Jose, CA
8/1 - Picked up after waiting a couple days for the ground effects to be installed

* Consolation was that I did pick up the new 2016 standard options (front cams + rear hatch auto-close) and added red stitching (38S).


Order Tracking

While there are a ton of threads on this, personal opinion is that you can cut to the chase and do the following for regular updates:

1) Contact GM Customer Chat with your order number and ask them to send you a weekly update via e-mail! Like clockwork, I had an update every Friday with the status of my order from a GM customer service rep. Others have reported GM customer service was unreliable, but it was 100% for tracking my vehicle.

2) Use the MOBILE online tracking web page! While all the other online tracking tools seem broken or disabled, using the mobile page still seems to work (GM forgot to let it fail with all their other online tools???). This page WILL NOT work from a regular browser since you’ll get re-directed. Just enter your order number and bookmark the page from your phone (I was using an iPhone):

http://m.chevrolet.com/order-tracking-results.html


The Car…

Turned out awesome! Obsessively reading the forum will make you fear orange peel paint, GM build quality, overheating problems, etc, etc. Seems like you’re always one post away from someone claiming the Corvette will burst into flames the second you start the engine.

Yes…GM fit and finish is not on par with certain EU brands, but nobody can dispute the value and performance of the C7’s.

Pros:
- Manual transmission shifts SOLID - feels awesome in my car. Will consider MGW Shifter, but no complaints so far.
- Active Rev Match is a blast. I assumed I’d only use it for the track, but hearing it blip the throttle while just driving around puts a smile on my face every time.
- Competition seats are awesome - I’m 6’1” 190lbs and have no issues with the fit.
- Body panel gaps are spot on. Nothing seems misaligned on the car.
- No squeaks or rattles from the removable roof.
- Engine sound is awesome - I set the exhaust default to always be in track mode. Loving it with Active Rev Match.
- Fantastic handling on twisty roads (can’t wait to track it) and the Magnetic Ride Control adjustability is cool.
- Ultimately, I'm happy with CFZ (vs continuing to wait for CFV). The side splitters are not carbon fiber with CFV anyway, so at least everything matches with CFZ.
- Ramon Martinez at Momentum Chevrolet was great to deal with - efficient and straightforward for a painless purchase process.

Cons:
- It DOES smell like “Liquid Nails” from early off-gassing as others have noted - really strong if you pull it into a garage. Salesperson specifically recommended keeping A/C in recirculate for the first few weeks as part of the delivery briefing. I experienced this with a 2007 Aston Martin Vantage too which also has bonded SMC body panels so I consider this “industry standard” for cars with composite bodies/components. From past experience, it goes away in a couple months - small price to pay for cars that will never get door dings.
- The paint…yes…GM Orange Peel Special on the sides and lower areas. Nobody seems to match the European cars, and I also have a 2011 Toyota Sequoia that isn’t necessarily better. I think it just stings when you consider the price point on the C7’s. While the cars are “a performance value”, they’re not “cheap”. I know a lot of us would pay $1K more for good paint.

As a total package I’m loving this car so far!


Next Steps

1) Install the stuff I couldn’t help but purchase in advance during the agonizing wait:

Jack Pads -

Mobil 1 Oil Cap -

2) Buy a CAGS eliminator if I find myself short shifting or getting pissed off - but I haven’t triggered it.

3) 500 mile break-in, then track prep at 1500 miles. I purchased with the intention of using it on the street, but with regular trips to the track. Planning on full Owner’s Manual listed prep beforehand - track alignment, Mobil 1 15w50, DOT4 brake fluid. Will probably start with 80/20 on the coolant.

4) First track day will most likely be Thunder Hill in a month or so and I’ll be sure to grab PDR data and report back on any issues. Had a buddy already track his 2015 A8, Z07 and he didn’t have any overheat problem. Hoping for the same on my car, especially given it’s a M7 and GM might have tweaked things a bit for 2016 or at least ensured the coolant bleed is being done correctly now given what I’ve read online.

Need to get some better pics, but here's the delivery shot.

four0nefive

Beautiful car man! I can agree about the competition seats. I don't own a Z06, but a fellow forum member and his wife let me sit in their Z07 and the seats were a bit narrow, but comfortable. They offered to let me drive it next spring and I'll report back how they are once I drive it. Sorry to hear about you not being able to visible carbon fiber aero, but at least if it gets damaged, you can simply repaint it with Carbon Flash touch up paint.

SS MPSTR

Beautiful car, man. Great write up too, and I'm experiencing the exact constraint/favoritism/lack of straight answers on certain things too. My TPW is 8/31, and I too had to drop CFV in favor of CFZ.

rbarta

Thanks so much for letting me know the phone app tracking works.
Kerbeck hasn't updated since Friday...4B00. The app says it's at the dealership!!!! Guess I'll be picking it up later this week!!!