A Valuable and Costly Lesson
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 312
Likes: 0
From: Pangman SK, Canada
A Valuable and Costly Lesson
I purchased my 92 in May 2006 and it ran fine for 800 miles and just before it's ready to be stored for the winter all of a sudden I get a miss, belch and backfire. Took it to a dealership and according to them it needed plugs, wires, EGR and an engine computer. Carry on I say! About $1600 later I get the same miss (and not blonde), belch and backfire. Away she goes for a 35 mile trip on a flatdeck to a specialist. Turns out to be a distributor cap. I get the the complete distributor replaced (just in case) and water pump (the pumps off anyway) for another $1400. Lesson: If I would have been a member of this forum I probably would have saved a couple grand. Next time I'll be able to ask you C4 folks with experience. By the way, I'm just starting the battle with the first dealership to get the parts I did not need at cost.
Save the Wave,
John
Save the Wave,
John
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,118
Likes: 0
From: St. Charles, MO Route 66 Corvette Club
Owning an early C4 is an expensive hobby if you have someone do the work for you. You can buy a service manual and a few tools and fix the car yourself. It is a lot more fun to do your own work and you will learn new things and meet new friends 
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 8,700
Likes: 298
From: Ft. Lauderdale Fl
Welcome to the Forum. Get yourself a "Factory Service Manual". It will help you find and fix problems. It can be purchased either on eBay or at their web site. www.helminc.com They are year specific.
All easy jobs take at least a half hour. More difficult jobs take longer but you'll have a great sense of accomplishment.
All easy jobs take at least a half hour. More difficult jobs take longer but you'll have a great sense of accomplishment.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,356
Likes: 1
From: Chesapeake Va
DEALERSHIPS also have a CUSTOMER SERVICE INDEX which they are required by the manufacturer to keep at a certain "grade".
I would think if you push the right buttons, talk to the right people, you will probably get a 100% refund.
And welcome to the CF
Elite Torch Red Member
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 57,805
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From: Exit 89 GSP,Lakewood,NJ The Land Of Mojo
Cental/South NJ Events Coordinator
CI 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 Vet
CI-II Burnout & Drag Champ
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07
With all the guys above. Avoid Dealerships like the Plague, and as I like to say, welcome to one of the more interesting places in Cyberspace!
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 36,453
Likes: 2
From: Overwhelmed as one would be, placed in my position.... DFW, TX
St. Jude Donor '05
I have yet to encounter a problem with my C4 that:
Has not been identified, photographed, fixed, and documented by a member already.
Has not been identified, photographed, fixed, and documented by a member already.
Racer
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 293
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by jstrutt
By the way, I'm just starting the battle with the first dealership to get the parts I did not need at cost.
Save the Wave,
John
Save the Wave,
John
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,793
Likes: 9
From: VA
I purchased my 92 in May 2006 and it ran fine for 800 miles and just before it's ready to be stored for the winter all of a sudden I get a miss, belch and backfire. Took it to a dealership and according to them it needed plugs, wires, EGR and an engine computer. Carry on I say! About $1600 later I get the same miss (and not blonde), belch and backfire. Away she goes for a 35 mile trip on a flatdeck to a specialist. Turns out to be a distributor cap. I get the the complete distributor replaced (just in case) and water pump (the pumps off anyway) for another $1400. Lesson: If I would have been a member of this forum I probably would have saved a couple grand. Next time I'll be able to ask you C4 folks with experience. By the way, I'm just starting the battle with the first dealership to get the parts I did not need at cost.
Save the Wave,
John
Save the Wave,
John
Are you talking CAD or USD? Either way those prices are ripoffs, but if they are CAD it's not quite as bad.
In USD the first job is about $500 in parts at full list price plus 2-3 hours labor, so if it's $1600 USD that's 100% markup on top of full list price.
DIY that would have been $300 with the ECM, $150 if you didn't replace the ECM, which I doubt needed to be replaced.
You were smart to replace the whole distributor and water pump, but $1400 USD would still be ridiculous for that. $1400 CAD is a little high but not unheard of. About $500 USD to DIY that with GM parts. Would have been better to upgrade to an aftermarket vented distributor.
Good luck with the dealership.
Pro
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 628
Likes: 3
From: Greenville NC
Odds of a 100% refund -- ZERO.
Alot of garages specialize in replacing parts. Unless you have purchased a new vehicle from the dealership recently - or better yet several new vehicles - you will get almost nothing back for their misdiagnosis of your problem. It's unfortunate, but until you build a good relationship with a knowledgeable Corvettte mechanic the best advice is to arm yourself with as much information as possible and, as always, caveat emptor.
