NorCalVette Kid

Same here

MilleniumVette

I've heard of the issue before, and owners not getting proper help. So, I am very pleased to see they treated you right in the end. Good job on pursuing the matter with a clam head.

Anezangl

Are we sure the heat does not play a roll in this blistering issue? My case; pulled my 2002 coupe out in driveway , washed and waxed her, then put day cover over to keep dust off while working on sons hotrod. Approx. 4 hours later at end of day as I was uncovering the banana to put her back in the garage ( where she stays the most, only 4000 miles in the last 5 years ) I was STUNNED to put it nicely, at what I found when I lifted the day cover off the rear end! Huge blisters! Perfectly symmetrical right and left of the deck badge! Best described like this.....it looks like you can see the woven-roven fiberglass matte coming through the yellow paint! Very discouraging to say the least! There was a heat index of 103* Saturday here. Whats the odds of Gm giving a brother a little help at this age?

Cdn Z06 Mike

Its slim but doesn't hurt to ask. I have been a rep for 15 years and have the power to make decisons if I want. I will tell you one thing...the first time a person raises their voice at me I give them zilch, nadda, nothing. Person doesn't treat me nice or with respect screw them. Bring in a copy of the bulletin to show this is a known problem or defect and even offer to work with them to fix. Expecting them to pay 100% is probably unlikely at this point but something is better than nothing. Be nice, you would be amazed what I do to help customers who are nice to me. For some reason many people think yelling at someone helps the situation. I have gone so far as to deny a customer but because they were so nice I would cover the repair under a goodwill policy just because they were so nice. I have done this with several manufacturers and still do. Courtesy goes a long way trust me. Good luck.

Anezangl

Z06 Mike, thanks for the response w/ advice. I always try to conduct myself as I would want others to treat me. This is a major defect and I am very disappointed but I understand these things happen. I manage people in the manufacturing world and believe me it is a constant battle to get things built correct. Besides, I've been down this road several times with a Harley Davidson and a Ford Thunderbird, both had major defects that I was left to throw cash at. One is still crippled in the corner of the garage with little hope of seeing the light again.

renegad44

I've got a 00-C5, made me go outside and look at mine real good, but seems like it's ok, first I've heard of this, and hopefully you'll find a mutual solution to yours.

CorvetteOJ

The bubbling gets 10 times worse after setting in the sun for 3 or 4 hours. If you go out to the garage and look at it, you won't see much...put it in the sun for a few hours and then examine it, if you are curious to see if yours might be one of the afflicted C5s. Mine is an '03 Anniversary Red coupe and it has a bad case of it. It is a show car with 32000 miles and over $35,000 in mods, so I worked very hard to get GM to replace it. I was finally notified by my dealer yesterday they had received authority to order my hatch. I have been working on it since May. It takes a lot of Patience and professional etiquette on the phone and email to get it done. I honestly believe GM's heart is in the right place if you treat them with respect. At the same time, I believe it is a rare occasion if you can make it happen by going through your dealer. My dealer originally told me they could not do it under my extended warranty and it would cost me between $3,000 and $3500. they were adamant about that! Good luck, remeber PATIENCE and RESPECT!!!

7thgeneration

PICTURES, PICTURES, MY KNIGDOM FOR A PICTURE !

Reinman

My 04 black coupe has the same thing, blistering under the paint on each side of the emblem. I'll try to get some pics later today.

felo357

Pictures pleas i need to see it.

renegad44

I'd like to see this.

Aerovette

I have to call on this. A known issue is a known issue and a qualifying repair should qualify (or not qualify) regardless of the attitude attached. This is clearly a defect in design and it should not be the owner's responsibility. Now I DO agree that perhaps a case by case analysis should be done based on the condition of the car and storage/usage versus time etc. I would be less likely to cover a 2004 with 200k on the clock and fenders dangling in the breeze, than I would a trailer queen 97. That has nothing to do with the owner, it has to do with efforts to not contribute to the problem. There is no "personality meter" to determine what level of nice anyone has to be. My idea of nice may not fit your criteria. It seems you should not BE in a position to make decisions if you can't make them without bias. By the same token, I ALWAYS start out nice, but when some lacky button pushing desk jockey decides MY problem is not HIS problem, I tend to lose my cool. You get more done with a kind word and a 2x4 than with a kind word alone.

As I write is, I am primarily referring to credit card companies, cable company, cell phone provider, etc, but your post reminded me of the times when my nice soft approach got me NO WHERE and until I escalated it loudly, nothing was going to change.

Another approach is asking questions that let the person on the other end draw the same conclusion. It seems most effective.

80VetteStud

My 04 Black is doing the same thing. I might start talking to the dealership to see if they can work any magic... Doubtful in my case I bet, as the car has 69,000 miles on the clock, but has been maintained and garaged.

RayCE

Its not easy to photograph this defect. I have the same problem.

Anezangl

As of yesterday afternoon I was in a roll over and let corp. America stick it to me again but.............after reading some of your post I think I may attempt to get some sort of relief from the man. I'm in central Florida, just a few clicks west ( 15 miles) of the space shuttle launch pad. If I don't want the "stress" of trying to work with the dealer ( just went down that road with Ford....little ladies 03' Thunderbird w/ only 19,000 on clock blows tranny ) can anyone tell me how I or who I contact w/ GM connections? I'll see if I can get some pics tonight!

petermj

I have seen paint bubble on a hood of a black 2001 vette, bubbling real bad with only 16k miles on the car. I have pictures to prove this too. I am talking about a HOOD and convertible... Could this be related somehow? The car would be routinely stored outside and under cover.

KCJeff

Anyone who denies heat is an activating factor in this problem must not have personal experience with this issue on their own car. Exposure to heat over a period of time ABSOLUTELY causes the imperfections ("bubbling") to become more raised and visible to the naked eye. I'll try to remember to take some pictures this weekend (if it's hot enough). It is a difficult phenomenon to photograph. Maybe about a 30 degree side angle shot in the sunlight (or halogens) would show the problem.

Talked to my local dealer about it - service and body shop manager was lukewarm to even looking at the car. I'm gonna stop by and visit with him. I think the nice approach works right up until the moment that you have to be not-so-nice (due to lack of any response or concern whatsoever - even lying about the existence of the problem and claiming ignorance of the TSB).

GM is in the proverbial toilet. They may or may not survive. It is incredibly bad business to run off the people who are buying your most expensive models. If they decide to screw me on this known defect, it'll cost them every car I buy for the rest of my life. Coincidentally, I have a son who is about to start driving. My personal philosophy is to vote my feelings with my feet (and my money in the pocket). The average disgruntled customer tells at least ten people about his negative experience. Satisfied customers may tell one or two friends.

Has anyone explored the option of a class action suit? PM me if you are interested in this avenue. There are some very sharp class action attorneys here in my town. I'm sick and tired of my dealership doing everything in their power to do.....well nothing.

Are you hearing me, Superior Chevrolet in Merriam, Kansas??
You are losing business at a time when you can ill afford to create a poor business reputation.

mvvette97

My 97 done the same thing. I had the local body shop repaint the lid. Cost me about 300 bucks. Mine is black

Choreo

As I mentioned in a previous post in this thread, I had mine corrected by the Dealership some time ago.

Just to re-emphasize, this is not a "simple" fix. The trickiest part is removing and reinstalling the rear window glass. For anyone going through this repair there are a coupe things in particular to watch for (based on my experience). Note: the glass may also break when attempting to remove it:

(1) When removing the rear window, the tool(s) they use may very well chip or scratch the black ceramic around the lower edge perimeter of the glass. There are places on my glass (underneath the edge) where the black is now missing as a result of the repair.
(2) Make sure they get the glass on straight. They got mine crooked the first time and I had to have them re-do it. Measure the gap all the way around.
(3) The rear glass is supposed to sit still in the shop for 3 days following the new glass insertion. This is not like a windshield which has positive pressure applied to it when you leave the shop - on the rear window airflow is always trying to pop it out.

rboineau

Great--something else for me to worry about!