Hi everybody, its been a while since im on here but to anyone who might remember i made a post last spring about my past away grand fathers 2001 corvette that has been sitting in the garage for years, regarding what i should do with a vehicle that has been sitting for so long. well i picked up a new battery from the chevy dealer and got the car running and just would idle outside for a while about once a month since i couldn't afford to insure it under my name. Just recently though i decided with my grandmother we should have it inspected at the Chevy dealer so we got temporary insurance on it and i putted down to the Chevy dealer in it. i told them to change the oil and do a once over of the car and make sure everything is okay, and i also expected they would have to change the coolant which was fine by me. i wasn't expecting the estimate that came over the phone an hour or so later though. Here is a break down, mind you these are Canadian funds but if anything seems fishy let me know what questions to ask them at the dealer.

-New water pump $599
-fluid change including coolant $140
-injection flushed out $179
-New right rear tire $710 (apparently there was a screw in it?)
-alignment $100
-replace stale fuel

I thought the price for just one new rubber was pretty astounding but im not sure about the rest of the things. I didn't notice the car pulling to one side or anything of that nature while driving there so that's why i am surprised that it is even punctured as well, but it may just as well be. My family is fine paying for the costs i just want to have the confidence we aren't getting screwed around, I mean the car was sitting for a good 4 or 5 years but im still some what skeptical of all the costs. any words of wisdom would be more then appreciated.

 

Talk about a Corvette Tax!!!!!!!!!

I'd get the car back and either do most of the work myself or go somewhere else....... The only price even close to reasonible is $100 for an alignment....

 

I have always found there is a significant up mark in the prices for parts from the dealer, im almost tempted to get the parts from the local auto parts and get a shop to do the labor but my grandma doesn't seem to be having any of it, she mostly wants the most hassle free option of dealing with it unfortunately. Its definitely a frustrating situation.

 

Wow. That's crazy. Take it to another shop and get their opinion asap.
Good luck.

 

What exotic compound was the new tire to be made out of?

 

I thought it was absolutely nuts too, i think i might give one of the local tire shops a ring actually to get a quote.

 

You can ask them to show you exactly what it is theyre are looking at and why they say it needs changing... if the pump was bad there would most likely be some kind of coolant where the car was sitting. Tire.... unless you picked up a nail in-route to the dealership then h*** no! prices are marked-up considerably. You can go to another GM shop like cadillac or what have you and get another estimate.

 

You're getting hosed. Get the car back from the stealership and find a reliable shop. Post on the Regional Forum for a recommendation. Don't let her sit there to long.....they will find other "stuff."

 

I just bought a 2002 convertible about a month ago in Canada. The previous owner had recently replaced all 4 tires with OE Goodyear Eagle Runflats and said the set was $2800 installed. That's $700 per tire. It wasn't out of my pocket but it lines up with what they say.

If your car had runflats on it that would explain how you had a screw in the right rear without knowing it.

As for the rest of the work, flushing the injection system and replacing stale fuel makes sense to me unless you put fuel conditioner in it before you stored it.

Coolant flush and refill also makes sense.

Not sure about the water pump.

 

I got a quote from the fountain tire here for a Good year Eagle F1 all season rear for 370 dollars, problem is im not sure what tires they have on there now, im nearly positive they are the stock ones for the 2001, anyone happen to know what type of tire it would be exactly?

 

Please take it to another dealer.

I've read, but it's only hearsay, that gasoline loses 1 octane every 6 months. If the car had 93 octane and sat for 5 years, the octane would effectively be 83. That's too low even for the modern engine management system in the Vette. Mixing 93 octane should put it back into a safe area until you've emptied the tank. Mix some fresh 93 octane in the tank as soon as you leave and don't drive it hard.

The tires are EMT, and therefore can run for many miles without air pressure (not ideal, but it'll limp you to a tire store). You might want to check your air pressure when you pick it up. If the nail has been in there for years and it's still holding pressure, I wouldn't replace the tire. Instead tell a potential buyer about it and let him/her replace the tires with what they want.

 

Well then i might just leave it as is to be honest, even if i am paying for the horribly up marked prices. i honestly just don't want to deal with the head ache of sending it different places and price checking. i mean it will probably be running us 1700 dollars which but i may as well just get it over and done with. I think i know who the culprit is for the screw in the tire actually, when my grandmother was initial widowed (unbeknownst to my knowledge) Her lawyer who sounds like a complete rat convinced her he was doing her a favor by driving my grandfathers corvette out of town for the weekend, when he brought the car back i was told my mothers boyfriend stumbled upon an empty beer can in the trunk area, and there was also a gash in the paint near the nose of the car. turned out both him and his son were cruising in it and racked up god knows how many miles on it doing god knows what to the poor car. they tried to keep this on the hush hush from me knowing i would lose it if i caught wind of this taking place.

 

I would definitely lose it based upon that story. If you plan to sell it, just put gas in it.

 

I also smell a rat. If you do decide to keep the car, if this is your first Corvette, make nice with a local club and get some Corvette-centered service references. A complete fluid change is probably due, however I would have someone also check the faulty pump. I also suggest a 100 mile drive to "remove the old fuel".

 

Wow. I hope that includes a complimentary jar of vaseline. I would get a second opinion from a mechanic that you trust if I were you.

 

Hell plug the tire with a repair kit and be done with that part of it. The water pump is EASY to do and so is a coolant flush. Alignment is the only reasonable price on that list. i think i found a new set of 4 non-runflats for less than that one tire And they have great warm weather traction even with the HP i'm putting down. I would just run the tank down as low as possible and then fill it with some high grade premium then keep filling it until the old sh*t is out. I hate seeing dealers screw people over

 

I'd get a second opinion on the water pump.

Coolant change - seems high - I had mine done earlier this year and it cost approximately $60. That said, your dealership's labor charges may be a lot more than mine - I paid $47/hour labor.

I'd run the car a while and see how it performs - you may not need to do anything with the injectors except to run some system cleaner through them.

Don't know where they are getting their tires from, but $710 is . If you do need a new tire (i.e., the one you have can't be plugged/patched), then get one from a place like the Tire Rack or Discount Tire and have an independent shop put it on for you. Will cost a lot less.

Alignment - that's not a bad price.

 

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...past-away.html

 

I hate to say it BUT to change all the fluids here in Canada will run you close to $800 the tire if a runflat is also close to the $700 mark GM WILL NOT FIX A RUNFLAT ( check with Fountain or Ok or Cal Tire) the water pump probably doesnt neet to be replaced though - just the gaskets on an 01 they are prone to failure ( the same on my 02). Our friends to the south get much much much better deals than us - you can also use the Canadian section on this forum - lots of good local info

 

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