Has anyone discovered the problem with some of the new C6's . . . bumper bulge??? I had my C6 for about 4 days, spent 5 hours on the fourth day detailing (wash, clay bar, polish prep, base polish, spray etc.). I did this in the shade, under trees which created a lot of visual noise and I notice nothing unusual about the body finish. Later that afternoon with the car in fully exposed sun light, my eyes caught a distortion in the front bumper. It was like a ton of bricks fell on me, you could have knocked me over with a feather. There is a bulge in the top of the bumper about two inches from the hood. The bulge is located where the hood hinges go under the bumper.

I live 80 miles from the dealer that I purchased my Vette from. I took it back to my dealer, they kept it for a morning. Pulled the bumper and made some adjustments to bolts under the bumper. The service manager told me that it had been improperly assemble/adjusted at the factory and that pressure from bolted connection(s) were pressing against the bottom side of the bumper causing it to bulge upwards. He said that it may take a while (days, weeks, months, ?) for the bumper to flatten out after being exposed to the sun (heated).

When I picked my car up that day after the (so called) fix, it was raining so I could not inspect the bumper. I have now notice that the passager’s side of the bumper has a similar bulge, except it is not as severe and as noticeable.

I question whether the bumper will ever flatten out and now I have two bulges. I feel that the only fix may be to replace the bumper.

Since this problem, I have looked closely at other C6's and have noticed the same problem on some, they were just not as severe and noticeable as mine. Has anybody else heard of this problem? I don't want to ruin your day, but you may want to go check yours out. It may be hard to see unless the light catches it just right

These are the pics:

 

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Thanks for the help

 

Yeah...I have the exact same bulge, only mine is on the passenger side. Just for grins...what's your VIN?

In fact, I saw the bulge on mine while the car was still on the freakin' assembly line. One the assembly guys was wiping the front fascia down after they finished at that station, and he kinda of gave the bulge an extra wipe or two...like that was going to do any good.

In my case, I suspect one of the retainers in the flexible front fascia was installed slightly out of position. In your case, maybe two were out of position. When the fascia is installed, the incorrect fasteners cause the fascia to bulge up. Not much can be done about it, as the wiping on the line indicated.

I asked about some aluminum fixtures in the front fascia area during the tour, and it was explained that the fixtures were used to hold the flexible part precisely in the correct position and keep them from slipping while the fasteners were installed. I suspect if there is any, er...worker inattention...the fascia fasteners get slightly incorrectly positioned and you get fascia bulges.

This is all speculation on my part, but it seems logical and reasonable. If you ever owned a C4, you were probably wondering how the heck they got the C6s to look as good as they do.

Your options are not good if want perfection. If you replace the fascia, you are going to run the risk of the paint not being right. I'll live with mine and learn to love it...I'm pretty pragmatic about a mass produced sports car; even if it does list at $63K.

 

Just another example of the fact that there is nothing in this world that's perfect. The cheapest way to get rid of that "defect" is with Photoshop.

 

Nothing touched by human hands anyway...I plan to get some polarized blinders.

 

I didn't notice anyone posting their VIN or build date.

I suspect that like you stated it has much to do with the method the cars facia is assembled. I have spent much time taking pix of my '05 since day 1, Oct 11, 2004, and reveiwed all of the shots that would show this area and cannot see any distortion. Inspecting the areas also revealed nothing that is as you describe.

I have a feeling that something changed in the training of the employees or the method of assembly during the production run.

My VIN is 4289, I would be curious to know where your cars fall in comparison.

 

We're talking early 2006s here.

If he has had his car only 4 days, I suspect his car and mine are probably within 300 cars of each other. This leads me to believe that whatever/whoever caused this new fascia bulging problem, caused it on both of our cars and probably many more in that sequence of early 2006s.

It's takes literally thousands of people to carefully design, manufacture and assemble all the components in a mass-produced Corvette. It only takes one person that is careless and/or giving less than 100% to keep it from being perfect for you. If you are a perfectionist, you go through life constantly disappointed...unless you finally realize like someone else said: "Nothing is perfect."

As I said before, I'm growing to love it...like a hemmoroid, I would swear it had shrunk slightly when I went out to the garage later last night.

 

Sorry I didn't understand the post was for '06's, hope you guys can get it resolved.
I have a suspicion that it is an adjustment that was implemented to prevent the top corner of the facias, by the light housing from raising up at the corners. I have seen some '05's that have looked a little popped up, like little bat-ears.

 

[QUOTE=JmpnJckFlsh]Yeah...I have the exact same bulge, only mine is on the passenger side. Just for grins...what's your VIN?

In fact, I saw . . .

JmpnJckFlsh, mine is a '05, Vin 127356. It was on the lot for a while and has a June inspection sticker. I bought it on Aug. 30th, '05.