savewave

General Motors has invited representatives from a number of online automotive communities (GM products, of course) to visit Detroit next week for the auto show and a discussion on how people feel about GM, its vehicles, dealers and customer service.

I’ll be one of the representatives and look forward to sharing your perceptions with the GM people. What would you like GM to know? Please keep it civil.

ruenvs

Bring back the Z51 option on the base coupe/vert
Thanks!!!

VatorMan

Recaro seat options. Brembo brake options.

Rednblack

STEVE MC

jschindler

Jim, do you think they are looking for high level comments, or specific comments such as you are going to get a million of on this post (better seats, add this, add that etc). From your brief question it would appear they are looking for higher level input.

My high level input is that they are pricing the Corvette out of the traditional market - it's almost impossible to walk the dealers lots and find many Corvettes under $60,000 now. One of the problems is that they package many features in fairly high priced option packages. Two examples that stand out is that you have to spend $5,500 or so to get what was the Z51 suspension, and if you want a 3LT (or whatever it's called now) convertible you effectively have to pay $2000 for the power top.

Second is that they need to find a way to do mid-cycle updates to the car if they are going to let a model run for 6 plus years (C6 currently in model year seven). People get tired of the same old car, and we get tired of the car getting beat up regularly for things like mediocre seats and outdated navigation/sound system.

tim414

The Bose Stereo W/Nav has horrible sound quality. I don't pretend to understand or know why. On the Z06 forum there are opinions from sound system guys who make their living doing sound systems and say it's caused by Nav. I just know it really does NOT measure up (quality sound) in my 2010 Z06 (2LZ-VIN-5102477-last seven of VIN). My Vert ('09) sound better.

Their salesman at dealership need to be better w/customer service. I can be more specific if needed. Thanks. Tim in Texas (GM diehard-owner of two new C6 Corvettes-Vert, Z06)

edit: keep Corvette affordable so the working person can afford one

bearman95

OnPoint

I would like them to know that:

1. It would serve the Corvette well to have an earned reputation for bullet-proof drivelines. Shouldn't see broken axles, or problems with differentials, engines etc. I personally would pay a few bucks more quite willingly if I know I'm getting a driveline that has been engineered with sufficient "safety factor" or margin that it will be robust. And having a reputation for bullet proof driveline would be a huge draw. Oh, and lose the oil leaks.

2. I suspect they already know about the interior.

3. Panel gaps. Close them up.

4. Improve tactile feel - increases the subjective perception of quality.

5. Offer clear coat powder coated wheels so folks don't have to decide b/n chrome or painted (former is too blingy for some and painted is not as durable as clear powder coat, and wheel manufacturers have this down pat).

6. Make the NAV system a stand alone option. Stop tying it/bundling it to other options/packages.

7. Take steps to make the dealers treat Corvette owners as owners of the brand's top machine should be treated.

8. Get rid of the rattles/squeaks (i.e. targa top issues).

9. Offer clear film protection of nose, rear fender flare area as a factory option. Everybody knows where these cars pick up rock chips. It's not rocket science. Customers would pay to pick an option that takes care of that (just look at the aftermarket acitvity there).

10. Have a member of Team Corvette assigned to regularly review Corvette Forum to get a sense of how the product is used, how it's holding up, what folks are doing with it, what the aftermarket is capturing on upgrades etc.

I know you asked about GM in general, and my answers are Corvette specific, but there are some commonalities that apply to their broader model line as well.

capevettes

They need to realize that their dealership network, particularly those dealers that sell very few Corvettes, need to do a better job repairing them. If they sell them they need to be educated on how to repair them. They also need to recognize that Corvette buyers have spent alot more on their cars than Malibus.

Also, we appreciate the great cars they are making and hope they continue to make them fast, light and fuel efficient.

bearman95

I have Nav and the sound quality is good.

FloydSummerOf68

Also make an option for non runflat tires with a tire repair kit.

jschindler

You make some good points, but Nav is a stand alone option.

Street Rat

Better customer service at the dealerships.

beav626

These are my top concerns

this would make everyone less afraid to take their car to the dealers for service.

lucky1left

Thanks for asking. In addition to what has been stated, I think Corvette owners would be very happy with knowing the dealerships can service the cars w/o the fear of damage and screw ups. Train, certify and equip the dealerships to best service these very special cars...........and follow up monitoring that said training etc. is working.

The nav system is out of date. I also like the idea of it as a separate option.

AORoads

Personally, I don't need a "brand name" in seats, brakes or anything else because I know the companies usually just produce a slightly different product from their aftermarket products. In other words, to an extent it is a gimmick or marketing method. There is no doubt from me, however, that better seats can be designed and built without a "big brand name." And I am using seats just as an example, not because I think they need to be corrected or improved upon. But the leather used, well, maybe.....

What I think is lacking are the truest specifications for the individual products to outside suppliers, designers, manufacturers, and then the follow up also known as quality control by GM to detect that which is to spec, and that which needs to be rejected. Over the last 3+ years, there have been just in Corvette production a lack of product, or a lack of quality product which has slowed the plant down, or stopped it from producing various options. So, in one sense, the quality checking is there. But in another sense, someone, somewhere was not doing their job in sourcing the product or the supplier. This includes life-cycle testing so that "flying roofs" don't become a years-long fact of Corvette life. And that's just one example of poor product performance going back to sourcing and design.

If there is one thing GM really needs to work on, at least from, and for the Chevrolet division, it is the dealership and its service departments. While this is an "enthusiast site," with all the good and bad connotations that may bring up, the service departments mentioned all over the country seem to be too frequently in the negative column. This can't go on. Not for a struggling GM, and not in today's world economy where a strong push to quality or service or product is far more important than advertising, marketing, rebates, special sales, incentives, etc.

I can cite the examples of automotive customer service excellence as well as anyone since around 1990 when Lexus made its almost-ill fated debut with the recall situation shortly thereafter that made front page Wall Street Journal for how well it was done. But GM knows all this, and over the years has chosen to ignore it all.

As the saying goes, this ignoring of facts can not stand. Not today, and not for GM's tomorrow, if there is to be one.

bearphoto

They need to know many of their dealerships are driving customers away with poor service, damaging our vehicles, primarily due to incorrect lifting, incorrect diagnosis of problems and just lousy relations by treating their customers poorly. I left GM many years ago, while i have come back recently with the corvettes, i really have not seen any improvement in the dealer network.

Eritosthenes

Design safety features like Bluetooth and rear view cameras to be compatible past years in the current model. It pisses me off when GM engineers deliberately design these new features to be incompatible with last year's cars. If they keep doing this, they will risk a government mandate to ban proprietary data schemes and impose common interfaces to allow 3rd parties to offer aftermarket replacements. This is what happened to automobile radios, remember?

not08crmanymore

1)Stop pricing the CORVETTE out of "everyman's" budget.
2) STAND BEHIND YOUR WARRANTY!!!I.E. BRAKE SQUEAL,HARMONIC BALANCER..ETC..
3) INTERIOR,INTERIOR,INTERIOR!!THIS IS A 20,000 DOLLAR CAR INTERIOR NOT A 50+ INTERIOR.GET ON THE BALL! GO BUY A HYUNDAI OR SOMETHING and look at the work they put into their 40 grand cars!!!
4)Make a stand alone HUD OPTION.
5) Get some new,"MANLIER" exhaust tips on these cars for Christs sake!
6) Educate your dealer network on CORVETTE!!! At present, it's a less then 50/50 shot when I go have service done that it will be done correctly.NOT ACCEPTABLE!