redzone

Not trying to be combative.....but link to where GM has promoted the
Z06 as a race car with a warranty?

mirage2991

and "abuse" is also in there which, one could easily define competition being an abusif method of driving the car hmmmm....

mirage2991

how about just showing any advertising that's out there? because I've not seen any corvette adds on TV...not even sure about in magazines either...so if it's a person working for GM stating that at an event (car show or what not) that's then posted on YouTube, I wouldn't really call that "GM advertising"

VetteVinnie

"Track Mode 1" and "Track Mode 2" in the HUD. No lap timer, but there's a shift indicator and a G meter. Seems pretty obvious that GM intended this to be run on a track. And a track does not mean "competitive driving". But, there's "Competitive Driving" mode in the traction/active handling system.

Definitely some shades of gray here.

StreetSpeed

He wasn't racing. He was at a DE, where there is no competition and no racing. The verbiage in the warranty says "racing or other forms of comeptition..." which he was not engaged in. So to me, since the warranty doesn't exclude it, it should be covered. Far from crystal clear. I don't recall where the lap timer is. I used it on his C5, but never used it on his C6. Perhaps I was mistaken.


Most definitely. My point is that it should be covered by the manufacturer, because the car was not being operated in any way outside of what the manufacturer intended it to do. You buy track options from the factory, you put the car in "Competitive Driving Mode" for Chris-sakes, you turn you HUD to "Track Mode" you watch the lovely little accompanying DVD that has a whole section about operating your vehicle at a race track, and no where is there a friendly little asterisk that says *If you use this car in any way that it's been marketed and sold to you, your warranty will be void* If they're gonna sell a vehicle with intentions to be used on a track, then they should stand behind their product when it's used on a track. Period. The fact that most people buy Corvettes to cruise around 5000 miles a year and look cool in doesn't detract from the fact that it's actually a very capable sports car, and GM has marketed it and sold it as such from day one.

Jofu

You could extend that line of thinking, and say "GM should pay for accident repairs, because they put an airbag in the car. Seems pretty obvious that GM intended this to be run in the wall"

Similarly, many cars nowadays have tires rated above 150mph for up to 30 minutes or so. It unfortunately doesn't mean that the car company sanctions running at those speeds for any amount of time.

I do understand your thinking, as many things need to live up to their expected use. Like tools, for example. But unfortunately extending that concept to cars and/or other complex mechanical objects is unrealistic, because they incur wear and tear, whereas a wrench or screwdriver wouldn't.

Just my 2 cents!


Geoff

obzidian

Tough crowd!

Give me a minute....

EDIT:

How's this?

“The Z06 enables the driver to turn excellent track lap times, but it also is quick to learn and is very forgiving for its performance level,” said Hill. “We tested its capability around the world to ensure it will feel at home on any road or race track.”


I was shuffling through the zillions of articles I've saved and this came up in one of them.. it can be found here:

http://www.corvettemuseum.com/specs/2006/index.shtml

That article is loaded with suggestions and direct links that the Z06 is a road car that is capable of racing on a race track.

http://www.corvettemuseum.com/specs/...chnology.shtml

Tons of good quotes in that one as well....


I can keep going on and on but the fact of the matter is, like it or not, they sold the car as one that can handle a racetrack and drive to work without once mentioning "well, if you do go to the track, you're warranty is void though"

I'll keep searching as there is plenty of material on the subject.


And on TV commercials and cars.... just how many C6 Z06 commercials are there for TV anyways? Exactly! Not to many if any at all....

VetteVinnie

Not quite. A Safety Restraint System is also included with my Honda Accord, but there is absolutely nothing in that car that indicates "Track" or "Competitive".

Cloaked323

totally and anyone else believing otherwise is nothing more than a GM loyalist .

obzidian

I think the worst part is that this being the corvette forum, GM execs. do occasionally rummage around here and see/hear the complaints us little people express on here. However, they don't bother to deal with this "issue" directly or are directed not to specifically from someone farther up.

At the end of the day, us, the consumer, is still left in the dark on many issues and instead of thread rejoicing a solution we are still making threads hoping that someone will listen and address it.

...again, not going to happen. Unfortunately we would love to believe that the down-to-earth people, the engineers and/or those that can sympathize with "us" run the place but that is far from the truth.... and that is EXACTLY why we're still typing redundant info in threads such as this very one.

StreetSpeed

Yes well, now that Comrade Obama is running GM I doubt things will be getting much better as far as honoring the warranties of the non-proletariat vehicle of choice.

CodeBlack

how about our vendors on the forum who build engines for us to play with will they cover a blown engine

obzidian

Most warranties cover craftsmanship and/or faulty parts. With most warranties though go like this:

you race it, you break it, you fix it however, you'll get a much better response and honest (hopefully) communication with a vendor since we're all on the same level.... maybe even a small "helping hand" to keep the customer happy, even if the customer was responsible for toasting a motor.... seen it before.

Vette5.5

You're right about that as I'm hitting the rev limiter quite a bit in all the excitement. Suprising what just about any modern car will take, though. Our track club run's several group level's with just about anything you can name. Guy with a 150,000 mile 95' Chevy Caprice run's it flat out the whole time. The event organizer ran his Dodge Neon SRT every lap of the day, and the list goes on. A Vette better be able to take it. Lot more happen's on the track than powertrain, such as constant suspention/wheel bearing load's.

foremaw

No mass production car warranty covers track use, not Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, or any other. There is track insurance for that. You buy the car knowing that. The Z06 is a great track car but everyone who does it knows its "you play, you pay". To the OP I would say your Dad apparently knew that and moved on. Its not even your car and you've already said you'd never buy a Corvette, why are you here?

JohnTheStigGalt

There are many, many facts that weigh in favor of GM's continued contractual obligation despite their "attempt" to exempt themselves from it, several of them listed in this thread already.

Here's another:
If the Z06 wasn't meant to be used on the track, why did GM upgrade the dry-sump system in '09? The ONLY instances of failure as a result of oil starvation were on tracks, AFAIK. I know I could come up with many more if I thought about it or researched the issue more.

Your dad obviously didn't consult an attorney or aggressively pursue it up the GM corporate chain... If he had, I feel confident (as a lawyer) GM would have caved. They'd NEVER want to actually litigate the case. It'd turn into a nice little class action, and their chances of winning are not good.

foremaw

I don't think the issue ever was whether the Z06 is engineered for track use, it is. The issue is warranty. All manner of manufacturers make track ready cars, but they do not then agree to pay for everything and anything that might happen when you go to the track.

StreetSpeed

Track insurance for mechanical failures? Do tell. I know you can get it for collisions and what not, but I've never seen insurance against mechanical failures. And I'm not sure why you think one buys a Corvette knowing it's not going to be covered on the track. He didn't know, I didn't know, and all the marketing and sales pitch stuff from GM implies the exact opposite. Most of the guys on the track didn't know either. They all figured it'd be covered. I guess many of us out there are very much un-educated on the subject. Shoulda cracked open the warranty right at the track and reviewed it. But again, it only says "racing and other forms of competition..." so in this age of lawyers I would have assumed it was covered anyway, since it wasn't implicitly excluded in the warranty.

I've been here for awhile, asking questions and what not which is why I'm a member here. I've had much respect for the Corvette and what it can do from a cost/performance aspect. But after this, no, I will not be buying one.

I wish I could poll everyone in this thread and see who tracks their cars and who doesn't. I like that some absurd number of GT3 owners have tracked, or track their car regularly. I get the impression that number with Z06 owners is quite low.

JohnTheStigGalt

Perhaps, but if nothing else, the implied warranty of merchantability would preempt their vague "exclusion" attempt. This is wholly separate from any deceptive business practice claims.

BearZ06

First for the record I have been a loyal GM customer for over 30 years with well over 20 new vehicles purchases. Also there are no tracks near me and I have never and probably would never track my Z06 because I just don't care to do that. But this being said before I ordered my 08 Z06 for Museum Delivery I visited the plant and took the "public" group tour. Before the tour began we had to watch a video which covered a variety of subjects about Corvettes. The one thing that stuck in my mind was the Z06 being driven on a track by a professional driver touting all it's abilities for such, lightweight, handling, big brakes, power and dry sump oiling system. There were no other cars on the track and he WAS NOT racing but simply enjoying the abilities of the Z06. What would 99% of those watching this portion of the video conclude from this? GM tries to ride a very fine line in this area and some owners have paid the price. I'm betting that section is no longer included in the video. As stated I am a big GM buy at home fan BUT they have definitely misled us on this. No I don't believe anyone doing competitive drivng should be covered but neither do I agree with or understand all those defending GM's stance on this subject. Driving your car on a track for fun is not competitive or racing! It's sort of like giving a kid a box of matches then if he gets burned saying he should have known not to take them out of the box! I love my Z06!