Hi All,

I'm about a month away from taking delivery of my '07 Cpe, VR, 2LT, Z51 and R8C! This will be my first Vette- Very exciting! No worries, I won't forget to

It's about 830 miles from Bowling Green to my house. I have heard of the idea of changing the fluids after the break-in period is over. Is this a good idea? I tend to think it is-- with anything that requires a break-in. What all fluids need to be changed/flushed? How much can I expect to pay for this at a reputable shop?

Thanks-

 

Many people think this is a good idea, although it certainly isn't necessary. Mostly the idea is to remove contaminants that might have gotten in there or fallen off the new pieces. Your choice as to what fluids to change and when.

I did mine at 3K miles: engine, transmission and differential oils. There probably wasn't any point in doing the transmission, but the engine oil was fairly dirty as was the differential lube.

Of course this gets into the question of what to use, a subject that's been quite well discussed here.

Mobil 1 is the general favorite for engine oil, although Redline, Royal Purple and Amsoil all have their proponents.

You don't mention if you're getting an automagic or manual transmission, but a number of forum members have reported good results with Royal Purple Sychromax in the manual transmission.

The differential is the most variable; some members have reported them being grabby, and required different fluids or different amounts of the limited-slip additive in order to get them to feel right.

No special flush is required, just drain the old stuff and put in the new. There are a couple warnings, especially related to the Z51 manual transmission cooler and the rear end. You'll need to fill the transmission, run it a bit, then top off in order to make sure the cooler is filled. And for the rear end you need to drive several slow figure-eights after changing in order to get the new lubricant worked into the limited-slip clutches.

As far as cost, Redline offers a kit (check their web site) for (as I recall) $130. This is toward the high side, the Redline products are not cheap. Then there's whatever you pay to have it put in - maybe an hour's labor. Personally, I follow the "if you want it done right, do it yourself" school. There is quite a bit info about how to do this on the forum.

The other fluids to keep an eye on are brake and clutch fluid - I (and many forum members) like to change brake fluid once a year, although there's probably no point in doing so on a new car. Many owners have had clutch fluid contamination or overheating issues, there are a number of threads here about that. If you're getting a manual transmission I'd recommend changing clutch fluid several times over the first few months - its quite easy to do. Search for posts by Ranger about his turkey-baster method.

And above all, enjoy the new ride!