Car died, your input please
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,269
Likes: 25
From: Simi Valley Ca
Hello, that is a timely post! After owning the car for a month and it being in the shop almost 3 weeks, my Dad drove it home yesterday. As far as the car is concerned, so far so good. I think we need to put some miles on it to be completely sure everything was buttoned up properly, but for now everything appears to be working properly. The dealer, County Chevrolet in Warrington, VA, has been great. Eric the service manger lead the whole process and communication was good.
My talks with GM continue. I want to get more miles on the car before I talk to them again and discuss what is fair for me and my Dad based on the situation.
Brian
My talks with GM continue. I want to get more miles on the car before I talk to them again and discuss what is fair for me and my Dad based on the situation.
Brian
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
I have a very good idea what caused the the engine to fail, I will post it up soon, but do not want to do that till my Dad and I have resolved this with GM completely. I hope you understand. I think posting the issue could be very beneficial to the board members.
Brian
Brian
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Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Jacksonville Florida BWO Dayton, Cincinnati, Bloomsbury NJ, Cincinnati
2015 C7 of the Year Finalist
Excellent. I keep very, VERY good records on these things for reference.
Elmer
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
About 80 miles on new engine, thanks to Eric and crew at Country for keeping us in the loop and advised. I'll keep a close eye on things and report any future issues here for all. Anybody seeing a CG Z51 with blk wheels and a Nevada license plate running around in Northern Va........ that would be me. Going up on Skyline next week, trying to add miles and get it sorted out. I have to figure out how to get photo posted and will do that asap.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,960
Likes: 1,106
Glad you have it back and Skyline is a great place to put some miles on it. I haven't been into the mountains since last August since our new German Shepherd pup has postponed most travel plans for awhile. I usually go hiking in the Smokies and Blue Ridge area several times a year but for now I am stuck in the very flat plains of central IL.
I look forward to learning more about the root cause of the failure if you find out in the future.
I look forward to learning more about the root cause of the failure if you find out in the future.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,249
Likes: 545
From: Land of the free, home of the brave...
Best of luck, and hopefully this means any and all bad luck is well behind you for the next thousand years or one million miles - whichever comes first!
Please keep us posted.
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
Neither the car or I will last that long, but thanks for the thought......
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
Just passed the 500 mile break-in, and finally able check out performance of the new engine. All seems well, just a little hesitant in the mid-range 3-4.5k rpm. Turn-off the sound management and now drive mostly in the manual mode.
Does anyone know how to defeat the switchover to 4cyl when in Sport mode, other than switch to manual shifting????? Interfers with my coffee drinking and eco mode is not what I have the car for. (Damn CAFE rules)
Does anyone know how to defeat the switchover to 4cyl when in Sport mode, other than switch to manual shifting????? Interfers with my coffee drinking and eco mode is not what I have the car for. (Damn CAFE rules)
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Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,269
Likes: 25
From: Simi Valley Ca
Just passed the 500 mile break-in, and finally able check out performance of the new engine. All seems well, just a little hesitant in the mid-range 3-4.5k rpm. Turn-off the sound management and now drive mostly in the manual mode.
Does anyone know how to defeat the switchover to 4cyl when in Sport mode, other than switch to manual shifting????? Interfers with my coffee drinking and eco mode is not what I have the car for. (Damn CAFE rules)
Does anyone know how to defeat the switchover to 4cyl when in Sport mode, other than switch to manual shifting????? Interfers with my coffee drinking and eco mode is not what I have the car for. (Damn CAFE rules)
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 211
From: Marana, Arizona
Just passed the 500 mile break-in, and finally able check out performance of the new engine. All seems well, just a little hesitant in the mid-range 3-4.5k rpm. Turn-off the sound management and now drive mostly in the manual mode.
Does anyone know how to defeat the switchover to 4cyl when in Sport mode, other than switch to manual shifting????? Interfers with my coffee drinking and eco mode is not what I have the car for. (Damn CAFE rules)
Does anyone know how to defeat the switchover to 4cyl when in Sport mode, other than switch to manual shifting????? Interfers with my coffee drinking and eco mode is not what I have the car for. (Damn CAFE rules)
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
OK, finally!!!! Sorry it took so long to give you an update. I truly wanted to give GM time to make things right, and today they did!! While the situation was very frustrating and I hope to never have to go through something like this again, GM did everything in their power to make it as easy and painless as possible. They have addressed my fear that the car was devalued significantly because of the repair by providing me with a 84 month/75,000 mile transferable Platinum Plan for the vette. When and if I sell the car the new owner can rest assured that the car is 100% and if they (or I) ever have problems, they/I will be covered and have no out of pocket expenses. They were also very generous in that I will be able to buy a few nice vette accessories on their dime.
I will probably never know what caused the engine failure with certainty, but the fact that a lot of attention was given to the torque tube leads be to believe that it failed because of the same torque tube problem others have had.
Every company will have its problems and mistakes, what sets them apart is how it handles those problems/mistakes. That said I based on this experience I would have no problem buying another GM car, and hoe to add another vette to the garage in the future.
I will probably never know what caused the engine failure with certainty, but the fact that a lot of attention was given to the torque tube leads be to believe that it failed because of the same torque tube problem others have had.
Every company will have its problems and mistakes, what sets them apart is how it handles those problems/mistakes. That said I based on this experience I would have no problem buying another GM car, and hoe to add another vette to the garage in the future.
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,960
Likes: 1,106
Excellent! I have had a couple of minor issues with GM vehicles over the years and they have always been more than fair. It sounds like you and your father used the proper approach which makes a positive outcome far easier and more likely than the rabid approach favored by some.
Happy trails
Happy trails
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,599
Likes: 22
From: Whittier CA
OK, finally!!!! Sorry it took so long to give you an update. I truly wanted to give GM time to make things right, and today they did!! While the situation was very frustrating and I hope to never have to go through something like this again, GM did everything in their power to make it as easy and painless as possible. They have addressed my fear that the car was devalued significantly because of the repair by providing me with a 84 month/75,000 mile transferable Platinum Plan for the vette. When and if I sell the car the new owner can rest assured that the car is 100% and if they (or I) ever have problems, they/I will be covered and have no out of pocket expenses. They were also very generous in that I will be able to buy a few nice vette accessories on their dime.
I will probably never know what caused the engine failure with certainty, but the fact that a lot of attention was given to the torque tube leads be to believe that it failed because of the same torque tube problem others have had.
Every company will have its problems and mistakes, what sets them apart is how it handles those problems/mistakes. That said I based on this experience I would have no problem buying another GM car, and hoe to add another vette to the garage in the future.
I will probably never know what caused the engine failure with certainty, but the fact that a lot of attention was given to the torque tube leads be to believe that it failed because of the same torque tube problem others have had.
Every company will have its problems and mistakes, what sets them apart is how it handles those problems/mistakes. That said I based on this experience I would have no problem buying another GM car, and hoe to add another vette to the garage in the future.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 988
Likes: 81
From: Danville California
Glad it worked out. I have a friend at the golf club with a new C7 who was experiencing major issues, and GM took care of him as well. All marques can have problems (witness the most recent Carrera GT3 catching fire issue, where Porsche instructed all owners to not drive their cars and have them towed to the dealerships), and like others said, it's how GM made things right that's important. To the OP - I wish you many year of trouble-free motoring .
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 41,732
Likes: 1,718
From: Springfield MO
Taking a shot here, I'm guessing that fuse is needed due to the rear location of the battery. Were the battery in the engine bay and have those short runs, there would not be a 350A fuse. I've used big fuses like that when I added amps in the rear of the car and had to run huge wires to the rear amp for power. I conclude that is the same thought to cover the long run to the front of the car.
Elmer
Elmer
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 10,961
Likes: 2,643
From: Texas Hill Country
Glad you are enjoying the car and that it's running well! The only way to bypass Eco mode in the automatic is with the paddles or with a tune. I'd advise against the tune as you will likely void your warranty. That said, the Diablo tuner doesn't leave a trace short of changing the flash counter. Should you have an engine problem you could revert back to the stock tune but if GM engineers decide to really look into the cars computer in the event of an engine malfunction, the flash counter would show additional flashes but would not show an aftermarket tune.
"let's see, we reprogrammed the ECU once, but the counter shows 5....are we stupid? nope."
Moderator emeritus
Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Jacksonville Florida BWO Dayton, Cincinnati, Bloomsbury NJ, Cincinnati
2015 C7 of the Year Finalist
Elmer