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I just purchased a 2016 Stingray convertible. While cleaning the engine compartment over the weekend I discovered a significant amount of rust on the headers. Not good in my opinion. Took it to the dealer this morning to get the complaint officially filed. The Service Manager took pictures and is elevating it to GM. Has anyone else experienced this rust??
I thought they were stainless steel or is that only on the Z06? Like this.
I know the heat shield is in the way but you can still see the manifold. That's not rust, that is the discoloration from the heat. Car is almost a year old and has 9k+ miles and is in the PNW so if they were going to rust they should have done so by the time I took them off last month.
Just went out & looked at my '14 Stingray, 22k+ miles, yep rusted. Guess that might be my next project install the stainless steel ones from my Z06 onto the Stingray.
Don't worry about the rust. It's merely a surface issue and it will not affect your vehicle's performance whatsoever. If you're concerned about rust, take the manifolds off and get them ceramic coated. Problem solved!
Remember, you bought an affordable sports car. Not an exotic hypercar worth well in excess of $100,000.
Last edited by NinjamanZ51; Jun 14, 2016 at 10:28 PM.
I just purchased a 2016 Stingray convertible. While cleaning the engine compartment over the weekend I discovered a significant amount of rust on the headers. Not good in my opinion. Took it to the dealer this morning to get the complaint officially filed. The Service Manager took pictures and is elevating it to GM. Has anyone else experienced this rust??
Yep, they are cast iron, it rusts quickly. Have a partial fix, one I used on my mufflers 2 1/2 years ago and so far have not had to use again! If you haven't bent down and looked carefully - the 409 stainless aluminized mufflers rust around the welds, where weld spatter stuck and where the heat from joining the exhaust pipes burned off the aluminum coating! If that "rust" on the exhaust manifold bothers you, you'll really be unhappy about the mufflers! If not now, waite a few months! This is a PDF of what I used to turn the rust a black/blue. Not a perfect solution but costs under $10, does not require removing anything and can be done in 15 minutes! http://netwelding.com/Muffler_Rust.pdf
First saw the muffler "rust" on IVERS at Laguna Seca in August 2013! It had been reported on this forum even before the first production, which is why looked at the ~15 IVERS that were at the vintage races. I ordered my C7 very early it was built in September 2013.
The reason for the muffler rust is outlined in the PDF. One of my engineers had patents on a flux cored welding wire for 409 stainless in the mid '70's! It does rust but has a minimum amount of Chrome and no Nickle compared to the more expensive 304 stainless.
I tried this solution on the cast iron exhaust, it helped a bit but not nearly as effective.
Yep, they are cast iron. Have a partial fix, one I used on my mufflers 2 1/2 years ago and so far have not had to use again! If you haven't bent down and looked carefully - the 409 stainless aluminized mufflers rust around the welds, where weld spatter stuck and where the heat from joining the exhaust pipes burned off the aluminum coating! If that "rust" on the exhaust manifold bothers you, you'll really be unhappy about the mufflers! This is a PDF of what I used to turn the rust a black/blue. Not a perfect solution but costs under $10, does not require removing anything and can be done in 15 minutes! http://netwelding.com/Muffler_Rust.pdf
First saw the "rust" on IVERS at Laguna Seca in August 2013! It had been reported on this forum even before the first production, which is why looked at the ~15 IVERS that were at the vintage races. I ordered very early and got an September 2013 built C7.
The reason for the muffler rust is outlined in the PDF. One of my engineers had patents on a flux cored welding wire for 409 stainless in the mid '70's! It does rust but has a minimum amount of Chrome and no Nickle compared to the more expensive 304 stainless.
I tried this solution on the cast iron exhaust, it helped a bit but not nearly as effective.
Coatings and processes cost money ($1 per car is a lot of money when you build thousands/millions of cars). Parts that are highly visible will get e-coated or painted to prevent cosmetic corrosion because customers honestly think it's a problem. However if a part is hidden from view, it will be allowed to cosmetically corrode.
I've seen a steering gear after a 500 hour salt spray test. Now that has some serious corrosion, this other stuff that people think is rust is laughable.
Coatings and processes cost money ($1 per car is a lot of money when you build thousands/millions of cars). Parts that are highly visible will get e-coated or painted to prevent cosmetic corrosion because customers honestly think it's a problem. However if a part is hidden from view, it will be allowed to cosmetically corrode.
I've seen a steering gear after a 500 hour salt spray test. Now that has some serious corrosion, this other stuff that people think is rust is laughable.
The solution for the manifold and mufflers is not easily solved with coatings or paint. Switching to a high Chrome and Nickle stainless would cost much more than a few dollars! My Street Rod has Borla 3 inch diameter 304 stainless exhaust pipes and mufflers. They don't rust but unless you want to continually polish them, after 15 years they also have some discoloration!
PS: I'd like to be at GM when they get the pics of the rust from the OP Dealer's Service Manager! Their reply will be interesting, i.e. "Yep, cast iron rusts and at exhaust temps, quickly!"
I bet Chevy service managers cringe when a Corvette pulls into the driveway.
But not nearly as much as the tire dealer that I use when I go to have a flat repaired. They have a fixed price (higher for low profile wide tires, but fixed.) I was there recently and the fellow doing the repair (only 2 of their ~20 techs who they let do low profile, run flats even with their touchless tire machine) was really upset when I told him I was planning to buy a GS with 335-25-20 inch diameter rear wheels! Told him he'd get an even bigger tip than usual!
Rusted headers
This is a PDF of what I used to turn the rust a black/blue. Not a perfect solution but costs under $10, does not require removing anything and can be done in 15 minutes! 
The solution for the manifold and mufflers is not easily solved with coatings or paint. Switching to a high Chrome and Nickle stainless would cost much more than a few dollars! My Street Rod has Borla 3 inch diameter 304 stainless exhaust pipes and mufflers. They don't rust but unless you want to continually polish them, after 15 years they also have some discoloration!
