View Poll Results: A8 Transmission, TC Failures / Non Failures
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 383. You may not vote on this poll
A8 Failures
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 101
Likes: 88
Oh man that has to suck knowing your beautiful GS is going to be dismantled like it will. What's the game plan going forward? Did they already take it apart somewhat to determine the failure or is it a drive test? Do you have confidence that the shop can get her back to perfect? ETA on when it will be done?
Believe it or not, the car is done. I'm still a little shocked. I dropped it off yesterday afternoon and they just called me and said it was done. Picking it up tomorrow morning since I have to work late today.
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 10,352
Likes: 9,631
From: Lawton, OK
C7 & C8 Events Correspondent
Tech Contributor
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St. Jude Donor '14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19
^^^ I'm glad they took care of it so quickly for you and hope all is well from here on out! 
Last edited by Steve Garrett; Jan 7, 2017 at 03:39 PM. Reason: No need to re-quote the previous post, especially if you're the next person posting.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 9,883
Likes: 518
From: Bergen County NJ
Have any of the well known performance shops commented on this?? ECS, Late Model Racecraft, Horsepower Addicts, Vengeance Racing, A&A? I am just curious on their stance on the A8. I really hate dealerships and would feel better having a shop that I trust and that has a good reputation take care of it for me. I know that's not an option for most because they have warranty and don't want to pay anything (and they shouldn't) but my car is modded and if anything starts happening with the A8 I would be at my performance shop before I take it to a dealer.
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: California
I was just going to note the same thing. I see a nice pattern here. The first year of the A8 (2015) appears to be where most of the problems were. It would seem that adjustments were made going forward and problems have dropped substantially. This doesn't lessen the pain of 16 & 17 owners that have had problems, but I think if you removed the 2015 issues from the list the numbers would be small and this would be a side note.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,654
Likes: 545
From: Chicago Burb
They spoke with GM about it and they were approved to get it done. Took it to Stingray Chevrolet in Plant City, FL where they service a ton of Corvettes. Apparently have the TC's in stock since they do so many of them.
Believe it or not, the car is done. I'm still a little shocked. I dropped it off yesterday afternoon and they just called me and said it was done. Picking it up tomorrow morning since I have to work late today.
Believe it or not, the car is done. I'm still a little shocked. I dropped it off yesterday afternoon and they just called me and said it was done. Picking it up tomorrow morning since I have to work late today.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 4,485
Likes: 1,028
From: MN
It will be interesting to see if the rates hold up. Perhaps, as mentioned, the 2015 improvement did help. I spent a little time digging thru the failures, and there were about as many at under 10K as over. So perhaps the reduced rate in 2016 will hold, as it might not be as mileage dependent as thought. Also, some of the 2016 cars were actually made in 2015, which confuses things a little more . . .
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Racer
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 498
Likes: 98
From: Vancouver BC
The delayed engagement and other transmission idiosyncrasies reported seem to come with mileage - but I don't perceive that is the case with the primary TC slippage/shuddering issue. Mine was a problem from the day I drove it home. I was told that the shuddering would probably correct itself as the clutch wore in - wishful thinking on the part of the service manager....
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,353
Likes: 779
^^^ Negative ghost rider.
I developed the delayed engagement and slam to D at around 1800 miles. I'm still under 5k miles and my TC is slipping badly at cruise speed.
I developed the delayed engagement and slam to D at around 1800 miles. I'm still under 5k miles and my TC is slipping badly at cruise speed.
Last edited by Steve Garrett; Jan 7, 2017 at 03:39 PM. Reason: No need to re-quote the previous post, especially if you're the next person posting.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 9,883
Likes: 518
From: Bergen County NJ
^^^^Boost if you ever needed a brand new A8 trans did you ever see how much the cost is for a new unit? Just curious.
Last edited by Steve Garrett; Jan 7, 2017 at 03:39 PM. Reason: No need to re-quote the previous post, especially if you're the next person posting.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,353
Likes: 779
No sir, but i know it's too much to stomach out of warranty.
I love this car, and the A8 is the only thing souring the deal and keeping me from holding on to it past powertrain.
It's not stopping me from modding, though.
I love this car, and the A8 is the only thing souring the deal and keeping me from holding on to it past powertrain.
It's not stopping me from modding, though.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 101
Likes: 88
That was a direct quote from the service manager.
Now in fairness, Stingray Chevrolet has quite the reputation for their service dept here in Central Florida so quite a few Vette owners go out of their way to get serviced there. So maybe they see more than their fair share of these failures compared to the average Chevy service department?
Now in fairness, Stingray Chevrolet has quite the reputation for their service dept here in Central Florida so quite a few Vette owners go out of their way to get serviced there. So maybe they see more than their fair share of these failures compared to the average Chevy service department?
Racer
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 498
Likes: 98
From: Vancouver BC
Glad I bought the extended warranty - plan to be into a new car before it expires...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 7,146
Likes: 1,940
From: Hagerstown MD
St. Jude Donor '15-'16,'18
^^^^
If you plan to keep the car past the OEM warranty, buy a GMEPP.
If you plan to keep the car past the OEM warranty, buy a GMEPP.
Last edited by Steve Garrett; Jan 7, 2017 at 03:40 PM. Reason: No need to re-quote the previous post, especially if you're the next person posting.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,711
Likes: 90
From: Hillsdale NJ
You are not the type of person I was referring to and obviously I would hope any Corvette owner that IS having problems would be taken care of and made whole. I could certainly understand the frustration from those that ARE having issues. However my point stands, if you simply go off all of the complaints and threads on this forum alone I would swear that basically all A8's are bad. The poll is showing just the opposite.
I do genuinly hope you get your issues sorted out
I do genuinly hope you get your issues sorted out
However, what's not covered here are people living with a badly behaving transmission and they are afraid to have a tech rip their car apart, or someone at a dealer that keeps telling them its normal, there's nothing they can do.
We also don't know how things behave over time. Is the failure baked in at manufacture time or does it increase over time and/or mileage.
In my case, my car started having trans issues at about 2000 miles, with it finally replaced at 24000 miles. Conversely, I had no problems with the torque converter until it outright failed at 20,000 miles.
So these issues are not one issue, but multiple issues with their own failure rates, so trying to track the combination of all of them is problematic.
The Consigliere
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 22,990
Likes: 6,034
From: 2023 Z06 & 2010 ZR1
I'm not bashing the C7 - in fact you'll look far and wide in an effort to find more of a Corvette homer than me, and you won't find him.
That said - these cars still being delivered with improperly filled rear differentials, and A8 transmissions that aren't ready for prime time, is simply inexcusable at this stage of the model's production run. It's not a great thing for a first model year - it's unacceptable at this stage of the model run (and ironically, the first model year A6 is robust).
I think the Corvette community will ultimately be fine - we are (most of us) hooked on these rigs. But I feel bad for those who have to go through this. And I feel even worse for those conquest buyers who bought a Corvette for the first time and are having to go through this. The rest of us have been around these cars long enough to know they are normally well built and pretty damned robust. What a way to lose future sales with the first time buyers (many of whom are young as well).
GM needs to get a handle on this, like yesterday.
That said - these cars still being delivered with improperly filled rear differentials, and A8 transmissions that aren't ready for prime time, is simply inexcusable at this stage of the model's production run. It's not a great thing for a first model year - it's unacceptable at this stage of the model run (and ironically, the first model year A6 is robust).
I think the Corvette community will ultimately be fine - we are (most of us) hooked on these rigs. But I feel bad for those who have to go through this. And I feel even worse for those conquest buyers who bought a Corvette for the first time and are having to go through this. The rest of us have been around these cars long enough to know they are normally well built and pretty damned robust. What a way to lose future sales with the first time buyers (many of whom are young as well).
GM needs to get a handle on this, like yesterday.
