My First Vette

Wow! Where do I start? Well, I've always liked the Corvettes but never really thought of, or considered buying one. However, last summer something caught the corner of my eye as I was driving to the movies. It was a C7 Admiral Blue Z06 with black wheels sitting at the dealership aside other Corvettes. That Admiral Blue C7 absolutely caught my attention. Wow I said! I was not in the market to by ANY vehicle and simply looking to spend about $50 on movie night. Long story short, my wife and I discussed it and decided it was time for me to pull the trigger and get something that I would really enjoy. After the movie that night, I headed home and started to educate myself on the Stingray, Grand Sport & Z06. I knew nothing about them, but after considering everything...the GS met all my needs. I made up my mind to purchase the Admiral Blue GS with the black wheels! No other color combination would do for me. They're all beautiful cars in any color, but the blue with black was my cup of tea. After searching locally for a few weeks and working with dealers, no one within a reasonable commute had the combination I wanted. Surfing the net I came across MacMulkin Chevrolet who happened to have 3 of them on the lot. After a few calls, we drove 4 hours to take ownership of our brand new 2017 Admiral Blue with black wheel Grand Sport with automatic transmission Service at MacMulkin was PERFECT. Thank you! We were able to put about 3600 miles last summer before putting it away for the winter (no thanks to the northeast weather conditions).

Last Monday I took it out for only the second time after the hibernation. After a 20 minute drive the car just shut off on me as I was pulling into a department store parking lot. Vehicle was dead and would barely crank. After a few attempts the battery seemed to be completely depleted. Had it towed (felt like crying) and it's at the dealership now. Their original fix was to charge the battery and call it good. When they told me this over the phone I expressed my concern and asked if they checked the condition of the battery or the charging system. They decided to keep the vehicle over night and see if the battery would hold a charge. The next day it started up just fine for them and they took it for a test drive. After 3 miles, my beautiful blue machine shut off again and they had to have it towed to the shop again. I was told that they would be looking into the issue a bit further. I'm glad because originally it seemed as if they were content with giving me back my vehicle after only charging the battery.

Well, it's been a few days now and I just called to get an update. What I was told shocked me. They said that the technician discovered that there are cams in the engine that are causing the vehicle to stall out. I remained silent at this point,..long pause. Then I asked, what does this mean? The service rep said that they would have to remove my engine to perform the repairs........My heart sank! I've owned this beauty for only 8 months and put only about 3600 miles on it and it needs engine work???? I was so beside myself that I couldn't think of what to say. The service rep said they would call me on Monday to discuss a loaner vehicle. I'm pissed, confused, and depressed. Also concerned of issues after they reinstall the engine. Will they do a good job? Will they remember to reconnect every wire and install every bolt? I've dealt with all kinds of mechanics in the past to include "Certified Technicians." At the end of the day we are all human and people make mistakes. My concern is that I'll be the one to have to deal with all the headaches if things go wrong.

Any suggestions on how to deal with this?

red62vette

Mad Dog 98

Yes!! Tell them you want a ZR1 for a loaner!! Then tell them to take their time to do the job right!! Talk to the service manager to find out more about this cam issue. Make him tell you everything you need to know and your concernsuntil you are comfortable with what needs to be done. Tell him there had better not be a scratch on your car when you get it back.

sTz

Wow, that stinks... Certainly not a common issue as the LT1 is a solid engine. The good news is that it’s covered under warranty, and you still have two more years should any other related issues developed. GL

dvilin

I would also take pictures of the car in the service area. That way if there is any type of damage/scratches you will not get into the it was that way when you brought it in or we did not do it. Hopefully this will not be an issue but you never know.

My First Vette

Thanks all! It's just alarming to have to deal with this on a new vehicle. I plan on going to the shop first thing tomorrow morning to inquire on the planned repairs. Will keep you posted.

Grand Slam

I would also verify that they have Corvette certified staff to work on your car.

joemessman

First of all I understand how you feel. BAD! But with that said they don't need a Corvette certified mechanic to fix a cam issue. If they diagnosed that issue they have a good mechanic and you'll end up with a car motor as good as new. I know it is a disappointment. But at the end of the day you'll have a fully repaired car fixed on their dime. Inconvenience? Yes, but don't worry. All will turn out fine. Let us know the progress.

speedlink

koranke

What does this mean? How does a cam go bad?

dbirdhouse1

...once this vehicle you have invested time, money and emotion malfunctions it's a (minor) kick in the teeth and you wonder what's next;

a. It will be fine and worthy of your driving joy once again.

b. Continue to be polite with them as you will:

c. Ask for some "consideration" for the inconvenience and stress this has
caused. What I mean by consideration is the reasonable request that
they reward your patience and courtesy with say some free oil changes,
some sort of "bling" they might have, etc.

Good luck and it will just make getting back into her that much more fun (that sounded kind of kinky)

Frodo

I'll be interested in learning what the final repairs are. I'm having trouble seeing low battery and cam problem being related. I'm having more trouble seeing two unrelated problems occuring at the same time on a brand new car.

A good mechanic can probably fix most any problem but I'd still press hard to have only a certified Corvette mechanic do the work. There's a reason mechanics achieve certification for the Corvette.

Italianfox

I agree. Sounds like a bad battery or charging circuit to me. If the alternator is not putting out then the car will shut down after the battery is depleted. I don't at all understand the CAM thing.

PatternDayTrader

Yes please ask exactly how they arrived at this conclusion, because somthing is not making sense at all. I suppose it's possible there is a service bulletin. I would demand to see it if that's the case. It's also entirely possible the service advisor just dosent know how to explain this properly.

​​​​​​Frankly, to me, it sounds like a bad battery, or maybe a bad connection at the battery, and probably nothing else.

Glennm27

There is no need to remove the engine from the car to pull the cam. The entire front fascia needs to be removed but the engine can stay in place. I’d be very concerned if they were removing the engine (unless they are replacing it)

As someone else mentioned above, there’s a good chance your service guy isn’t explaining this to you correctly. It sounds like you have a charging system error.
If someone did actually mention “cam” to the service advisor maybe just a cam position sensor. That can shut the engine down.

One other note. If they for any reason pull the cam out of this engine demand that they replace the cam bearings before reinstalling.

vxplt

L1FRDOG

It doesn't make sense, but I would think we're not getting all information. Just because I'd listen to the story and say it sounds like a bad alternator doesn't make it so. You did fine describing the symptoms but we have no idea what was diagnosed or determined.

bankers1

In agreement here, a CAM problem ???? Makes no sense to me either. And yes if they want to R&R it take the front off and the Rad and do it that way.

SLOWRYDE

Ugh.. I can certainly empathize with you. I can only hope it's something simple like a camshaft position sensor that's malfunctioning and they swap it out for a new one and get you back in service ASAP! Keep us posted

Red C8 of Jax

Sounds like your car is going to be kept at the dealership for sometime; especially, if they are going to remove your engine. As already mentioned, when you leave your car at the dealership, take some photos of it with the service writer watching. The longer your car is kept at the dealership the greater chances it could be scratched/damaged. I had my torque converter replaced, rear end replaced and both of those projects required removing a lot of parts. All was done under warranty and I have had no problems since the repairs and my car runs great. Hang in there, you could have been out of warranty!!!