ColoradoGS

This is going to seem like a strange question but I realized I could use a little help in finding / talking to Corvette mechanics.

I bought my GS out of state and therefore can't go to the dealer I bought it from for oil changes and warranty work. I went to a dealer near me that sells Corvettes (not many, but a few) and it was kind of a shocking experience. First, I asked about checking the alignment since I had read that grand sports can sometimes come out of the factory with alignment needing adjusting. I was told they wouldn't check alignments on a C7 because they didn't have the right equipment. When I asked about an oil change we actually got into the "well the oil cap doesn't say Mobil 1 on it so we wouldn't put Mobil 1 in it" discussion.

So I tried a different dealer and realized that I didn't know how to approach the conversation. There are so many things I've read here and elsewhere to "make sure of" is that I feel like I came off as a uptight a$$hole. I asked about:
-- alignment checks (they have a machine that won't damage a C7, or so they claim)
-- Mobil 1 oil (they use Mobil 1, from "cans", but 5W-30)
-- Mobil 1 0W-40 ESP (they had never heard of it)
-- MRC software update (they had never heard of it)

After I left I realized I did not ask them about:
-- lifting the C7 correctly using pucks
-- do they follow the proper procedure for an oil change on a dry sump?

I have an oil change and alignment check scheduled for Monday but I'm having second thoughts now. There are so many horror stories out there and I don't want to have an oil change done only to find out they overfilled it by 2 quarts. Or they bent the frame lifting it improperly. They are researching the MRC update but I don't really feel comfortable being their first attempt.

So if you made it this far how do I go about peppering a mechanic with a list of questions that basically start "I heard on the internet that sometimes..." without it turning confrontational or insulting?

SRQStingray

If you have to drive to an hour to a dealer that knows Corvettes, it will be worth your while. I just had an oil change on my 2014 and they used 5W30. I said, hey, why didn't you use 0W40. They said a 14 doesn't need it. What? Same motor, right? Dealers won't necessarily go out of their way to help or satisfy you. To some dealers, you're just another Chevy owner.

Best thing to do is your own oil changes. I do my own most of the time except when I get too busy at work. My next oil change, I'll do with 0W40.

SilverGhost

Go to the regional discussion forum here and ask for recommendations for Chevy dealers in your area with corvette-trained technicians. Join the local corvette club and get their recommendations. I wouldn't want my car to be the donor for OJT at the local Chevy dealership.

Michael A

I wouldn't go to that dealer either. No use worrying about your car being taken care of properly. I like your idea of interviewing the dealers. I don't see any communication issue on your part. Once you find a good dealer, you'll be all set. Take your time.

Skid Row Joe

Most dealers, I'd surmise, do not want you wasting their technician's time. You are much more welcome to quiz your service writer. The service writer will act as the conduit to information about your car. In some auto dealerships, physical access isn't allowed to the service areas. Ask if your dealer has a shop foreman, if you want to talk shop. The shop foreman is the technician's go to in many cases. Were I a technician, I wouldn't waste my valuable earning hours instructing a retail customer. Same if I were service manager. It just wouldn't happen.


.

4thC4at60

5W-30 is not going to hurt your car - 0-40 Mobil 1 was not available in when your 2014 came off the assembly line....

Bill Dearborn

Are you talking to the Service Writer behind the desk or the mechanic in the shop? The Service Writer may be a nice guy but doesn't really know much about what is required. The dealership I go to has a great mechanic. When I took the 15 in for my first oil change the mechanic came out to talk to me. He said the Service Writer insists the car gets Dexos but I put Mobil 1 in it although Dexos is listed on the RO. He said I know what oil it is supposed to have. The fact you were told the dealership didn't have the correct tools is a step in the right direction. At least they know they don't have them and can't do the alignment. However, they can borrow the tools from GM.

Now for the other dealer that has a machine that won't damage a C7 the big question is whether or not they have the correct tools and it sounds like they don't. They have to read the C7 Service Manual to know which tools are required. If they didn't pull it up and look at it on the computer at their desk they don't know how to use the tools they have right in front of them.

There is a lot of confusion about the new oil and it isn't available at all dealerships. One of the first things you need to do if you want that oil in your car is make sure you have the correct oil fill cap that says Dexos2 ESP Mobil 1. The part number is available on the forum.

As for using the pucks to lift the car they can actually get away without using them on a C7. There is sufficient room around each of the lift points to permit the lift pad to contact the frame without damaging the rocker panel. The C5 model is the one that had the most problems with this since the lift pucks were required in the rear as there wasn't sufficient clearance in the rocker panel for a lift pad to fit without impacting the rocker.

Chevy dealers have been changing the oil in dry sump cars for 13 years now and most of them know about the two drain plugs although if they send the car to one of their oil change guys who happens to be a new employee that is when things go weird as they don't realize the engine has two drain plugs and assume it is like 99.9% of the cars they have already worked on. My dealer has the Corvette mechanic do the oil change. Over the years I have had the oil changed in two different dry sump cars at three dealerships across two states without any issues.

The mag ride calibration update will be strange to most dealerships and it took mine several days to find out what to do after I gave them the slip with the info. Then a couple of months later another forum member went there and asked for the update and the mechanic called me to get the paperwork again since they couldn't find a reference in their system. It is handled differently than the normal warranty update and that is where they founder as they are operating in unknown territory.

Bill

Frosty

I have a similar situation to yours.

Take a cruise out to the potential dealership(s) and ask to speak to the service manager or at least a senior service adviser that you can request. Be honest with your expectations and ask lots of questions. If you don't get the answers you want, then move on. Its your money and car. I did this and found a dealership I could trust for warranty work. It is about an hour away and I am willing to drive to it instead of going to my local dealership which is just around the corner. Peace of mind is worth the drive to me.

SRQStingray

I understand that, but why not use it now? Dealer acted as though 0W40 was only for later years.

4thC4at60

When was the last time you heard of an engine failure due to "weight of oil"...?

Heidemarie

Frosty said it wisely; we too drive 55 miles to our dealership instead of the local one. We checked out their Service Dept. and CERTIFIED Vette techs. to assure we got the proper expertise and handling of corvette maintenance/repair. IMO, it's more important to have a competent Service Dept. versus Sales. However, I must say we are lucky to also have a friendly and competent Sales Dept. at our Dealership in Melbourne.
Heidi
Save the Wave

ColoradoGS

Thanks for the advice, all. I've decided to cancel the appointment and start looking at dealers in Denver in the hopes they might see a Corvette more than once a year or so.

I still feel like I need a class in how to approach this situation. When you walk in to a dealer's service department you talk to the service manager behind the desk. I have not mastered the art of "Uh, can I interview your actual Corvette-trained mechanic to see if I feel comfortable? You see, I have this list of 20 questions I learned from reading stuff on the internet..." The typical response is "You read what where?" and then laughter.

As I widen the search I am also forced to do it by phone. It is not really feasible for me to take a day of work to drive around all of Colorado interviewing mechanics and then take another day to actually get the service done. I mean I suppose I could but it is also a source of frustration. It seems unreasonable to me that I'd have to drive 4-5 hours making a loop of potential dealers just to find a reliable one.

The disconnect between what you learn from here and general internet searching and what is actually known at dealers is staggering. So far, dealers I talk to are 50/50 on knowing the difference between Dexos spec and Mobil 1 specifically. The new 0W-40 ESP spec and/or that it is the new factory fill in 2019 cars is a complete mystery. That it is easy to overfill a dry sump system if you don't follow the right procedure is news to them. That checking and adjusting the alignment is different than any other Chevy is crazy talk. And if you say it is suggested by Tadge (who?) in a presentation at the Corvette Bash (what?) that is held at the Corvette Museum (there's a museum!? cool!) you come off like some crazy person.

JALLEN4

I think you are over thinking the interview process. You need to simply look at it the same way you would look at somebody interviewing you about whatever job you do because they read on the internet most people who do your job are incompetent.

ColoradoGS

Sorry but what do you mean by this exactly? Are you saying I should trust they are experts because they are mechanics and I am not? I shouldn't be asking so many questions? Or I should but I should ask them in a different way?

The problem is I am not a mechanic in real life so I when I ask them to check the alignment and they ask "why? it's a new car" I don't know what to say. Saying "I read on the Corvette forums that Grand Sports sometimes come out of the factory with a severe alignment that can cause tire wear." is not a good approach. I just don't know what the right approach is.

atljar

So, I've worked for over a decade on the service side as a writer and service manager (BMW), so my experience is from the other side of the desk

RARELY, does a customer come in and have a clue what they are talking about. I mean like less than 1 percent. Unless you are very educated in the subject of automobiles, reading anything on the internet and using it in a professional setting is a dangerous game that normally results in you being labeled a dumbass by the dealership and most of your concerns aren't taken seriously. So often I hear, I read that.... Or I heard that.... (fill in the blank). The vast majority of the time, the customers concern and the reality of the situation are at a massive disconnect.

In example... If you aren't a surgeon, would you read a bunch of medical journals about proper tumor removal, and then preach to the doctor about proper scaple technique prior to your operation? It's insulting to the doctor to even consider this an option

Here lies the problem, the majority of chevrolet dealerships are garbage. They aren't doctors they are GED med schoolers, but carry the attitude of a surgeon.
​​​​​
As already stated, you need to find the dealership where they actually are the experts so you don't have to worry about all the details of an area that isn't in your profession.

If I were in your shoes I simply would turn around the questions. Instead of saying, "do you have the rear caster gauge for the c7 and know how to use it" ... Ask... "What alignment angles are checked and set during c7 alignments?" Or ask, "what oil will you use" , instead of "you're going to use 0w40 dexos 2 mobile one for my car!" When you find the dealer that answers correctly, you have found a winner. Then don't bother them about every fine detail, they got it!
​​​​​​


​​​​​​
​​​​

​​​​

​​​​

Hoonose

Excellent!

As a doc stuck in a small town since '81, many of the local dealers and service crews have had to deal with me a long time. And many have been my patients. I almost always buy local. This forum in particular has provided me with C5,6 and 7 information that the dealers and service people don't yet have. After so many years they finally listen and write down. It typically takes 3 visits, but they are very courteous and give me rides back and forth.

Likewise many more patients these days are coming into my office with very valid opinions and information gleaned from the internet.

atljar

And with this I agree, the internet is a fantastic source of knowledge. I always would encourage people to learn more about the subject at hand. But in the end, when you walk into an office of someone like yourself who has 8(?) years of schooling and 35+ years of experience who is more likely to have the correct diagnosis?

The dealership issue he seems to be dealing with is he's walking into the office with someone who has lots of experience with Chevy 1500s but not corvette. Time for a specialist.
​​​​​

NoRuls

GM has a program where they train some techs to a standard called "GM World Class Technician". Call around your area to find a dealership who employs one. The one I go to is a Corvette specialist as well so I have confidence in him that I've never had in another mechanic. Call around it will be worth your time.

JALLEN4

There are tens of thousands of Corvettes sold yearly and that population produces millions of service events yearly. The vast majority of these repairs are done to the complete satisfaction of the owner by Chevrolet dealerships. Most any large dealer that you are going to find that stocks multiple Corvettes are going to have competent trained technicians. contrary to popular opinion.

Taking the alignment problem as an example, the service writer has to have a legitimate complaint to put on the repair order to get paid by Chevrolet. Saying that I read on the internet some cars have a problem is not going to work. Tire wear, pulling, and tracking problems are a legitimate complaint. Discussing the potential problem is certainly something to be done but a lack of knowledge on the service writers part does not mean they are incompetent. That is why they receive daily information from GM and have research materials available.

The BMW employee who tells you most Chevrolet stores are garbage...does not have a clue. I have owned both BMW and Chevrolet stores and seen more than most people. Most of both are good stores and yes there are a few incompetent ones of both. Those generally don't last long in today's market.

TXshaggy