C7 One Year Report Card
05-30-2018, 09:02 PM
#1
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St. Jude Donor '13
C7 One Year Report Card
Some of you C6 folks may recall that each year I would post a report card on how our car was doing. Generally, they were not happy threads- we loved that car but it was problematic from day one and continued right up until we traded it at 8 yrs/102k miles. Even with the extended warranty, the frequent problems turned it into a real PITA.
So in May of 2017, we went looking at new C7's. My wife was skeptical until we saw one in Long Beach Red. She dragged me off into a corner and said "If they make you a good deal on this one, buy it today!" Not wanting to disappoint her, I did.
Just like our three previous modern Corvettes, this one is a Z51 Coupe, red, automatic, with a good (2LT here) option package. NAV, Mag Ride, PDR, transparent top, suede seats.
After all the problems with our previous Corvettes, It was a real leap of faith for me to buy this one. So far, it's worked well. With 15,141 miles at the end of the first year there was a mild brake pulsation quickly fixed by the dealer under warranty, and an occasional buzz from the passenger sidewall that we haven't bothered to track down yet. We "made money" with the extended warranty on our three previous Corvettes, I bought one for this car just before 10k miles and hope to not need it.
As for the C6-C7 differences, it's definitely better but still a mixed bag-
The steering is marvelously quick and precise, I keep it set on Medium effort.
Cornering is excellent and nearly neutral regardless of speed and G. I've only done one autocross and the Fellows school, but I'm impressed.
In Tour, the ride is not noticeably better than our 2009 Z51 that had slightly softer (Bilstein HD) shocks, and the C7 difference between Tour and Sport is less than I expected, even on the bombed out roads of the Midwest. I know that Mag Ride is much more than stiff-soft, but still hoped for softer in Tour than what we are getting. The Mag Ride update for the 2017 Z51 has not been released yet.
The LT1 engine makes a lot of mechanical noise but the power and torque are outstanding. I never thought I'd like any engine more than our LS3, but this one hits the jackpot.
The A8 has performed well, light throttle or full blast. The slight tach wavering in V4 mode looks strange but I don't feel or hear it and it's not increasing. I don't feel a need to defeat the AFM.
The tranny gives an occasional slightly rough shift, especially when cold; which is exactly like every other automatic I've owned over the last 50 years.
I keep the instruments in Sport, so the dash and the HUD look similar. I like how the tach throws a momentarily blue line at upshift rpm.
Pocket gauges set for oil pressure and oil temp. Would be nice if the tranny temp was easy to find like in the C6, instead of having to go into a different menu while driving.
The mechanical speedometer on the left side is the most useless waste of space I've ever seen. Thinking of covering it with a pic of my wife and kids.
The backup camera and front parking cameras are important, they should have been installed decades ago but better late than never.
The dash readout for the tranny mode and gear is excellent.
The interior looks more upscale, though I don't really care. The seats are both more comfortable and much more supportive when cornering than the C5-C6.
The suede seating really helps when cornering, but I don't care about the suede tranny selector and sun visors. The suede steering wheel with its lumps feels I'm fondling a small rodent while driving.
So overall, we really like the car.
But it has a surprisingly long list of "What the F--- Were They Thinking?" items, stuff that was done nicely on the C6 or other cars but now is a PITA on the C7:
The "bigger on the outside but smaller on the inside, and heavier" motif does not impress, that's not what I want from a sports car. We fit just fine but several C6 owners tried our car and gave up.
Yes, you can adjust the seats more than some people realize.
No, it's not enough regardless of what the specs say.
I've installed the "saddle bags" from our C6 behind the seats to hold maps, etc; but the lack of room renders them barely useable.
The two piece cargo shade looks like a berserk origami project and the front piece interferes with luggage, I leave it out.
Visibility is less out the windshield and side windows; and absolutely horrid to the rear/sides. I've read all the threads about adjusting the mirrors and have been doing that for decades, that helps but with smaller cars or ones not exactly in the adjacent lane, there are dangerous blind spots. We also use the car for looong road trips, the restricted visibility is a buzzkill out in the mountains, like touring in a tank.
There's no emergency pull cord for the fuel door, I carry the stuff to pop the door off but shouldn't need to.
The two-finger-only door handle is absurd, and the fingerprint-prone door closing is almost as bad. I've learned to use the metal latch on the rear of the door to swing it closed outside, but shouldn't need to.
The new GPS is nice except that the little arrow representing our car is surrounded by a dark gray circle that obscures anything close by. And the map scale appears for 5 seconds when you change scale, and then disappears. Unbelievable.
The little compass has disappeared, replaced by letters like N, NW, etc. The quick switch between North Up and Course Up by tapping the compass, is gone, you can scroll through different modes but slightly more complicated. And when you increase the scale beyond a certain point, the display goes to North Up whether you like it or not.
You must hold the Memory buttons until everything is in the proper location, instead of just tapping (while stopped in Park) on our C6.
The "Greeting" in the DIC is gone and my wife is really pissed, also gone is Memory for the HUD, climate, etc.
The user interface with the various menus in the screen reminds me of an overcaffinated iPhone junkie- "Let's pile all sorts of features in there that most people won't use and interfere with features that people do use. Just because we can."
The steering wheel has more buttons than a tailor shop, Dave Hill must have had a cow when he saw it. I suspect he was the last person at GM who knew how to design a user-friendly interior for a sports car.
The cruise control is "lazy". On the C6, it was very positive without being abrupt. On the C7, it has that "when I get around to it" attitude. Every time we start up a slight hill on the Interstate, our C7 slows down by 1-3 mph while all the other cars around us hold their same speed and get annoyed at the C7 who can't.
So, we would buy another C7 tomorrow if this one got stolen, but I still grind my teeth about some of the user-unfriendly features and ergonomics.
BTW, we got an extra set of wheels and A/S3+ runflats. Though not a track tire, they perform nicely in both warm or cold weather, we used them for a long trip to the SW this winter but didn't get to try them in snow. But not any better, IMO, for noise and stiffness than the factory PSS. For those thinking of switching to A/S year-around, the lower cost and longer life on the A/S would combine to cut your cost-per-mile about in half, compared to the PSS. Me, I prefer the PSS in summer and the AS3+ in Fall-Winter.
So in May of 2017, we went looking at new C7's. My wife was skeptical until we saw one in Long Beach Red. She dragged me off into a corner and said "If they make you a good deal on this one, buy it today!" Not wanting to disappoint her, I did.
Just like our three previous modern Corvettes, this one is a Z51 Coupe, red, automatic, with a good (2LT here) option package. NAV, Mag Ride, PDR, transparent top, suede seats.
After all the problems with our previous Corvettes, It was a real leap of faith for me to buy this one. So far, it's worked well. With 15,141 miles at the end of the first year there was a mild brake pulsation quickly fixed by the dealer under warranty, and an occasional buzz from the passenger sidewall that we haven't bothered to track down yet. We "made money" with the extended warranty on our three previous Corvettes, I bought one for this car just before 10k miles and hope to not need it.
As for the C6-C7 differences, it's definitely better but still a mixed bag-
The steering is marvelously quick and precise, I keep it set on Medium effort.
Cornering is excellent and nearly neutral regardless of speed and G. I've only done one autocross and the Fellows school, but I'm impressed.
In Tour, the ride is not noticeably better than our 2009 Z51 that had slightly softer (Bilstein HD) shocks, and the C7 difference between Tour and Sport is less than I expected, even on the bombed out roads of the Midwest. I know that Mag Ride is much more than stiff-soft, but still hoped for softer in Tour than what we are getting. The Mag Ride update for the 2017 Z51 has not been released yet.
The LT1 engine makes a lot of mechanical noise but the power and torque are outstanding. I never thought I'd like any engine more than our LS3, but this one hits the jackpot.
The A8 has performed well, light throttle or full blast. The slight tach wavering in V4 mode looks strange but I don't feel or hear it and it's not increasing. I don't feel a need to defeat the AFM.
The tranny gives an occasional slightly rough shift, especially when cold; which is exactly like every other automatic I've owned over the last 50 years.
I keep the instruments in Sport, so the dash and the HUD look similar. I like how the tach throws a momentarily blue line at upshift rpm.
Pocket gauges set for oil pressure and oil temp. Would be nice if the tranny temp was easy to find like in the C6, instead of having to go into a different menu while driving.
The mechanical speedometer on the left side is the most useless waste of space I've ever seen. Thinking of covering it with a pic of my wife and kids.
The backup camera and front parking cameras are important, they should have been installed decades ago but better late than never.
The dash readout for the tranny mode and gear is excellent.
The interior looks more upscale, though I don't really care. The seats are both more comfortable and much more supportive when cornering than the C5-C6.
The suede seating really helps when cornering, but I don't care about the suede tranny selector and sun visors. The suede steering wheel with its lumps feels I'm fondling a small rodent while driving.
So overall, we really like the car.
But it has a surprisingly long list of "What the F--- Were They Thinking?" items, stuff that was done nicely on the C6 or other cars but now is a PITA on the C7:
The "bigger on the outside but smaller on the inside, and heavier" motif does not impress, that's not what I want from a sports car. We fit just fine but several C6 owners tried our car and gave up.
Yes, you can adjust the seats more than some people realize.
No, it's not enough regardless of what the specs say.
I've installed the "saddle bags" from our C6 behind the seats to hold maps, etc; but the lack of room renders them barely useable.
The two piece cargo shade looks like a berserk origami project and the front piece interferes with luggage, I leave it out.
Visibility is less out the windshield and side windows; and absolutely horrid to the rear/sides. I've read all the threads about adjusting the mirrors and have been doing that for decades, that helps but with smaller cars or ones not exactly in the adjacent lane, there are dangerous blind spots. We also use the car for looong road trips, the restricted visibility is a buzzkill out in the mountains, like touring in a tank.
There's no emergency pull cord for the fuel door, I carry the stuff to pop the door off but shouldn't need to.
The two-finger-only door handle is absurd, and the fingerprint-prone door closing is almost as bad. I've learned to use the metal latch on the rear of the door to swing it closed outside, but shouldn't need to.
The new GPS is nice except that the little arrow representing our car is surrounded by a dark gray circle that obscures anything close by. And the map scale appears for 5 seconds when you change scale, and then disappears. Unbelievable.
The little compass has disappeared, replaced by letters like N, NW, etc. The quick switch between North Up and Course Up by tapping the compass, is gone, you can scroll through different modes but slightly more complicated. And when you increase the scale beyond a certain point, the display goes to North Up whether you like it or not.
You must hold the Memory buttons until everything is in the proper location, instead of just tapping (while stopped in Park) on our C6.
The "Greeting" in the DIC is gone and my wife is really pissed, also gone is Memory for the HUD, climate, etc.
The user interface with the various menus in the screen reminds me of an overcaffinated iPhone junkie- "Let's pile all sorts of features in there that most people won't use and interfere with features that people do use. Just because we can."
The steering wheel has more buttons than a tailor shop, Dave Hill must have had a cow when he saw it. I suspect he was the last person at GM who knew how to design a user-friendly interior for a sports car.
The cruise control is "lazy". On the C6, it was very positive without being abrupt. On the C7, it has that "when I get around to it" attitude. Every time we start up a slight hill on the Interstate, our C7 slows down by 1-3 mph while all the other cars around us hold their same speed and get annoyed at the C7 who can't.
So, we would buy another C7 tomorrow if this one got stolen, but I still grind my teeth about some of the user-unfriendly features and ergonomics.
BTW, we got an extra set of wheels and A/S3+ runflats. Though not a track tire, they perform nicely in both warm or cold weather, we used them for a long trip to the SW this winter but didn't get to try them in snow. But not any better, IMO, for noise and stiffness than the factory PSS. For those thinking of switching to A/S year-around, the lower cost and longer life on the A/S would combine to cut your cost-per-mile about in half, compared to the PSS. Me, I prefer the PSS in summer and the AS3+ in Fall-Winter.
Last edited by Gearhead Jim; 05-31-2018 at 06:13 PM.
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05-30-2018, 09:22 PM
#2
Melting Slicks
The mechanical speedometer on the left side is the most useless waste of space I've ever seen. Thinking of covering it with a pic of my wife and kids.
So overall, we really like the car.
But it has a surprisingly long list of "What the F--- Were They Thinking?" items, stuff that was done nicely on the C6 or other cars but now is a PITA on the C7:
The "bigger on the outside but smaller on the inside, and heavier" motif does not impress, that's not what I want from a sports car. We fit just fine but several C6 owners tried our car and gave up.
Yes, you can adjust the seats more than some people realize.
No, it's not enough regardless of what the specs say.
Visibility is less out the windshield and side windows; and absolutely horrid to the rear/sides. I've read all the threads about adjusting the mirrors and have been doing that for decades, that helps but with smaller cars or ones not exactly in the adjacent lane, there are dangerous blind spots.
So overall, we really like the car.
But it has a surprisingly long list of "What the F--- Were They Thinking?" items, stuff that was done nicely on the C6 or other cars but now is a PITA on the C7:
The "bigger on the outside but smaller on the inside, and heavier" motif does not impress, that's not what I want from a sports car. We fit just fine but several C6 owners tried our car and gave up.
Yes, you can adjust the seats more than some people realize.
No, it's not enough regardless of what the specs say.
Visibility is less out the windshield and side windows; and absolutely horrid to the rear/sides. I've read all the threads about adjusting the mirrors and have been doing that for decades, that helps but with smaller cars or ones not exactly in the adjacent lane, there are dangerous blind spots.
They got the speedo right by going to digital on the C4, I believe it was, and then pulled back when reviewers said that they didn't want digital. I've had digital plus analog speedos on my last four or five cars, and the analog is just a waste of space and far harder to read quickly than digital.
I think the cure to the rear and rear-side visibility problem is the digital rear view mirror used on some Cadillacs showing a pillar-free view from a rear camera.
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edved (05-31-2018)
05-31-2018, 08:16 AM
#4
Le Mans Master
Couldn't agree more about the analog speedometer. The numbers are too close together to get an accurate reading at a glance. I very rarely look at it.
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Skid Row Joe (05-31-2018)
05-31-2018, 08:37 AM
#5
Le Mans Master
Nice review.
Just for yuks I set up a display without the mph reading forcing me to look at the speedometer and it suddenly became a relevant instrument-like it was always there
Just for yuks I set up a display without the mph reading forcing me to look at the speedometer and it suddenly became a relevant instrument-like it was always there
05-31-2018, 10:11 AM
#9
Race Director
Good to hear you're having better luck with your C7 reliability than your C6! I'm approaching the 6 month mark with mine and have 4100 miles on it and so far it's been 100% perfect! I don't have a single issue with it. Heck, I don't even have a stone chip or a scratch on it yet, the new paint is strong 
05-31-2018, 10:39 AM
#10
Le Mans Master
Pro Mechanic
Good to hear you're having better luck with your C7 reliability than your C6! I'm approaching the 6 month mark with mine and have 4100 miles on it and so far it's been 100% perfect! I don't have a single issue with it. Heck, I don't even have a stone chip or a scratch on it yet, the new paint is strong
05-31-2018, 10:42 AM
#11
Safety Car
Member Since: Jan 2014
Location: Walhalla South Carolina
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I am at 16 months and 4,400 miles. No issues as of yet and hope it stays that way. I too think the inside roominess could be better, my C5 had a lot more room. I just purchased the Range device to defeat the AFM system from v4-v8. If I like it I will keep it but if not just unplug it. Cheers gentlemen
05-31-2018, 11:38 AM
#13
Le Mans Master
Plus I loved watching how fast the needle moves-ps moderator- how come I am now able to hit reply to a previous post of mine-I thought that could not be done.
Last edited by Corgidog1; 05-31-2018 at 11:42 AM.
05-31-2018, 12:07 PM
#14
Race Director
05-31-2018, 12:39 PM
#15
Thanks for the insightful write-up.
The speedometer on the left side of the instrument panel in my C7, never gets looked at either. A big waste of valuable space could better be used there for other vehicle functions.
The speedometer on the left side of the instrument panel in my C7, never gets looked at either. A big waste of valuable space could better be used there for other vehicle functions.
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Dcregar (05-31-2018)
05-31-2018, 01:25 PM
#17
Melting Slicks
A few thoughts here. Well, more than a few.
Mine's a '17 GS w/o suede and an M7. My first C7 was an A8 and I won't comment about that here, but will say that my decision to buy my current car is largely based on that.
The GS has been little short of flawless. A minor paint chip near the left headlight (bumper/fender junction), a common issue, was touched up acceptably with some minor prep and a small drop or two of touch-up paint. The dash juncture with the door was a bit off so I inserted a small plastic shim on the dash side and it now lines up. The CTek battery maintainer had a bad male connector which was fixed by CTek at no charge. That's my trouble report after 15 months, so I'm happy.
Ride and handling are stellar, even better since having the MRSC upgrade done a couple of weeks ago. If your car is a mid-'18 build or later you may already have it, but if not it's worth the $350 price tag, IMO.
Engine: Flawless in execution and feel.
A8: I don't want to discuss it.
M7: Heaven on wheels.
Keep and eye on the tach wavering and watch for any shuddering at cruising speeds in V4. If yours is an '18 you may be okay with the TC issues. If the rough shifts get worse have the dealer do a reset on adaptive learning, as that may help. Crap, I said I wouldn't discuss it.
You can set up Tranny Temp as a pocket gauge, but temp on either the A8 or M7 have never changed much, so I use Volts and Oil Temp.
I like analog gauges but like many never use the speedo. Digital is fine for speed, IMO.
Never really noticed the interior/exterior size differences compared to my C6, but I'm smallish (5' 10" @ 170#) and have little trouble with ingress, egress, or comfort while sitting, even on a long haul.
Visibility at the rear corners can be really bad at times, occasionally harrowing when merging. When possible I consciously position the car to increase visibility beforehand.
Regarding the absence of a fuel-door lanyard, some have used a scrivet to block the hole and I may do that just for the peace of mind. Never had a problem with jamming on either C7 or the C6.
Unlike many others I have no complaints about the GPS yet, but I'm not a heavy user.
My HUD and dash layout always revert to the position when shut down. Dash layout and HUD are set to Sport in all Driving Modes in Settings. I also have Exhaust in Sport and Steering in Track at all times. Rev Match on the M7 and seat heating and cooling all revert to off each time and that's a minor irritant. I can adjust.
I live in S. LA and drive the car year-round. The PSS tires loose traction as temps decrease, but when it gets <40° in the daytime (rare) I usually just take the truck.
Mine's a '17 GS w/o suede and an M7. My first C7 was an A8 and I won't comment about that here, but will say that my decision to buy my current car is largely based on that.
The GS has been little short of flawless. A minor paint chip near the left headlight (bumper/fender junction), a common issue, was touched up acceptably with some minor prep and a small drop or two of touch-up paint. The dash juncture with the door was a bit off so I inserted a small plastic shim on the dash side and it now lines up. The CTek battery maintainer had a bad male connector which was fixed by CTek at no charge. That's my trouble report after 15 months, so I'm happy.
Ride and handling are stellar, even better since having the MRSC upgrade done a couple of weeks ago. If your car is a mid-'18 build or later you may already have it, but if not it's worth the $350 price tag, IMO.
Engine: Flawless in execution and feel.
A8: I don't want to discuss it.
M7: Heaven on wheels.
Keep and eye on the tach wavering and watch for any shuddering at cruising speeds in V4. If yours is an '18 you may be okay with the TC issues. If the rough shifts get worse have the dealer do a reset on adaptive learning, as that may help. Crap, I said I wouldn't discuss it.
You can set up Tranny Temp as a pocket gauge, but temp on either the A8 or M7 have never changed much, so I use Volts and Oil Temp.
I like analog gauges but like many never use the speedo. Digital is fine for speed, IMO.
Never really noticed the interior/exterior size differences compared to my C6, but I'm smallish (5' 10" @ 170#) and have little trouble with ingress, egress, or comfort while sitting, even on a long haul.
Visibility at the rear corners can be really bad at times, occasionally harrowing when merging. When possible I consciously position the car to increase visibility beforehand.
Regarding the absence of a fuel-door lanyard, some have used a scrivet to block the hole and I may do that just for the peace of mind. Never had a problem with jamming on either C7 or the C6.
Unlike many others I have no complaints about the GPS yet, but I'm not a heavy user.
My HUD and dash layout always revert to the position when shut down. Dash layout and HUD are set to Sport in all Driving Modes in Settings. I also have Exhaust in Sport and Steering in Track at all times. Rev Match on the M7 and seat heating and cooling all revert to off each time and that's a minor irritant. I can adjust.
I live in S. LA and drive the car year-round. The PSS tires loose traction as temps decrease, but when it gets <40° in the daytime (rare) I usually just take the truck.
Last edited by iclick; 05-31-2018 at 01:34 PM.
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edved (05-31-2018)
05-31-2018, 02:03 PM
#18
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St. Jude Donor '13
Ours is different, seems to happen when driving straight on certain types of pavement. My wife says it seems to be coming from the seat belt opening above her right shoulder.
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patentcad (05-31-2018)
05-31-2018, 05:29 PM
#20
Race Director
