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* Didn’t buy from Hendrick - they were however going to sell me their warranty 3/36k
($100 deductible) but required a vehicle inspection to offer it …. That’s how the issue was found
* It is a dry sump engine
I have been so excited with my purchase 2 weeks ago and decided to get a “Complete Coverage Package” from Hendrick Chevrolet. They wanted to do a 200 point inspection prior to signing off and they came back with a “ kick in the privates” finding.
The aluminum block at the rear of the motor is completely cracked. It’s only a matter of time before the oil starts leaking so they wrote a ticket for a new long block $14,500 installed.
The store I bought it from says I don’t have any warranty with them but they are trying to help me with replacement cost. If they replace the motor then it will show up in CARFAX and then not be a numbers matching car.
YIKES!!! I assume you didn't have a pre-inspection before you purchased it? You might want to consider a low mileage used replacement rather than what is probably a new block from a Chevy dealer. It all depends on how much the "store" you bought it from is "helping with replacement costs". I'm sure there are some reputable salvage yards in NC and Forum members can give you some good leads.
Not being numbers matching is the last thing you should be concerned about.
Numbers matching is something collectors of rare and limited production cars get excited about. Sorry but your '14 Vette is not even close to that category.
Good luck, keep us posted....
Why not do what everyone else does when they find a significant issue and sell it to Carvana, and be "that" guy who passes their problems on to someone else.
Or just drive it until it does leak and then deal with it. Who knows how long it has been that way or how long it will last.
The latest, dealership where I purchased the car said they would
A) “try” to get the motor covered at their Chevy store
B) since the did and advertised a 200 point inspection and sold it as a certified pre owned vehicle they “were obligated to sell me a bumper to bumper extended warranty “ and for me to just drive the car “as is” and when/if it starts leaking take it to the shop for repair under warranty. Like Maria (my wife) said “ if you buy the warranty who is to say they won’t cover it at that time
C) He would do a buy back but “he couldn’t pay me what I paid for it”
The latest, dealership where I purchased the car said they would
A) “try” to get the motor covered at their Chevy store
B) since the did and advertised a 200 point inspection and sold it as a certified pre owned vehicle they “were obligated to sell me a bumper to bumper extended warranty “ and for me to just drive the car “as is” and when/if it starts leaking take it to the shop for repair under warranty. Like Maria (my wife) said “ if you buy the warranty who is to say they won’t cover it at that time
C) He would do a buy back but “he couldn’t pay me what I paid for it”
Sorry for the long post but I am intrigued at such a strange failure. Maybe the wrong oil pan bolt was used at some point (too large of diameter, cross threaded or maybe over torqued) or a blemish in the metallurgy of the block. Wonder if that bolt matches the others on the oil pan in terms of markings? But it got me thinking - how bad is it and how bad can it get since the dealer kind of painted a dooms day scenario of it? Is it worth letting your dream car go for what is an imperfection that hasn't and might never present an issue?
I did some research to better understand the potential implications of this and wanted to share what I found. There is quite a lot of solid material in the area where the crack ends at the bolt and between the internal walls of your block. It's highly unlikely a crack would continue into the main section of the engine unless there was a catastrophic contributing factor at which point you'd have larger issues and could use a warranty. In all likelihood if the the crack were to continue, it would probably travel the path of least resistance outward toward the thin area of the block (bolt hole) and go no further. Here is that area shown on a bare block where you can see the differences in material thickness:
With regard to the oil pan and having a proper seal so it wouldn't leak, there is another mounting bolt in very close proximity to the one with the crack. If torqued and sealed properly as it appears to be now, there should be no issue with enough uniform pressure to retain the seal of the pan satisfactorily. Here is an image of the bolts of the wet sump pan in that area:
The mental aspect of this is probably the worst thing. On one hand you have a known defect at 19K miles with no oil currently leaking or any signs it has been during its life - looks very clean. On the other hand, you have no idea about the condition of the thousands of other parts and systems you can't see and could worry about if you knew. But I totally get how it could be a disappointment and distraction for you knowing it's there. When something like that happens to me, I try to research the reality of the situation and compare reality to "what ifs".
And FWIW, my engine was replaced by the previous owner under warranty at a Chevrolet dealer at 28K miles. While I knew about it, it was NOT listed on the CARFAX report as it apparently didn't classify in one of their categories that include: total loss, structural damage, airbag deployment, odometer rollback or other accidents / damage. So I'm not sure you'd have to worry about that unless you wouldn't want to disclose that to a future owner for some reason.
When I bought the car on 4/5 the only warranty being offered by them was something by Triton Complete Care.
Aftermarket company two I contacted would make the above warranties pricing of 3/36k ($100 deductible) for $2500
Third company Hendrick group would go to $2600 but was the closest to a factory warranty but they required a 200 point inspection which is when they found the crack and denied me coverage.
When I bought the car on 4/5 the only warranty being offered by them was something by Triton Complete Care.
Aftermarket company two I contacted would make the above warranties pricing of 3/36k ($100 deductible) for $2500
Third company Hendrick group would go to $2600 but was the closest to a factory warranty but they required a 200 point inspection which is when they found the crack and denied me coverage.
B) since the did and advertised a 200 point inspection and sold it as a certified pre owned vehicle they “were obligated to sell me a bumper to bumper extended warranty “ and for me to just drive the car “as is” and when/if it starts leaking take it to the shop for repair under warranty. Like Maria (my wife) said “ if you buy the warranty who is to say they won’t cover it at that time
C) He would do a buy back but “he couldn’t pay me what I paid for it”
I'm confused - you bought it as a CPO with a warranty, but you're also shopping for a different warranty?
Your has a good point, I'd ask for a written assurance that they'll fix it if it leaks, irrespective of warranty. Then you'll only have to fight with the dealership, not an insurance company.
Regarding 'C' you'd also be out sales tax and registration.
But the REAL question is, what is your best alternative to a negotiated agreement? In other words, what can you do if they say "sorry, it's yours now". Do you have a legal leg to stand on? Is your best bet to hope for some sort of goodwill effort on the dealership's side or do you have a bigger stick to swing around?
Well the saga continues but it is about to wrap up. They agreed to buy the car back for what I paid minus fees and taxes and dealer add-ons which is close to $3k.
OR
they want to sell me a 2019 Z-51 3LT with 14k miles for $68k or mine and $20k more.
Well the saga continues but it is about to wrap up. They agreed to buy the car back for what I paid minus fees and taxes and dealer add-ons which is close to $3k.
OR
they want to sell me a 2019 Z-51 3LT with 14k miles for $68k or mine and $20k more.
Sue then and get all of your money back plus legal fees. You can get a nice GS for that kind of money. I've got a nice 18K mile, garage kept, 14' Z51 vert that you can have for only $52K including the platinum warranty that I have on it.
Well the saga continues but it is about to wrap up. They agreed to buy the car back for what I paid minus fees and taxes and dealer add-ons which is close to $3k.
OR
they want to sell me a 2019 Z-51 3LT with 14k miles for $68k or mine and $20k more.
Are you able to get a refund on the taxes in this sort of situation?
2014 Cracked block
For the enormous cost involved, I would leave it alone until it proves to be an actual problem. From what I can see, it might never be. JMHO
