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MAN! Yesterday was quite a day! A long, toiling day...
<snip>
We're about to head over to Corvette World in a little bit. Once I'm there I'm going to ask that the remaining 3 wheels be taken off and inspected, afterwards I'm going to inspect it for myself, as well.
Maybe even guilt them into giving me a free oil change? After all I just lost 3 days of time, 3 days of food and lodging and put an extra 1,000+ miles on the vette because of negligence on their part for not properly inspecting the car
On that note, I'd like to know what you guys would do in terms of reparations; would you be ok with just getting a new, working wheel after all of this when it's something it should've had to begin with?
Wow! First, glad you made it back to Houston, and second, glad they are making good.
For me, yes it sucks that you lost days and added miles, but as long as they make good on the wheels and inspect thoroughly for other damage, not much else is needed... yes maybe an oil change since you put some miles on, but make sure they do it right! LOL
Since you are so far away from them, not a whole lot else they can do than what they have on hand ... maybe if they have a nice shirt for you and the wife? Jacket perhaps?
now, you can get on the journey and enjoy the ride! Might want to head up to old route 66 and see some of those sights?
Here's a couple photos of the trip back to Houston
ah, these must have been when you aired the tire up every 100 miles! LOL
and I see the oh so familiar "wife waiting in the passenger seat while I take pictures" ... been there many times!
Once again: Thank you everybody for all of your support.
Being a part of this community has always been a big deal to me and this is a perfect example of why that is. Ya'll had my back
Originally Posted by Marcho Polo
ah, these must have been when you aired the tire up every 100 miles! LOL
and I see the oh so familiar "wife waiting in the passenger seat while I take pictures" ... been there many times!
Hahaha yes indeed. I just love pulling over on the side of the road and taking pictures of my car during long roadtrips. Even when I'm driving my Honda Odyssey I like to do this so In a Corvette with a serene sunset in the background it was a no brainer!
Also yes on the air pumping. Notice how there's no shots of the right rear corner or the car??
Last edited by Steve Garrett; 01-26-2019 at 02:17 PM.
Reason: Merged Posts-Please use the Multi Quote icon (in the lower right hand corner of each post) to make your responses look like this.
MAN! Yesterday was quite a day! A long, toiling day...
So after I posted my most recent comment, I decided to take matters into my own hands after unsuccessfully following up on all my leads except House of Wheels Bob.
I had decided to take the wheel off and blast it with parts cleaner in the tub of my hotel room and then rinse it off with water so it can be cleaned and prepped for JB weld.
That's where things took an interesting turn:
I think I overdid it a little on the downsizing of the photos this time- whoops.
It may be a little hard to see, but if you look closely at the second photo, you'll see there was a second shooter on the grassy knoll
and what do we have between those two cracks? a black paint marker left by whoever inspected the wheel after it was damaged.
When the wheel was removed the first time it was dirty and dark and nobody noticed the second crack because it wasnt leaking air
After cleaning it and putting the right type of light on it, it's beyond a reasonable doubt at this point that the damage was caused by someone else prior to my purchasing of the vehicle. So I did what anyone would do in this situation: I got mad as hell and (politely) demanded answers from Corvette World.
Within 5 minutes I got a response from my salesperson that they will cover the cost of a new wheel for me, and that in the meantime they'll send out a regular z06 wheel so I can continue my journey.
Unfortunately that's going to tack on more days to what is already a dragged-out process, so rather than sitting on my hands in Fort Stockton, I aired that tire up to 52psi and began driving it back to Houston for the wheel
About an hour into the journey I get a call from Corvette World telling me that they had somehow sourced the exact yellow lipped wheel I needed and that they'll replace it for me as soon as I get in.
The 530 mile drive took 9 and a half hours, stopping every 100 miles or so to air it back up from 30 to 53psi. So about 4-5 stops.
By the time we got back to Houston and checked in I could barely keep my eyes open, otherwise I would've gotten on my computer and updated you guys
Lastly, I just want to say thanks to everyone for your kind words, well wishes and invaluable information.
We're about to head over to Corvette World in a little bit. Once I'm there I'm going to ask that the remaining 3 wheels be taken off and inspected, afterwards I'm going to inspect it for myself, as well.
Maybe even guilt them into giving me a free oil change? After all I just lost 3 days of time, 3 days of food and lodging and put an extra 1,000+ miles on the vette because of negligence on their part for not properly inspecting the car
On that note, I'd like to know what you guys would do in terms of reparations; would you be ok with just getting a new, working wheel after all of this when it's something it should've had to begin with?
Here's a suggestion: Since they are now risking some bad press on the forum, they'd be real smart if they ponied up and covered some or all of your delay expenses and turn this into a good ad for them. There's no way that they properly inspected those wheels before it was sold to you...could be an honest oversight but it could also be that they knew about it and that would be bad.
After all, with the number of cars they sell, a few hundred dollars to make you happy will be a lot less that the probable loss of a few future sales. Undoubtedly, there's at least 5 guys who will not buy a car from them based on your experience but if they make you whole they might even gain some new sales by it. I'd go directly to the General Manager and in a gentlemanly way point that out to him. If he's a smart businessman he'll do it. If he won't, he's a dumb one and then he will definitely lose future sales to some folks on the forum.
I had a similar experience with Buyavette in Atlanta. I wasn't happy with an issue on a 2004 I bought from them. They took it back two week's later, without hesitation. were exceedingly apologetic and made me a great deal on another car. No arguments, no excuses...they just did the right thing even though it's likely they had no knowledge of the problem the car had. Smart businessmen...
I have a feeling they won't give you much in the way of monetary compensation. I'd try to get some accessories like a car battery charger, car cover, outerwear, something like that. I'd definitely raise a stink though. That's some shady ****
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17,'22-'23
What a pia for you, glad your getting the problem resolved but as with most things like this it never should have happened. Resolve to do a "total reset" so you can enjoy the trip home and forget that last few days!
Glad you got things taken care of. About 10 years ago, I bought a 2005 C6 from Corvettes of Dallas (now corvette world dallas) and the radiator support was broken. I noticed this after I had driven over 800 miles back home. They did replace it, but the hassle and worry really wasn't worth it. Get a car cover, black lug nuts, polo shirt, cap - whatever you can from them. You really went out of your way to fix their mistake, they should go out of their way and more to make it right.
I’m at the dealership now. I spoke with the staff and they agreed to do an oil change at cost, citing that they were already replacing the wheel for me- which to me is funny because that’s something they should’ve had right in the first place
Don't know if this has been mentioned, but hopefully they check all the wheels for cracks just in case. Also have them check fluids since you have a long trip back.
while they check the other wheels, check underneath for any other damage to body panels, etc.
Once this is all done and you are back on the road, like someone else mentioned... 'reset' and have fun and put this behind you. There are going to be a lot of fun miles ahead!
Also, check air pressures later as they will usually be a little high after mounting a tire.
Not sure I would’ve driven 9 hours back in opposite direction (not including stops) without compensation promised by management in writing - but that’s me.
Plus, wasn’t it an anniversary or something? I showed my wife your story (we’re from the Bay Area and slightly older than you at 40 and had tenth recently) and I’d be down a sizable piece of diamond jewelry by now.
I just checked the undercarriage and the other 3 wheels with my own eyes. Everything looks good
Originally Posted by Parcival
Glad they’re going to make good on a wheel.
Not sure I would’ve driven 9 hours back in opposite direction (not including stops) without compensation promised by management in writing - but that’s me.
Plus, wasn’t it an anniversary or something? I showed my wife your story (we’re from the Bay Area and slightly older than you at 40 and had tenth recently) and I’d be down a sizable piece of diamond jewelry by now.
have fun now!
our anniversary was on the 23rd of this month. The problem occurred the day after so luckily it didn’t ruin our time in that regard. They originally offered to ship the wheel out to me wherever I was but I decided I didn’t want to wait that long. It was going to be Tuesday at the earliest and I would have to source my own shop. I felt it was better to just bite the bullet and suck it up. I spent most of my life being reluctant on doing things for the sake of saving money; nowadays I just do what needs to be done and focus the time I save on making more money
Last edited by Steve Garrett; 01-26-2019 at 02:18 PM.
Reason: Merged Posts-Please use the Multi Quote icon (in the lower right hand corner of each post) to make your responses look like this.
I’m at the dealership now. I spoke with the staff and they agreed to do an oil change at cost, citing that they were already replacing the wheel for me- which to me is funny because that’s something they should’ve had right in the first place
Wow, what an ordeal. You're a patient person. At least Corvette World is trying to make it right but like you said they shouldn't have ever sold the car to you with cracked wheels. We figured yesterday that they sold it to you that way because there was no way it cracked in the few miles you put on it between Houston & Ft. Stockton. I hope you don't have any further issues on your long journey home.
I have to know one thing, what does your spouse think about all of this? You said yesterday she already doesn't like the Vette and/or riding in it. I hope this hasn't added to her dislike of the car.
Wow!!! What an adventure. I'm glad there making it right for you and I hope your journey home is a safe and AWESOME ride. Good Luck and I agree with Steven Bell about the free oil change.
. . . About an hour into the journey I get a call from Corvette World telling me that they had somehow sourced the exact yellow lipped wheel I needed and that they'll replace it for me as soon as I get in. . . .
Just happened to have been able to "source"onematching wheel, with a yellow stripe, no less? I smell a rat.
My guess is that they discovered that cracked wheel before you bought the car, ordered the wheel and then forgot to install it. The worst part of this is that the error more than likely came to light after you called the dealer with your complaint. They probably didn't bother to inform you of their mistake lest you, not ask, but demand restitution for all of your expenses in addition to the nerve wracking experience.
Just my opinion.
Montana Bob
Last edited by MontanaBob; 01-26-2019 at 07:08 PM.
01-26-2019, 11:47 AM
