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^^^ Yep, wonder if you could find it for a Nylon stocking?!........
I don't know how to characterize a cloth-like material. But I think that for that type of material, its probably not characterized in terms of "open area". Instead, it more like a "filter" material, like an air filter.
I can't even tell you what brand of grill guards I have, I installed them 19 months ago. I do know that all my radiator fins are straight with no bugs, and with 2 summers under it's belt, the hottest coolant temp I've seen is 205.
I do know they aren't SA.
I agree with @JerryU there won’t be problems using something else besides SA grill guards. My dealer - Rick Hendrick in Duluth, GA - installed my Paragons for me during PDI and that was before the SAs were on the market. No dealer that sells that many Corvettes - #7 in the world at the time - would install something on a Corvette that would void the warranty.
I agree with @JerryU there won’t be problems using something else besides SA grill guards. My dealer - Rick Hendrick in Duluth, GA - installed my Paragons for me during PDI and that was before the SAs were on the market. No dealer that sells that many Corvettes - #7 in the world at the time - would install something on a Corvette that would void the warranty.
Dealers will install aftermarket products on Corvettes. I had this done on my prior Corvette many times. Warranty claims are approved by GM, not the dealer, so you need to convince GM that the aftermarket product had no affect on your warranty claim.
In the case overheating C8 with non approved radiator grills, there could be an issue of coverage, not saying there will be. I just prefer not to have any issue, especially when I purchased an extended warranty and plan on keeping this car long term.
Paragon sells the grills on sale for $299, I purchase warranty approved SA's on sale for $320, no brainer.
Last edited by Mike's LS3; Nov 22, 2022 at 11:45 AM.
Dealers will install aftermarket products on Corvettes. I had this done on my prior Corvette many times. Warranty claims are approved by GM, not the dealer, so you need to convince GM that the aftermarket product had no affect on your warranty claim.
In the case overheating C8 with non approved radiator grills, there could be an issue of coverage, not saying there will be. I just prefer not to have any issue, especially when I purchased an extended warranty and plan on keeping this car long term.
Paragon sells the grills on sale for $299, I purchase warranty approved SA's on sale for $320, no brainer.
What you are saying is that a dealer that sells the 7th most Corvettes in the world would allow their service department to install something that might void the warranty without warning their customer. I’ve never heard of any dealer that would put themselves in that situation. Quite the opposite actually. I chose to pay for my first oil change at one year and 4200 miles. I told the Service Writer that I wanted my free oil change and DCT filter closer to 7500 miles since GM approved that to be completed within 24 months of the in service date. The Service Writer told me twice before I left to make sure that I came in before I passed 7500 miles.
Nobody said that the aftermarket grills will "void the warranty". What was said, by Tadge is that IF you install an aftermarket grill, and IF it causes overheating that leads to damage, its on you, not GM. This statement is actually true for any aftermarket device - and damage the results from an aftermarket product will not be covered by the warranty. The warranty is not "voided", its just a condition that is not covered by the warranty. It does not matter who installed it. That said, I understand fully the desire to avoid any possibility of a denied warranty claim by sticking with GM approved accessories. Even if a product may not have caused the damage, the dealer can say it did, and then its on you to contest that. By the way, even with the GM approved screen, its still on the owner to keep it clear of bug debris that could impede flow (and would anyway if it was on the condenser without the screen).
Nobody said that the aftermarket grills will "void the warranty". What was said, by Tadge is that IF you install an aftermarket grill, and IF it causes overheating that leads to damage, its on you, not GM. This statement is actually true for any aftermarket device - and damage the results from an aftermarket product will not be covered by the warranty. The warranty is not "voided", its just a condition that is not covered by the warranty. It does not matter who installed it. That said, I understand fully the desire to avoid any possibility of a denied warranty claim by sticking with GM approved accessories. Even if a product may not have caused the damage, the dealer can say it did, and then its on you to contest that. By the way, even with the GM approved screen, its still on the owner to keep it clear of bug debris that could impede flow (and would anyway if it was on the condenser without the screen).
Didn't Tadge say this long before Scrape Armor introduced their GM approved grill guards?
Didn't Tadge say this long before Scrape Armor introduced their GM approved grill guards?
Yes, absolutely - the statement applies to aftermarket screens, to be distinguished from the GM approved ones. In that same statement he said they were looking at options. The statement would still be true now for aftermarket products - in the same way - if it caused overheating the led to damage it would not be covered. But those terms are actually part of the existing warranty statement. It does not cover damage caused by installation of non-GM parts. See attached clip from the 2023 Warranty Manual. Some have been critical of Tadg's statement, saying its GM corpo-speak, but what else could he say? GM has no idea what kind of screens someone might choose to add - and I can think of at least one screen, no longer sold apparently, that did look like a thick screen mesh - that looked from photos like it would be pretty restrictive - even though some purchased and used it without incident.
Yes, absolutely - the statement applies to aftermarket screens, to be distinguished from the GM approved ones. In that same statement he said they were looking at options. The statement would still be true now for aftermarket products - in the same way - if it caused overheating the led to damage it would not be covered. But those terms are actually part of the existing warranty statement. It does not cover damage caused by installation of non-GM parts. See attached clip from the 2023 Warranty Manual. Some have been critical of Tadg's statement, saying its GM corpo-speak, but what else could he say? GM has no idea what kind of screens someone might choose to add - and I can think of at least one screen, no longer sold apparently, that did look like a thick screen mesh - that looked from photos like it would be pretty restrictive - even though some purchased and used it without incident.
OK.....I'll stop now. I have a hard time with the timing of his statement and the thought process that a dealer would install something that might void the GM warranty after my experiences with several different GM dealers.
What you are saying is that a dealer that sells the 7th most Corvettes in the world would allow their service department to install something that might void the warranty without warning their customer. I’ve never heard of any dealer that would put themselves in that situation. Quite the opposite actually. I chose to pay for my first oil change at one year and 4200 miles. I told the Service Writer that I wanted my free oil change and DCT filter closer to 7500 miles since GM approved that to be completed within 24 months of the in service date. The Service Writer told me twice before I left to make sure that I came in before I passed 7500 miles.
Yes, that is exactly the case.
Dealers are independent businesses, and they will, in many cases, install things requested by the customer, even if it is not a GM-approved part. It's a money-maker for them, and in the case of radiator guards, the likelihood of any of the non-GM approved guards causing overheating is very low. However, if a car does overheat, and it is equipped with the non-approved by GM guards, GM could deny the claim. If that were to happen, it would become a very interesting discussion between you and your dealer.
Warranties are almost never fully voided, but individual claims are if an owner or dealer at owner's request has made unapproved alterations that GM determines contributed to the problem.
I know for a fact that at least one of the top 3 Corvette sellers was installing guards that were not GM-approved before the Scrape Armor guards earned "genuine GM" approval. I'm sure they did so because they believed the probability of it causing any problem was very, very low.
However, it is important for customers to know that just because your dealer installs something does not mean that GM will stand behind it in the event of a warranty claim unless it is specifically approved by GM.
Dealers are independent businesses, and they will, in many cases, install things requested by the customer, even if it is not a GM-approved part. It's a money-maker for them, and in the case of radiator guards, the likelihood of any of the non-GM approved guards causing overheating is very low. However, if a car does overheat, and it is equipped with the non-approved by GM guards, GM could deny the claim. If that were to happen, it would become a very interesting discussion between you and your dealer.
Warranties are almost never fully voided, but individual claims are if an owner or dealer at owner's request has made unapproved alterations that GM determines contributed to the problem.
I know for a fact that at least one of the top 3 Corvette sellers was installing guards that were not GM-approved before the Scrape Armor guards earned "genuine GM" approval. I'm sure they did so because they believed the probability of it causing any problem was very, very low.
However, it is important for customers to know that just because your dealer installs something does not mean that GM will stand behind it in the event of a warranty claim unless it is specifically approved by GM.
I ordered the Scrape Armour thru GM because they were 20% off and offered free shipping to my local Alaska dealership in late November, dealership says they are back ordered with no information when they may be available. I won't need them until spring, with any luck they will show up around the time my Quick jack order arrives. Shopping online is interesting in Alaska; many vendors consider it a foreign country and demand shipping costs that represent profit margin for sure!
3. Home Depot aluminum screen door protector - $20. Can of black spray paint - $5.
Hmm, typical window screen has only 40 to 50% open area! Custom Car Grill offers two size openings, 77% and 81%. The GM approved mesh is closer to the larger and they don't mention % open area. Most of us have used the smaller opening with no coolant increase. Stops smaller bugs!
I and others bought their larger sheet powder coated Black. They sell the two large opening screens precut as well as he smaller exposed area in the center.
This is pic of member blaun's install. He had enough left to do both rear fender scoops. This is my How Te Install PDF with links to blaun's info on his install:http://netwelding.com/CF_Splitter.pdf
BTW my install and info is shown with many pics and has no ties showing.
I had the GM approved scrap armor screens installed at the museum. They look great and are worth the price.
Similar story here, I just wanted them on and with it in single digits here I just didn’t feel like doing it myself. Had MacMulkin put Scape Armors on during PDI.
I installed Scrape Armor and love them. Suggestion is to read the directions, watch the video and then combine the installation of both sides at once to save time and effort.
People can put on their own cars what they choose, if they like that look. I don't want to comment on the choices of others, but for me, I'll order Scrape Armor!
Yep, wonder if you could find it for a Nylon stocking?!........
