Guys, you want to hear about quality, read this! I purchased a brand new yellow 2006 Z06 on the last of October, after waiting patiently for a few months. Note that I owned a '01 Z06 which I kept for 2 years and recently returned a '03 911 Turbo off of a lease and purchased the new Z06, thus to amazement of some of my friends went back to a Corvette after having a Porsche.
About 2 months ago after not using the Z06 for about 10 days, my Z06 woudln't start. I called roadside & received a boost. A similar situation happened 2 weeks ago, but this time after 4 or 5 days of not being used... Obviously a problem, so I made an appointment with my local dealer to check into the problem. This was this past Friday 1/27/06. Otherwise the car seemed to operate normally.
The dealership checked the battery and told me it was fine, but when they were about to return the car to have me go on my way, the car didn't start! They obviously kept the car and later in the afternoon informed me that it was a defective starter... It happens, right, no big deal. They would overnight the part and fix it on Monday 1/30/06... No problem...
Monday comes and I have a very unpleasant conversation with the dealership (who by the way are very professional) and I'm informed that when they car was lifted to install the starter... they discover a CRACKED lower ENGINE BLOCK!!!! They immediately tell me that they will swap in a new engine! The car is 3 months old with 1,300 miles on it, so you see the problem! I'm demaning a new car, NOT a repair!
Mind you, I have a number of friends who own dealership and know numerous mechanics! I speak with all of them that same day on Monday. ALL state the same. The only way this could have happened is that the engine was overtorqued on the installation, thus cracking the engine block! This car was delivered to me defective and quality control (what an oxymoron) at Chevrolet didn't catch the problem! Fine, things happen... but Chevy, you made the mistake, rectify it and give me a new car!!!
I call Chevrolet customer support, and get a very polite, non-comittal run-around. When I ask the lady who is a manager to let me speak with someone above her, she states that she will not as per her "guidelines." Coincidentally, that dealership where my car was being fixed had a visit from a Chevy field rep. and this issue was immediately brought to his attention. He obviously okays the engine swap under warranty, but when informed that the customer wants the car replaced, refuses it.
I immediately file a Better Business Beureau complaint, and receive a phone call from a GM's customer relations manager on Tuesday morning, who is apparently above the customer support manager with whom I spoke earlier... He is told all the facts and promises to get back to me on Tuesday 2/06/06.
I want the car replaced & my issues with the repairs are the following:
a.) Obviously the Z06 is a very high performance automobile, the dealer admits to me they have never did this job on this car, I'm afraid the reliability & performance of my car will be affected in either the short term or the long term. Nothing against the dealership, but they have specialists at the factory hand building & installing these engines, and now this job will not be done in the factory? P.S., I would feel the same had they told me that car would go back to the factory for the repair job as my confidence & security in this car is totally gone.
b.) A simple carfax will reveal that this car has a new engine, thus substantially affecting the value of the automobile. Again, Chevy delivered a defective car, they need to do right by their customer and replace it.
c.) We all know that owning a Corvette is an emotional decision, and surely the way I feel about this car has been substantially affected in a negative way. I still want to have a Z06, but this car is obviously not the one I will keep.
Finally, I feel betrayed by Chevy's immediate reaction to my situation. The company (GM)is having a lot of problems as we all know. I feel that we, as Corvette owners, are the backbone customers and need to be heard and I think Chevy/GM is very dangerously undermining the core customer base with these type of actions. I see myself and others like myself as GM's #1 customers. Not only do I own their HALO car which states to the world, take a look and notice, the Z06 is what GM is all about, but I'm also a repeat customer having previously owned another Z06! I still have hope that Chevy/GM will do the right thing and replace the car without any further action by me... I'm still waiting... But I'm prepared to take all steps necessary, including legal ones... P.S. I am an attorney.
All contributions & opinions would be highly appreciated. Anyone else ever have similar issues? Any ideas in dealing with this situation? Needless to say, I'm extremely distressed by this situation!
P.S.
Yesterday I spoke with a customer relations manager from GM who told me that they would not be giving me a new car. I'm not giving up, so stay tuned.
I am sorry for your problem, but I disagree that you get a new car.
1. I don't think carfax shows engine replacements
2. Replacement motor will have minimal if no effect on resale
3. Installing a motor is not rocket science
don't think I'd expect new car. I'd probably be OK w/new engine and free extended warranty and maybe a discount coupon on my next corvette. They make a lot of cars and this is bound to happen (unfortunately) albeit rarely. Don't think you're any more immune with BMW's or Porsches etc. Got a buddy w/relatively new 911 and its got a main seal leak already which is a pretty big repair bill. I don't think a new engine will impact your resale much if at all (especially if you can swing an extended warranty which is transferable).
Tony,
I would have to agree with you. I don't know about Carfax, but I know you can go to any Chevy dealer....give them a V.I.N. number and they can tell you what repairs were made on that car. Not good for resale IMO. I would have to fight this as well.
Tony,
I would have to agree with you. I don't know about Carfax, but I know you can go to any Chevy dealer....give them a V.I.N. number and they can tell you what repairs were made on that car. Not good for resale IMO. I would have to fight this as well.
Jack
I agree!
But let me start in. This is NOT your car. If you just purchased this car new and had this problem you would NOT want it either!
I know the out-come of this one. Tony will have to sell the car, lose money, trade-in it, and buy another one. If he stills wants another C6z06!
GM will NOT give him another car or his money back. It's a fight he will lose. Time, money, pissed off. I've been there. 2005C6 coupe with a crank pulley issue, paint issues... long list. GM said no, dealership said, "want to buy another one?" I did. Traded it in on a 2005 'vert. Lost about $12K on the trade in after 2000km. GM nothing. Smook -$12K and bought another vette. Then, the transmission fails at about 1500km on the 'vert. Gm nothing. Replaces NOT the car but the transmission. NOT buying a new C6 again. Sell the car privately, (dealer, doesn't want it this time, no trade in ??). Smook -20K. Final score GM up $$$$ Smook down -$32K.
Smook happy to get rid of the C6, had 2004 Z06 in storage. Now the 2004 is my final ride with GM.
Tony, take my advice, get the car fixed, dump it. Cause I know you will NOT have the same feeling for the car after the fight, the $$$ spent, the time lost. It will NOT feel the same.
Fight GM, but I think it's over. You are right to demand a new car. But, this is GM vs you. Case closed.
-Bill.
I agree!
But let me start in. This is NOT your car. If you just purchased this car new and had this problem you would NOT want it either!
I know the out-come of this one. Tony will have to sell the car, lose money, trade-in it, and buy another one. If he stills wants another C6z06!
GM will NOT give him another car or his money back. It's a fight he will lose. Time, money, pissed off. I've been there. 2005C6 coupe with a crank pulley issue, paint issues... long list. GM said no, dealership said, "want to buy another one?" I did. Traded it in on a 2005 'vert. Lost about $12K on the trade in after 2000km. GM nothing. Smook -$12K and bought another vette. Then, the transmission fails at about 1500km on the 'vert. Gm nothing. Replaces NOT the car but the transmission. NOT buying a new C6 again. Sell the car privately, (dealer, doesn't want it this time, no trade in ??). Smook -20K. Final score GM up $$$$ Smook down -$32K.
Smook happy to get rid of the C6, had 2004 Z06 in storage. Now the 2004 is my final ride with GM.
Tony, take my advice, get the car fixed, dump it. Cause I know you will NOT have the same feeling for the car after the fight, the $$$ spent, the time lost. It will NOT feel the same.
Fight GM, but I think it's over. You are right to demand a new car. But, this is GM vs you. Case closed.
-Bill.
I WISH YOU THE BEST.
Man I feel you anger, but let me tell you another story.
I spun the bearings on my 2002 C5Z @ 4000 miles (high Gs, oil starvation). Brought it in and they did not offer me a motor but rebuilt it. Done in 5 days. Ran better (1/4 mile) than before. Traded into the same dealer that rebuilt it on a new MY/TR 2004 Z and $12500 many miles afterword. Absolutely no trade difference.
This stuff just isn't that complicated. I would ask for an extended warranty or what ever you can get, but a new car no.
My father was in the same situation. He purchased a 2003 Jeep liberty and after 800 miles and a few weeks the engine spun a bearing. The dealership offered to install a new engine, but my father refused. He too, wanted a new car. The only difference with this story is he got it. After an hour on the phone with Chrysler, he convinced them to OK the swap. Needless to say; after 12,000 miles with the new Jeep, he had a similar problem and traded it in for an SLT Yukon. I feel your pain....... GM sucks when it comes to their warranty. At around 8k miles I had warped brake rotors on my Denali and the cure was to cut them rather than replace them. My response was that the "fix" just made the rotors thinner and more susceptible to reoccurrence. I am 31 years old and have many more years of car purchasing a head.......... I am also brand loyal......however that may change!
I currently own a GMC Sierra, GMC Denali and the Z....
Please note, this is not my car. As the post says, I got this information from a friend.
However, if I was in his shoes, I would demand a new car, and true not the good old days of number match, but the bad days of Car Fax and VIN search. So, in the end, the guy gets screwed.
Now, the other issue is, lemon law as it pertains to the state he is in. Not to mention disclosure laws when and if he sells the car.
So, lets say the guy decides to have the warranty work done, afterwards he says OK, I'll trade the car in on a new Z06 or another GM product. Hmmmmmmm, wonder what the dealer will say, OH, we have to discount the cars' value because it has had an engine replacement.
Replacing the engine may not be rocket science work, but most of the dealers can't do simple warranty work without screwing something else up.
No, I don't think so. It shouldn't affect the value of the car, any more than needing a new trannie, rear-end, or water pump. Now, if I did a Carfax search and saw 16 visits in 2 years for electronic gremlins, I might feel differently.
Gags, I wouldn't compare a Jeep Liberty swap to this........disposable car to them compared to finding another Z06. Plus it doesn't matter, an engine is plug and play these days.
Tony,
I smell a deal to be made here. There is someone out there that would love to have your friends "repaired" car for the right price.
Would one of the dealership owners he knows give him a one-for-one trade on a new Z if he brought them a guaranteed buyer, with the price negotiated up front, for the car he is trading in?
1. He gets a new Z to cherish and feel good about.
2. Someone gets a "previously loved" Z that they thought they might not get for a couple of years, if at all, complete with a new engine and full warranty bought from a reputable dealer.
3. Dealer gets to keep a customer happy and look like a great guy to the vette community without eating the entire price of a new Z.
Admittedly #3 might be a stretch but the trick is in the numbers. The dealer has already made the profit on your friend for the first sale. GM will pay for the engine change. His loss will be the markup on the Z he gives your friend in replacement plus the amount less than invoice that he resells his car. With all numbers written down up front he'll know where he stands possibly even before he begins repairs on the trade-in car. That's got to be more palitable to him than the thought of a 3-month old, used car with a replaced engine taking up space on his lot. It all comes down to what his reputation for customer service and doing the right thing is worth to him.
I don't have a business degree nor am I a car dealer but I know business owner cannot give that much money away and stay in business. This is just another idea to think about to get the outcome your friend wants and a way out for the owner of the dealership that sold the flawed product.
Good luck and if he gets the dealer to entertain the idea I'd love to hear what he wants for the "old" Z. All those on this thread that said "it doesn't matter" will have the chance to jump at a discounted "new" Z.
Location: Riverview, FL Z06 FEST Participant III, IV, V, VII Ocean Fest & Winter Fest I
Posts: 6,028
You are going to get a brand spanking new engine. The problem lies somewhere in transportation or installation. It was not the engines fault it failed.
It was the fault of those overpaid union workers!!!!
Hey, they could have not told you and had Bubba the master welder fix it...
You are not going to get a replacement vehicle. Its just not going to happen.
Get the new engine put in and start enjoying the car.
Life is to short, have fun.
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