Just last week, GM Authority covered the story of a 2023 Corvette Z06 owner who experienced a total engine failure with a mere 52 miles on the clock of his brand-new sports car. The owner posted a video to social media that detailed his experience, and now, the owner has posted a follow-up about what he’s going to do with the car moving forward.
According to the video, the owner met with the dealer that sold him the 2023 Corvette Z06 in question to discuss the options. The dealer listed out a number of different possibilities, including a full refund, as well as offering the next allocation to build a new Z06 to the customer’s spec. However, a new allocation was estimated to take roughly six months to complete, so instead, the owner decided to go with option three and fix his original vehicle.
Of course, fixing the 2023 Corvette Z06 will take some time as well, as according to the owner, the parts to do so are not immediately available. Unsurprising, given the ongoing supply shortages and huge demand for the new mid-engine Z06. That said, it was estimated that fixing the original car would take just two months, as compared to the six required to take delivery of a new build allocation, so at least there’s that.
In addition to fixing his new car, the owner is also set to receive a discount on the vehicle, as well as a free 100,000-mile bumper-to-bumper extended warranty. According to the video, the owner managed to negotiate a larger discount than what was originally offered.
Although not ideal, it looks as though the dealer made the best of a bad situation. As a reminder, the 2023 Corvette Z06 features the naturally aspirated 5.5L V8 LT6 gasoline engine, which is rated at 670 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. Under the body panels is the GM Y2 platform, with production taking place exclusively at the GM Bowling Green plant in Kentucky.
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Comments
Should have taken the new car.
Free warranty, repair, a DISCOUNT off MSRP, and a shorter wait time… there is no world where a new car is the better deal in my opinion.
It largely depends on your local gm dealer and if they are known for quality service. What works in this owner’s favor is the accident is unique and has garnered attention. Because of that I anticipate the head office and local dealer will ensure the repair is perfect. But if I had the simple choice of engine repair or new model in my area, I’d be worried about such a complicated job lasting for the life of the vehicle.
Even if the dealer does a perfect job, you’re going to feel like every squeak, rattle, scratch, drip of oil and every future mechanical failure is a result of the engine swap.
You will have a car fax on a car that has had a major issue. The dealer may or may not get this back right and what other nagging issues may result.
Best to wait six month or try to get Chevy to help move this up. The discounts will not be worth the loss for a car with non matching numbers as this is important in a Corvette while not so much in a truck.
Agree, I would definitely want the new car to avoid future resale questions/hassles.
@ers1027, that wait time will prob end up being longer than 2 months and longer than a new car would take. They just said 2 months to sway him in that direction, and he took the bait.
GM should put his rebuild to the front of the assembly line.
What was the failure and why did it occur….
GM should schedule a replacement immediately and replace the car. The work to replace the engine in a new C8 would make me wonder if the dealer has the qualifications for such a repair.
Sounds like the dealer and GM did what they should. Bad situation and yes it might depend on how I felt about my dealers service department but I can’t see anything to criticize in the offer.
why did it fail!!!!!?????
That’s life, sh_t happens.
Sure glad my mane isn’t on the “proudly assembled by” plate!
“My name is on the build plate” and I just reached 19,600 miles on my ’17 Z06’s LT4 engine. Whey they don’t just build him a new engine, laser etch the matching VIN number and use the damaged engine as a QC engineering project to correct the failure mode whatever it may be.
GM should replace the Engine, Transaxle with new matching numbers and tear down the one in the car to find out what failed. Everyone is assuming it’s the Engine, where in fact it could be the Transaxle assembly.
Well, I guess whoever’s name is on the assembled by plate will be getting an @ss chewing or will be getting a ticket for a direct trip to Window E.
Has to be proven it’s an assembly error and not an engine component failure. Often things fail early as seen on a “bathtub statistical curve”. The techniques the Performance Build Center uses to build these engine are full of QC checks. When I built my LT4 engine at the PBC on April 25, 2017 there were 320 torque settings that were computer verified, even the fuel line fittings had me utilizing a Bluetooth Torque Wrench to measure fitting tightness. I also had an engine builder watching me on every step and another builder and the supervisor watched the computer that proper sequences were completed correctly. The engine builders have to follow an almost identical process when they build the engines.
None of the opinions, here, matter. The only one of importance is that of the car owner. If he’s happy, that’s all that matters,
Why did it fail? Take the engine as is for a teardown at the engine plant.
How to fix the car? If it is so complicated and question if the dealer is qualified to remove the damaged engine and replace it with a new full engine (not half an engine or a 3/4 engine as they are many) then take it to the plant for them to do the job.
No brainer. If Chip Foose and his gang can do wonders, why can’t GM?
I hope the owner realizes he will not have matching numbers and the car’s history will show engine replacement which will have a negative impact on the resale value. Hopefully, this is the only issue he has with the vehicle and in the end, he is happy with his decision to have it repaired instead of replaced.
I saw his original post and let’s not forget he paid $50,000. over MSRP for his Z06. That was negotiated down from the original 100k the dealer wanted. Did the dealer give him back the 50k…if not I don’t think he made a very wise choice settling for a car that will not have the original motor. Just my 2 cents.
For this kind of publicity, if I was at Chevrolet, I would be insisting that the next engine available ( probably available TODAY) be shipped overnight to that dealership and I would have factory people at the dealership doing the replacement, next week..
After reading the story and all the comments again, I think GM should have met with the customer to apologize for the inconvenience, tell him they are in the process of building him an exact replacement vehicle and are excited to get his car back to the factory for evaluation and root cause of this unfortunate failure.
GET A NEW VEHICLE, NOT A REPAIR, IT WILL BE WORTH MORE IN THE FUTURE.
THE CHEVY MECHANICS DON’T HAVE MUCH EXPERIENCE REPLACING OR REPAIRING C8 ENGINES.
GM WILL GET THE ENGINE ANALYZED TO SEE THE CAUSE, IT COULD BE PARTS OR LABOUR
This is such a no-brainer. Of course, the owner has the right to make his/her own choice, but, my God, 52 miles!!! Even when/if it gets fixed right, there are going to be issues down the road (no pun intended). Carfax, depreciation, etc. I would have negotiated the money and to be at the head of the line, for the next top of the line Corvette, whatever the hell Mary (I love her!!) decides to call the 2024’s. I would drive my current hooptie that GM would be paying the note on, and promise not to tell a soul. And if the Good Lord allows me to bide my time and wait it out, me our my heirs (my 14 year old Son) will be blessed with a solid investment that can be full of fun for years to come.
Something smells fishy. GM’s Brand Quality Manager for Corvettes should be dealing directly with the customer to negotiate what works best for both the manufacturer to determine if there is a model line problem and the customer, and not just using the independent dealer as a middle man in this case. When the replacement goes south, both parties may regret this decision.
Well considering the dealer gakked him for 180 grand Im sure they were more than happy to offer a warranty and a discount.
the question should be why did the engine go in the first place … and will it happen to others
I buy my car not only by the salesman, but the service . I have a relationship with the tech that has been at the dealer for over 20 years & wouldn’t have anyone else work on my junk. I currently own a 2021 C8 & a 2022 CTV 5 Blackwing. Find a dealer that’s wants your business & works for you. Cheers!
Should have went with a stingray, it’s engine is proven reliable. Luckily he brought it to rhe attention of the Internet and chevy doesn’t want bad publicity.