sad day in the Incredible house, GM buying back my Camaro

[SS PANTHER]

Glad to hear that it worked out for you. Love my convertible and it is a 2013 with the redesigned top and no problems. I have had four Corvettes in the past, and although 2 were Targa tops, it is not quite the same as a convertible. You live in California with year round great weather, so my choice would be another convertible. To me it is what a sports car should be. My best friends in my sig feel the same way. Also, I think with the new C7 you can raise and lower the top at speeds up to 30mph. As stated before the Targa top is a good compromise. A coupe is just another one dimensional car IMO.

[PalmerGA]

Originally Posted by Mr. iNCREDIBLE

I am however not ending my relationship with GM, I will be placing an order for a Corvette C7 once the paperwork on the buyback is finalized.

the only question is, should I get a C7 convertible or not?????

Since you "love your Camaro", if I were you, I'd wait another month or so and drive a Gen6 Camaro FIRST. I think you just got a Camaro with the drop top assembled by someone having a bad day. Buy-backs are extremely rare and an absolute last resort when a problem simply cannot be fixed.

[13BRM2SSRS]

Originally Posted by Mr. iNCREDIBLE

after 4 convertible tops in 3 years, and still having issues with the new top that has been on 6 weeks, GM agreed to a buy back of my 2012 Camaro.

CA law is very specific on the formula used for buy back depreciation, and my first complaint about the top was within 2 months of ownership and under 2,000 miles back in 2012. So I am getting nearly full purchase price back, minus about $1000 in mileage depreciation.

I love my Camaro, I love driving it top down and do so every day, however the continued issue and frustration of the rubbing and wearing of the top, the damage caused by the repairs, the new creaking and groaning sounds the top makes, and the fact that I each time the car goes in for the top issues the dealer has it for 3-4 weeks has left me with no choice.

I gave GM and the dealership the full 3/36 to resolve the issue and now past that 3 year mark and still under 30,000 miles and this last replacement creating a whole slew of new issues, including rain leaks, I am done with the Camaro.

---

I am however not ending my relationship with GM, I will be placing an order for a Corvette C7 once the paperwork on the buyback is finalized.

the only question is, should I get a C7 convertible or not?????

Glad they are making it right for you! I've got a 13 vert and have not had any issues with it. The general consensus is that they fixed the issues that the earlier years had so maybe GM learned something from it!! Good luck with your choice eitiher way the C7's are awesome.

[Moto-Mojo]

I glad a Lemon Law exists. But I'm really surprised that it could apply to a drop top issue. But good on ya, brother. They'll make out jim dandy, especially if you buy a new Vette.

[myold88]

It would be interesting to find out what GM does with mr.iNCREDIBLE's Camaro. Will they
junk it, let a GM employee drive it, end up on a dealers used car lot, etc.

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

Originally Posted by Jackass

Some people seams to never learn the lesson , go ahead and get that convertible , and chances are that you will be saying to yourself , not again , I'm a Jackass !!!

The design of the Convertible on the Camaro and on the Corvette are completely different. The Camaro top dumps into the trunk and is exposed while driving, it has 5 folds and when opened sits upright, not inverted, so air can get under the top and headliner causing excessive flapping and premature wear on the material, it is a large top with 5-bows encompassing a 4-seater vehicle.

The Corvette top is a 3-bow design (smaller area than that of the Gen5) and it dumps into it's own specific compartment in an inverted state (the top flips back so the headliner is actually facing up, with a tonneau cover to secure it. A design that GM has used on the Corvette convertibles since the 1950s and a design that is used by several other convertible manufacturers that is proven to protect the convertible top during highway speed driving, preventing the flapping that causes the premature wear.

GM knows the current Camaro design is flawed, and they have addressed the issue by making the convertible top design on the Gen6 Camaro similar, nearly identical to the Corvette design, a designated compartment for storage with a tonneau cover that protects the top, additionally if you watch how the corvette and gen 6 Camaro tops folds, it is a tri-fold design where the front is inverted when stored, preventing the flap and the need for the excessive fold design.

I am still up in the air about it, and will be doing a ton of research before making the decision, but so far the research I have done and the people I have spoken to that own C6 and C7 convertibles praise the design and claim they have had zero problems.

Originally Posted by PalmerGA

Since you "love your Camaro", if I were you, I'd wait another month or so and drive a Gen6 Camaro FIRST. I think you just got a Camaro with the drop top assembled by someone having a bad day. Buy-backs are extremely rare and an absolute last resort when a problem simply cannot be fixed.

I have already asked about it and been told by GM the Gen6 convertible will not be available in dealer inventory until spring 2016.

I don't know that I want to wait 6 months, nor do I want to buy a first run of a newly redesigned model. I have owned 2 first run vehicles in the past that were plagued with problems (a Ford and a Chrysler), I stuck it out with both and never lemon lawed the vehicles because I had extended warranty for the issues, unfortunately I was not able to get the same for the Camaro, as the convertible top is excluded in any GM extended warranty, it is stated that the top and all corresponding parts are excluded from extended warranty coverage.

Yes I have a history of being that guy who wants to have the first model of a hot design, and it has bitten me in the ass twice.

I waited on the Camaro until the 2nd year because I didn't want to end up with issues, and it still happened..

Originally Posted by 13BRM2SSRS

Glad they are making it right for you! I've got a 13 vert and have not had any issues with it. The general consensus is that they fixed the issues that the earlier years had so maybe GM learned something from it!! Good luck with your choice eitiher way the C7's are awesome.

I looked at a dozen 2015s on the lot as the initial buy back option was to replace my 2012 with another Camaro, sad to say every one of the brand new 2015s on the lot had the exact same rub marks and deformity that I have on the 2012.

IMO the issue is not fixed, Some people don't experience the problem as much because they don't drive with their top down as often.

my top is never up unless the car is parked or it is raining. I can count on one hand the number of times I have driven with the top up.

the rubbing comes from the flapping which is a result of a poor design and poor air channeling design which causes a lot of air to pocket under the top.

Originally Posted by Moto-Mojo

I glad a Lemon Law exists. But I'm really surprised that it could apply to a drop top issue. But good on ya, brother. They'll make out jim dandy, especially if you buy a new Vette.

Lemon Laws differ from state to state, some require there to be a safety factor involved.

however in CA, it is simple: if a repair cannot be fixed in 3 dealer visits, or the repairs cause loss of vehicle use by the registered owner for more than 30 days as a result of those dealer visits, it is considered a lemon.

Originally Posted by myold88

It would be interesting to find out what GM does with mr.iNCREDIBLE's Camaro. Will they
junk it, let a GM employee drive it, end up on a dealers used car lot, etc.

I can tell you exactly what will happen. The title will be stamped as "Manufacturer Buy Back" and the vehicle will be sold at auction.

since there is no "safety" issue, the vehicle will return to the street and be sold to someone else. Since it has already been bought back the next owner will have no option for Lemon Law, they will simply have to live with the problems.

[JLSuperfly]

Originally Posted by Mr. iNCREDIBLE

I can tell you exactly what will happen. The title will be stamped as "Manufacturer Buy Back" and the vehicle will be sold at auction.

since there is no "safety" issue, the vehicle will return to the street and be sold to someone else. Since it has already been bought back the next owner will have no option for Lemon Law, they will simply have to live with the problems.

Does carfax report such issues?

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

Originally Posted by JLSuperfly

Does carfax report such issues?

yes it will be flagged as a buy back vehicle on car fax and on the title.

same as if it was a salvage title., flagged in both places.

[PalmerGA]

Originally Posted by Mr. iNCREDIBLE

I have already asked about it and been told by GM the Gen6 convertible will not be available in dealer inventory until spring 2016. I don't know that I want to wait 6 months, nor do I want to buy a first run of a newly redesigned model.

I understand. I forgot that the verts weren't coming out until the spring, but you could still test drive a coupe just to get familiar with all the other improvements that we are hoping for. If you really like the Gen6, you could probably wait a few more months for the vert.

[carfansince73]

Sounds like you have a nice replacement car in the works.

Now when are you coming out with a sequel?

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

Originally Posted by carfansince73

Sounds like you have a nice replacement car in the works.

Now when are you coming out with a sequel?

according to Pixar, November of 2017.

[Jasper]

I was so disappointed when the rub marks appeared on my Vert. I had no idea there were issues because I didn't do my homework here first. I just figured VERTS have been around a long time, so they must have figured out how to make them work perfectly.

I got the top replaced and immediately saw impression marks in the same spot even with the so called fix which has extra cords to pull the top in differently during retracting. So I had a careful look at the spots and where they could be rubbing and fixed it myself with some simple grinding (same as one of GM's fixes but was never done although they said it was). No issues after. So glad to have the VERT. Everybody loves it and the black top looks so good on the white car.

Anyway, my point is that if anyone is having trouble with the rubbing, it's not rocket science. Figure it out yourself because you'll be better off than someone else constantly ripping it apart and screwing something else up.

J

[v8]

Glad to hear it worked out for you. I had a 2012 45th 2SSvert. I sold it after a year because of the vert problems so I understand where you are coming from. Just wish I got the deal you got. In Canada we have no such protection

[carfansince73]

Originally Posted by Mr. iNCREDIBLE

according to Pixar, November of 2017.

Looking forward to it! Really enjoyed watching the first one when my son was young.

We'll be waiting for pics of the new car.