[v8fanboy]

Well......where do I begin with? I basically started a claim with GM expressing dissatisfaction due to the vehicle's engine going kaboom. This happened a few days before the powertrain warranty was ending. Moreover what added to the frustration is the breakdown happened 350 miles away from where I live and I was stranded in a weird town while the dealership was diagnosing the issue (it took them 2 weeks to provide me a loaner).

Read the below thread for more:

https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=626925

Now in my claim, I did mention that I have owned 3 Camaros in total along with a C7 corvette since 2014 - now, just to display loyalty and faith that I have had in multiple GM products since the last decade. I was also concerned about the resale value of the vehicle since now the carfax will show an engine being replaced and the HotWheels Camaro can be seen as a collectors vehicle (in the past, i have seen people asking for $70-80k for these!! Attaching screenshots from the end of 2023). Although, for a lot of people, a brand new motor is as good as a brand new car, other's will deem it to be a manufacturing nightmare if the motor went out so quick!

My initial claim was actually to reimburse me for the cost that the breakdown caused me such as no loaner car for 12 days, needing to fly out, hotel costs etc. since it was a warranty repair. GM did reach out and say they won't do any of that but would like to buyback the vehicle at MSRP. (as per window sticker it was close to $53k).

What would you guys do? Getting MSRP for a 6 year old vehicle with 47k miles on it is just as good as it gets. I tip my hat off to GM customer care service. Note: My car wasn't even under the full bumper to bumper 3 year /36k miles warranty, it was the powertrain which is 5 year/60k miles.

For now...I think I am ready to move on to say goodbye to this beautiful machine.....but wow for the next owner, he will get a Camaro with a brand new motor, brand new battery, brand new starter and I had just got the 45k mile service done 2 months ago (was $1000). All tires have 80% or more in em. Once I finalize the deal with GM, i will post on the forums which Chevy dealership the Camaro goes on sale with if you guy's are interested in picking up a HotWheels Camaro 2SS with a manual tranny! (Also has the Borla Atak Axleback with CF tips...NPP version!)

For now, i've been driving around my daily everyday which is a 590HP Levante Trofeo with the Ferrari Derived V8!! I would use the Camaro as a weekend toy which i miss a lot!! and boy am I excited now to start shopping for something new again!! Maybe time to look into the C8? Anyway, if anybody has any questions about this process, feel free to ask!!

[arpad_m]

Hey Sanket, this is a difficult decision, but in a good way

The 2018 HW (just like the 2013 HW) was a very nice special edition that we'd all be proud to have, but this engine replacement tarnished the history of yours for most buyers, so I understand that you are seriously considering this offer.

Personally, in your exact situation and assuming I had some extra funds, I would accept GM's buyback offer and then try to get a 2024 ZL1 as that is the last model year top dog Camaro ever made. Ideally I'd want a Panther, but that'll be ridiculously expensive, not worth it. You'd pay a couple grand, but a ZL1 represents a tangible power bump over the SS, so it's fair and makes sense.

My second choice would be to go "mega bonkers" and reserve a 2025 C8 ZR1, the best Corvette from its last generation Tadge Juechter oversaw the development of (he recently retired and was added to the Corvette hall of fame). Expensive as it is, that is the only GM vehicle that can be seen as a sports car developed along similar lines of passion that the Camaro represented (one key difference being the Corvette team was given carte blanche with no compromises). Maybe you could go for the lower Z06 trim, but that's more of a track car and your Hot Wheels definitely isn't track focused, so I assume that isn't your primary goal. The base C8 Stingray is slow and a dime a dozen now.

My third choice, if neither the first or the second are realistic, would be to just reject the offer, run out the clock on all the new warranties on the 2018, then mod it into my personal ideal Camaro. This costs nothing right now, but it also means the car is likely to become your forever Camaro, as this offer is very good and somewhat unlikely to repeat itself after such repairs.

[Joshinator99]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

Hey Sanket, this is a difficult decision, but in a good way

The 2018 HW (just like the 2013 HW) was a very nice special edition that we'd all be proud to have, but this engine replacement tarnished the history of yours for most buyers, so I understand that you are seriously considering this offer.

Personally, in your exact situation and assuming I had some extra funds, I would accept GM's buyback offer and then try to get a 2024 ZL1 as that is the last model year top dog Camaro ever made. Ideally I'd want a Panther, but that'll be ridiculously expensive, not worth it. You'd pay a couple grand, but a ZL1 represents a tangible power bump over the SS, so it's fair and makes sense.

My second choice would be to go "mega bonkers" and reserve a 2025 C8 ZR1, the best Corvette from its last generation Tadge Juechter oversaw the development of (he recently retired and was added to the Corvette hall of fame). Expensive as it is, that is the only GM vehicle that can be seen as a sports car developed along similar lines of passion that the Camaro represented (one key difference being the Corvette team was given carte blanche with no compromises). Maybe you could go for the lower Z06 trim, but that's more of a track car and your Hot Wheels definitely isn't track focused, so I assume that isn't your primary goal. The base C8 Stingray is slow and a dime a dozen now.

My third choice, if neither the first or the second are realistic, would be to just reject the offer, run out the clock on all the new warranties on the 2018, then mod it into my personal ideal Camaro. This costs nothing right now, but it also means the car is likely to become your forever Camaro, as this offer is very good and somewhat unlikely to repeat itself after such repairs.

Agree with Arpad. Take the money and move it into something else, maybe even another Camaro. Or keep the money for when the Maserati engine needs major service…those are big bucks to service…

Tough to call a base C8 “slow” since it’s faster than the SS she currently owns lol…

[tenargo57]

Originally Posted by Joshinator99

Agree with Arpad. Take the money and move it into something else, maybe even another Camaro. Or keep the money for when the Maserati engine needs major service…those are big bucks to service…

Tough to call a base C8 “slow” since it’s faster than the SS she currently owns lol…

I'd also take the money and move onto something that's a step up. I doubt selling it would get anywhere close to the $53k GM is offering him. There's a really nice looking one on autotrader right now with 22k miles for just under $47k.

[L2SS455]

That's a decent offer from GM. I would take it and don't look back. You said it yourself. Getting MSRP for a 6 year old vehicle with 47k miles on it is just as good as it gets. After all it's still a Camaro. The hard part is deciding on the next vehicle. C8, ZR1, Z06,E-Ray, CT-5V8 Blackwing, rumors return of V-8 Mercedes-AMG C-Class and E-Class Models.

Did they ever diagnose the cause of the engine failure ?

[v8fanboy]

Originally Posted by Joshinator99

Agree with Arpad. Take the money and move it into something else, maybe even another Camaro. Or keep the money for when the Maserati engine needs major service…those are big bucks to service…

Tough to call a base C8 “slow” since it’s faster than the SS she currently owns lol…

Yep....I am yet to drive the C8...but just based on the numbers, it does look fast. The Maserati is under factory warranty until 2027 , I'm not going to own it a single day after the warranty ends lol. I read on the Ferrari Forums that if the turbos go bad (which they have on many 488's), it's a $25k job minimum.

[v8fanboy]

Originally Posted by tenargo57

I'd also take the money and move onto something that's a step up. I doubt selling it would get anywhere close to the $53k GM is offering him. There's a really nice looking one on autotrader right now with 22k miles for just under $47k.

A dealer offered me $27k on trade in value a couple of months ago....so yeah, GM has definitely been generous with this one.

[v8fanboy]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

Hey Sanket, this is a difficult decision, but in a good way

The 2018 HW (just like the 2013 HW) was a very nice special edition that we'd all be proud to have, but this engine replacement tarnished the history of yours for most buyers, so I understand that you are seriously considering this offer.

Personally, in your exact situation and assuming I had some extra funds, I would accept GM's buyback offer and then try to get a 2024 ZL1 as that is the last model year top dog Camaro ever made. Ideally I'd want a Panther, but that'll be ridiculously expensive, not worth it. You'd pay a couple grand, but a ZL1 represents a tangible power bump over the SS, so it's fair and makes sense.

My second choice would be to go "mega bonkers" and reserve a 2025 C8 ZR1, the best Corvette from its last generation Tadge Juechter oversaw the development of (he recently retired and was added to the Corvette hall of fame). Expensive as it is, that is the only GM vehicle that can be seen as a sports car developed along similar lines of passion that the Camaro represented (one key difference being the Corvette team was given carte blanche with no compromises). Maybe you could go for the lower Z06 trim, but that's more of a track car and your Hot Wheels definitely isn't track focused, so I assume that isn't your primary goal. The base C8 Stingray is slow and a dime a dozen now.

My third choice, if neither the first or the second are realistic, would be to just reject the offer, run out the clock on all the new warranties on the 2018, then mod it into my personal ideal Camaro. This costs nothing right now, but it also means the car is likely to become your forever Camaro, as this offer is very good and somewhat unlikely to repeat itself after such repairs.

Arpad,

Thanks again for the informative insight (as usual haha)!, you know? I never thought of the ZR1 solely because they twin turboed it....and the Z06 has that N/A V8... flat plane crank that sounds like a 458....but now that you mentioned it and looking at the history of ZR1's....I may actually look into it only if i can achieve the vehicle at MSRP. It is BIG money for a GM product, but something tells me i'll be able to sell it at MSRP or closer even after using it for 3-5 years? Of course, as a car enthusiast, i'm not looking to flip vehicles or look at them as investments, however, as someone who doesn't have unlimited money to blow, it does feel nice to have a vehicle once in a while that does not have depreciation Tsunami written over it!! But boy, having a 1000 HP+ toy is just bonkers!!!

[v8fanboy]

Originally Posted by L2SS455

That's a decent offer from GM. I would take it and don't look back. You said it yourself. Getting MSRP for a 6 year old vehicle with 47k miles on it is just as good as it gets. After all it's still a Camaro. The hard part is deciding on the next vehicle. C8, ZR1, Z06,E-Ray, CT-5V8 Blackwing, rumors return of V-8 Mercedes-AMG C-Class and E-Class Models.

Did they ever diagnose the cause of the engine failure ?

Yeah, the camaro was so much value for money, anything that is a step up is very $$$. Will def look into the Z06/ZR1....Here were there findings on the motor

[FlukeSS]

Originally Posted by v8fanboy

Here were there findings on the motor

Rather conevenient, I had the same god damn lock up on my car. Except blew 2 pistons and 2 rods, and cracked crankshaft.

On normal daily mods which at the time was: CAI, E85, Headers, LT2, 95mm TB, and mid-pipe exhaust.

Nothing was aftermarket on the engine block itself.

It cost me $13,390 to rebuild.

And because of the mods I had no warranty even though the mods I had should not have blown the engine the way it did. Much less the crankshaft.

[v8fanboy]

Originally Posted by FlukeSS

Rather conevenient, I had the same god damn lock up on my car. Except blew 2 pistons and 2 rods, and cracked crankshaft.

On normal daily mods which at the time was: CAI, E85, Headers, LT2, 95mm TB, and mid-pipe exhaust.

Nothing was aftermarket on the engine block itself.

It cost me $13,390 to rebuild.

And because of the mods I had no warranty even though the mods I had should not have blown the engine the way it did. Much less the crankshaft.

So even though the engine was untouched, i.e it was stock, did GM deny this warranty claim? Or you never took it to the dealership? What was it costing to get a brand new motor installed via the dealer? I think they quoted me $23k including parts and labor!

[Joshinator99]

Originally Posted by v8fanboy

So even though the engine was untouched, i.e it was stock, did GM deny this warranty claim? Or you never took it to the dealership? What was it costing to get a brand new motor installed via the dealer? I think they quoted me $23k including parts and labor!

The minute you tune the car, GM will know, so the warranty claim would have been denied.

[FlukeSS]

Originally Posted by v8fanboy

So even though the engine was untouched, i.e it was stock, did GM deny this warranty claim? Or you never took it to the dealership? What was it costing to get a brand new motor installed via the dealer? I think they quoted me $23k including parts and labor!

The mods I had would have invalidated the warranty and fighting them with Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act would not have been worth the effort and could have cost me just as much or significantly more than just rebuilding the engine myself. And as Josh said with the mods I had I had to get a tune, so that's GM's get out of jail free card.

The difference is I did this outside of insurance so no report of the engine rebuild would be available as far as I'm aware, but could be wrong there.

[arpad_m]

I'm the biggest critic of GM, yet let's be real here. Tuning the car means GM no longer has full control over the very software that governs all engine and transmission parameters as it's running, so they cannot be held responsible if the engine or the transmission breaks, as simple as that.

Who's to say you didn't command crazy timings, stupid lean lambdas that destroyed your engine, then flashed the stock tune back as if nothing had happened? If the car is tuned, you accepted that you pay to play.

In almost every case, this means if the engine throws a fit, there is no way to prove that it wasn't your tune, even if you know it, the burden of proof is on you, because you are no longer using the same product the manufacturer provided their warranty for. The Magnuson-Moss Act does not apply here. We're all rolling the dice with our tuned cars, if anything fails, it's on us to pay.