[Cyrus]

Question about the known shudder issue (18-NA-355). I'm looking at potentially buying an 2018 2SS A8 with 15,000kms on the odometer. One owner car which was purchased new Aug 13, 2018. I've been reading about this issue and it has me a little worried. I did some digging on this car and found out on Nov 9, 2018 (3,500kms) it had maintenance for "flush and drain fluids for transmission shake and/or shudder repair". Then again on May 27, 2019 (5,000kms) it had maintenance for "diagnostic testing and fluid exchange". No records showing since and now there's 15,000kms on the car. I have no way of speaking with the original owner since it was a trade in at a non GM dealership. I also would be purchasing this remote with delivery due to distance so I can't test drive the car myself.

Timeline:
08/13/2018 - 8kms (First owner reported)
11/09/2018 - 3,500kms (Flush and Drain Fluids for Transmission Shake and.or Shudder Repair)
05/27/2019 - 5,000kms (Diagnostic Testing and fluid Exchange)

Car is priced well and appears to be in great shape with low miles. It's also only 22 months into the factory warranty. The miles are low enough the TC shouldn't be damaged yet. I would just move on to another car and forget this one but these cars (16'-18' 2SS) are pretty scarce right now where I live.

Should I be concerned ?

Was the flush on Nov 9, 2018 with the latest fluid ?

Is this problem covered under the 3yr bumper to bumper or the 5yr powertrain ?


Thanks in advance for your advice.

[HCI2000SS]

The latest fluid and flush was somewhere in the summer of 2019

[arpad_m]

The latest and current fluid that is actually working (based on several reports) came out in Jan 2019, so the 2018 flush is no good, but the May 2019 one, if it was a "fluid exchange" for the trans, is extremely likely to have been done with the correct one.

I have the same model year, trim and transmission, and it's an awesome machine, I think it's the best looking 6th gen. If transmission shudder is really your only concern and the car is indeed mint, I'd go ahead, worst case is you'll need a new torque converter, but you're still well within warranty.

Apart from that, buying sight unseen is risky, I'd want to listen to the engine and see the car myself, but if you have, say, a 3-day or 1-week return window with no questions asked, you can have it thoroughly checked out after delivery, there are lots of small things to check.

The transmission is part of the powertrain, so the 5-year/60,000-mile warranty applies. Not sure if it's translated to 96,000 or 100,000 kms, but you have tons left either way.

[Cyrus]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

The latest and current fluid that is actually working (based on several reports) came out in Jan 2019, so the 2018 flush is no good, but the May 2019 one, if it was a "fluid exchange" for the trans, is extremely likely to have been done with the correct one.

I have the same model year, trim and transmission, and it's an awesome machine, I think it's the best looking 6th gen. If transmission shudder is really your only concern and the car is indeed mint, I'd go ahead, worst case is you'll need a new torque converter, but you're still well within warranty.

Apart from that, buying sight unseen is risky, I'd want to listen to the engine and see the car myself, but if you have, say, a 3-day or 1-week return window with no questions asked, you can have it thoroughly checked out after delivery, there are lots of small things to check.

The transmission is part of the powertrain, so the 5-year/60,000-mile warranty applies. Not sure if it's translated to 96,000 or 100,000 kms, but you have tons left either way.

Thanks for the info. Ya hard to say if they flushed the transmission in May 2019. The wording was different vs the Nov 2018 flush. Short of contacting the dealership and asking them to look back in their records to confirm this there isn't much I can do. But as you said lots of warranty left so I guess I shouldn't worry about that.

I hear you about not seeing the car in person definitely risky and not something I want to do but there just isn't many 16'-18' 2SS's available for sale around me so I've had to extend my search to the point it would have to be a remote purchase. Shipping charge isn't bad $200 to have a driver bring it too you or $700 on a hauler. As for the return policy, they said I can return the car but I have to pay to return it and no re stocking fee. I might only have a couple days to do so I'm not fully clear on that yet. The car doesn't have MRC so I'm a little hesitant to pull the trigger because of that also. All the roads around me are well paved and smooth so maybe that doesn't matter. Some say MRC is mandatory and others say its overblown and not needed. I haven't tried both so I don't know.

What are some things you'd listen for with the engine on a used SS ?

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by PriorSS

Thanks for the info. Ya hard to say if they flushed the transmission in May 2019. The wording was different vs the Nov 2018 flush. Short of contacting the dealership and asking them to look back in their records to confirm this there isn't much I can do. But as you said lots of warranty left so I guess I shouldn't worry about that.

I hear you about not seeing the car in person definitely risky and not something I want to do but there just isn't many 16'-18' 2SS's available for sale around me so I've had to extend my search to the point it would have to be a remote purchase. Shipping charge isn't bad $200 to have a driver bring it too you or $700 on a hauler. As for the return policy, they said I can return the car but I have to pay to return it and no re stocking fee. I might only have a couple days to do so I'm not fully clear on that yet. The car doesn't have MRC so I'm a little hesitant to pull the trigger because of that also. All the roads around me are well paved and smooth so maybe that doesn't matter. Some say MRC is mandatory and others say its overblown and not needed. I haven't tried both so I don't know.

What are some things you'd listen for with the engine on a used SS ?

My car has MRC and it's great, here in northen NJ roads often feel like some kind of twisted pothole/crack universe, and tour mode really softens up the suspension. However, with all that said, the lack of MRC wouldn't be a dealbreaker for me on smooth roads, the standard suspension is also quite nice (sacrilege, uh-oh).

Shipping at $200 is a no-brainer. I'm no mechanic and it's difficult to accurately describe sounds to listen for, but louder than usual and/or irregular ticking, squeals, rattles, periodic knocks from the engine is what would give me cause for concern.

I'd drive the car varying modes and loads, check for transmission behavior (does it lurch, shudder or do weirdly clunk downshifts), ideally even data log everything using an OBD dongle (say HPTuners) and then look at all the captured parameters—there are several very helpful folks here with tuning experience who would probably be willing to take a quick look for you, the tuning device costs $300 and can be super useful later on.

Not sure how much you're able or willing to put up with after the sale, but if, say, alignment is a bit off, tires aren't good as new or there's a little diff groan, these wouldn't be a big deal for me, all easily fixable. What is very important, though, is to have a great dealer with capable techs where you can make actual use of the warranty. I'm assuming you don't want to do everything yourself on the car

[1BadMoFo]

Hey everyone, my cars have always been manual so I didn't ever pay too much attention to this, just that there was an issue.

Today brought home a 2016 Camaro SS with the A8, only 4400 miles on the car and I noticed the shutter. Can I get a super quick rundown on the issue and the most common fix? Is it the triple flush with this lastest fluid?

My car has Magnuson SC, Kooks LT's, fuel system and injector upgrades. All work done at Livernois.

I noticed it under very easy driving, say like 35 MPH and lightly giving gas due to traffic, and also when letting off.

I could not get any type of warranty from the dealer due to modifications.

I will keep reading of course, but there is a ton of information in this thread.

Thank you.

[1BadMoFo]

subscribing

[Mark114]

Originally Posted by 1BadMoFo

My car has Magnuson SC, Kooks LT's, fuel system and injector upgrades. All work done at Livernois.

I could not get any type of warranty from the dealer due to modifications.

I suggest that you contact Livernois to see what warranty options you have to resolve the transmission shudder.

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by 1BadMoFo

Hey everyone, my cars have always been manual so I didn't ever pay too much attention to this, just that there was an issue.

Today brought home a 2016 Camaro SS with the A8, only 4400 miles on the car and I noticed the shutter. Can I get a super quick rundown on the issue and the most common fix? Is it the triple flush with this lastest fluid?

My car has Magnuson SC, Kooks LT's, fuel system and injector upgrades. All work done at Livernois.

I noticed it under very easy driving, say like 35 MPH and lightly giving gas due to traffic, and also when letting off.

I could not get any type of warranty from the dealer due to modifications.

I will keep reading of course, but there is a ton of information in this thread.

Thank you.

In a nutshell, you need TSB number 18-NA-355 applied to the transmission. This is a single flush with the latest Mobil 1 Synthetic LV ATF HP fluid. It should cost you somewhere in the $300 range.

Since the mileage is very low, the torque converter is less likely to have been damaged beyond repair, but if the shudder comes back after the fluid flush, the next and hopefully final step is to replace the torque converter and of course add fluid again. The factory GM converter costs about $400, however the process involves a lot more in labor unfortunately, so let's hope it doesn't get to that.

(Getting an aftermarket torque converter is also an option, many here opted for a Circle-D model such as this one, with a high success rate.)

[NBCamaro]

I bought a RS used with 30,000kms on it about 1 month ago and noticed the shudder the first time yesterday. I came here to do some research and found this thread dropped by the local dealer this morning and have an appointment next week for a flush and new oil. Will report back on how that goes.....