[F1FTY]

One more thing I got with Chevrolet Rewards points:

[F1FTY]

I did some winter paint prep today on the ZL1. The carnuba-based wax had lasted a little over a month since the car is garaged and now with colder temps coming in, I wanted to seal the paint to give it that 2-3 months of protection. This job took me forever (5 hours or so) because I was learning the steps and also filling up a new clay bar with an unbelievable amount of dirt. This car will need a professional detail in the spring to remove some of these deposits in the clear coat that I couldn't get out today. As much as I'd like to learn how to polish, etc. this isn't the car I want to learn on haha.

First, the two bucket wash:


Then the Iron and Contaminant Spray, wash:


Then a claybar and wash:


Then a rinse and H2O Guard and Gloss paint sealant:



Then to finish it all off, Quick Detailer spray for some more gloss:

[F1FTY]

Went to an autocross yesterday to learn the car. My results from the autocross were in only first gear, a slow first two runs then on the 3rd, the infamous curtain airbags deployed. Car was towed to the dealer where they are repairing it to the tune of roughly $7,000. Not covered under warranty or under insurance.

Once repaired, the car will be sold. I gave GM two tries. No more.

I have some parts I will be selling in the next few days that were never installed as I wanted to keep the car 100% stock in case of needing warranty repairs. I'm not posting this for a debate, nor to argue with anyone so please leave that out of here.

[Chris Edwards]

Originally Posted by F1FTY

Went to an autocross yesterday to learn the car. My results from the autocross were in only first gear, a slow first two runs then on the 3rd, the infamous curtain airbags deployed. Car was towed to the dealer where they are repairing it to the tune of roughly $7,000. Not covered under warranty or under insurance.

Once repaired, the car will be sold. I gave GM two tries. No more.

I have some parts I will be selling in the next few days that were never installed as I wanted to keep the car 100% stock in case of needing warranty repairs. I'm not posting this for a debate, nor to argue with anyone so please leave that out of here.

Ouch... given GM's abysmal quality control it doesn't in the slightest come as a surprise.

[24v]

Originally Posted by F1FTY

I'm not posting this for a debate, nor to argue with anyone so please leave that out of here.

I have zero desire to argue or debate, just curious why this wouldn't be covered under warranty? Seems silly for them to deny it from auto crossing. Was there some other kind of damage done to the car?

[F1FTY]

.

[24v]

Wow, that really sucks. Hopefully you end up with a bad ass car that doesn't have airbags trying to take you out. :(

[Chris Edwards]

The funny part of this story, is that this same ZL1 will end up on a used car lot and the new owner will be none the wiser. The only way he could ever know that the airbags were deployed is if there was a collision which was recorded on the Carfax. To anyone buying from a GM dealership: insist on the dealership repair history. ALL GM dealers have access to this information in their computers. When I went to take possession of my new C7, I noticed that the pictures I took at the dealer (to show off to friends and social media) showed a slightly different shade of white on the passenger side fender compared to the door. I thought this was strange given that it was a brand new car, I wasn't sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me. I asked the dealer to provide me with any inspection documents they had from delivery, anything attached to the VIN. Sure enough, the car was a dealer trade and had been damaged while it was unloaded from the truck and the bumper cover and passenger side fender had been resprayed and blended! I promptly walked away.

[Nsxmatt]

Originally Posted by Chris Edwards

The funny part of this story, is that this same ZL1 will end up on a used car lot and the new owner will be none the wiser. The only way he could ever know that the airbags were deployed is if there was a collision which was recorded on the Carfax. To anyone buying from a GM dealership: insist on the dealership repair history. ALL GM dealers have access to this information in their computers. When I went to take possession of my new C7, I noticed that the pictures I took at the dealer (to show off to friends and social media) showed a slightly different shade of white on the passenger side fender compared to the door. I thought this was strange given that it was a brand new car, I wasn't sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me. I asked the dealer to provide me with any inspection documents they had from delivery, anything attached to the VIN. Sure enough, the car was a dealer trade and had been damaged while it was unloaded from the truck and the bumper cover and passenger side fender had been resprayed and blended! I promptly walked away.

Repair history on non warranty issues are limited to the dealer the work was done at and even then it's not required they show you unless it's warranty or maintenance reported to carfax. All dealers are independently owned and operated and not linked together for normal customer pay jobs. I could total my car, not call insurance, and pay cash to fix it and there would be literally no record anywhere the car was damaged. That's just the way life is.

[Chris Edwards]

Originally Posted by Nsxmatt

Repair history on non warranty issues are limited to the dealer the work was done at and even then it's not required they show you unless it's warranty or maintenance reported to carfax. All dealers are independently owned and operated and not linked together for normal customer pay jobs.

Incorrect. All GM dealers have access to the vehicle's repair history and can print out records as such. Just like GM corporate knows if a trans has been replaced at Chevrolet Smithtown and a motor has been replaced at Chevrolet Johnstown. Believe me, it's all in a database and if you ask your dealer for comprehensive dealership repair records when you're buying a car, they will fork them over. I do it anytime I buy a used car from a dealer.

In terms of collision, most repair work does end up on the Carfax report since most fender benders end up having a police report taken, and if someone files an insurance claim (no police report), that will also end up on the Carfax since insurance companies are required by law to declare any repairs they handled. Besides, most of the time you can see the blend work/ paint work and it's obvious the car has had paint work of some kind. But airbags? Even the most astute of enthusiasts wouldn't think to check whether the side airbags had been deployed and the interior torn apart to replace them unless they asked for the dealership service/ repair history.

[Nsxmatt]

Originally Posted by Chris Edwards

Incorrect. All GM dealers have access to the vehicle's repair history and can print out records as such. Just like GM corporate knows if a trans has been replaced at Chevrolet Smithtown and a motor has been replaced at Chevrolet Johnstown. Believe me, it's all in a database and if you ask your dealer for comprehensive dealership repair records when you're buying a car, they will fork them over. I do it anytime I buy a used car from a dealer.

I work for a dealer. The database is right in front of me. Like I said clearly before... only warranty work is shared to other dealers through the dealers GM portal. ADP/Reynolds and other dealer software are the property of individually privately owned dealers and do not share daily non warranty repair jobs and maintenance with other dealers.So if a dealer changes a engine and transmission in a car under warranty other dealers will know. If its customer pay, only the dealer who did the work will have records of the repair.

[Chris Edwards]

What's sad is the curtain airbags didn't even go off in this car lol:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/302931433583

[F1FTY]

Update on the car:

I was able to reach out to a family friend who works at GM and had the vehicle looked over by Raytheon and had it go through the PAC team. This team consists of engineers looking at their own engineering and determining if they can find fault in it.

Let that sink in...

After having people high up (Al O. and others) on the case, GM decided they did no wrong with their airbag strategy and won't cover anything. (ZR2 owners got lucky I guess in where they determine their curtain airbag algorithm).

Due to the investigation, GM told my local dealer to hold off on repairing the vehicle. The car has been with the dealer since October 14th. Once GM decided that they weren't going to cover anything, they hadn't contacted the dealer for them to begin the repairs or contact me beyond the "too bad so sad you're screwed but please continue to buy our crap" phone call to call the dealer to have the repairs done on my dime.

In other words, over 9 weeks later and not only has GM not stepped up and done the right thing, they also have had the dealer screwed and holding onto the car without it finished. All at my cost.

[Chris Edwards]

Originally Posted by F1FTY

Update on the car:

I was able to reach out to a family friend who works at GM and had the vehicle looked over by Raytheon and had it go through the PAC team. This team consists of engineers looking at their own engineering and determining if they can find fault in it.

Let that sink in...

After having people high up (Al O. and others) on the case, GM decided they did no wrong with their airbag strategy and won't cover anything. (ZR2 owners got lucky I guess in where they determine their curtain airbag algorithm).

Due to the investigation, GM told my local dealer to hold off on repairing the vehicle. The car has been with the dealer since October 14th. Once GM decided that they weren't going to cover anything, they hadn't contacted the dealer for them to begin the repairs or contact me beyond the "too bad so sad you're screwed but please continue to buy our crap" phone call to call the dealer to have the repairs done on my dime.

In other words, over 9 weeks later and not only has GM not stepped up and done the right thing, they also have had the dealer screwed and holding onto the car without it finished. All at my cost.

Sounds typical of GM these days