Direct contact with GM possible? About an unsolvable(?) problem.

John J · 10-12-2018, 11:38 PM

Does someone know if it is possible to contact someone from GM for technical support?

I am from Europe, Belgium to be precise.
My 2018 Camaro has a problem my Camaro dealer can not solve and it looks like GM has no solution also. (According to my Camaro dealer).

When i drive away with a cold engine my Camaro 2.0 turbo shudders / stutters, is holding back / has no power and it looks like fuel is exploding in the exhaust. This all during less than 5 seconds and after that my Camaro runs fine.

My Camaro dealer replaced spar plug cables, injectors, coilpack, MAF sensor, motor management computer, spark plugs, ..... nothing helped.

In my search for a solution i discovered some things:
- it probably only occurs in the 2018 model, not in the 2017 model
- 2017 model has a different computer for the motor management than the 2018 model
- therefore it is plausible the software is different too
- EU and US software is different because of other emission standards (this might explain that i can not find much information about my problem in these forums)
- it is not the "A8 shudder problem", my problem is probably caused by the automatic choke

The only way i can prevent shudder / stutter and holding back / power loss during accelleration, is letting the engine idle down to less than 1000 rpm. (When starting, rpm is about 1400, within less than a minute, it idles down to 900 rpm). Or another way: drive away quickly, but that is not done in a residential area..... That is why i think the automatic choke causes the problem. I never had a car in which i could not drive away without idling down the engine, so i think it should not be necessary with my Camaro.

Because my Camaro dealer can not solve the problem and because he depends on GM who has to give him a solution or at least information, i am looking for a way to contact GM by my self. In Europe GM did not sell as much Cmnaro's as in the US but this does not mean that they can ignore my problem. In the meantime i foud 3 other Camaro drivers with the same problem.

So,...... if someone can tell me if there are employees of GM active on this forum, or if someone knows how to contact GM Technical Support directly, i would realy appriciate it if you would let me know.

Thank you in advance,

Kind regards, John

Start The Machine · 10-13-2018, 02:03 AM

You have the classic A8 shutter. A lot of people do.... have you tried a Google search?

Evil-Bee-NH · 10-13-2018, 06:54 AM

It's the A8 Shudder it causes everything to go haywire because everything is so interconnected in our cars electronically. So your turbo diagnosis while possobly accuraye is being caused by your computers disagreement during the shudder process. GM still hasn't or won't fix the problem tuners have solved.

cooper1965 · 10-13-2018, 08:10 AM

I posted this a few days ago in another thread, but GM finally admits it and has a fix coming first quarter of 19'. Hopefully this will be a true fix for the A8.

Evil-Bee-NH · 10-13-2018, 08:51 AM

keep that in here cooper lol I may try and get mine done I haven't had the issue since I tuned out my slip%'s but never hurts to have pro-active maintenance done.

John J · 10-13-2018, 11:02 AM

But the A8 shudder is continiously, isn't it? I mean: the whole time you are driving you feel a shudder.
But mine does it only with a cold start if i drive away immediately, it occurs less than 5 seconds and then my Camaro drives smootlhy again. If i wait till rpm drops below 1000 rpm, the problem does not occur....
Or it is as Evil-Bee-NH sais: everything is connected and one problem causes another....

Evil-Bee-NH · 10-13-2018, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John J

But the A8 shudder is continiously, isn't it? I mean: the whole time you are driving you feel a shudder.
But mine does it only with a cold start if i drive away immediately, it occurs less than 5 seconds and then my Camaro drives smootlhy again. If i wait till rpm drops below 1000 rpm, the problem does not occur....
Or it is as Evil-Bee-NH sais: everything is connected and one problem causes another....

What your describing is twofold. I'm not an expert mechanic or turboligist but one thing i took away from working with a few mechanics over the years is you should not just start and pound on a turbo car period you should let it idle down at the very least. Same can be said for when you get to your destination give it 30s to a minute to idle. You'll prolong the turbos life itself by those two simple easy ass steps. If your ECM isn't reading everything to optimal temps the handshake between the ECM and TCM isn't going to go smooth until everything is near optimal. The TCM already causes low line pressure because of GMs slip% parameters so imagine the TCM and ECM conflicting when you step on the gas before optimal operating temps. Some people experience the shudder at 7 and 8 others at 2 and 3 yet others even have ot all over the place it's purely on driving conditions. I'm sure you could eliminate it with lowering the slip%'s but most just tune it out to zero.

John J · 03-20-2020, 02:02 PM

Does someone know if there is a possibility to contact GM directly?
I would like to confront them with my problem and the lack of action.

Glen e · 03-20-2020, 02:36 PM

Who distributes Chevrolet in your country? They have a customer relations department ....find out and call them. Any dealer should know.

Evil-Bee-NH · 03-20-2020, 02:52 PM

Dealerships have free reign atm.

Indy_62 · 03-21-2020, 10:55 AM

You can start at chevroleteurope.com. Click your country and then look for the contact us dropdown. You will find an email contact or telephone contact. This will not be directly to technical support but at least it will be a starting point to get help from the manufacturer. Your trouble may or may not be related to the transmission shudder mentioned in this thread; it should be properly diagnosed to determine the issue.

John J · 07-26-2020, 12:35 AM

Finally. After 3 years of abandonment by Chevrolet / GM, the problem is solved. It was a software "problem". A tuner has re-programmed the cold start (catalyst heating). It's a shame that Chevrolet / GM did not want to solve the problem while it was just a simple software adjustment. Unfortunately, that did cost me money (about $ 700), but I am happy that the problem has been solved finally after all these years. Again: a missed opportunity for Chevrolet / GM. I don't know if my next car will still be a Chevrolet / GM ..... I am very disappointed in Chevrolet / GM.

arpad_m · 07-26-2020, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John J

Finally. After 3 years of abandonment by Chevrolet / GM, the problem is solved. It was a software "problem". A tuner has re-programmed the cold start (catalyst heating). It's a shame that Chevrolet / GM did not want to solve the problem while it was just a simple software adjustment. Unfortunately, that did cost me money (about $ 700), but I am happy that the problem has been solved finally after all these years. Again: a missed opportunity for Chevrolet / GM. I don't know if my next car will still be a Chevrolet / GM ..... I am very disappointed in Chevrolet / GM.

Man, I feel your pain, good to hear you got it resolved after all. GM doesn't care once you bought the car and it isn't a widespread issue with serious liability attached. However, I'm not sure any other automaker does these days, to be honest. I rely heavily on my (amazing) dealership where the service manager and the senior Corvette tech treat me and my car like royalty, and of course they have my serious respect. If it weren't for them, I'd be on my own out in the cold just as well.

As a silver lining, now you have a tuned car and retunes for more perf after adding some go fast parts will be free or cheap

oemtech · 07-28-2020, 07:47 AM

FYI - Cadillc ATS Forum

"As Melze stated with your C7, just paddle into second and back into first at the first start of the day while still stationary. The issue is because of a slow filling clutch pack actuator, it should have been addressed via a software update to pre-fill but GM didn't do it. After the first start of the day, it shouldn't be necessary to do this again even if it sits for several hours between starts. I do a 1-2-1 paddle shift right after a back my 2016 Z06 out of its garage stall while the car is stationary and at curb idle.

The "garage shift" was a different issue (stator support bearing allowing leakdown) and warmup does help that issue but the slow fill clutch pack won't be addressed until the first shift from first to second. It is a good idea to get in the habit of doing this process because it can over time damage that clutch pack from the slip followed by hard lock."

10-12-2018, 11:38 PM	#1
John J Drives: 2017 Camaro 2.0 Turbo Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Belgium Posts: 57	Direct contact with GM possible? About an unsolvable(?) problem. Does someone know if it is possible to contact someone from GM for technical support? I am from Europe, Belgium to be precise. My 2018 Camaro has a problem my Camaro dealer can not solve and it looks like GM has no solution also. (According to my Camaro dealer). When i drive away with a cold engine my Camaro 2.0 turbo shudders / stutters, is holding back / has no power and it looks like fuel is exploding in the exhaust. This all during less than 5 seconds and after that my Camaro runs fine. My Camaro dealer replaced spar plug cables, injectors, coilpack, MAF sensor, motor management computer, spark plugs, ..... nothing helped. In my search for a solution i discovered some things: - it probably only occurs in the 2018 model, not in the 2017 model - 2017 model has a different computer for the motor management than the 2018 model - therefore it is plausible the software is different too - EU and US software is different because of other emission standards (this might explain that i can not find much information about my problem in these forums) - it is not the "A8 shudder problem", my problem is probably caused by the automatic choke The only way i can prevent shudder / stutter and holding back / power loss during accelleration, is letting the engine idle down to less than 1000 rpm. (When starting, rpm is about 1400, within less than a minute, it idles down to 900 rpm). Or another way: drive away quickly, but that is not done in a residential area..... That is why i think the automatic choke causes the problem. I never had a car in which i could not drive away without idling down the engine, so i think it should not be necessary with my Camaro. Because my Camaro dealer can not solve the problem and because he depends on GM who has to give him a solution or at least information, i am looking for a way to contact GM by my self. In Europe GM did not sell as much Cmnaro's as in the US but this does not mean that they can ignore my problem. In the meantime i foud 3 other Camaro drivers with the same problem. So,...... if someone can tell me if there are employees of GM active on this forum, or if someone knows how to contact GM Technical Support directly, i would realy appriciate it if you would let me know. Thank you in advance, Kind regards, John

10-13-2018, 02:03 AM	#2
Start The Machine Drives: 2016 M6 2.0T Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Gig Harbor, WA Posts: 839	You have the classic A8 shutter. A lot of people do.... have you tried a Google search? __________________ RS Package, HD Cooling Package, Brembo 6 Piston Front Brakes, SRP Racing Pedals, Soler Performance Throttle Controller, Dyno Tuned by Trifecta, Velossa Tech Ram Air, Mishimoto Intake, aFe Air Filter, Mishimoto Charge Pipes, ZZP 67mm Throttle Body, Trifecta T40 Stage 2 Turbo, JacFab Recirculation Valve, PTP Turbo Blanket, ZZP Catted Downpipe, Mishimoto Pro Cat-Back Quad Tip Exhaust, Mishimoto Catch Cans, Mishimoto Coolant Reservoir Tank, GM SEMA Grill, Ikon Motorsports Front Fascia Extension, Ikon Motorsports 1LE Spoiler, American Authority ZL1 Side Skirts, AMPP Quad Tip Rear Valance

10-13-2018, 06:54 AM	#3
Evil-Bee-NH 603 Camaros Drives: 2017 NGM I4 1LT Coupe Join Date: May 2012 Location: Manchester, NH Posts: 6,779 View My Garage	It's the A8 Shudder it causes everything to go haywire because everything is so interconnected in our cars electronically. So your turbo diagnosis while possobly accuraye is being caused by your computers disagreement during the shudder process. GM still hasn't or won't fix the problem tuners have solved. __________________ MY 2017 I4 CAMARO BUILD JOURNAL \| YOUTUBE \| INSTAGRAM \| 316RWHP - 385 RWTQ HPTUNERS DYNO TUNE \| 12.693s @ 105MPH 1/4 Mile

10-13-2018, 08:10 AM	#4
cooper1965 Coopers Camaro Drives: 18 Flex Fuel LTG Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: St. Louis/Sullivan/Washington MO Posts: 933	I posted this a few days ago in another thread, but GM finally admits it and has a fix coming first quarter of 19'. Hopefully this will be a true fix for the A8. Attached Images __________________ Flex Fuel tuned by me using HPT-:- ---My Build Thread--- -----My IG PAGe-----

10-13-2018, 08:51 AM	#5
Evil-Bee-NH 603 Camaros Drives: 2017 NGM I4 1LT Coupe Join Date: May 2012 Location: Manchester, NH Posts: 6,779 View My Garage	keep that in here cooper lol I may try and get mine done I haven't had the issue since I tuned out my slip%'s but never hurts to have pro-active maintenance done. __________________ MY 2017 I4 CAMARO BUILD JOURNAL \| YOUTUBE \| INSTAGRAM \| 316RWHP - 385 RWTQ HPTUNERS DYNO TUNE \| 12.693s @ 105MPH 1/4 Mile

10-13-2018, 11:02 AM	#6
John J Drives: 2017 Camaro 2.0 Turbo Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Belgium Posts: 57	But the A8 shudder is continiously, isn't it? I mean: the whole time you are driving you feel a shudder. But mine does it only with a cold start if i drive away immediately, it occurs less than 5 seconds and then my Camaro drives smootlhy again. If i wait till rpm drops below 1000 rpm, the problem does not occur.... Or it is as Evil-Bee-NH sais: everything is connected and one problem causes another....

03-20-2020, 02:02 PM	#8
John J Drives: 2017 Camaro 2.0 Turbo Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Belgium Posts: 57	Does someone know if there is a possibility to contact GM directly? I would like to confront them with my problem and the lack of action.

03-20-2020, 02:36 PM	#9
Glen e Retired from Car mfrs.... Drives: 2LT RS/HR-V Join Date: May 2013 Location: /Fort Lauderdale Posts: 10,048	Who distributes Chevrolet in your country? They have a customer relations department ....find out and call them. Any dealer should know. __________________ Glen CLICK HERE for detailing a new car: detailing for non detailers CLICK HERE for how to rinseless CLICK HERE for EASY wheel sealant

03-20-2020, 02:52 PM	#10
Evil-Bee-NH 603 Camaros Drives: 2017 NGM I4 1LT Coupe Join Date: May 2012 Location: Manchester, NH Posts: 6,779 View My Garage	Dealerships have free reign atm. __________________ MY 2017 I4 CAMARO BUILD JOURNAL \| YOUTUBE \| INSTAGRAM \| 316RWHP - 385 RWTQ HPTUNERS DYNO TUNE \| 12.693s @ 105MPH 1/4 Mile

03-21-2020, 10:55 AM	#11
Indy_62 Drives: 2017 2SS / 2003 S10 Crew Cab Join Date: Oct 2019 Location: Rogers, AR Posts: 43 View My Garage	You can start at chevroleteurope.com. Click your country and then look for the contact us dropdown. You will find an email contact or telephone contact. This will not be directly to technical support but at least it will be a starting point to get help from the manufacturer. Your trouble may or may not be related to the transmission shudder mentioned in this thread; it should be properly diagnosed to determine the issue. __________________ Never say never!

07-26-2020, 12:35 AM	#12
John J Drives: 2017 Camaro 2.0 Turbo Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Belgium Posts: 57	Finally. After 3 years of abandonment by Chevrolet / GM, the problem is solved. It was a software "problem". A tuner has re-programmed the cold start (catalyst heating). It's a shame that Chevrolet / GM did not want to solve the problem while it was just a simple software adjustment. Unfortunately, that did cost me money (about $ 700), but I am happy that the problem has been solved finally after all these years. Again: a missed opportunity for Chevrolet / GM. I don't know if my next car will still be a Chevrolet / GM ..... I am very disappointed in Chevrolet / GM.

07-28-2020, 07:47 AM	#14
oemtech 17 Scat Pack/08 Corvette Drives: 6.4L Hemi Scat Pack- 6.2L Corvette Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Texas Posts: 18	FYI - Cadillc ATS Forum "As Melze stated with your C7, just paddle into second and back into first at the first start of the day while still stationary. The issue is because of a slow filling clutch pack actuator, it should have been addressed via a software update to pre-fill but GM didn't do it. After the first start of the day, it shouldn't be necessary to do this again even if it sits for several hours between starts. I do a 1-2-1 paddle shift right after a back my 2016 Z06 out of its garage stall while the car is stationary and at curb idle. The "garage shift" was a different issue (stator support bearing allowing leakdown) and warmup does help that issue but the slow fill clutch pack won't be addressed until the first shift from first to second. It is a good idea to get in the habit of doing this process because it can over time damage that clutch pack from the slip followed by hard lock."

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