Hameister

In a few months, I'll need to bring my '13 Grand Sport back to the dealer for an oil/filter change. I haven't had to return for anything, since I bought the car.

I'm absolutely dreading the thought. It goes beyond concern that some dealership employee may do a 5k burnout behind the building. Or, some other inappropriate behavior that will really **** me off.

I have to wonder about the fundamental knowledge, or lack there of, displayed by so many dealerships.

A few days ago a friend of mine brought his Camaro ZL1 to his dealer, and told the service writer he needed an oil/filter change. He pointed to his black ZL1 sitting only 20' away.

The service writer asks him if it's a 6, or 8 cyl. My friend responds by saying...."it's a ZL1!" The service guy looks at the car, and then at him, and says...."I see that, but Camaros come with 6, or 8 cylinder engines, which one is yours?"

Do most of you find that your dealers are knowledgeable, and have specialists trained to properly service your Corvette, or do you take your car to a Corvette specialty facility?

HarleyB

This is why for the past 5+ years I have changed my own C6's oil.

Vette_DD

My dealer is and has Corvette specialists.

ProfessorDeath

My buddies at Firestone treat my car like a Ferrari. They refused to do an oil change for me the other day until they chased out the guy repainting the far side interior wall just in case any overspray was floating around.

A few minutes later they pulled a Mustang in right next to the freshly painted wall so I could have the rack the Mustang was on...

Here in STL we don't have a truly world class Corvette dealer, but a couple good ones. For a simple oil change, Firestone is fine.

ATC399

Service writer is just that a service writer..not a car nut, they write up a Kazillion cars a week and dont care enough or have time enough for details...jmho

TLS_Addict

Not all, but in general Service counter guys are retards. Most "mechanics" are $h!tty as well. Its what they hire.

I will bite. What exactly is different when working on a Corvette than other GM cars?

FloydSummerOf68

Doesn't surprise me. Ignorance never does.

Like the tinter who asked me if I wanted 3 of 5 windows done on my corvette after I asked if he had experience with corvettes.

4thC4at60

It's my experience that too many Corvette people fret far far far too much.

After more than 600,000 miles in Corvettes as DDs and travel in 45 of the lower 48 states in Corvettes - and knowing a dozen or so technicians in half a dozen states - I find that most technicians have zero time to do burnouts.... for they're not making money by wasting time driving a customer's car needlessly. A car into and out of the dealership - and fixed correctly - is what makes them money. Anything else is a waste of time and money and they know that.

I have had nothing but superb service on all my Corvettes over the years... in the end a Corvette is just another car...

And before someone crawls me for that statement..... I no longer DD my current Corvette that job now falls to a 328 GTB Ferrari, which is, as was/is the Corvette, just another car....

Hameister

Sorry, I can't agree....when a person brings his/her car, into a dealership for service/repairs, they generally think of that service writer, (many call him the "service manager"), as a knowledgeable person. He/she, is the one that is asked all the questions, and is literally the face of that dealership's service department.

You say they "don't care enough, or have time for details". Imo, they should certainly care, and make the time. The ZL1 is literally the flagship of the Chevy fleet, and the most expensive car they sell, with the exception of the Corvette. It seems to me, it would be reasonable for the service writer to have at least a fundamental familiarity with the products his dealer sells.

Asking if a ZL1 is a 6 or an 8 cyl. demonstrates a total ignorance of the product.

Thank you all for your responses...

Hameister

Well, to each his own.

For me, a $24,000 Chevy Malibu, is just another car.

A $64,000 Corvette is definitively not just another car.

Steve_R

Say what? The ZL1 is limited production so many dealers and service writers will probably rarely see one if ever. I would bet the sticker price of a fully loaded Chevrolet diesel pickup is more than a ZL1 and they sell a ton more pickups than ZL1's. The ZL1 is a limited production car for a limited audience; not the "flagship of the Chevy fleet." Not even close.

I agree with 4thC4at60's post. The level of OCD here over a pretty simple car never ceases to amaze me.

tomringo

Find a dealer or service shop with certified Corvette tech's and who you will be comfortable with their knowledge by talking to them personally, your problems will be less, much less. My service tech has even let me stand and watch the service (LOF on new Vette) being done and/or call me with updates on mods with prior Vette. Otherwise go somewhere else and find one you are comfortable with. We are after all the customer

Hameister

What never ceases to amaze me, is the slightest excuse used to display hostility by some forum members. If it's an attempt to intimidate, it failed.

I would never presume to suggest that I'm familiar with the vehicles that are most commonly stocked in Colorado where you reside.

Here, in this area of Palm Beach County, Florida, there are 2 rather large Chevy dealerships. While I have no idea how many diesel pick ups they sell, and care even less, I can tell you that you don't know what your talking about when you say that "most dealers, and service people rarely if ever see a ZL1."

In fact, they all have at least one, or two, ZL1 Camaros available, most of the time, along with a dozen or more 426HP SS Camaros, and usually 10 or 12 Corvettes.

The demand for high performance cars in this area is rather high. These dealerships see ZL1 Camaros all the time, and should know by now what they are looking at!

Hameister

I just moved into a new house a few months ago, so I haven't had the time to join my local Corvette club. I will be doing that soon, and they should also be a good source of feedback concerning repair facilities, thanks...

BWF07

I will agre with you to a point, but a Service Writer is stil just a person that is there to see what you want dome pr what issue you have with the car. Yes they may be the first point of contact you have with the dealership for service work, but again they are not hired for the mechanical skills. So a simple question as to is it a 6 or 8 is not something to lose sleep over. Just because that question was asked, does not mean that the guy/gal that will do your oil change will do a 5K burn out with your car.

And yes it is just a car. Sure we all love our Corvette's, but you can spend $64K on a pickup truck, so I guess that would make it some thing special.

Hameister

I hear what you're saying for sure. I certainly don't expect the service writer to be a mechanic, or even have any technical skills. He/she is basically an order taker. But, I would certainly expect that they'd have fundamental basic knowledge about the vehicles they deal with on a regular basis.

As for the $64k pickup vs. the $28k pickup, it's still a pickup. More expensive with more features, but still a pickup. A Corvette compared to a Chevy Impala, is still a Corvette, not just another car.

I guess everyone has a different perspective. Thanks...

Steve_R

Wasn't trying to be hostile or intimidate. Sorry if it came across that way. I suspect that if you look at sticker prices v. production numbers, you'll find that not many ZL1's are out there compared to pickups, SUVs, and other GM vehicles that cost as much or more than a ZL1. A good case can be made that the Vette is GM's flagship car. A ZL1, no way.

I'm in the "it's just a car" camp when it comes to my Vette. After all, it's an '08 worth less than $30k. Most new cars on the road are worth more than it is, so except for being an awesome sports car that looks great, it is just a car, at least to me. From a technology standpoint, it is definitely just a car as it's actually pretty primitive compared to a lot of new cars.

tomringo

Excellent idea, also if you go to or know of any car shows, ask around as well. You can do a lot on your own but it never hurts to have a "guy" someone to turst with your Vette who you know will honest and do things right. Just my 2 cents. Good luck

Turbo6TA

Hameister ....

Just a suggestion, but you really need to start changing your own engine oil and filter.

It's not rocket science!

turbod

I'm older than dirt and I still do my own oil changes on 4 vehicles. I don't trust the flunkies!