Jays08Vert

Some of you may get a kick out of this. About 2 weeks ago, we found an 08 vert on CL that met all of our needs. It was about a 3 hour drive, so I called the owner (he's a super nice guy, even a member of this site) and we talked for a while and eventually agreed on a price. He said he wouldn't show it to anyone else until after I looked at it. Come to find out he filed a non-op on it, so the tags weren't current and since I was financing part of it, my bank required current registration. Fast forward a week and he took care of the DMV reg and went to have it smogged. It didn't pass smog due to him recently changing the battery after letting it sitting for quite some time. Turns out you have to complete a "drive cycle" which we've now come to understand slightly. No problem, we move the sale back another week and I schedule an appt with a mechanic. Mechanic checks it out and finds an oil pan gasket leak. He's a reputable guy based on some threads here, so I ask him if he's 100% sure that's the source and he says he is. The car has less than 14k miles, so the seller and I are pretty upset. Seller decides to call GM and complain and they agree to a free inspection and open a claim. This will be done Saturday, so we're both hopeful they address the issue and fix it for no cost to either of us. I just want to drive home my new car :-) Patience is not my strong suit!

Rebel Yell

Remember, good things come to he who waits. Good luck.

AORoads

you're saying a gm dealer is willing to open a file on an '08 oil pan gasket leak and you're anxious/ansty? I say, cool it. first, the B2B and powertrain warranty are way long gone. second, that means to me gm owes the owner nothing on this one but may give a "goodwill gesture," which they seem to be making. and finally, when you get the car, do report back here, even if one or both of you have to pay out of pocket for the gasket replacement. if it's a good enough car, it's worth the pan gasket replacement, imo.

Jays08Vert

Yeah, that's what my wife keeps telling me. But it's hard looking at that empty spot in the garage

Jays08Vert

Oh, we both fully understand this is a gimme and would graciously accept anything they're willing to do. Just them agreeing to look at it is a huge win in my book. I'll definitely report back after the inspection.

AORoads

I re-read my post and it doesn't sound too friendly---definitely not my intent. Sometimes, GM will split the cost or reduce it by a significant amount when they know they've seen this problem a lot. And they have seen it enough times to know it is not unusual. My pan was replaced under warranty, just before three years (B2B) expiration. And this is a large Corvette dealer that services many Corvettes per day.

Jays08Vert

Didn't take it that way at all. We'd really be happy with anything they decided to do. The seller has been great to work with throughout all of this, just a real stand up guy. Makes the waiting game that much easier.

J Vette

Excellent. I remember your 1st post asking about the purchase. Good to hear its coming to fruition. A good seller makes the transaction much more pleasant. And GM's attitude and help are to be applauded. Good luck and keep us informed

v26278

Pan gasket leaks are not uncommon on these cars, but typically the leak is low and just weeps a little oil on the outside of the pan, there's no dripping or loss showing on the dipstick and unless you get under the car you'd never know it was leaking. Good luck with the dealer, it would be nice if they stepped up but you'll know soon enough.


That's the first I've ever heard of a changed battery causing a smog test fail. Is the check-engine light on? "Drive cycles" are sometimes needed to clear a check engine light if the issue has resolved itself (like a gas cap not being on properly) but Corvette batteries don't need any kind of initializing other than the window re-index.

bolivar

Mine has leaked since the car was about a year old. I decided I would just live with the leak rather than let Chevy work on it. To get the pan off, the front suspension has to be dropped down, not minor work. I think an alignment is needed after the work.

Why can't Chevy make an oil pan that doesn't leak?

Jays08Vert

It had something to do with the "readiness tests." I'd never heard of it either then did some searching and found a few people having the same problem after a dead battery, although the majority were for C5 owners.

EVRose

That same thing happened to mine right after a battery swap. Smog guy asked if I'd recently had the battery changed or disconnected. I didn't know how he could possibly know that until he told me it had to be driven for a few on off cycles before it would pass. So, yes this is true.

62corvette

My experience exactly.

Huskerman

The same reason they can't make a fuel level sensor that will work right........

Its funny but I have Duramax pickups that will go 200K or better and not have any of these type problems....the competition with Ford and Ram keeps them sourcing the toughest longest lasting parts.....now just do that with the Corvette damit.......

not08crmanymore

Sounds like a whole lotta work you're going thru to get another Vette.There are plenty of 08's out there for sale.Look around.

myfunz

Same here when I purchase my car they replaced the battery before I picked it up and needed an inspection. I had to run it through a couple of cycles.

Jays08Vert

Quick update. GM agreed to replace the pan gasket minus a $195 deductible. That's pretty good service IMO. Only issue is the seller is leaving for a 2 week vacation so we gotta wait till he returns to get it fixed and complete the purchase. Very excited to soon be new vert owners!

Tbong

That's great. I paid $800 to get my pan gasket replaced. I had the car checked out when I had all the fluids changed and they found a "weeping" pan gasket. I told them to replace it. Apparently its a big job. but it's done. At least the next owner won't have to worry about that.

Vettereturned

Sounds like I was 'lucky' (so far). Bought my 'private sale' '10 GS in about an hour off of AutoTrader. My wife & I liked the car, we each drove it a mile in a residential neighborhood. I checked the Carfax, believed the seller sales pitch and four months later we had no issues with the car.
I cannot stand spending hours at a dealership to buy, even cash sales take way to long...

AORoads

That's a very nice outcome. I know my 5 year Powertrain warranty is gone now, too. For $200 and a new pan gasket that shouldn't leak for ... well, whatever length of time---that's great. Looks like the car's going to be yours in just a few weeks. Time for you to start "collecting" stuff to put in, or on the car.