bmanahan

Took my car in for transmission issue August 30th. A few days later they stated I was 11th in line for a transmission tear down. Last week I asked for status and only moved from 11th to 7th in line. Called Chevrolet corporate to complain as this rate will put me out of a car for 3-6 months. The rep asked if I wanted to file a claim for either a buyback or replacement - effectively lemon law. I don't want to do the buyback, but if I can get a new car I would take that.

A few questions for those in the know (FYI car is in California):
How long does the process normally take?
Do they build a new car with my specifications or do they take an unsold car off a dealer's inventory?
Should I get a lemon law lawyer? So far, Chevy seems to be cooperative.
If we go down the replacement route, do I get to have a loaner car while I wait?

01Defense

This transmission situation is very concerning. My car has been great so far, just would hate to deal with this. GL OP with your situation!!

jipper

Did they at least give you a loaner so you have a car? Mine will be my dd so I would be in a bad spot if I lost it for that long

bmanahan

Mine is a daily driver as well.
They gave me a huge Silverado. Not ideal, but as least I have something.

jipper

Yikes well at least they gave you something,,,good luck...another reason im not buying a used one

gdb069

Lemon law lawyer will just suck money from you. GM is very cooperative with this so continue discussions with them.
My 2021 had complete transmission failure in 2022 (last summer) and car was at dealership for 6 weeks however I have a second car so not too concerned.

Note: Several friends mentioned I should take a loaner car as that provides more incentive for the dealership to speed up the service. In my case the 6 weeks consisted of 4 weeks for the transmission to arrive and 2 weeks for the tech to discuss the "operation" with specialists and then schedule. I did not want a rush job considering this was likely their first one. They brought in a service rep and other C8 service techs attended.

I was offered a buyback or replacement but was told if I wanted my same spec or similar I would have to wait and/or pay the difference. I did not want a different car so just had them put in new transmission Car has been perfect since.

However it seems every case is a little different so best bet is to continue a dialogue with Chevrolet. One member here with replaced transmission got $2000 of complementary service and that may be something to consider.

Thank You Chevy Corporate... - CorvetteForum - Chevrolet Corvette Forum Discussion

papillion

Cut and Paste CA govt source:

There is no set number. However, California’s Lemon Law Presumption contains these guidelines for determining when a “reasonable” number of repair attempts have been made: • The manufacturer or dealer hasn’t fixed the same problem after four or more attempts. • Your vehicle’s problems could cause death or serious bodily injury if it is driven, and the manufacturer or dealer has made at least two unsuccessful repair attempts. The vehicle has been in the shop for more than 30 days (not necessarily in a row) for repair of any problems covered by its warranty. This is called the Lemon Law Presumption

bmanahan

Were you able to negotiate any compensation as you did not choose the replacement route?

Avanti

Lemon Laws are state enacted; hence, all are somewhat to a lot different. Talk with a knowledgeable attorney. All the best.

Vega$Vette

If you go the buyback/replacement route you will get cashed out MSRP with a deduction for the miles used. Replacement is they will give you a used car same year with similar options. They don’t just give you a new 2023 or 2024.

I would let them fix it and negotiate an extended warranty.

Maxie2U

Why didn’t you ask the rep these questions?

RKCRLR

There will be a reduction for mileage on the car but, in my case, it goes when back to the mileage of the first problem. If you go the buyback path you get everything you paid for your car when you signed the paperwork at the dealer (tax, registration, accessories, etc.) less the mileage reduction. I paid for a courtesy delivery and they agreed to compensate me for that also.
If you go the replacement route you can pick any new C8 (I don't even know if it has to be a Corvette - you may be able to pick a different model) but you pay the difference in MSRP and the mileage reduction. The tricky part of that is it is your responsibility to find a dealer in California that will be willing to give up one of their cars. The dealer doesn't get another allocation for the replacement and they only get a few hundred dollars for processing the paperwork (they don't get the profit from selling the car). I don't know if it is allowed for you to pay the dealer ADM. At least that was the rules in 2019.

harts1spitfire

Took my car in for transmission issue August 30th. A few days later they stated I was 11th in line for a transmission tear down. Last week I asked for status and only moved from 11th to 7th in line.

Were 11 transmissions to be torn down, ALL C8 transmissions?

Vetteman Jack

Good luck with your decision on what to do.

gdb069

Yes. I discussed replacement and the best that would happen was a 12 month wait because GM could not disrupt the assembly lines/schedules etc. Or maybe would not. My experience with manufacturing and assembly is that anything that disrupts the normal schedule and flow is not the best product that could be made. So the option was to get my money back and if I wanted to still buy a C8, wait 2 years or get this one repaired.

My research indicated that there are a series of these transmissions that were faulty and maybe as many as 5-7%. I owned a Benz where a there was a problem with oil consumption for certain serial numbers. They stated that using 1Q of oil between 6 month changes was considered normal. If more than 1Q they would replace the engine. So a friend who bought hers the same month as I had to put in a Quart of oil every 3 months while I changed oil yearly. I guess my point is I am happy there is a warranty and the GM fixes the problem.

In any case, as linked, one member received about $2,000 or more as compensation for the problem and a new transmission. I received a new transmission and about $1000 of compensation in the form of services.

One more fact is that if you get a new transmission , your powertrain warranty does not start over so you still have the original 5 years but the date for DCT filter and DCT fluid start over so your DCT schedule, changes and that can be advantageous: I will end up with 7500 miles on the new transmission at about year 3 so can consolidate DCT filter and DCT fluid change.

bmanahan

All 11 are teardowns. When asked if they were Corvettes, all he would say is some are. I suspect most are.

Phil1098

Poor assumption, my dealer has sold well over 100 C8s and has yet to replace a transmission in one. I have personally seen three new Blazer 9 speeds being replaced by them though. The dealers aren't allowed to tear down a DCT, they get removed and replaced with a new one in the crate.

rsparks64

What Papillion said. Most states require multiple attempts to fix the problem and/or a combination of that with how many days has the car been in the shop- and perhaps a few other circumstances.

RKCRLR

As noted, in California if a vehicle has been out of service for more than 30 days it qualifies for repurchase/replacement under the Lemon Law. It doesn't matter what causes the out of service condition (i.e., parts shortages).

pbaur

I'm currently waiting for my buyback offer due to a valve body on my 2023. My car has been down since the 15th of Aug and at the dealership since the 22nd of Aug. They called today and said the part has been sent to the dealership and asked if I wanted to cancel the buyback process, I said no as the lady was rude and short when I asked her simple questions. My car has 800 miles and been having issues since 300. It's been at the dealership longer than I've had it.