I didn't do this leg work, but again, this is why I think GM should pay for it. IF they would like to be upfront about the fact that you're screwed if you DO take it on a track, then that's fine. They should just be honest about it. Also, my dad bought this car, got into tracking, and developed a love and a passion for it. It's not like he was an ex-racer buying a Corvette to beat the snot out of it. Just getting into tracking, he assumed the marketing BS was for real, and what would have led him to believe otherwise?

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Tough crowd!

Give me a minute....

EDIT:

How's this?

“The Z06 enables the driver to turn excellent track lap times, but it also is quick to learn and is very forgiving for its performance level,” said Hill. “We tested its capability around the world to ensure it will feel at home on any road or race track.”


I was shuffling through the zillions of articles I've saved and this came up in one of them.. it can be found here:

http://www.corvettemuseum.com/specs/2006/index.shtml

That article is loaded with suggestions and direct links that the Z06 is a road car that is capable of racing on a race track.

http://www.corvettemuseum.com/specs/2006/Technology.shtml

Tons of good quotes in that one as well....


I can keep going on and on but the fact of the matter is, like it or not, they sold the car as one that can handle a racetrack and drive to work without once mentioning "well, if you do go to the track, you're warranty is void though"

I'll keep searching as there is plenty of material on the subject.


And on TV commercials and cars.... just how many C6 Z06 commercials are there for TV anyways? Exactly! Not to many if any at all....

 

all of this conjecture is just pissing in the wind...all you have to do is read the warranty that comes with your Porsche vehicle or any other new vehicle for that matter...from the Porsche warranty...it says "may not" should probably say "most likely will not given the current economy"

 

First LS3 I've heard letting go on the track, though I'm sure there are others. Did you Dad have a tune on the motor? Any mods? I have intake, headers, exhaust, and tune on my LS3 and if it blows on the many track days that I run it at, I plan to replace the motor at my own cost. However, if my car was bone nuts stock down to the tune and it popped at an HPDE, I would be taking it to Chevy for a new motor and getting one under warranty.

Did your Dad add the extra quart of oil (above the full line) that it recommends in the owner's manual? I'm sure he probably did as it sounds like he's run a bunch of track days.

Most Corvette failures I've seen in my nearly 10 years of running track days have been oil starvation (not adding enough oil), bad tunes, or internal aftermarket parts (cams, etc.) that caused the motor to blow. A relatively stock Corvette with the proper oil level, stock internals, and a stock or very conservative, safe tune is going to be as reliable as any other street car on the track short of a GT3 or Viper ACR (with the baffled oil pan).

 

Hey, I've got no problem with that. It's layed out clearly that your car will not be covered if driven on a track. But the Corvette says no such thing, and again, all of their sales materials, features, and after-sale events lead you to believe the exact opposite.

 

The car was bone stock, save for race pads and R-888s. His 06' did hundreds of laps at WGI, as did his 08. He's **** about checking his oil, so that was all good. Conversely, I am pretty bad about checking the oil, but my $22,000 GTI is smart enough to know the oil level is low, and shuts your engine down if you go around a turn with low oil and senses it. You then limp back to the pits and add another quart. My 06 GTI had 75,000 miles on it when I traded it in, and never skipped a beat. Hmmmmmmm...

But, the 2011 Grandsport he just got has the 10.5 quart dry sump system, so I can't imagine he'll have this problem again. Huh, wonder why they chose to put that on there?

 

even a basic Chevrolet warranty contains the "abuse" clause...if you are driving a bone stock ZO6 with stock tires you might be ok if there was an engine failure but I can guarantee that the many ZO6's I have seen fail at the track from oil starvation because the owner was running "R" comps or slicks were not covered...same thing with a GT3...if you are running it stock and there is a manufacturer's defect that causes a failure you will probably be covered but it won't be easy and you will have to fight...unless you have a very exceptional dealer

 

owners manual of my 7.1gt3 says warrantee voided with track use.

 

so it went from "may not" (996 GT3) to voided (997.1 GT3)...guess they thought "may not" was too vague

 

Pretty unfortunate situation then for your dad. I run race pads and R888 tires too and have had no issues with my '08 and as mentioned before, it has tune, intake, headers, and exhaust. If he had swapped street tires back on and had it flatbedded to the dealership and said something mechanical failed when he was on a 'spirited drive', he would have gotten a new motor under warranty. There is absolutely no reason a bone stock LS3 with the correct oil level should have failed during a track session except for a manufacturer's defect.

The Grand Sport only has the dry sump because the GS got a bunch of Z06 goodies including said dry sump system. There is nothing inherently wrong with the oil system on the regular '08 Vette. Heck, I've had my oil temp to 310F (at which point I started short shifting) during a hard track session at Texas Motor Speedway with zero issues.

Anyway, in short, I think your Dad got hosed and was coerced into a trade versus a warranty replacement. While he may be able to afford it, he still got screwed. A new LS3 from GM is about $6k and it shouldn't cost more than $2k to install.

All that said, I bet your Dad is loving his '10 GS though! All's well that ends well.

 

You've set the bar quite high to expect that power train warranty covers track use. I'd consider myself lucky if the dealer decided to do so and would thank them for taking care of me. Track use add so much more wear and tear to the vehicle, it'll be a terrible business to run for any car manufacturers if existing warranty also needs to cover track use.

 

ya, my mattress also says if I remove the tags the FBI will come to my house and arrest me.... now Im scared to sleep on my bed

enough with this jibber jabber.... enjoy the car and stop with the what ifs....

what if I cross the street and get hit by a car will my health insurance be voided??... maybe I should never cross the street.

You bought a GT3, take it to the track and enjoy it if thats what you want......

just my opinion.... but like i said its your car so do WHAT YOU WANT!

 

Mobonic: I didn't buy a GT3. I'm talking about my dad's Corvette here. But, going forward, when I do get my GT3, I'll be more comfortable knowing if it breaks on the track that I'm flat out screwed, rather than reasoning with myself in a cloud of ambiguity.

Quikag: Yeah no question he got screwed. When he was on the phone with the dealer and they said "$12,000" I quickly hopped on my Droid and found new crate motors for about $6100. Who knows what the dealer actually pays. So, they gave him $18,000 for his car, they'll slap a $4500 motor in it (their cost), refresh the warranty, and sell is for $35,000 or so. Dealer makes out great on this one! But FWIW, his actual dealer said if he had brought it there first, they woulda worked it out (he has bought 3 of them there). Po Dunk Chevy in Bumphuq, NY were the guys who blew the whistle on him when they flat bedded it in (with his street tires on, mind you).

So far only I've driven his new car! He was leaving for Alaska the day he got it, so I picked it up at the dealer and drove it home for him. But, I'm sure he'll dig it. Those big breaks are niiiiiiiiiice. Only problem is it didn't come with the NPP exhaust, which I think is the only option really worth buying on the Corvette.

 

Not hugely relevant but here in the UK a GT3 or similar is covered if you drive on a track or a road!

The biggest problem always arises when someone puts on aftermarket parts when the car is under warranty, then expects Porsche to cover it!

This isn't gunna happen.

The GT3 and RS are produced to be taken on the track and/or the road!

Brakes, Tyres, consumables, etc are not covered by the warranty.

For us here in Europe (UK), well me in particular, I never had a problem with Porsche warranties and this GT3 .2 is my 7th Porsche and I have just paid, at point of purchase, for an extra 2yrs on top of the manufacturers 2yrs so getting 4yrs in total..

It states in our handbook that if it's gunna be tracked hard a lot, service intervals and maintenance must be increased accordingly which most sensible enthusiasts would do anyway.

It's when the car is abused and not looked after is the big problem and believe me 9/10 Porsche will know when that's happened after an inspection.

So just be sensible and my Porsche dealer has always done well for me.

Just a few pointers from across the water.

 

Jenson Button: Huh! Well that's a no-****ter! I wonder why they extend that courtesy to Europeans but not their American customers? And to your point, I've got no problem having to pay for parts and breakages if the car is modded. My GTI is chipped, running much higher boost than stock, and if and when the turbo blows, I have no intention of heading back to the dealer and playing dumb looking for a freebie. But when a car fails doing exactly what it was designed to do, I feel there was an inherent problem with a car, not a problem with the way it was being used.

 

Whoa,

Just read Chuck's post quoting from the USA manual. That's harsh man.

Different Over here.