Z06 Engine Blows at 53 Miles

As you might guess, this was on day one of ownership.
www.lehtoslaw.com

[@Samcrac]

He should've bought a viper

[@toddhill1465]

Based on his track record, I would've expected this to have been Hoovie until the driver was named. I wonder if he'll be facing a recall soon based on this story. Also, I recall that Randy from AAR had similar bad luck with his brand new stingray over a year ago. If this turns out to be a manufacturing issue, it seems that quality for Corvettes may be hit or miss...

[@mrswormsweat4694]

I thought it was unworthy for him to buy anything compared to even getting a Viper, because he already had 2 Stingrays and a C8 also he could have sent $5,000 to you Samcrac if you knew he was going to buy the Z06 with the engine that could blow up at 52 miles, then place a bet of it blowing up or you successfully convince him to not buy it to latter have him see it possibly blow up at less than 200 miles with variables of outside factors with the way the other potential owner could have drive it in mind, but I guess that is an unworthy bet since you will most likely lose $5,000 instead since the engine will likely past 200 miles like over the 100 examples of the Z06 currently. It is a worthy instinct to not place a bet on that. I do believe it was not worth buying a Viper compared to a Z06 since he could have buy another Z06 instead so please think about that like there does not seem to be any other Z06 like the one that the engine blew up at less than 200 miles or in this case 53 miles. Is this more like he should have been to a different dealership with another Z06 or should have get a Viper? This is getting quite complex so simply claiming he should have buy a Viper was not good advice at all

[@toddhill1465]

@@sonny9608 - What's wrong is Hoovie's luck. Knowing how he is with cars; because he owns one of these a recall is more likely to happen.

[@joepaullawncare7222]

Made in America

[@Twobarpsi]

Viper engines, when pushed, are big failures. They develop rod bearing issues.

[@joeblow8593]

He probably didn't pay for the optional motor oil subscription

[@stevef68]

I bet they charged him for the "mandatory" Onstar subscription that he couldn't actually use.

[@reagandow850]

They just don’t make cars like they used to! 😂 One would think that GM would jump to replace his car so there would be no negative press.

[@KCDW83]

Thats golden! 👍I'm going to be borrowing that. Thank you!

[@PureMagma]

@@stevef68 My son was driving 55 mph on an open highway at night & a mule deer (buck) jumped in front of my Acadia and committed suicide. The front end of our car has well above $10K in damage the radiator was obliterated... But OnStar (that collects about $60 per month from me) never detected the accident. The car has been in the autobody repair shop for over a month now and hours after I signed the concent for the repair shop to access the cars' data records, OnStar emailed me to recommend an oil change because it's sensors indicated that the oil is low. 🤦‍♀️🙄 Nothing like a company using technology to help keep my family safe (and my dealership fed).

[@codemiesterbeats]

Yea didn't pay for oil pump subscription fee 😂

[@1952truck]

I worked at a GM dealership in 1976 and they towed in a brand new 1976 nova that had 3 miles on it with antifreeze in the oil after tearing the engine down I found that there was a extra connecting rod nut was left in the engine and it was lodged between the camshaft lobe and the block producing a gigantic hole in the block. The owner was a elderly lady in her 70s. They made her wait for a GM representative to look at the engine and they sent me a new block. It took months I felt bad for her.

[@thinkingimpaired5663]

Definitely 76 wasn't a good year for electricals on GM vehicles, and I remember repairing a 76 skylark that was assembled with the wrong transmission gasket.

[@bblasphemous]

No va.

[@fauxbro1983]

Lol an old lady ripping around in a Chevy Nova

[@cirian75]

@@fauxbro1983 76 model, prob the Iron Duke or 250 6, not the 350 V8.

[@anthonybrown2426]

@@fauxbro1983ost had a 305 which had very little horsepower (140) so I highly doubt there was any ripping around. Even the 350 had only 165HP.

[@74millwright]

In the late 60's, my landlord's son bought a new Buick from a local dealer. 200 miles on the clock and the engine froze up. The dealer put a new engine in the car. 200 miles later, the engine froze up. A factory rep showed up with another new engine. They tore down both bad engines and found broken drill bits in incompleted holes for the oil passages to the crankshaft. They tore down the third new engine and it was OK. Go figure, two in a row!

[@carlc5748]

He bought a car that was made on a Monday or Friday, read the book "Wheels" for the explanation about the american automotive building process.

[@TrumpsEarBandage]

Friday engine block

[@carlc5748]

@@TrumpsEarBandage Yes indeed, a very "fried" Friday engine block!

[@davelowets]

That sounds more like an urban legend to me.... 😒

[@ISOTROPOSPHERE]

The Corvette has a programmed rpm limiting initial break in period and won't let you exceed that rpm until a set mileage is reached. The dash instrument cluster actually changes as well.

[@michaelbutler9528]

Correct

[@postersm7141]

Exactly what I was thinking!

[@cassiespencer6134]

@@scottyjordan3036 Indeed. That's due to the fact that, for a V8, it has high RPM limit. Therefore proper break-in is more important than lower rpm engines such as that in my C7 ZR1. The higher RPM operating range of the C8 requires the moving parts be properly mated with one another. Btw, If you want to know which one scares passengers the most it's the ZR1, without question. It's the brutal gut wrenching, HOLY SH*T!!, initial acceleration that gets their attention and makes em scream. I've even had guys scream. >:} I kid you not. That said, the trans in the C8 is great. Ref its fast shift times.

[@ken3923]

true I have a c8.. I couldn't exceed the breakin rpm if I wanted too. At exactly 500 mi it gives you full control.

[@bd9057]

Actually, you can if you downshift low enough at higher speeds.

[@superdave2316]

One of my nephews rebuilt the engine in his Porsche V8. He was really proud of his work and was horrified when the crank pulley broke off the first time he used it. With water pouring out of the block we found that he had made the tiniest mistake. When attaching the fuel rails he had dropped a 10mm washer into the intake. It worked it's way into a valve which jammed open in a negative clearance engine. The piston hit the valve and almost stopped the engine, while the crank pulley broke off from shock and the cylinder head cracked. The bent rod tossed the piston through the side wall and that engine will never turn again. The good news is that he found the missing washer.

[@startingtech3900]

so sad but then again he is a porsche guy haha

[@superdave2316]

@@startingtech3900 He will be teased for the remainder of his years....lol

[@johnnylightning1491]

Dropping a washer in the intake is not a tiny error. I assume your tongue was firmly in your cheek.

[@danwick6067]

Steve, I just wanted to thank you and Adam Alexander for handling my 2021 Jeep Wrangler case. Not sure what I can comment on because of the settlement but I am very satisfied with the results. Thank you

[@lakorai2]

Lesson learned. Never purchase Chrysler products.

[@danwick6067]

@@lakorai2 I had electrical problems with a Durango and a Journey both since 2016. I wanted the Jeep Wrangler to be different. It was…the problems were related to the coolant system which caused engine failure.

[@robodragonsdf1]

@@danwick6067 I had my Engine changed out at under 6K miles on my 2021. Yes it was due to the TSB on the lose three bolts. I broke down out of town on vacation. Almost 4 months later and after lots of back and forth wit FCA I got her shipped back to me repaired under warranty, I also got my Trip interruption cost paid back, that took another month. Scary thing is the TSB goes back to 2019 and is still being dealt with to this day. I just got a service notice in the mail on the TSB a week ago. How has Jeep not resolved this issue in the factor by now. FCA need to be hit with a class action.

[@LSDdreams808]

Get a ford bronco they do everything a jeep can but in style an has more power an options.

[@danwick6067]

@@LSDdreams808 my friend just got his. I want to see how his goes for the first six months. Because I do have a new engine and a check to boot.

[@Jack.Waters]

Got ya beat. I towed one of those after driven 41 miles. Bought it in Chicago and didn't make half way to the Michigan Line. Camshaft exploded.

[@dancarlin5434]

😱

[@cjolney]

It's really a shame because if you watch the C8 R&D video they put so much time into that engine, and they're all hand built 1 person per engine, no crossing hands. There's really no reason why any of them should fail at all if they're all built to the highest possible standard of quality allegedly

[@dancarlin5434]

@@cjolney most likely parts made very poorly by a 3rd lowest bidder party.

[@alexm566]

What model year was that?

[@Jack.Waters]

@@alexm566 early ‘21 for ‘22. I heard later, 6 months, that it was caused by an internal vibration and the car had never gone over 70mph according the the “ black box”.

[@obviousness8113]

I used to be employed in public transportation. Buses do this stuff like this too. $300,000 buses. Whenever we'd receive a new set of buses (we'd swap out maybe 20-30 at a time), there'd always be several that needed significant repairs prior to being road-worthy. The manufacturer was supportive but I always wondered why they didn't just work from the get-go. They are complex, of course.

[@ostlandr]

Granddad used to say that Astronauts were the bravest people on the planet, because they flew in those incredibly complex spacecraft- every part of which was supplied by the lowest bidder. 😀 Seriously, there are diesel-electric locomotives built over 70 years ago that are still doing the work they were built for- not in museums, but pulling revenue freight on real railroads. We put humans on the moon with 1960s technology. Likewise with '60s tech we built a super innovative 40 story office tower, super strong, super light, almost an acre of space on each floor. Then stacked two more just like it on top, with "sky lobbies" at the 40th and 80th floors. Then we built a second 120 story tower just like it right next door. And we built a reusable orbital shuttle with 1970s technology. The latest NASA rocket is using leftover Space Shuttle parts- but for single use, even though they were designed to be reused. Today's commercial buildings run into major problems due to poor engineering and/or construction. Today's locomotives with their overcomplicated emissions compliant 4 cycle engines tend to develop expen$ive probems fairly quickly. Nothing big- just little things like a turbocharger failure resulting in a fire.

[@vicktorpatriot1430]

I see lots of buses and trash trucks at Cummins Bridgeport in Hilliard Ohio. When I was tearing out the concrete on on set of shop doors I asked a mechanic why are these very new buses and trucks here. He said emissions for the diesels and anything from valves leaking to pistons going through the oil pans for the natural gas ones. He said never ever buy a used City of Columbus truck that had natural gas engine unless it was farm use and could get by with putting an N14 , M11, or older rebuilt diesel in it. Even if I had free natural gas the parts and downtime when needed most would cost far more than diesel fuel and the swap.

[@rodx5571]

Its similar to RV's, they dont care after the sale, and the run out your warranty sitting in the repair line. Old dealer tactic.

[@punker4Real]

@@rodx5571 Yeah but they still gotta fix it though

[@rodx5571]

@@punker4Real I guess my point is, no they don't. Just like car insurance doesn't have to pay if you do something they can call "excluded" . Car companies can call "abuse". It's up to the customer to prove otherwise.

[@katiekane5247]

Blew the motor on my first car, a Buick Skylark that I bought used at 17 years of age back in the Stone age (1974). I tried to drive it home after the oil light came on due to pump failure. I got to learn all about rebuilding an engine, scored crank etc. That "shade tree" rebuild lasted until my final year of college (1981) when a cold Chicago morning helped her throw a rod. Yeah, they don't make 'em like they used to. Great learning experience for a young gal!

[@larrybe2900]

Who helped you get started with the job?

[@katiekane5247]

@@larrybe2900 my gear-head buddy from high school, Tim Blazer

[@isaiahwelch8066]

Wow! That experience probably was worth more than your first year of college in value, lol.

[@ibiro868]

Which decade was better? 70’s or 80’s

[@startingtech3900]

if a rebuild lasted you that long he did it right you prob didnt maintain it

[@HornetVF103]

If I am not mistaken, you covered in an earlier episode that the new Corvettes have a built in data recorder similar to FDRs in aviation. I am sure GM will be analyzing that data. Great content.

[@steveludwig4200]

Nearly ALL cars these day do. And you can bet EVERY "performance" car does...

[@williamosgood3565]

When I worked at a shop, a GM rep came in and downloaded the data from the vehicle event recorder. It was amazing how much info was recorded!

[@steveludwig4200]

@@williamosgood3565 Computers on cars record everything. That dude that blew up his corvette better hope he did not violate ANY of the rec. "break-in" rules of the car or he will be sitting on a $50K car instead of a $180K car. And whatever he paid over sticker is history...

[@puny-tinsucks5102]

Nissan GTR's had those back in 2008 so yes I would assume Chevy decided to wake up and do the same, many insurance companies are using that information when crashes happen though so it has it's positives and negatives

[@cassiespencer6134]

You're referring to the PCM or 'Powertrain Control Module' which controls and monitors all powertrain functions. And given the proper equipment one can check the data in the PCM. Hence dealerships can determine how the car was and is being operated, among other things. Btw, if you have a Tech 2 KaChing! (an electronic instrument which can access the PCM module, along with other modules in the car) one can find out what codes were thrown and what module/s is/are affected. Unfortunately their not 40 year old tractors one can fix (that being me) with a large hammer and a screwdriver. ;)

[@DoubleDoubleWithOnions]

1:34 Those double secret probation charges can really add up.

[@dickmick5517]

The ZO6 is sold out for five years of production. Guess they can and do raise the pricing.

[@saltycreole2673]

@@dickmick5517 Wait till the owners decide to sell and because of the high number of cars sold, they lose 70% of the original car value, even with dealer trade in. Fads gonna fad. It'll be the Cabbage Patch Kids of the car world.

[@howzk4218]

The break-in is 500 miles and is actually programmed into the cars computers. The max rpm is reduced until 500 miles, and GM says that 1500 miles is recommended before tracking / drag racing.

[@JeffMarcum]

NOT TRUE: Torque is reduced in the first and second gears; however, there is no rev limiter during break in period. The owners manual advises you not to exceed 4000 RPMs during break-in; however, nothing prevents you from doing so.

[@sideswipe_x1]

@@JeffMarcum where do you get y your info? Both streetspeed717 and Emilia Hartford have verified the above into Emilia did commercials with GM and was included in pre-production C8 Z06 program

[@JodyBruchon]

Engines are broken in at the factory. They no longer need to be used gently for hundreds of miles after purchase.

[@JAMESWUERTELE]

@@JodyBruchonwrong

[@JodyBruchon]

@@JAMESWUERTELE _"In general, people no longer break in the engines of their own vehicles after purchasing a car or motorcycle, because the process is done in production. It is still common, even today, to find that an owner's manual recommends gentle use at first (often specified as the first 500 or 1000 kilometres or miles)."_

[@jerfacekilla]

This brings back memories of me as a child in the early 70s. My dad purchased a 1972 Ford Galaxie 500 from a dealership here in Ottawa, and blew either the engine or the tranny while driving it back home from the dealership with me and my mum in the car. Amazing 😂

[@tedmitchell226]

Reminds me of my 71 Ford galaxy, trans went out on it, had my brother take a look and when he dropped the pan the gears fell out

[@maxwelltodd7757]

Yes, but did Ford make good on the warranty. They were 12 months or 12,000 miles back then!

[@jerfacekilla]

@@tedmitchell226 🤣

[@jerfacekilla]

@@maxwelltodd7757 Well, he did end up keeping it, so I assume they honoured the warranty. The thing that makes that car get embedded in my memory forever is that, 6 months into owning it, the roof rusted out! OMG, what a piece of shite!

[@tedmitchell226]

@@maxwelltodd7757 Used vehicle back then I was like 19 or 20

[@Bob-Lob-Law]

I checked the owners manual in mine and according to the manual they recommend you don’t do gentle pulls until after you’ve taken her around the block a few times and to dinner at least once

[@bubbleman2002]

The owner's manual can no longer be used as a reputable source for information. Car manufacturers want to make money, and they do not care if your life is better or not, so if it fails after the warranty, tough titty, but you can buy another one! And now it has heated and cooled seats, steering wheel, and you can even be COMPLETELY wasted behind the wheel and the car keeps you from swerving! Isn't technology wonderful?

[@simonainscough619]

cmon what year model is that and is it still naturally aspirated?

[@bubbleman2002]

@@simonainscough619 I forget the engine family name, but it is the later model straight 6 engines which suffer from improperly engineered rod bearings. Some are N/A, some are turbo iirc. Application dependent. They are made of styrofoam and wear down, even with the proper oil weight, oil pressure, warm up procedure, break in period, ect. I believe 65,000 miles is typically when people who own these engines ditch the car or rebuild the engine so it won't go kaput.

[@davelowets]

@@bubbleman2002 The 436 pages in my new car's manual, compared to the 24 pages in a manual from a 1970's car, begs to argue with your above statement...

[@davelowets]

@@bubbleman2002 It was "tough titty" if a car failed after the warranty expired 40 years ago also, what's so different today? A car's warranty is usually MUCH longer now than it was decades ago. 🤦🏻

[@benhancock1408]

I used to be an auto technician. Back in the late '70s I did a warranty repair on a Pontiac Trans Am. It had transmission issues. It was a manual 4-speed tranny. The factory rep accused the owner of abusing the transmission, since it was a muscle car, and the owner was a young guy. During inspection of the internal parts, I found the transmission to be missing the counter cluster bearing spacer. This part is a metal tube located in the center of the counter shaft. It's purpose was to keep the two double rows of needle bearings at the ends of the shaft, where they belong. The omission of this simple part allowed the bearings to move endways on shaft, causing adverse wear and quick failure of the gear cluster. I was able to rebuild the transmission, the warranty had to cover it, the owner got his car back in better condition than new, so everybody wins.

[@uglypinkeraser]

These new corvettes don't even let you violate the break in suggestions. After 500 miles (iirc) the HUD in the car changes and shows you a much higher redline and the cars tune changes to give you all the beans

[@thomashill5000]

You can still drive it pretty hard though.

[@Broken_Yugo]

@@thomashill5000 best practice for hi performance engine break in is to drive it pretty hard. It needs to see high loads (high cylinder pressure) to seat the rings best and high revs to throw the piston and rings as far up the bore as they'll ever go at exhaust TDC (so they never violently run into a too low wear ridge). The factory failed already if you've got things wearing to clearance or other marginal stuff that may stand full output later but not now, it isn't the 50s anymore. In any event if the factory bothers to set hard break in limits, it is reasonable to expect the car to handle being run within then.

[@ralfie8801]

I’ve always broken my new vehicles/engines in like I stole them. If it’s gonna come apart, it’s gonna do it either way.

[@senorpepper3405]

The beans, you say?

[@zazuch]

@@Broken_Yugo same! They get a few heat cycles if that before any "break in" that was going to be done is done. Also these cars arent the ones of old. The slop/freeplay that break in is suppose to fix isnt really there anymore. When I bought my WRX and Hellcat I wasnt easy on them. Only reason I wasnt harder on my hellcat was it was raining the day I got it. But I made sure to vary rpms on the first drive and not just drone.

[@Zach_A]

A few months ago, a brand new truck was delivered to the dealership where I work. During the PDI the tech thought he heard a light bottom end knock so we pulled the oil filter and sure enough it was full of the forbidden glitter. The truck had 1200 miles on it, only what it took to drive it from the assembly plant to our shop (pretty common practice with class 8 semi trucks) so I got to replace an engine on essentially a brand new truck. It was one of the easiest jobs I had done in a while since there was hardly any road grime or dirt anywhere on the truck. Another similar story, a truck was being driven from the assembly plant to the selling dealer and started leaking coolant on the way. Our shop was the closest to them when they were having trouble so we were going to take care of it. The job was initially given to me under the assumption that it was just a loose hose clamp or a rubbed through coolant hose. Easy job, in and out in no time right? Nope... It had a hairline crack on the block deck that was leaking coolant so once again I got to swing an engine on a brand new truck. Good times.

[@dsloop3907]

Saw a new military truck (ten wheeled monster) with a giant straight six engine, one of those that would run on almost anything, 30 miles on it, engine threw a rod....

[@bobmazzi7435]

I've been in the industry and have some comments on flat rates for jobs. On something brand new, clean and not rusty, you can usually do a job in what the book says. For older trucks my advice has always been to add 10% to the time for every year the truck's been on the road. So, those engines on new trucks are easy jobs ( assuming you have the space and tools ) while the same job 10 years in will take twice the time. I considered adjustments for the amount of road salt used where the truck was based, but never got enough feedback of just how different a 10 year old truck from Michigan was as compared to one from South Carolina.

[@davidb6576]

"forbidden glitter", hummm? Are you a fan of "I Do Cars"? ;)

[@jamessimms415]

@@davidb6576 Rocker Gary Glitter

[@ronunderwood5771]

A26 by any chance?

[@RideGasGas]

My 2018 AMG E63s had a specific breaking-in process noted in the owners manual and which was also covered by the delivery tech when I picked it up at the factory in Sindelfingen, Germany for my European delivery tour. That is "To preserve the engine during the first 1,000 miles (1,500 km):" Drive at varying road and engine speeds, do not drive faster than 85 mi/h (140 km/h), only briefly allow the engine speed to reach 4,500 rpm, only drive in the Comfort mode program, change gears before 2/3 of the way to the red portion of the tachometer, do not shift down to brake, avoid overstraining the vehicle, e.g., driving at full throttle, do not depress the accelerator peddle beyond the kickdown threshold, and finally, Only increase the engine speed gradually and accelerate the vehicle to full speed after 1,000 miles (1,500 km). Being in Germany, I chose the 1500 km distance as that is only 932 miles and would complete the breaking-in sooner. We did a lot of secondary road driving to catch more scenery and allow the vehicle and engine speed to vary more during the early miles and tried to limit autobahn travel early on. Completed the breaking-in period with a few days left to go on our European delivery tour before the car was sent to the states. Did get in a decent 170 mph+ run between Munich and Sindelfingen on the autobahn on last night as we were bringing the car back to the Factory for its trip home to the States. Some will say that the AMG engines are ready to rip right out of the factory and no breaking-in is required, but given the instructions clearly stated in the manual and the high level of telemetry and data logging in the many computers in the car, why push it and risk any warranty issue down the road? If it was abused, they will know for sure just how you drove it prior to its detonation . . .

[@wolfgangpreier9160]

Took my Model 3, pointed it south and gave it the "Sporen". No special process to preserve anything... Still running fine.

[@ronaldrhoades9783]

ah good olm stinkfinger i used to go down to that town when i was stationed in Panzer Kaserne in bubblegum (boblingen)

[@RideGasGas]

@@wolfgangpreier9160 I seriously considered the Tesla model S at the time I was l looking at the E63S, but the fit and finish of the interior of theTesla were not on par with the Mercedes. Also, given my prior racing experience, I did pick the Carbon Ceramic Brake (CCB) option for the Mercedes in case I decided to do track days with the car and for the occasional spirited runs up/down the nearby mountains. It is a $10,000 upgrade but well worth it. One thing that is oft reported by folks attempting to do spirited driving of the Teslas (for more that 1/4 mile drag racing) is that the brakes fade pretty quickly when put to hard service. Whereas the CCB brakes on the E63S are used by Mercedes for the AMG Academy braking exercises where a whole class of folks do repeated maximum braking and I can confirm they are up to the challenge.

[@RideGasGas]

@@ronaldrhoades9783 My father was stationed at Stuttgart during the Korean war and when I went into the Army I requested Germany for first deployment location, but was sent to Korea instead :). But I've since traveled quite a bit in Germany while on trips to Europe for work. The European Delivery program many German auto makers had was really great and the family had a super time touring for two weeks in our own car. Sadly Mercedes and many of the other car makers have since cancelled the program, due perhaps to COVID or maybe for other reasons.

[@tcmxiyw]

A GM story from the old days: My parents’ Buick Skylark “blew” its engine well after the warranty had expired. GM wanted to examine the engine because they felt the engine was too young to fail in this way. They found some metallurgical defects and replaced the engine at not cost.

[@gpslightlock1422]

Jay Leno had the Corvette lead engineer on his show. They said at time of delivery it's "tuned down" to prevent revving it too high and shift points are lower for the break-in period. Buyer can stomp the throttle all he wants and warranty should cover it.

[@richardpurves]

"Oh NO! We've thown a rod!" "Is that serious?" "Yep." 🤣

[@alecamal]

Jake and Elwood

[@aaronhumphrey2009]

The Bluesmobile..

[@ostlandr]

Reminds me of the story of this diesel mechanic who went out to a lighthouse to fix the backup generator. During the boat ride to the lighthouse, the mechanic is asking the lighthouse keeper about the problem. After hearing the symptoms, the mechanic says "I bet you've blown a seal." The lighthouse keeper blushes beet red, and says "Just fix the damn generator and leave my personal life out of it, okay?"

[@repro7780]

Ya beat me to it!

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@ostlandr HAHAHA!

[@2packs4sure]

Our next door neighbor bought a brand new 1970 LTD and it blew up at about 200 miles but he had it back with a brand new engine in 2 or 3 days... If memory serves me it was a 390...

[@darinpearson2554]

The cars data recorder will tell the tale.

[@Private011]

You mean the ECM? Not the data recorder for crashes. Yes, you mean the ECM.

[@Heynmffc]

@@Private011 cars that are connected to the Internet like these cars are. WILL have internal communication logs. Steve said that the owner got a few emails about what was wrong with his car, they would almost certainly be more information in the companies internal logs

[@darinpearson2554]

@@Private011 sure, whatever it's called. A rose by any other name is still a data recorder.

[@Horace1993]

It will tell a tale that buries the lede. Catastrophic failure is not a customer issue at 50 miles.

[@darinpearson2554]

@@Horace1993 I tend to agree but, like any form of insurance (warranty), GM/Chev will look for any reason to deny such a claim. So, if the car was being flogged, it gives them an opportunity to contest the claim.

[@elkvis]

The break-in procedure is enforced by the engine management in the car. It actually limits RPM and horsepower output until you put a certain number of miles on it

[@dcptiv]

Here in Australia we have fantastic consumer protection laws. A new engine with 10hrs blew & the dealer had it fixed in 2 weeks.

[@TheCarCrazyGuy]

His wallet also exploded to the tune of $50,000 over sticker.

[@daleolson3506]

I can’t believe people do this. More money than brains.

[@TheCarCrazyGuy]

@@daleolson3506total stupidity. I got my C7 Z06 for $17,000 under MSRP, $76,000 vs. this guys $163,000.

[@UmmmmmmmWhat]

People were paying stupid money for the new full-size Bronco, too. I didn't understand it. My local dealer had 6 on its lot, 2 different colors, of each of the 3 most popular packages, at, then below msrp. They even restocked as they sold with no issues, it's an *old* dealer with a very, very good contract from Ford.

[@Sean-John]

Haha 😄

[@juanc5149]

60k over.

[@debrucer]

The new Corvette has a factory limiter that keeps things sane for the first 500 miles.

[@unsearchablethings8167]

That is correct!

[@imma3knee]

If I'm not mistaken, when TJ Hunt filmed the video of collecting his C8 Corvette, the car wouldn't let you rev past the lower limit for the break in. It even showed a lower red line on the digital cluster until you go pass the break in milage.

[@wingracer1614]

Exactly. I believe it takes 500 miles before the tune and rev limiter goes up to full blast

[@Bloodyglove9939]

1500 actually

[@superameric8]

It's 500. I have one

[@243wayne1]

@@superameric8 Sell it. Yesterday.

[@stinkwink695]

Just because it shows that on the cluster does not mean the car won't let you exceed it, Hoovie from hoovies garage just posted a video of his reving to nearly 7k at 80 some miles odo.

[@nnm711]

I watched recently a Rob Dahm video, he restored a C8 Corvette that was crashed very soon after purchase, and he showed how at 500 miles the max RPM of the engine moved from 4000 to its full power.

[@kenbrown2808]

I had an old college friend who, together with his mother, bought a brand new Ford Pinto that had the engine stop turning the next morning. found out it was a manufacturing defect. they hadn't put any oil in it. opposite side of the coin: my dad bought a Dodge V-10 pickup when they first came out. the break in instructions said that occasional vigorous acceleration from highway speed was beneficial to the break in process. and yes, acceleration in a dodge V-10 pickup is vigorous.

[@brucesmith9144]

That wasn’t a manufacturing defect, it was complete incompetence. They didn’t follow their own procedures.

[@july8xx]

@ Ken Brown: Vigorous acceleration is recommended during break in as it helps to seat the piston rings and eliminate glazing of the boar. Lycoming also advises a similar practice during break in.

[@virt1one]

Growing up my parents bought a brand new car (1983 or so) and on the way home Check Engine. Pulled over (on the highway) and it was HOT. No oil. Dealer says no problem we'll tow it back and put oil in it. No I don't think so. Papers got torn up and we went to another dealer for another car.

[@TalonPro]

You have to use force to seat piston rings, so the first hour or so of running it in crucial. After that, no amount of pussy footing or hammering it will matter.

[@bobmazzi7435]

@@brucesmith9144 I also question the tech that did the pre delivery inspection. I could see not checking the oil in the dif, but the engine? And, the folks who loaded and unloaded it on the delivery trip missed the oil light?

[@ericvanswoll4611]

I would wonder if because of all the computer controls (OnStar, etc.), if there isn't a record of exactly how that car was driven in it's previous X amount of miles

[@liquidfiretibby]

it 100% has a 'black box' that records engine speed, vehicle speed, etc before a major wreck. not sure if it datalogs before/during an engine malfunction like this. most likely does tho on something that expensive. Least I would hope, this is still chevy

[@shekharmoona544]

They have a black box in newer cars. From what a police officer told me in 2009 it only collects data for the last 5 minutes.

[@Lauren_C]

@@shekharmoona544wouldn’t be surprising tbh. The SLC flash that could handle this sort of duty for years is still obscenely expensive. It’s likely there would only be a small amount on board. Maybe half a gig at most.

[@donaldsalkovick396]

Actually I thought the engine had self preservation mode built in so that performance and rpm was limited during engine break in

[@gungadinn]

@@Lauren_C To date, there is no computer hack for the 2022 and 2023 Corvette. The only way that people like TJ Hunt and Emelia Hartford have been able to twin turbocharge the car is with installing stand alone computers. If you know a code cracker, the world awaits them with fists full of money.

[@johnwilliamson467]

There is a 500 mile break in period that limit the rpm so 53 miles is a bit of a problem .

[@jimwheeler6094]

You would think that with the technology these days that the ECU would limit the engine to the break in period limit of 7k rpm for the first 500 miles.

[@jamescaley9942]

Based on what? Did GM strip down an engine at every 100 miles and found 500 to be the magic figure? Aviation piston engines typically have to use max power for every take off, you can't just use 50% of because the engine is "not broken in".

[@johnwilliamson467]

@@jamescaley9942 That not the point the fact that the engine is in valet mode as it where for the first 500 miles. Where the number came from is not germane to the point.

[@jimwheeler6094]

@@jamescaley9942, based upon the stipulations in the warranty that comes with the car. As for piston aviation engines, they could be and probably should be broken in before the airplane ever leaves the ground as an engine failure in an airplane is bit more serious to have to deal with.

[@jamescaley9942]

@@jimwheeler6094 The question is what are the stipulations based on and what was the root cause of this specific failure. Otherwise it is just belief and hocus pocus.

[@briant7265]

I had an old truck, and took it on a trip in Mexico. I was running it pretty hard (for an anemic I-6) up a hill on the way back and the engine was knocking a bit. It didn't have a check engine light (like didn't have one, not had one that didn't come on) but I pulled into the next parking area and turned off the key. The engine kept running. It was that hot inside. Also burned a dime-sized hole in the #1 piston. I had to be gentle with it the rest of the way home, or mix would build up in the crankcase and then explode. I lost the dipstick somewhere along the way.

[@benkrom2737]

Been working on cars for over 50 years, the most important thing to do is warm engine up before getting a little crazy with the FUN PEDAL, Your engine is susceptible to damage whether it has 5 miles on it or 50k miles and even 100k miles when you don't warm the engine. Actually I've bought a vehicle brand new with 2 buddies and lit the tires leaving the dealership only after letting engine warm up 1st. Had trouble free experience and sold years later looking and running like new ! My buddies were dumbfounded my car was still running as good as theirs. I just never have broken an engine in, just never pushed till at operating temperature. Even hit 135 mph on way home. Done this on countless vehicles. Always let warm up before the fun begins 😁 The quicker you break the rings in, the less fuel passes the rings and breaks down the integrity of your oil ! 500 miles is a lot of blow- by to let impurities past the rings, YIKES 😳 Benny is Flying Low !

[@sombojoe]

Something seldomly discussed regarding insurance and warrantee claims in “diminished value”. Once a vehicle has something negative associated it has losses value even if repaired.

[@timothy4664]

My last new car was a sonata back in 2003. I had to break in the engine and had to limit my speed until I reached a certain mileage. I don't recall what that limit was but it wasn't crazy. Maybe 500 miles? The early oil change was necessary too and happaned right around that mileage as well. Still, I can't imagine blowing a rod after 53 miles. That's crazy

[@mgancarzjr]

My motorcycle was 100 miles for break-in and 500 miles for first oil change.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Because of better metallurgy and machining methods, even the old 80s style of break ins are not really needed. Besides, if piston rings dont seat in the first 5mins of runtime, forget it they won't. Those rings are seated by the time the guy took delivery, now it's just not redlining it at every opportunity till all the bearings mate together nicely. I'd still be easy on it for 1000mi though, and dump the oil.

[@timothy4664]

As an aside, I stopped buying new cars because I thought it was dumb. I have worked from home for nearly 13 years now and rarely even put 3000 miles a year on my car. Since that 2003 sonata I have purchase one car. It was a used 2010 Toyota Camry with 12k miles on it. I still have it and it's not hit 100k yet.

[@HVAC_Jae]

2011 chevy express AWD with the mandatory 5.3L, bought brand new as a factory order. After warming up, I stomped on it, on an empty side road, increasing the redline every time. I over revved it too. Still have it now at 216k miles, no engine problems.

[@since1876]

@@MrTheHillfolk yeah, if you've got a 100k+ risk under the hood, I'd go ahead and drive that car at 55 with slow acceleration all the way across the country before having fun on the return trip (getting maintenance on the way, of course)... 😂

[@scoobydoodandy4296]

I've just fixed a horrible oil leak on a Mercedes CLS 400's 3.5l Twin turbo engine. The Magnesium parts concerned in the leak were fine as was the sealant used in assembly. The issue was the speed with which the mechanic applied final torque to the bolts holding the parts together. No time was given for the sealant to begin curing so all sealant was squeezed out from between the mating surfaces. This is just one example of how an assembly can be caused to fail even when the correct parts and consumables are used. A small error in the process was the only reason for the leak. I also recently had an Audi A1 with a pair of identically destroyed front rotors, The steel of the rotors was chewed apart in rings separated by unchewed rings, only on the inboard surface. The outer surface was fine. Possibly the result of a malfunction of the tools used in the manufacturing process of the rotors, during hardening/tempering.

[@jguenther3049]

Interesting.

[@davelowets]

You don't have to wait for silicone sealant to "cure up" before torquing the parts together. If it squeezes it all out, then it didn't need any in the first place. By waiting for it to harden up, all you are accomplishing is making the sealant more solid, and keeping the parts from mating together completely. It would be similar to pinching a rubber band in between the two halves of a transmission case, or a head to the deck of the block, or whatever, it would only succeed in holding the parts away from each other, and not letting them come fully come together. You DON'T need to let a sealant cure at all before you assemble the parts together. If it squeezes out, you simply put too much on to begin with.

[@scoobydoodandy4296]

@@davelowets In theory, yes. but not in this case. The valve covers and heads have a very small difference in their mating surface with the timing covers and there was no gasket between the timing covers and adjacent surfaces. All the sealant was squeezed out except for the point where the valve covers and heads meet. There was a significant oil leak both sides on each bank. I have used sealant on gaskets I cut and fitted the covers, leaving the final tightening of the first side until the second was in place, tightening the second after spending a few minutes re-installing the wiring harness on the first side. So far, touch wood, no leaks. I'm not saying you're wrong as in a perfect world the valve covers would be machined to make a single flat plane with the head for the timing cover if this could not be achieved by fitting the valve covers correctly. But as the valve covers aren't leaking and would require a lot more wiring harness to be removed at the least, I would like to avoid re-fitting them. If the leak comes back then this would be the next plan of action but would take much longer and risk wiring connectors shattering if I look at them wrong...

[@taxicamel]

I didn't listen to the entire 12 minutes of video ....but just ONE comment ....favourable comment ....up to 5:19 ( how long I listened to the commentary ), ....each and EVERY time you referenced the power plant ....you called it an ENGINE !!!!!! YEAH!!!😁😁!!!!!!😎😎 !!!!!!! ✌✌ I get so sickened when "experts" call these power plants "MOTORS" .....ALL THE TIME. THANK YOU!!! .

[@uasparts]

Hey, Steve! Love the new little Easter egg you added, the D-FENS plate from “Falling Down” 😂 Now all you need is a dumpster green die cast model of a Chevette to hang out nearby the plate 🤘🏾😆🤘🏾

[@lorka42]

they had an issue at the factory where one of the workers that moved the cars would start them wide open throttle....

[@volvo09]

Really? Who the hell do they hire?

[@lorka42]

@@volvo09 it was several years ago, I was doing robotic contracting, and got put up in a hotel next to the factory, you'd wake up to them rip assing around the track, it was wonderful

[@SeanBZA]

@@KenSiefert I have gotten delivery drivers fired for that. Running red lights with crossing traffic, and for the other stopping for a little liquid libation, and to lose 10cc, with the car that was supposed to be collected the next day.

[@lorka42]

@@KenSiefert It was for testing, karen.

[@POTUS1126]

The c8 Corvette has a "break-in" mode, it limits RPM and power output until the odometer passes 500 miles

[@unlisted9494]

No, that's a suggestion, you can just slam the pedal and take it to redline if you want

[@Xterraforce]

Not in a couple of videos I've seen with the Z06. In both of those videos the car started spinning and the rev limiter kicked in at the lower RPM. Maybe it's a Z06 thing only and doesn't work that way on the Stingrays.

[@rbull8416]

There is a video of Cleetus hitting the 500 mile break in then getting full power.

[@cookracr]

@Un Listed until it hits 500 miles the ecu has a lower redline and makes less power. There's videos out there of people crossing the 500 mile mark and the redline changing on the dash to the full range.

[@donaldsalkovick396]

@@unlisted9494 no it's actually built into thr software. Do some research

[@nolongeramused8135]

"double secret probation fee..." 🤣 Must be the "Neidermeyer Chevrolet" dealership

[@lanaj1107]

😅😂

[@TheOrangeRoad]

I heard some they got some animals on the sales team

[@brucesmith9144]

A little-known codicil in the warranty only Dean Wormer knows about.

[@Aaron48219]

Na, it's definitely Kunkleman.

[@stevematda976]

Hey, at least the driver wasn't wearing a pledge pin.

[@Rev22-21]

In the summer '77 my dad test drove a brand new Chevy 1/2 ton pickup 20 miles and the motor completely failed on the interstate. After walking in the hot summer heat about a mile he found a payphone and called the dealer and they sent a wrecker after him and the truck. About an hour after reaching the dealership (some three hours from starting out) they came to him and said "we can put another engine in it and it'll be just like brand new." He said "Like brand new? It is brand new." and stormed out of the dealership. Within a couple hours he visited a GMC dealership, found the same color truck someone custom ordered but didn't take ownership and purchased it himself. That truck ran over 100k miles with hardly an issue to speak of. It was the best truck he'd ever owned.

[@ken2tou]

Had a buddy buy a 2019 LTZ Camaro. He drove 200 miles to Reno. He had 1500 miles on the engine and it ate a valve. They put a new engine in it. So far, it works okay.

[@joshfranklin1894]

" my engine hurts..." Lmao ....I laughed way too hard at that comment

[@thinkingimpaired5663]

I wonder what read out of the vehicle's computer will reveal.

[@Nope_handlesaretrash]

Considering the owner is already talking about selling the car and not suing the dealer for his money back something stinks

[@jbmcb]

80% of those 53 miles were with the tach redlined.

[@jamescaley9942]

Nothing. ECUs do not store information except maybe the last fault codes.

[@wms201]

Everything

[@ostlandr]

Whatever the GM Execs want it to say.

[@shawncarroll5255]

My daughter's 20 something boyfriend inherited his grandfather's Ford F-150 from the 1980s several years ago. They called me from the roadside when it failed, and as they were talking to me about how it had failed, and officer had pulled up. He looked at the oil on the dipstick, and told me the one thing I hadn't realized I needed to ask - there were little metal shavings on it that made it look like oatmeal. THIS WAS DOUBLE PLUS UNGOOD. They needed a new engine. The body is pristine. She had saved up enough money to pay the one half down on a warrantied rebuilt engine installed by the very good garage, but there was a 3-month waiting list to get it. I drove them all that time. They are now breaking in the engine. I talked to them during their multiple commutes to work, and they went online and read about it. They talked to the garage, since it cost them several months of their disposable income. They go to work one way, going at a respectable speed on the slower part of the interstate, and then they go home on a series of back routes going 35-45. They don't rev the engine, and are treating it very respectfully. They aren't pushing it at all. It's also working very well. If a pair of kids in their twenties know how to treat a new, or newly rebuilt, engine - then the person who's owned two previous Corvettes certainly should have known. Just saying...

[@giulimarconi1715]

GM QUALITY STANDS tall... GM Leads the industry again! good job MARY!

[@13Photodog]

While living in England in the late 50's it was not uncommon to see a new car with a sticker in the back window stating "Running In" to explain the slow speed.

[@herseem]

yes, it would often say, "Running in - please pass". I also have seen on an older car, "Running down - please pass"

[@BobSmith-mc7uq]

Yup. Had to be careful with them 1L sewing machines getting to aggressive. lol

[@bryanblake8607]

GM: we are are going to need to see the service records to warranty this. Owner: ugh where’s my check book I will just pay for it.

[@niyablake]

service records for a car driven 53 miles ?

[@bryanblake8607]

Obviously missed the joke

[@Nareimooncatt]

@@bryanblake8607 to be fair, GM will still probably want to see service records and deny it to to the lack of them. Lol

[@bryanblake8607]

Would not surprise me if they wanted service records and that would make the joke funnier

[@niyablake]

@@bryanblake8607 GM: Sir can I see the service records Client: but it only has 53 miles I've never done an oil change. GM Aha , so you have not changed the oil ever . warranty voided

[@jonkeau5155]

These new corvettes have computer controlled limiters to rpm and power during the break in mileage, it literally changes the digital dash the moment you hit the requisite miles

[@villedocvalle]

That’s great to know because I was already blaming the owner for messing up the break in period.

[@SayAhh]

Request: someone film it

[@selanryn5849]

@@SayAhh Apparently TJ Hunt already did.

[@DrsharpRothstein]

I wonder if the driver down shifted from speed and over revved it.

[@helloitsme4139]

@@villedocvalleeven ignoring any break in procedures. Going WOT. Launching from a dead stop. Burnouts ext wouldn’t cause catastrophic engine failure under 100 miles. Something was wrong from the first startup

[@microdesigns2000]

My mom taught me that the first 500 are to be kind with an oil change to follow. That is what she learned in 1976 when she purchased her '76 Ford LTD Laudau fully loaded, with the police package! Edit: He should have towed that car directly to Bowling Green. That is a shameful mistake.

[@sneww4282]

the computer on the new corvettes forces you into nanny mode for the first 500 miles. it wont let you rev above a certain rpm, so even if he did a "pull" on it, it was within the range of what they allow during the break in period. also, that first 500 mile break in period is mostly for the clutches. an engine will actually break in better if you run it harder. its all about getting more cylinder pressure to wear in your piston rings against the cylinder wall. when engines have been broken in harder they tend to end up with better compression. the last several high HP motors i've built we fire it up, run it for 10-15 min. change the oil. run it for 200-300 miles with break in oil (non-synthetic), change the oil, then 3000 miles, etc. for the first few hundred miles avoid any sustained rpm. you want to be under load or under compression at all times.

[@cliff481]

In my early days as a young car owner 55 years ago most, if not all cars, required a "Run in" period of about 500 miles. Later 1980s or so, I bought a new car and was told it was "bench run in" and was ready to rev.......I would be interested in finding out if this is a common practice. I now own a Tesla model S (yes I know) and of course It did not require run in. Thanks for what you do, it's invaluable.

[@SeanBZA]

Most modern engines the tolerances are so close that there is minimal extra care needed to run the engine in. See your average Toyota, where the first service is not at 1000km, but at 15 000km, and then again at multiples of that, and they do not generally blow up engines on the first day, even those that are run "enthusiastically"by the delivery drivers. Modern tolerances and assembly means that the sort bins used during assembly are so close that you just pull the parts out of the right colour coded bins along the line, for the critical parts, and put them in, and the engine works perfectly, and also most are tested on the line during assembly by a computer that turns it over, measuring dynamic parameters, like oil pressure per degree or revolution, and torque to turn, and can detect of the next size bearing shell was put in the crank on one position. Must have been a Friday afternoon engine, just before quitting time.

[@cliff481]

@KameraShy If you believe that I suggest that you don't by one. P. S. They have had cars on the road since 2012 with very few problems. My limited math tells me that's more than 5 years.

[@zazuch]

@@KameraShy and even if they did they are warrantied for 8 years 100,000-150,000. So you would get it replaced under warranty unless you are driving 25k+ a year at which point a EV isn't what you should be buying lol.

[@QALibrary]

The break-in period is 500 miles at under 7,500RPM

[@DC-si8xw]

and i think that rev limiter is known by the computer and maybe some other performance tunning are held back until break in. afterwards the computer recognises the mileage for break in is up and the cars computer gives driver full power and rev range.

[@spudrubble]

Yes the computer in the car cuts you back during that time frame but Chevy has told certain KZbin creators to be easy on it to 1500 miles

[@Daniel456324]

Would love to see the channel "I Do Cars" look into this engine issue and publish to the world to see.

[@bobbbobb4663]

Malice in the combustion palace

[@Tormundisc00l]

I recall a story on Reddit about a new Chevy Spark that the new owner put 100 miles on before realizing it had no coolant in it. Apparently the tech missed it during the PDI. Also, I remember the break-in procedure for the motorcycle I bought last spring. Kawasaki didn't want you to go over a certain RPM until you hit 600 miles and changed the oil. Had speed limits for each gear in the owner's manual because it had no tachometer.

[@donwilber1628]

I bought a new '98 Grand Prix GTP, and with less than 100 miles on it, my first time on the highway, the car overheated. I was towed in, and it was found to have coolant in two of the cylinders. The dealership wanted to repair it, and tried to negotiate by giving me a 100k mile warranty. No thank you. It took me three days, and threats from me to park it across the street with LEMON signs on it before they agreed to replace the entire vehicle. I'd also contacted family with ties to GM in Michigan, so I'm not sure what the final influence was, but I was happy to get a replacement instead of a repair. I'd also read that there had been cases where courts had ruled in favor of buyers when they'd had problems shortly after driving off the lot, basically saying that a buyer's acceptance of it includes the initial driving period, but I can't quote a case.

[@POOKIE5592]

I'm sure the technician that PDI'd it did a couple "gentle pulls" too.

[@CraigGrant-sh3in]

A few years back ,mid teens I believe , Chevy\Corvette had a problem with metal bits being inside the engine from the factory . Even the test car given to Motor Trend had catastrophic failure along with customer cars.

[@SayAhh]

They give Car and Driver the pristine examples 🤣

[@enochthetrucker9735]

This isn't that. He wore the lope off the cam, because they're impatient morons. The break-in period is 500 miles for road use and 1,500 miles for track use. They pushed it to the redline too many times. Now the cam is almost a circle and the tappets are bouncing around from too much tolerance between the cam and tappet and that is what's making the "noise". A rounded cam on a brand new engine is *100%* user error.

[@agenericaccount3935]

@@enochthetrucker9735 So you had the engine apart. TELL US MORE.

[@stephencavanaugh8377]

@@enochthetrucker9735 Not possible. The engine in the C8 ZO6, has a hard rev limiter until after 500 miles, it won't rev to redline when it's that new and the limiter cannot be overridden.

[@brucejones2354]

@@enochthetrucker9735, one thing that will wear a cam lobe out in less than 12 minutes would be a lifter that is manufactured with a flat bottom that rides on the cam. When a lifter is new it should have a convex (rounded) bottom to ride on the cam. This problem is becoming more prevalent with new, and new aftermarket cam and lifter sets. If the parts are not manufactured correctly, no amount of proper " break in " will prevent a " flat cam " .

[@markbajek2541]

In this case even if he hadn't admitted to doing soft pulls, the dealership had a salesperson in the passenger seat (unless the salesperson was driving) as a "he said/she said" witness to the soft pulls on at least one leg of the trip . Unless that return trip to the dealer was in the stingray which it doesn't sound like it was . But yeah you wanna keep the information to a minimum "loose lips sink ships" and all that.

[@maxsdad538]

Define a 'soft pull"... oh, that's right... you can't.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

The salesman's presence in the vehicle amounts to exactly nothing. The salesman is not an agent of Chevrolet.

[@spacemissing]

1972 F-250 Camper Special with the 360 engine and a C6. Oil was disappearing --- Not leaking and Not burning --- at a high rate. At about 1600 miles it was shot. The mechanic at the dealer said the engine should be replaced. The service manager said rebuilding it was good enough. My mom called Ford HQ in Dearborn and demanded a replacement. Suddenly the service manager agreed. It has now been parked for over 20 years with 169,435 well-served miles on the odometer. If I could afford to, I would have it restored.

[@ucrsae]

The new corvette has the RPMs electronically limited for the first 500 miles. The Z06 has the same computer so I would imagine it can perform the same limits.

[@rbtjgonzalez]

I saw another Vette break-in video where it wouldn't let you rev higher than 3,500 RPM until it reached 500 miles, so I don't think he could have abused it that badly.

[@SayAhh]

So even worse problem

[@davidgraham2673]

I think they can check the chip to see the maximum rpm's that he pushed it to. I may be mistaken though, I'm not an expert.

[@Nathan-gj8ch]

This car limits the hp output during break-in, at 500-1kmiles they alert you that full power is now available. This lead to a weird resale market value and is why when they first came out a used one past brake in period was actually worth more because people wanted to rip in them day one and not have to wait.

[@davelowets]

No, that's not why they were worth more than new. It was a LONG waiting list to get your hands on a new one, so people were paying more for a used one because they could have it right away, and not wait on the new list for months. It had zero to do with the 500 mile power limit.

[@randycarter2001]

I've seen videos where a Mercedes engine went at less than 1,000 miles. The tear down showed a o'ring wasn't installed correctly starving 1/2 of the engine of oil. The carnage was a an attractive piece of modern art in the oil pan. You'd expect more from Mercedes.

[@EvilSanta482]

No that's exactly what I'd expect from a Mercedes.

[@patti9339]

I have a 2014 C300 Sport and I absolutely love my little Mercedes built in Stuttgart. I now have 120k miles on her, but I’ve never had 1 problem with this car.

[@tomearly111]

Sometimes you get a car built on Friday. In 1990 I leased my wife a new Acura Integra GS. 4 year lease. It is made by Honda and I had a few of them before so I figured it would be bullet proof as well. My wife is very soft on her vehicles and at just under 15,000 miles the automatic transmission gave out. We had it towed to the dealer and they installed a new one under warrantee. The warrantee on the car was 36,000 miles. At around 36900 miles ( less than 3 years into the lease) the replacement transmission gave out. The dealer refused to pay for a new one stating the car was out of warranty . The replacement trans only had about 20,000 on it. They wanted to charge me almost $5000. to fix it. It took me many phone calls and around 3 months that it was sitting at the dealership before someone in upper management agreed to fix it on their dime. Even car brands with great reputations sometimes make a lemon.

[@chrisdaigle5410]

On break-in, they ask C8 owners to not rev the engine over a given range until it has enough driving time. "Bomb proof?" That sounds like a challenge.

[@darrylhaynes9208]

He coasted a mile after it blew.

[@LDuncanKelly]

I remember a temp driving job at the Port of Tacoma Mazda Terminal in the late 1990s, and the other drivers talked about all the Miata's that blew engines either when staging them to be loaded on car carriers for cross-country shipment, or driving to nearby car lots...

[@lpd1snipe]

Man that stinks. Curious, did it literally blow up/ catastrophic failure or did it seize? I can't wait to see the final analysis Steve.

[@equallawandorder5393]

New owner forgot to add the Option for Engine Oil to the package price ❗️💰💰

[@lpd1snipe]

@@equallawandorder5393 🤣

[@enochthetrucker9735]

It was a worn cam for not obeying the "break in procedure". The cams are soft and have to be "work hardened" in the engine. Otherwise they will destroy the tappets if they're hardened before running. It's the same with pretty much every make and model of engine. The salesman and owner were thrashing it and the onboard computers caught everything.

[@lpd1snipe]

@@enochthetrucker9735 good to know what happened. . Nowhere to Run nowhere to hide from the car's computer. Glad all my stuff is old. I understand the technology now they can literally shut your car off going down the road.

[@redbaron6805]

@@lpd1snipe No, that is not how any of this actually works. Someone has been watching way too many movies...

[@Rift45]

That story about the Hemi Cuda just shows how ridiculous the collector market is. The fact that the motor was replaced by the factory just makes the car’s story more interesting to me.

[@johnreese3762]

I had a LS7 which had many problems ,valves breaking, rods through block, Race Track Ready dry sump system and more! Fortunately I was a forum member and was aware of these problems before I had them. Some of the members weren't as lucky. My last GM product! Very good advice/video BTW!

[@daveds50]

2008 C6 Z06 LS7 owner here. The known valve guide issue was already taken care of by Chevy before 08, and my car has been a non-street registered road race and autocross car pretty much it's whole life. almost 21k miles of extremely heavy abuse, and no issues at all. I would say that my 21k miles is the equivalent of a normally driven street car at 200k miles. The only issues I have had is waxing a tire mark off of the passenger door, and the hatch gas struts wearing out last year and needed to be replaced. ($11 a pair on Amazon) and also a tiny burn in the carpet from welding on the roll cage. Other than that, just maintenance that gets done more often than normal due to driving the car at 10/10ths at all times, getting the custom built race shocks rebuilt twice, and about 12 sets of tires. I have had more problems with my race Mustangs in the past, but I still love those cars. But this Z06 has been bulletproof despite it's extreme hard life. Same goes for my autocross 2003 C5 LS6 Z06. The previous owner already took care of the known valve spring recall, and I have been beating the crap out of the car for many years. Can't even begin to tell you how many _Minutes_ that car has spent riding the rev limiter... That one does on rare occasion get driven on the street, however, most of it's time has been spent at 10/10ths on the track. No issues on that car either. Just maintenance and that one has gone through about 6 sets of tires. Anyway, I have no idea what you are talking about and neither do any of my fellow racers with the same cars. But you can go to any forum and pretty much all cars can have issues if enough of them are sold. No car company or car is perfect... I can tell you a lot of pretty interesting stories about our Mercedes, and the forum I am on will verify that they are real issues... When hundreds of thousands of a certain car is sold, and 10 have an issue, I would wave that off... However, when thousands have the same problem, then that is real. Just be aware on large forums, like the Corvette Forum, there always is "That Guy", that does dumb things that causes issues. I am on 7 different forums for various cars I own, and I see it all the time... Yes, throwing rods through the side of the block when you have a 50 psi boost spike is perfectly normal... 🤣

[@alexaltrichter1597]

You can't expect them to last forever.

[@saltycreole2673]

Lol!

[@243wayne1]

No. One can't expect them to last 100 miles...

[@johnstreet797]

100 miles at least

[@pplusbthrust]

182 Gs & it popped like the corn at the movie show.

[@Garth2011]

Owner has no respect for his money.

[@christopherstimpson6540]

A small percentage of engines are not bolted together correctly. Should be an easy warranty replacement. Curious to see what happens.

[@zone47]

A friend of mine bought a new C8 Stingray and the valve train developed a problem in under 200 miles where they had to pull the camshaft and replace it and the lifters. It's what GM does the best.

[@jmcg6160]

In 2004 i bought a new 2005 Chrysler 300C. On acceptance, the Check Engine Light was on. They scanned it and determined an oil pressure issue. Dealership called Chrysler. They asked to hold delivery, overnighted a whole NEW engine from Detroit. They changed out the engine and gave me an extended warrantee at no cost. Exceptional customer service from Chrysler and the dealership. Still have that car to this day and never had another engine issue.

[@cookracr]

Those engines are electronically limited during the break in period cant even rev it to redline doesnt make full power until it hits 500 miles. Gotta be a build problem.

[@johnnylightning1491]

It would be interesting to see an ECM download from this car. There's a reason they tell you to take it relatively easy the first 500 miles or so but this is never done with racing engines and they don't blow very often any more. Me thinks it was probably a tight bearing somewhere. I guess that's what warranties are for.

[@perrygibson8419]

My grandfather told me years ago. Cheaper parts and increae the price. They're straight ripping us off and it's getting worse and blatant and even dangerous...true,, he could have blown it. But there's is a case for cheaper parts

[@NineFourOneMedia]

The recommended break-in period for C8 Z06 is 1,500 miles. Torque is limited in the lower gears until it hits 500 miles. Occum's Razor would suggest it's probably a defective engine. Would not be the first time something like this has happened.

[@christopherwhull]

This is a customer with multiple C8s, the dealer isnt going to fight the claim, that is the typical customer that eats the over MSRP stuff and asks for more. If GM wants to bother to fly in for the disassembly it is on them, but odds are whatever went wrong will be obvious to a newbie tech. It is a dry sump oil system so the oil pump produced pressure or the computer shut it down. Drag Race or driving grandma to the doctor, it is a high revving V8 that died with 50 some miles on it. It is manufactures defect and the dealer will need to lemon law it as GM isnt going to get a new assembly to the dealer in 30 days. The owner made sure to go to press not to get caught without the newest toy until july.

[@Chris090883]

I work for a General Motors Dealer as an Automotive Technician and I have worked for several dealerships. Things like this happens to more times then you think. One dealer I worked for we had Hyundai grenade a transmission with 23 miles on it because of a fault in the transmission. When I worked for Subaru there was a time when the rear differential locked up with 100 miles on it because there was no fluid in the rear differential from the factory. But anything can happen in any part of a vehicle. Because when you have parts installed and tightened by a human or a machine (depending on the assembly line) you could have had machine or human error, I’ve also seen on countless vehicles bad machining or castings that was the problem and it’s something the lines are not looking for because they are told put the part in and move it down the line because they believe the part is good from the manufacturer/assembler. The man shouldn’t be discouraged from owning the vehicle because or an error that happened. By the time General Motors gets done with they will make sure before the man get’s it back that it’s done right and by a technician who specializes in those vehicles. Most dealerships have General Technicians, where General Motor you have guys where all they do is transmissions, electrical, engines, corvettes, accessories. They don’t have General Technicians, they have specialists.

[@billp6191]

GM definitely has engine issues. A friend of mine works for a GM dealer where a customer brought back his new truck with a locked engine before the first oil change. The dealership installed a brand new GM engine which also locked up during the test drive.

[@backwoodstherapy]

Lifters in the new 5.3L and 6.0L are prone to failure before 5k miles.

[@Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

Per the fine print, the break-in period ends three business days after the warranty expires.

[@8000RPM.]

GOOD ONE!!!!😀

[@jamesodell3064]

If it became a lemon law case how much would he get for his claim. The car stickered for $113,000 but he paid $182,000 because of dealer fees, sales tax etc. I am sure GM does not want to reimburse for the "dealer fees". Much better it failed now then just after the warranty ends.

[@christopherwhull]

Lemon law returns full retail price, that is the point, less what is already sent to the state for plates. The dealer will sell him the next car or return all the money. He owns multiple C8s, he will be in line for every edition if treated correctly. To GM and the dealer, shit happens. The asshole on the service desk isnt the running the show that day, thus all the press coverage.

[@executiveinvestments]

@@christopherwhull wrong. He owns ONE C8. And has nothing to do with if he gets another car. They will simply fix this one. You can’t call it a lemon for one failure.

[@executiveinvestments]

It’s not dealer fees. It’s dealer gouging. The dealer gouging will need to be paid back by the dealer if a judge orders it. You do know you need to go to court to file for a lemon right? It’s not so easy.

[@RonBand01]

Steve, the computer controls the break in period on the new corvette. It will not allow you to vary from the restrictions for 500 miles. The rpm, the gearing, the sport mode all controlled by the car's computers during this period. There is a guy James (Stradman on KZbin) that just purchased serial #33 of the Z06 model. He had an oil leak problem with it and GM took it right in and fixed it. ** Just as an aside, James was told by GM before he took delivery, that if he sold the car within one year that the GM Warranty would be voided. This, of course, was to keep people from selling the car for more money than they could buy the car at the dealership. The Z06 is in high demand, as you quoted the additional dealer ad on prices to the list price.

[@SmittyAZ]

A YTer with a following will be treated differently than people who don't use social media.

[@patrickdali9124]

It Happens Porshe brought back every 911 GT3 in 2014 due to engine failure. Then they extended the warranty to 120,000. I'd still Get one!

[@NewswithJakenator]

The term 'gentle pull' has different meanings to different people.

[@zazuch]

Considering it limits you to certain rpms it couldn't be that hard of a pull.

[@rbtjgonzalez]

GM will say the owner obviously failed to maintain it. 😜

[@SubvertTheState]

I'm not a mechanic, but even i wouldnt do that. Shit my car has 235,000 miles on it and i don't go full throttle unless my oil temperature is at operating temperature, which may not be for 15 minutes of driving when it's 5° F outside. But my parents have a Kia SUV, and the "engine blew" (i dont know the exact problem) at 95,000. Since it was covered up to 100,000 they received a new engine under warrantee. Very close and lucky on that one lol.

[@volvo09]

Kia and Hyundai have had a few problems with engines exploding, good thing it got covered... I hear some of those tend to blow again, so tell them to be careful. I also let my engine warm up before revving it up or getting on it. I live on a 2 lane highway so I warm it up a bit and take off slowly, especially in the winter. If someone comes speeding up behind me I pull over rather than flooring it to get up to speed.

[@Garth2011]

Now a days most engines with overhead cams fail due to timing belts or chains and tensioners failing and if the engine is a non interferance engine, its a total loss engine at that point the chain slips a tooth or the belt does.

[@ConstitutionalFreedomFighter]

The Break in is built in to the computer. It won't even allow to over rev the engine or even spin the tires until you hit 500 miles.

[@garyvee6023]

In 1976 (😳.., yes, I am old) I bought a brand new Valiant station wagon, I was still running it in (I had done nearly 500kms of the 1500kms required) when I pulled out of a driveway, went to change into second gear when there was a huge bang and a scene from a cartoon movie with bits of what I thought was my engine laying all over the road..., it turned out to be the part of the motor where it attaches to the gearbox, clutch/pressure plate housing and tranfer box. Chrysler wanted to put in a secondhand motor and gear box, but my father said no way. That car had the clutch fail soooo many times over the time I owned it. Chrysler took the car away to work out why it was happening and they admitted that after replacing the clutch and gearbox it happend to them WHILST they were doing the testing..., it literally disintergrated on their test bench. To their credit they replaced the clutch/pressure plate for the entire time I owned the vehicle (about 13 years) as well as giving me a loaner car to get around in. Wouldn't happen now-a-days..., it would just be written off as a lemon..., but it left enough of a bad taste for me to never buy another Chrysler.

[@robertmcclafferty6001]

Being a Chevrolet, it doesn't surprise me.

[@cheeseballs3825]

This happened to me before with a moped. 117 miles and the engine was blown.

[@Stewart1953]

well at least you didn't pay 182k $

[@POOKIE5592]

Chees Balls Did you forget the 2-cycle oil?

[@obsidianjane4413]

There is supposed to be a quality difference between a flagship sportscar and a Chinese scooter.

[@SayAhh]

@@Stewart1953 Unless OP got hurt and had no insurance in America

[@opichocal]

My 2011 Yamaha Zuma is still running strong with 15k miles

[@Spectacularhuman]

I hope that general motors has better customer service than Nissan in this case.

[@shekharmoona544]

Carlos Ghosn special. 😂😂

[@privacyvalued4134]

"I'm a lawyer and I'm paranoid." That should be on a t-shirt.

[@tokay57]

From my reading in various automotive publications, specialized engines such as the one in the Z06, Ford GT40, GT500 Super Snake, maybe the Dodge Demon are all hand assembled and broken in, in the factory.

[@iainballas]

It's a bit amusing to me: If the engine in my 2004 Toyota legacy blew, it'd financially ruin me and I'd be out of work without a car. Yet someone with a super expensive car like a corvette or BMW is likely to just go "Ugh, where's my wallet..." After a certain point, the more expensive cars are relatively cheaper to fix for their owner.

[@chrisestes859]

this is a brand new car, its under warranty he won't be pulling out his wallet

[@tqlla]

Agreed, he could afford $75K over MSRP for a $109K car.... He can afford to replace his motor even if GM denies him(which I doubt they will).