Photo: Bruce Green on Facebook
Ever since the first example rolled off the assembly line in Bowling Green, the mid-engine sports car from Kentucky has been hampered down by quality-related issues. Back in April 2020, we’ve talked about problems ranging from uneven stitching on the passenger side of the dashboard to leaky transmissions.
Seven months later, the eight-speed DCT still has a habit of leaking transmission fluid. Bruce Green, a member of the C8 Corvette Owners (And Friends) group on Facebook, reported a gasket failure at 568 miles on his Z51.
In other words, the DCT has failed before the break-in period. As a brief refresher, Chevy limits the engine torque in low gears during the first 500 miles and the owner is recommended to check the engine’s oil level with every refueling in the first 1,500 miles. Of course, the golden bowtie doesn’t recommend participating in track events or similar activities during break in.
Bruce also reports that his dealer “cannot locate one,” referring to a replacement gasket for the transmission. That is particularly interesting – or terrifying – because the dealer has to fix this problem under warranty.
Our protagonist took the Z51-equipped sports car in for servicing at 8:30 AM, and the service technician got back to him at 3:00 PM saying that “they found the leak in the transmission pan. It was a small leak and they figured it would hold until they found a gasket.” Mr. Green isn’t alone, though, because fellow group member John Mytroen has also reported a leak on his Stingray.
General Motors isn’t a byword for quality, that’s for sure, but we should also remember that the first model year of any vehicle is the most problematic as well. It’s in this period that the manufacturer works out the issues that weren’t apparent during development, and lest we forget, suppliers can make errors during the manufacturing of OEM components and subassemblies.
With a bit of luck, here's hope the 2021 Corvette will be less problematic.
In other words, the DCT has failed before the break-in period. As a brief refresher, Chevy limits the engine torque in low gears during the first 500 miles and the owner is recommended to check the engine’s oil level with every refueling in the first 1,500 miles. Of course, the golden bowtie doesn’t recommend participating in track events or similar activities during break in.
Bruce also reports that his dealer “cannot locate one,” referring to a replacement gasket for the transmission. That is particularly interesting – or terrifying – because the dealer has to fix this problem under warranty.
Our protagonist took the Z51-equipped sports car in for servicing at 8:30 AM, and the service technician got back to him at 3:00 PM saying that “they found the leak in the transmission pan. It was a small leak and they figured it would hold until they found a gasket.” Mr. Green isn’t alone, though, because fellow group member John Mytroen has also reported a leak on his Stingray.
General Motors isn’t a byword for quality, that’s for sure, but we should also remember that the first model year of any vehicle is the most problematic as well. It’s in this period that the manufacturer works out the issues that weren’t apparent during development, and lest we forget, suppliers can make errors during the manufacturing of OEM components and subassemblies.
With a bit of luck, here's hope the 2021 Corvette will be less problematic.
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