About The Consumer Law Office of Steve Hofer

Steve Hofer has been practicing consumer law in Indiana for more than 20 years. He is a former Indiana State Chairperson of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, a national organization of attorneys striving for fairness in the consumer marketplace. Contact me by phone at 317-662-4529 or via email at hoferlawindyATgmail.com. You can also leave a message through my website at www.hoferlawindy.com.

Friday, August 14, 2015

Buying a New Car? Change your Oil at 500 Miles - Probably - the Z06 Corvette Fiasco

If you are like most people I know, you probably bought 1 2016 Chevrolet Corvette Z06.  You might have also had a problem with your engine self-destructing not long after purchase.  You may have had Chevrolet tell you that the blown engine was due to hooning behaviour or some such.  Now Chevrolet is sending out a bulletin to owners advising them to change their oil immediately as early production Z06 Corvettes have a problem with oil contamination due to thread shavings making their way past the oil filter.

According to what Chevy is telling the owners: "We now encourage all owners to change their oil at 500 miles to remove possible contaminants created during the engine break-in process. And, as always, we encourage the use of Mobil 1 synthetic oil – which is a factory fill for all Z06 models, and Stingray Z51 models – and encourage owners to follow the engine break-in process detailed in the owner’s manual,”

Why do I bring this up to the audience of people who (like me) don't have a new Corvette in their garage?  Because as a young adult, I was told that if you get a new car to change the oil shortly after delivery to get rid of the crud from the manufacturing process.  some years later (the 90s?) I was told that's outdated advice, that the cars go through a process at the factory to wash out the shavings and what not, and it is wasteful to change the oil before the ordinary interval.  Based on this bulletin from Chevrolet regarding their flagship car ($65k on up),  I'd have to say that it's time to revert to the old advice and to change the oil 500 miles after you buy any new car.  

I also think this reflects very negatively on General Motors.  Instead of suggesting that the owners change 7 quarts of Mobil One oil ($29/quart on up plus labor), Chevrolet should be comping the charge. I suspect they probably will if you raise a big enough fuss at the dealership.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/08/chevrolet-telling-corvette-z06-owners-change-oil-500-miles/

1 comment:

  1. Honestly, I never consider it that big a deal. Changing the oil is one of the cheapest services you can get for a car. Even doing it yourself is a one-hour job and you get grease-monkey points from your admiring girlfriend. Besides, Chevys are the kind of models that last forever for you if you take good care of them.

    Freddy @ Jacky Jones Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

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