Chevy Will Fix the Z06 That Popped Its Engine After 52 Miles
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 owner Marco Garcia hasn’t had an ideal experience with his mid-engine sports car thus far. After traveling just 52 miles in the car after taking delivery, the Z06’s 5.5-liter LT6 V-8 engine failed, leaving Garcia stuck on the side of the highway. After his initial videos related to the event caught the attention of fans online, GM has opted to make the situation right. Garcia’s car will be repaired free of charge.
As Road & Track initially reported, this Z06 fiasco began back on December 23, when Garcia purchased the black-over-black Z06 from Covina Hills Chevrolet in Covina, California. Garcia paid $182,457.38 for the car, a price bolstered by nearly $50,ooo in dealer markups. Following the purchase process, a dealership employee offered to follow Garcia back home in the C8 Stingray he arrived to purchase the Z06 in. The pair dropped the modified Stingray off at Garcia’s construction yard, before the two jumped into the Z06 and headed back to the dealer. After returning the employee, Garcia began his trek home. That didn’t last long before the engine let go in a cacophony of smoke and stressed metallic sounds. Garcia walked into town to get some charge on his phone, which led to a calamity with OnStar. That continued on day two, as the Z06 was "too new" to appear in the OnStar warranty system.
The whole situation left Garcia with a bad taste in his mouth at first, with the new Z06 owner initially noting in now-deleted YouTube videos that he was done with the car. Things changed once GM corporate stepped in and got in contact with Garcia.
The automaker acknowledged the issue and gave Garcia three options. His choices were to get a full refund, have the car repaired for free, or spec an entirely new Z06 to replace his faulty unit. Garcia originally bought the car to enjoy and modify, and wasn’t ready to let the LT6-powered car go after less than a day of proper ownership. A new Z06 would take about six months to build, and GM estimated a wait of just two months for the necessary parts to repair the car. Garcia ultimately opted for the repairs, which came with a Platinum Protection Plan from GM tossed in. That plan covers the car bumper-to-bumper for 100,000 miles, which should bring some peace of mind when the new engine is installed. Garcia chose to remove his earlier videos following the conversation with GM. It's unclear if that was requested by the automaker.
Nobody should have to go through the new car experience that Garcia faced with his Z06. Hopefully this particular LT6 engine gets a full teardown, so Z06 enthusiasts can get the full story on what happened with this faulty car.
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