Chevrolet Corvette Z06 owner Marco Garcia hasn’t had the ideal experience with his mid-engine sports car so far. After traveling just 52 miles in the car after taking delivery, the Z06’s 5.5-liter LT6 V-8 failed, leaving Garcia stuck on the side of the highway. After his initial video regarding the event caught the attention of online fans, the GM opted to rectify the situation. Garcia said the car would be repaired free of charge.
The Z06’s failures began on December 23, when Garcia purchased an all-black Z06 from Covina Hills Chevrolet in Covina, California. Garcia paid $182,457.38 for the car, a supported price of nearly $50,ooo in dealer markup. After the buying process, a dealer employee offered to follow Garcia back home in the C8 Stingray he had come to buy the Z06. The pair dropped off the modified Stingray 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 journey home. It didn’t take long before the engine let out a cacophony of smoke and depressing metal sounds. Garcia walked into town to charge his phone, which caused havoc 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 Z06’s new owner initially noting in a now-deleted YouTube video that he was done with the car. Things changed once the GM company stepped in and contacted Garcia.
The automaker acknowledged the problem and presented Garcia with three options. The options are to get a full refund, have the car repaired for free, or opt for an entirely new Z06 to replace the damaged unit. Garcia originally bought the car to enjoy and modify, and he wasn’t ready to give up the LT6 powered car after less than a day of proper ownership. Manufacturing of the new Z06 will take about six months, and GM estimates it will only have to wait two months for the parts needed to repair the car. Garcia ultimately opted for the fix, which came with GM’s Platinum Protection Plan. The plans cover the car bumper to bumper for 100,000 miles, which should bring peace of mind when a new engine is installed. Garcia chose to delete the previous video after a conversation with the GM. It’s unclear whether that was requested by the automaker.
No one should have to go through the new car experience that Garcia faced with his Z06. Let’s hope this particular LT6’s engine is torn down completely, so that Z06 fans can get the full story of what happened to this wrecked car.
