[JaxChris]

While this section is mostly negative comments and complaints, understandably, I just wanted to throw a thank you out there for the shop foreman, Robert, at Stingray Chevy.

I stopped in to check on the status of the coolant line recall part (I'm #8 in line now) and also to record that I developed the NPP rattle this week. In the past I have taken it in for low throttle, high gear shudder and also whining in rear when the car has sat for long periods (more than 48 hours) or cold weather.

The service manager there wasn't allowed to do ride along, but asked if I wanted the shop foreman to come out and hear the exhaust rattle. I said yes please -- and I'm glad I did.

Robert came out about 15 minutes later (working GM calls for other customers) and asked about the exhaust. As we walked out to the car I mentioned the other items I previous brought it in for but got a blanket "could not reproduce" response on. He said "if you can make it happen, let's go". We took a drive down a smooth, quiet blacktop where I could immediately show off the NPP rattle. He told me the epoxy fix doesn't last and he'll get a new valve.

Next I moved on to the shudder, because it's 92-degrees out and I drove more than 5 miles to get there. Put the car at 60mph, put it in Tour and lightly applied throttle. Shudder came in clearly. He asked if I could do it in V8 mode as well, so I put it in Track, popped the throttle once so it wouldn't go back to V4, cruised at 60mph and lightly applied throttle, shudder was even more noticeable. Next words out of his mouth was "torque converter".

After that he said he believed me on the rear end whine, as he had a number of complaints about it during the winter. We got back to the service center and he told the service manager to pump me to front for the next recall coolant line that comes in and to write it up to get everything done in one visit.

While not every gremlin may get dealt with (defrost air leak fogging), and I do realize this is a first-year vehicle of a new model, I was really surprised by Robert being receptive instead of dismissive.

He may never see this, and even if the repairs don't go well after I get the car back, I just wanted to say thanks for the great customer service and willingness to ride along with a customer instead of only taking the word of a tire tech or first year mechanic not driving the car as described in the work order. I'm pretty confident that he'll see that these problems are taken care by the time it is all said and done.

Thanks, Robert! (wish I caught your last name)

[Richard0nee]

Thats great to see good techs.... sorry bout ur issues but it get resolved.

Give him a good review on yelp if possible.

[VelvetHammer]

We have seen this problem at the dealership where I work as well, mostly on A8 equipped trucks but a couple of Camaros too. The first couple were repaired with just the torque converter, only to return when the shudder came back. We have begun replacing the stator assembly (GM calls it a gear kit) along with the torque converter as a permanent fix. GM has acknowledged that they are finding hairline cracks in the stators that have been returned, which in turn, seems to be the root cause. Other Houston area dealers have begun changing stators too. May be worth mentioning on appointment day.

[killervette666]

VelvetHammer, any chance you have a TSB or other documentation I could point my dealership to? I'm 99% I have this problem and took my 17 in with a little over just 200 miles on it and they checked and said that it already had all the latest ECM/TCM software installed and I just needed to let the transmission learn for a bit. I'm getting closer to 800 miles now and still feel roughness in the shifting and some slipping at highway speeds. Hard to replicate though because unless your on a perfectly smooth road it just feels like your riding over bumps.

[VelvetHammer]

Sorry, no official TSB yet. Everything we've learned has been through communication between our transmission tech, service manager, district service manager and the engineering team working on the issue. That's also how we learned of others replacing the stator along with the torque converter. Now GM is calling the stators back to engineering for inspection so they CAN implement an official TSB/repair procedure. Very similar issue on A7 equipped C7's with a similar fix. A7 and A8 are closely related...

[killervette666]

Thanks for the follow up, much appreciated. Any thoughts on whether those with the issue need to avoid driving the car and/or avoid hard acceleration until the fix makes it way down the pipeline?

[VelvetHammer]

Transmission tech here doesn't feel like there is a risk of catastrophic failure with normal use, just use good judgement and don't track the car until the repair is done. The cracks on the stator are internal so there is little chance of fluid loss. FWIW, all of the vehicles we have replaced the stators in have been repaired for good. I would say to get your local dealer to contact engineering so they won't just throw a torque converter at it.

[RedHot16]

I get very good service at Stingray. They also fixed the rear end on mine.

[Billabongi]

Originally Posted by JaxChris

While this section is mostly negative comments and complaints, understandably, I just wanted to throw a thank you out there for the shop foreman, Robert, at Stingray Chevy.

I stopped in to check on the status of the coolant line recall part (I'm #8 in line now) and also to record that I developed the NPP rattle this week. In the past I have taken it in for low throttle, high gear shudder and also whining in rear when the car has sat for long periods (more than 48 hours) or cold weather.

The service manager there wasn't allowed to do ride along, but asked if I wanted the shop foreman to come out and hear the exhaust rattle. I said yes please -- and I'm glad I did.

Robert came out about 15 minutes later (working GM calls for other customers) and asked about the exhaust. As we walked out to the car I mentioned the other items I previous brought it in for but got a blanket "could not reproduce" response on. He said "if you can make it happen, let's go". We took a drive down a smooth, quiet blacktop where I could immediately show off the NPP rattle. He told me the epoxy fix doesn't last and he'll get a new valve.

Next I moved on to the shudder, because it's 92-degrees out and I drove more than 5 miles to get there. Put the car at 60mph, put it in Tour and lightly applied throttle. Shudder came in clearly. He asked if I could do it in V8 mode as well, so I put it in Track, popped the throttle once so it wouldn't go back to V4, cruised at 60mph and lightly applied throttle, shudder was even more noticeable. Next words out of his mouth was "torque converter".

After that he said he believed me on the rear end whine, as he had a number of complaints about it during the winter. We got back to the service center and he told the service manager to pump me to front for the next recall coolant line that comes in and to write it up to get everything done in one visit.

While not every gremlin may get dealt with (defrost air leak fogging), and I do realize this is a first-year vehicle of a new model, I was really surprised by Robert being receptive instead of dismissive.

He may never see this, and even if the repairs don't go well after I get the car back, I just wanted to say thanks for the great customer service and willingness to ride along with a customer instead of only taking the word of a tire tech or first year mechanic not driving the car as described in the work order. I'm pretty confident that he'll see that these problems are taken care by the time it is all said and done.

Thanks, Robert! (wish I caught your last name)

Awesome! You've had better luck with Stingray recently then I have. They were wonderful for the most part of my 5th gen but my 6th gen has been a handful. They won't bother with the vent air leak and refuse to fix my Window Whistle even though they can reproduce. They also pulled the "could not reproduce" excuse on my NPP rattle even though I brought a video.

[jdasnt3]

Stingray and Cox are both very good Chevy dealers in FL. Glad you had a great experience.

[KenH.]

I had the shudder with my M6. GM engineering support worked with the tech to determine the flywheel was imbalanced. Replaced flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate and the problem was gone.

[JaxChris]

Dropping the car off today, and I'm glad I don't have to wait any longer. It has been showing signs of getting worse. Even steady, cruising throttle position is giving some shudder as of yesterday.