2009 Chevrolet Corvette

A STRONG FUEL ODOR IS COMING OUT FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR. WHENEVER I FILL UP THE ODOR IS PRESENT. WHEN I'M UNDER 1/2 TANK ODOR IS GONE. IT'S ONLY WHEN I HAVE A FULL TANK. GM HAS ISSUED A "SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT" FOR 2007-2013 CORVETTES.THE # IS N150682. GM SAID MINE IS CURRENTLY NOT COVERED EVEN THOUGH I HAVE ALL THE SAME SYMPTOMS. MY CAR IS A 2009 WITH ONLY 37,000 MILES.

UNABLE TO OPEN DRIVERS DOOR FROM INSIDE OR OUTSIDE. HAD TO TAKE TO DEALER FOR REPAIR WHICH COST $486. MANUAL RELEASE ONLY WAY TO EXIT CAR. IS THIS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE FIXED FOR FREE? HAVE SEEN THIS BEING AN ISSUE FOR MANY CORVETTE OWNERS. DEALER REPLACED LOCK MECHANISM IN BODY DOOR JAM. WORKS FINE NOW BUT VERY EXPENSIVE!!!

I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT EXCESSIVE VALVE TRAIN NOISE AND AFTER READING SEVERAL CORVETTE FORUM THREADS ABOUT IMPROPERLY MACHINED HEADS BY GM'S SUPPLIER LINAMAR, AND THAT NUMEROUS VEHICLES HAVE HAD VALVES DROP AND RUIN THE ENGINES, I TOOK MY CAR WITH 37,000 MILES ON IT TO COURTESY CHEVROLET / CADILLAC TO HAVE MY VALVE GUIDE CLEARANCE TESTED. I HAD (3) INTAKE VALVE GUIDES OUTSIDE OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS, (7) EXHAUST VALVE GUIDES OUTSIDE OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS, AND A COMBINATION OF (11) OTHER INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVE GUIDES AT OR NEAR THE MAXIMUM OUTSIDE OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS. THE COST OF PROPER RE-MACHINING OF THE HEADS TO MAKE THE VALVE GUIDES CONCENTRIC, NEW INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVE GUIDES INSTALLED, AS WELL AS NEW SEALS, VALVES, SPRINGS, ETC. IS SOMETHING I SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD AT THE MOMENT WITH THE DOWNTURN OF THE OILFIELD INDUSTRY. PLEASE BEAR IN MIND, MY CAR HAD A REPLACEMENT LS7 ENGINE FROM A DROPPED EXHAUST VALVE BEFORE I OWNED IT, SO THIS HAS ALREADY HAPPENED TO MY CAR ONCE. IT OCCURRED AT 22XXX MILES, AND CAN HAVE THE GM DEALER PRINT A COPY OF THE RO LINE TO PROVE IT. THIS IS OCCURRING AT AN ALARMING RATE, BUT AFTER OUR WARRANTY PERIOD, WE THE CONSUMER ARE LEFT OUT TO DRY. 88% OF THE CORVETTE FORUM MEMBERS WHO HAVE HAD THEIR CYLINDER HEADS TESTED FOR EXCESSIVE VALVE GUIDE WEAR, WERE OUT OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS. SOURCE: HTTP://WWW.CORVETTEFORUM.COM/FORUMS/...-REGISTRY.HTML GM NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE, THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS ENGINE FAILURES AS A RESULT OF A DROPPED VALVE INTO A CYLINDER WHICH CAN CAUSE ACCIDENTS AND FIRES. GM IS VERY AWARE OF THIS ISSUE, BUT REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS HUGE SAFETY RISK TO DRIVERS, PASSENGERS, AND NEARBY VEHICLES IF THE ENGINE FAILS GOING DOWN THE ROAD. PLEASE ASSIST US IN HAVING GM MAKE THIS RIGHT.

GM DENIES ANY SORT OF WIDE SPREAD ISSUE WITH RESPECT TO THE MANUFACTURING/ASSEMBLY OF THE CYLINDER HEADS FOR THE LS7 ENGINE. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURES AS A RESULT OF A BROKEN VALVE HEAD DROPPING INTO THE CYLINDER AND SUBSEQUENTLY BLOWING A HOLE THROUGH THE MOTOR, CAUSING FLUIDS TO LEAK ALL OVER THE ROAD, AND COMPLETE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE SYMPTOMS ARE PREMATURE VALVE GUIDE WEAR, WHICH EVENTUALLY BECOME SO WORN THAT THE VALVE CLOSES ON THE WRONG ANGLE TO THE SEAT, AND OFF BREAKS THE VALVE HEAD. THE ISSUE APPEARS TO BE POOR VALVE GUIDE TO VALVE SEAT CONCENTRICITY, WHICH LEADS TO PREMATURE VALVE GUIDE WEAR. MY 2009 Z06 CORVETTE AT ONLY 15,000 STREET DRIVEN MILES WAS INSPECTED BY A REPUTABLE THIRD PARTY REPAIR FACILITY, AND DISCOVERED THAT 14/16 VALVE GUIDES WERE BEYOND GM'S SERVICE LIMIT, AND THE REMAINING 2/16 WERE RIGHT AT THE LIMIT. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULDN'T OCCUR UNTIL 150,000 MILES AT LEAST...NOT 15,000. THERE NEEDS TO BE AN INVESTIGATION BEFORE MORE CATASTROPHIC FAILURES OCCUR. THERE ARE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF DOCUMENTED OCCURRENCES.