GM Accidentally Painted a C8 Corvette Z06 Two Different Shades of Gray (and No One Noticed)

GM’s ‘no flip’ policy paired with paint problems has this Sea Wolf Gray C8 Corvette Z06 owner fuming – and for good reason.

The C8 Corvette Z06 is one of the hottest automotive commodities on the market at the moment, a car that many want and yet, few can actually buy. Part of this is due to the typical supply/demand curve that applies to a desirable new vehicle, but the C8 Corvette Z06 also isn’t exactly cheap with a sticker price that starts north of $100k and just goes up from there. As such, those lucky enough to take delivery of one are obviously expecting to find zero flaws on their cars – as one would expect from any new car – but that wasn’t the case with the Z06 delivered to CorvetteForum member Tommy Trojan.

Tommy detailed his troubles recently in the forums, and needless to say, his woes have attracted quite a few responses thus far. But we’d expect nothing less given the fact that his brand new Sea Wolf Gray C8 Z06 was delivered with mismatched painted body panels, a full 25 weeks after he placed a deposit down to purchase the car. He was so excited that he had already set up an appointment to have the Corvette ceramic coated and fitted with paint protection film, but Tommy didn’t panic just yet. Rather, he informed his Corvette concierge that there was an issue, and he was instructed to take his car to the dealership.

Upon verifying that his Z06 did in fact have mismatched paint, the dealer informed GM that there was a problem, and the concierge assigned him a case number, making it seem as if the automaker was going to take the steps necessary to right a potential wrong. Unfortunately for Tommy, that was not what happened next. Instead, GM offered to have the dealer fix his mismatched painted panels for free, which didn’t settle well with him.

“I responded that I was not interested in painting my 1,200 mile, 25 day-old, six figure car, and suggested that a buy back would be better for Chevrolet and me as a customer. The Corvette contact took my request and submitted it to management. Independently, I immediately reached out to my delivering dealer who, without any hesitation at all after viewing the same photos you see below, sprung in to action and assured me he would be working on a plan to get a replacement car ordered. Two weeks go by, and today, Chevrolet denied and closed the case and stated that I need to work out a resolution with the selling dealer.”

Luckily for Tommy, the dealer in question was convinced that it could order him a replacement C8 Corvette Z06 and skip the cue so he could take delivery sooner, but that plan ran into a giant snag as well. “No sale or transfer of title allowed in first 6 months or the warranty on powertrain is voided,” Tommy said. “This is imposed by Chevrolet and I am now stuck in no man’s land…I cannot trade the car into the selling dealer for another 5 more months.”

Currently, the dealer is trying to work with GM to see if they can allow an exception here, but Tommy is clearly fed up with the entire process, which is understandable. For now, we’re all waiting on an update to this sensational story, so stay tuned to this thread for the upcoming conclusion – hopefully, one that will prove satisfactory for the owner of this embattled C8 Corvette Z06.

Images: Michael S. Palmer (top, from the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show), Tommy Trojan (all others)