What Would You Do if a Dealer Refused to Service Your Corvette?

When a common issue popped up on a Corvette Forum member’s C8, he was shocked by a dealer’s refusal to fix it. 

While many of us prefer to do our own automotive maintenance and repairs, if a car is under warranty, is makes sense to take it to a dealer that will service your Corvette, right? Well, that’s precisely what Corvette Forum member Ice9812 thought when he took his new C8 to a local dealer recently after experiencing a pretty common problem. However, instead of taking care of the issue, the dealer refused to service the car, which seemed a bit odd. Thus, he headed to the forums to gather advice from our massive community.

“I have a ’22 that I got two weeks ago from Ciocca in AC and my headlights stay on all the time, even in direct sunlight,” he said. “I called one of the local dealers to make an appointment to have it looked at and the first thing the service department asked was if I bought it there and I said no. He then told me that since I didn’t buy the car from them that they won’t service the car, even for warranty issues. I told him that I inquired to buy one from them last year but they are charging a minimum of $15k over sticker and that was one reason why I ordered one with the largest Corvette dealer in the country. Then he said ‘well than take it back there and have a nice day’ and hung up the phone. I called GM and filed a complaint, but they told me that they don’t have to service the car if they choose not to and offered to make me an appointment at another dealership.”

This is quite a bad experience indeed, and not something that reflects particularly well on that dealership. In fact, many members chime in and request that the OP post the name of the dealers so that others know to stay away. “You should share the dealership’s name so everyone here knows where to avoid going,” said blueapplepaste. “What happens if someone moved from out of town and wished to have their car serviced there? Such an idiotic position for them to take. Service and warranty repairs is solid business.”

CavalierKing had similar thoughts as well. “What happened when you just went to another dealership? Do you really want them working on your car? It’s in GM’s agreement that they can’t deny you over this. For example, what happens if you move across the country and need service in your new state? GM can’t deny you service.”

Some recommend pursuing the issue with GM, but as richbleak points out, perhaps that’s not the best course of action. “If there’s one thing I don’t want, it’s someone inexperienced reluctantly working on my Corvette. I’m certainly not going to cite a code of conduct to force that situation.”

Regardless, it’s difficult to fathom why a dealer would refuse warranty work, as it’s seemingly easy money for them. Perhaps the dealer is just so backed up on service appointments that it doesn’t have the time or interest to take more (as is often the case in this supply constrained world), but they certainly could have handled the situation better. Regardless, we’re interested to hear what you think about this wild topic, so head over here and chime in with your thoughts on the matter!

Photos: Chevrolet

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