[richscorvettes]

We decided to make our experience with the C7 complete by signing-up for the Buyers Tour and the Photo Album. After signing-up two weeks ago we were contacted by Lori Bieschke, Delivery Program Manager, last week to advise that our car was scheduled to head down the line on Friday, October 4th and to be completed on Saturday the 5th. She has been great in keeping us up to date on any changes with the expected build dates. Thus far the schedule has held and we have made our flight, hotel and rental car reservations.

The Buyers Tour is found at the Corvette Museum web site at this link: https://store.corvettemuseum.com/services/buyertour.asp and the Photo Album at this link: https://store.corvettemuseum.com/services/photoalbum.asp Purchased together there is a $200 discount.

The tour begins at the “trim” stage. When we asked for more details on how far along the car would be at this point they advised that the frame would be bare. Apparently it takes about a day and a half from beginning to the end.

They try to provide a 5-10 day advance notice and that was our experience. They advise you to purchase refundable flight tickets as things could change for anyone of a number of reasons. They also provide a number of “partner” hotels to choose from. When we were there last year for a tour of the Museum we used the Country Inn & Suites at 535 Wall Avenue in Bowling Green. It is fairly new hotel and they had the best breakfast spread we have seen in quite a while.

Their notice also includes the following information and restrictions:
Please dress comfortably. The only dress code requirement is that you wear closed toed shoes - no sandals. You are not allowed to bring the follow items into the Plant:

• Cameras
• Cell Phones
• Electronic Devices
• Backpacks / Purses
• Children Under The Age Of Seven (7)

They will also provide the name of your tour guide and the time you have to be at the factory. The factory starts very early and our tour is scheduled to begin at 6:00am. Any earlier and we might have needed to arrange for a sleep-over…….

We searched to find what others who have taken the tour thought of their experience and everyone has had nothing but positive things to say. We’ll provide feedback from our experience once we get back.

Rich

Web Site: My Corvette Web Site

 

[richscorvettes]

We did the Buyers Tour on October 4th and 5th and thought we would provide feedback from our experience.

We were happy to see that our tour took place as we had been advised. While they caution you that they can't guarantee that you will see your car being built, as there are a variety of things which could affect the timing, Lori told us that they are very accurate in predicting when your car will come down the line. She was right. When we got there on Friday morning at 6am we had to wait only fifteen minutes before we saw our chassis coming down the line. From that point we spent the entire day watching it go through the various stations until the end of their workday which ends at 2:42pm. On Saturday morning we were there again at 6am in time to see the body come down the line to be mated with the driveline until it was finished about 10am.

Overall, the tour took about twelve hours. We were impressed by not only how the workers did their job but how they all seemed to enjoy their work and how friendly they were. Many came over to speak with us and answer all the questions I had. Our tour guide has three Vettes of his own and was very knowledgeable and willing to find out the answers to my questions. We were also very happy when they asked us to start the car for the first time. They even gave us a certificate of our "participation" in the build...........Nice touch! Barb thought that being able to see the inner workings of the factory was like being behind the scenes at Disney World.

The tour starts when the mostly bare chassis comes through the line. The chassis is built in BG now and at that point it has been welded together and painted and the dash has been installed. From there you see virtually every part being assembled starting with various wiring harnesses; the painted body panels coming from overhead lines just in time for their assembly; then installing the rear air ducts and coolers for the transmission and differential; hanging the rear fenders; assembling the interior carpeting, console, and seats and installing the doors, glass, etc. At another point you get to see your engine (along with their engraving the VIN numbers on it), then the engine wiring harness is installed, the engine is installed and the driveline comes along to be married with the body. The radiator and dry sump tank are then installed. Next the front fenders are installed along with the rear fascia and nose. The car then comes back down to ground level, the wheels come down from an overhead line and are installed and the car rolls along on its own for the first time. Then the hood and roof panels are installed and the various hoses and lines are installed and connected. Then it goes through the fluid fill station at which point it goes through several quality checks for fit and finish. . From there the car goes through their chassis dyno to check that everything is working as it should and then into their water bath to check for leaks which is the official end of the tour.

They then take the car out to their test track and then back for cleaning and prepping for transport along with installing a transport car cover. Parts come continually from various overhead conveyors and arrive just in time for each workstation. You sure get a much better appreciation of what goes into building a Corvette and seeing your own car come together is just super.

Probably the highest compliment we can give is that everyone made us feel very welcome and not, as some might expect, that we would be interfering with their work or be looking over their shoulder. That pretty well sums up our experience during the tour.

From our perspective there's no doubt doing the Buyers Tour is a great experience and something folks should consider doing at least once. You get to see most everything going into the build and literally walk along the line beside your car while it's being assembled. Everyone on the line was friendly. We asked many questions about how things go together and they were very helpful. We sat down during their morning and afternoon breaks with some of the workers and also at lunch. A few in particular were very helpful and it was nice to see how many of them came over to thank you for buying a Corvette and show enough interest to take the tour.

You are not allowed to bring a camera or even a cell phone into the factory. That's the restriction the Museum has with the factory to allow the Tour to take place. The primary beneficiary for the cost of the tour and the Photo Album is the Corvette Museum. Our Tour Guide was great and he took many shots of all the key assembly points. Those pictures will be assembled into the photo album we also ordered. We haven't received the album yet but hope to soon.

We thought the entire Buyers Tour process was handled extremely well from start to finish. We've sent our thoughts on the tour to many of our friends and hope they will take advantage of this experience one day. There is no question in our minds that if we order another Vette we will do the Buyers Tour again.

Rich

 

[jsvette]

Thanks for sharing your detailed write up. It is very similar to what I experienced on my October 29th tour.

 

[Frankie]

Great read...
Thanks!


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[Jims-c7]

Good for you. You made a lot of great memories. Thanks for sharing.


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[63 Stingray]

Great write up of the tour.

 

[richscorvettes]

Thanks for the feedback. We had never done the tour before and thought we should do it at least once. Both my wife and I really enjoyed it and we hope many others get the chance to do it one day. We can now look forward to receiving the photo album.

One other nice aspect is that the proceeds help support the Museum so it goes to a good cause.

Rich

 

[elegant]

Really like your step-by-step discription of the process!

 

[Chip]

Rich; Very well done! Thanks.

 

[glen e]

12 hours?...wow.....I think one day would be fine with me...can you do that?

 

[CruznCorvette]

Very Cool .... Thanks for posting.
I see you got one of those FAST ... Blade Silver ones. Enjoy!!

 

[richscorvettes]

12 hours?...wow.....I think one day would be fine with me...can you do that?

I suppose you might be able to either start a tour later in the build or end a tour before the car hits the end of the line. It would really depend on when the car begins to run down the assembly line but I think you would miss some interesting aspects of the tour. If it was at the beginning of the day when the build began, as ours was, the first day ended when the car was partially assembled and before the body and chassis had been married. I think you would miss some of the best scenes of the assembly. No doubt you would want to be there when the car went through the last of the quality checks and at the point where you might have a chance to start the car for the first time. While the Delivery Program Manager does a great job to advise you in advance of when your build will begin she has no control over what time of day it might start or when it will end.

No doubt Lori has been asked this question before and I would suggest giving her a call to hear what she has to say.

Rich

 

[Chip]

One thing everyone needs to be aware of are the BG assembly line black out dates. Seen here on the bottom right of this linked page: Bowling Green Assembly Plant - Home of the Corvette

 

[ALF01]

We decided to make our experience with the C7 complete by signing-up for the Buyers Tour and the Photo Album.

Rich:

Scheduled to do my Buyer's Tour (my 3rd, but most recent was 6 years ago) in very early January….curious about the photo album? Have you received yours yet? If yes, some comments & pics GREATLY appreciated!

Hope you've had some opportunity to enjoy your car!

 

[Travis14]

The corvette museum website states that the buyers tour is separate from the museum delivery and that you will have to make two separate trips to BG. Does anyone know the time delay from the buyers tour to the museum delivery? Will I have to make two separate reservations a couple weeks apart or is it the following day or two?


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[mjw930]

Weeks, not days

 

[jsvette]

The corvette museum website states that the buyers tour is separate from the museum delivery and that you will have to make two separate trips to BG. Does anyone know the time delay from the buyers tour to the museum delivery? Will I have to make two separate reservations a couple weeks apart or is it the following day or two?


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From the time your C7 is finished it is normally 10 business days mandatory QC hold before the museum delivery can take place.

 

[Travis14]

Thanks for the info but I have one more question. Is there a grace period for when you can pick up your car at museum? Can I postpone it a week or two if need be because I work on oil rigs 2 on 2 off so I might not be able to go as scheduled. I plan to take off for buyers tour but then I will have to go to work for a couple of weeks before museum delivery. Can anyone give me some info on this? Thanks


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[jsvette]

Thanks for the info but I have one more question. Is there a grace period for when you can pick up your car at museum? Can I postpone it a week or two if need be because I work on oil rigs 2 on 2 off so I might not be able to go as scheduled. I plan to take off for buyers tour but then I will have to go to work for a couple of weeks before museum delivery. Can anyone give me some info on this? Thanks


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Yes you can ask them to delay the date when they contact you. They really try to be accommodating!

 

[Travis14]

Excellent! It's going to be my first corvette and I want to do it right. Thanks for the info.


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