[Gnarley]

Hi guys!

What do you consider "normal wear and tear" I have a claim with my local dealer in Santa Rosa regarding multiple items as the bumper-to-bumper is expiring. One of the items is the vibration in the steering column at higher speeds and vigorously braking. I considered this warped rotors. I've felt it before and while it's possible the rotors aren't warped is sure seems like it. Something is not right and I've experienced this before, most times new rotors and pads eliminate it. The dealer informed Customer care in Austin, TX that this was "normal wear and tear".

I am the second owner and the car had warranty remaining on it when I took it in. The supervisor in Austin stated on a recorded line that brakes were covered under the 3 year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty but they were denying the claim due to the "normal wear and tear" noted by the tech.

How would you feel about that?

My feelings are it should NEVER happen and no one should ever feel a pulsation in the steering under any circumstances upon braking ever! I don't care how the car is driven, they were built to take to the track so driving aggressively or spirited should in no way ever cause a problem and invalidate the warranty and if you encountered one it should be corrected under warranty if presented.

What can I do as this supervisor/manager said he had ultimate authority and I could not speak with anyone else, to that I call BS, there is always someone higher up.

What are my options?

Thanks

 

[STINGmole]

Normally "warped rotors" is usually just vibration caused by pad deposits on the rotors and can be fixed by resurfacing them.

In your case though, if you have an older Z51 with the old style rotors and cooling rings, there's a TSB and updated rotor: "Bulletin #16-NA-170, May 28, 2016, Updated July 20, 2016"

 

[Vigilance247]

A couple of things that I remember from various posts regarding this issue:
1. Have the wheels and tires "road force balanced". https://www.discounttiredirect.com/learn/road-force-balancing <- Link for informational/educational purposes only.
2. Improperly torqued lug nuts has caused this issue for some members.
3. After market wheels and tires. Your wheels look stock. However, a co-worker bought a used C7 and did not know the wheels and tires were after market. He wasted several trips to the dealer and getting new rotors, new brake pads, and rebalancing the wheels and tires. Finally, he told me what was happening and asked me what to do? I was shocked that he did not know his wheels and tires were aftermarket. I told him to have the dealer swap out all the wheels and tires and go for a test drive. They did and problem solved. In his case, it was the tires.

 

[Gnarley]

A couple of things that I remember from various posts regarding this issue:
1. Have the wheels and tires "road force balanced". https://www.discounttiredirect.com/learn/road-force-balancing <- Link for informational/educational purposes only.
2. Improperly torqued lug nuts has caused this issue for some members.
3. After market wheels and tires. Your wheels look stock. However, a co-worker bought a used C7 and did not know the wheels and tires were after market. He wasted several trips to the dealer and getting new rotors, new brake pads, and rebalancing the wheels and tires. Finally, he told me what was happening and asked me what to do? I was shocked that he did not know his wheels and tires were aftermarket. I told him to have the dealer swap out all the wheels and tires and go for a test drive. They did and problem solved. In his case, it was the tires.

Thanks for your thoughtful reply.

#1, I'd have to say no. When I bought the car I knew it would need tires and considered it was driven on some bad Arizona roads and also sprited.
#2, When I jacked it up and inspected the rotors for runout the rotors looked worn but good and only the L-side had .001 runout as measured on the outer edge where the most runout would be observed. When completeted I torqued to 100 lbs. I am an ASE Master tech.
#3, It does have factory wheels and tires

Also with regard to this dealer upon my 1st visit for some warranty work they supossedly performed a free 27 point safty inspection. When I was checking the rotors before bringing it to them for assessment I was unprepaired to find one tire down to the cord and unreported to me.

Now I'll take responsibility for not paying as much attention to it as I should, go ahead and pummel me. As I've been paying attention to all the other things and getting to know my car I wasn't watching the tire wear and the dealer did me no favor, I've expressed my feelings to them. I only found this one day before my return appointment and had zero time to correct it.

I don't have any complaints about wheel or tire vibration, it only seemed to inform me through the steering column on higher spped hard braking so it's specific to the front brakes.

I've forwarded the TSB to the customer care and dealer service manager but expect little acknowledgement from them.

It's under warranty and being declined as 'NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR" what would you do? What good is a warranty the manufacturer doesn't honor? If unresolved I'm considering legal action.

Thanks!

 

[Gnarley]

I just received an email from the Service Manager and they've ordered rotors! They hope to have them tomorrow morning. I really wonder if the brake rotor TSB for the two-piece rotor was the reason??? I know they wouldn't just replace them to pacify anyone.

This is very promising and I'm very eager to hear what they found as it wasn't included in the email. I'll update once I get the car back