Seemingly benign design flaws make lives of Corvette C7 Z06 and C7 Grand Sport cars truly miserable

While little things can add up to great happiness, these little things can also add up to a huge headache and nightmare as well.  The case in point, another example of +General Motors failure to pay attention to very basic details while designing its cars.

In this case, none other than the current chief of Corvette design and engineering, +Tadge Juechter can claim the credit for a super stupid design oversight but one that creates big headaches for the numbnuts who decided to plunk down six figure ransom for the latest but certainly not the greatest piece of shit known as Corvette C7 Z06 and subsequently, its cheaper look alike Grand Sport.

So what is this design flaw?  The flaw lies in something really stupid actually, a design of a hole, front fender vent specifically.  Although in some cars, the fender vents are designed to serve a specific purpose, in a Corvette C7, it is strictly for looks, a tradition that has been carried over since C5 generation.  Although fender vents are a matter of acquired taste, they are typically a pretty insignificant component of a car and this is exactly how these design elements existed in C6 and C5 generations.  Not so with C7 though, in this generation, these vents and specifically cheesy looking pieces of trim that pretend to be ducts cause big headaches for the owners.

Strangely enough, the nightmare is specific to C7 Z06 and Grand Sport models only, with the base model being immune to this issue which is another irony and sign of true stupidity, forcing owners of more expensive models to have this problem.

The problem; the plastic trim/duct makes a contact with the fender and cuts into paint finish, literally peeling the paint off in the contact area.    This is not a problem resulting from a shitty assembly quality, it affects all of the Z06 and Grand Sport cars, leading to the conclusion that it is a design defect, specifically the design of the fender opening itself.

When the fender flexes or expands and contracts due to temperature changes, the duct cuts into the fender and damages it, because unlike the fender, the trim does not flex or at least not at the same rate.

A quick look at the base Stingray fender and then the Z06/Grand Sport provides the explanation why the Z06/GS fenders flex so much more than the base Stingray fenders.

The opening in the base Stingray is not only smaller but also includes a connecting piece/brace, reinforcing the opening and preventing the flexing.

However, the Z06/GS fender opening lacks such connecting piece, it is a large solid hole which effectively severely decrease the rigidity of the piece, making it very flexible, flimsy actually.

What happens when the duct trim is installed on the Stingray fender?  Absolutely nothing as a matter of fact, the trim merely covers the opening, functioning as an actual piece of trim, a simple add on.

This is of course not the case at all with the Z06/GS fender.  Since the opening is a continuous hole, when the trim/duct is installed, it performs an actual STRUCTURAL function, effectively bracing the opening.  Of course, as a structural member, the trim is subjected to the impacts of flexing it helps to prevent and since the trim piece is large, it attempts to flex with the fender, resulting in the trim cutting into the fender, destroying the paint finish.

One cannot help but wonder, how can Juechter and his team be so stupid and why doesn't GM correct this problem?  Given the GM record on correcting defects and problems, this is of course a rhetorical question and apparently it is easier for GM to offer warranty paint repair than correct the problem.

Apparently GM knows that uptight old geezers buying these cars are mortally terrified by a possibility of non matching paint (a well justified concern of course) and will not bother to have the repair done, especially when the damage will be guaranteed to come back.  Thus, there is no fix to this problem and all of the affected cars have this defect and paint damage.

Of course, there are two solutions to this problem: redesigning the fender to include the reinforcement while smoothing out the back side of the duct or investing considerably less money and redesigning the vent to include a rubber gasket and corresponding groove in the back side of the vent trim.  Including such gasket would certainly prevent the paint damage but of course, it will never happen.

Now, this flaw could have been easily avoided IF there was anyone on this team of Corvette geniuses who could understand the consequences of making this hole and the corresponding trim but of course, the ignorance rules and this truly stupid flaw serves as a great reminder how incompetent people designing this car really are and why C7 is such a flawed piece of shit... Buyer beware as always but of course, the Corvette enthusiasts cannot be accused of exemplary intelligence.

IF GM had any integrity, there would be a slightly oversized duct available, with a gasket and enough extra coverage to hide the damage and prevent owners from slapping more touch up paint on their car but of course, the fix will never come.

Here is the funny part, the aftermarket cannot figure out this part either, charging the owners big bucks for blinged out replacements that are exactly the same size and design, causing just as much damge to the cars...