It’s been a little over two weeks since I got my Corvette back with a brand new fuel tank and other assorted replacement parts. The total came to just over $1,200, which I figured was a pretty good deal since it was lower than some of the independent shops quoted. Granted, I would’ve liked General Motors to cover the entire cost since I felt like it was a known defective part that presented a safety risk, but saving $2,200 off the original dealership quote isn’t a bad compromise. Hopefully (knock on wood), this is the final installment regarding my three week fuel tank negotiation with GM and the Chevrolet dealership.

Two lessons I learned:

1. It definitely pays to do whatever you can to negotiate a better price. I read and heard quite a few stories of other Corvette owners being told that their busted fuel tank wouldn’t be covered at all by GM or their dealership. Some had the work performed by an independent shop, others paid full, or almost full, price. Sure, I was without my car for three weeks, but being firm, and what I considered fair, while negotiating for those three weeks got me the best deal possible.

2. Game plan all of your possible options up front. I got stuck early on because I let my emotions dictate my decisions and allowed the dealership to take apart the car. Once that happened, it became very difficult for me to realistically consider taking it somewhere else for a second or third opinion. I got quotes over the phone, but the prices could’ve been much different once the shops saw it in person. I also had a few that wouldn’t give out a quote without the car being there. I did think about having it put back together enough to have it towed, but thankfully it didn’t come to that. Figure out your three or four best options and be ready to go with any of those when necessary.

For the back story, you can start here.

Before delving too much deeper into my current issue regarding GM and a fuel leak, I wanted to lay out a timeline of the events. Maybe this will help another Corvette owner in the future should they want to head down the same road (probably not the one Chevrolet wanted us to find as part of their “Find New Roads” campaign).

7/9/2015 – Morning: I notice a strong smell of gasoline in my garage when getting into my 2004 Corvette as I drive to work. I’m hopeful that it’s not a fuel leak on the vehicle, but because I don’t have lawn equipment or fuel tanks stored in there, I’m pretty sure it is.

7/9/2015 – Evening: I return home after work and meeting my dad for dinner. I haven’t noticed any strong fuel odors, and the smell in the garage has dissipated. I let the car sit in the garage for approximately three hours before checking on it. The strong fuel odor has returned. I narrow it down to being the strongest in the rear driver’s side wheel well. I make an appointment online to drop the car off the next morning at a local Chevrolet dealership where I’ve had work done before (broken shift cable x2, broken window regulator, Z06 Ti exhaust install, numerous oil changes).

7/10/2015: I drop the car off at the dealership around 7:30 a.m. My service adviser states that he also smells the fuel odor. He says their Corvette technician probably won’t get to it until Monday because he’s working on a C6 transmission.

7/14/2015: My service adviser calls to tell me that there is a fuel leak in the driver’s side tank. They can’t pinpoint it without dropping the tank. I tell them to go ahead because I feel like figuring out where it’s leaking is of the utmost importance.

7/16/2015: My service adviser calls to tell me that the tank is cracked at the quick connector. It will be $3,472.12 to fix this problem. I drive over to look at the tank and see a nice split in the tank at the quick connector. This is the exact reason that Special Coverage Adjustment was issued. I ask the dealership if there’s any way to get this replaced under that coverage, and they tell me no. I tell them that I’m going to contact GM any way. I place a call to GM customer service where they take down my info, and tell me they’re going to attempt to work out a deal with the dealership on my behalf. I also write an e-mail to Scott Lawson, General Director of Marketing at GM, whose name is at the bottom of that Special Coverage Adjustment.

7/17/2015 – Morning: Mr. Lawson responds to my e-mail stating that they’re going to “look into this matter.”

7/17/2015 – Afternoon: A GM Executive Liaison contacts me via e-mail stating that GM is currently reviewing my case, and asking for my phone number so that I can provide further details.

7/20/15: The GM Executive Liaison calls me to get my VIN and other information. She tells me that she needs to contact some other people regarding this matter, and will get back to me in a few days.

7/21/15: A Chevrolet service manager calls to ask about my car. When I inform him that my vehicle has been sitting at the dealership since 7/10/2015 he sounds surprised. It turns out that the first GM customer service rep I spoke to on Friday forwarded all of my information to the wrong dealership. Thanks GM.

7/22/2015: The GM Executive Liaison calls me to let me know that she contacted the dealership, and the best GM can do is 20%($694) off the repair cost. I ask why it won’t be covered 100%, and she states that the Special Coverage Adjustment was in effect an extended warranty that’s run out. Also, the offer is only valid at this dealership, and if I take it somewhere else to get more competitive pricing there’s no guarantee that I’ll still get 20% off. I send another e-mail to Scott Lawson detailing my disappointment with how this matter has been handled.

Coincidentally, I read the Jalopnik article on the Hummer H3 recall as my 2004 Chevrolet Corvette was at a local dealership having a fuel leak diagnosed. I had a feeling it would be the well-known fuel tank crack at the quick connector which forced GM to issue a Special Coverage Adjustment bulletin in 2010. That coverage came with a limit of 100,000 miles or 10 years from the day the car went into service. I’m not close to the 100,000 mile limit, but according to GM my 10-year limit ended on January 29, 2014.

The dealership where my car is now said they’ll take a look at their pricing to see if they can cut me a break on parts and/or labor. The first was “maybe a 10% off” the entire cost deal. I contacted GM to see what they could do, and they are in the process of contacting the dealership to see if they can work out a deal on my behalf. Based on GM’s recent track record with recalls, I’m not holding my breath.

What still boggles my mind is that other GM vehicles, notably the 06-09 Cobalt (the 07-09 G5, 07 Equinox, 06 Pursuit, 07 Torrent and 06-07 Ion were part of this, too), also had Special Coverage bulletins issued for fuel leaks, but those have no mileage or time limits.

Guess I should’ve just driven around with the leak until something catastrophic happened. Maybe then GM would’ve reconsidered their stance on this serious safety issue.

Update 7/22/2015: GM’s Executive Office has extended me an offer of 20% off work performed at the dealership. Which is them basically saying they’ll pay me $694 to go away.