Help! Need advice or info about my 1998 corvette in repair shop and new problems coming up (per dealer)

[BJ1941]

The service man at the dealership sent me this pic that he took on his cell phone. He said that the damage was done at least 8 months ago or could have been longer. No one has had a reason to work on this car in the area of the oil pan or cradle. View attachment 24537

We have had this car in our possession since we bought it with 5700 miles on it. My husband said he told me that but I didn't hear it or I would not have bought a used car. Since that time, it has been garage kept. Only taken in for oil changes, when I had the Bullet exhaust put on it, when I got new tires, twice from minor collisions...once hit from the back (did minor damage under the bumper and once from the front when a lady backed into me in an SUV and the higher car went over the hood of the vette. I took it in when the fan motor wouldn't work. I first took it to a corvette place and they replaced the fan module and fixed a steering leak they said I had. They told me I had a minor oil leak but I wanted a second opinion since the bills kept increasing so I took it to a Chevrolet dealer that we have used for many years and from where we bought the car. I immediately got a call that when they went to work on the oil pan, I guess by removing the cradle or whatever they do, they saw the bolt hole and the cradle came apart. They ordered a used cradle for me to the tune of $700 and then they said when they went to put it on, an arm fell apart. They said that would be $800 but they would absorb the cost of it. I have not ran over anything, we do not lend the car out and I am wondering what would a person be working on for this kind of damage to occur in the past as he said? Thank you so much for your help. This mystery is unbelievable. I do not know if they kept the parts but I will ask for them when I speak to them again if they kept them. He did send the picture though. Why would this occur? That car is awful low for someone to be doing it just to tear up the car unless it was on a rack and if then, why?

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

I've enlarged the pic as much as I can and see maybe two spots where there might be a crack. I see nothing about 'a bolt being driven through' (?)

 

[timfitz63]

I've enlarged the pic as much as I can and see maybe two spots where there might be a crack. I see nothing about 'a bolt being driven through' (?)

Yeah, I'm having trouble seeing any cracks in the metal as well; I see some surface imperfections in the casting along the flange, but I'm hard-pressed to see anything indicative of a structural failure. In fairness, though, I can only enlarge the image so far before it pixilates and loses detail... Ask the service manager to point out exactly on the photo where the crack allegedly is. And by crack, I'm presuming he's talking about a true structural failure (i.e., all the way through the metal), not all those surface imperfections that are common on cast parts -- or a result of tool contact.

And not being intimately familiar with this particular part I'm basing this simply on observation: the hole shown in the photo looks -- to me -- like it belongs there. It doesn't look like something that resulted from a bolt being driven through it; it looks like the hole through which the part is normally secured...

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

I think what we're looking at in the pic is one of four ears on the cradle that have a machined hole for a mounting bolt that attaches the assembly to the frame.

Having an even tougher time now understanding what the problem is.

 

[kpic]

The service man at the dealership sent me this pic that he took on his cell phone. He said that the damage was done at least 8 months ago or could have been longer.

Same as everyone else, I'm having trouble seeing cracks of any significance also..

I'm stumbling over the "damage was done at least 8 months ago or could have been longer." I don't see how anyone could ascertain that factually or with any degree of certainty.

The method use by the OEMs (Chevy, Ford, Mopar etc) to define a failure is FEMA or Failure Modes and Effects Analysis. Personally, I doubt the "service man" is capable of performing a FEMA.

 

[BJ1941]

I've enlarged the pic as much as I can and see maybe two spots where there might be a crack. I see nothing about 'a bolt being driven through' (?)

What is this round circle for? What goes in it? I don't understand about the bolt either. What other reason would someone have to be in that area under the car if not to work on the oil pan? Do you know? That oil pan has not been worked on before this incident as I have had this car since early 99'. Thanks, Vettehead Mikey for taking the time to try and help me........it is so appreciated.

 

[timfitz63]

What is this round circle for? What goes in it...?

Like a couple of us have been observing: that hole is where one of the mounting bolts would secure the cradle to the frame; it's supposed to be there -- with a bolt through it when it's installed.

So based on the photo your service guy supplied, we're not seeing anything that appears wrong or damaged; no 'extra' bolts or cracks. He needs to clarify what problem, if any, is illustrated in that photo.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Exactly.

 

[catbert]

I think your entire dealership experience on this issue reeks. There are too many iffy issues. I'd go elsewhere ASAP.