Automotive News Canada - February 2021 - F14

FIXED OPS JOURNAL

MUSCLE CAR MATTERS

Parts storage, need for specially trained techs among service challenges
JEFF YIP

foj@autonews.com

etroit's horsepower race is white hot. Dodge sells SRT Hellcat
Challengers and Chargers that come within a hair's breadth
of 800 hp. Ford's mightiest Mustang, the Shelby GT500,
boasts 760 ponies. With 490 horses on tap, the new
midengine Corvette Stingray is the most powerful entry-level Corvette
that Chevrolet has ever offered.
While these bleeding-edge, modern-day muscle cars deliver unprecedented acceleration and speed, they also can become speed bumps
for dealership service and parts departments.
That's especially true with the all-new, eighth-generation Corvette,
commonly referred to as the C8. When ordering their 2020 or 2021 Corvette, buyers can choose from an extensive array of factory options, accessories and graphics to personalize their cars.
The rub? Many must be installed by the dealership.
Chuck Metts, lead Corvette technician at Coughlin Chevrolet of Pataskala in Ohio, says the C8 get-ready process and pre-delivery inspections can run from two hours to a day or more, depending on how many
extras were ordered and whether the parts are all in hand.
While some items - such as the spoilers, brake ducting and air de-

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PAGE 14

FEBRUARY 2021

Chuck Metts, lead Corvette technician
at Coughlin Chevrolet of Pataskala, says
the dealership can spend more than a
day prepping a car for delivery.
JEFF YIP

flectors that come with the Corvette's Z51 performance package - are
included loose with the car, others are limited-production options
shipped by a third-party distributor to the dealer.
As customers' Corvette parts arrive, Metts stores them in two bins,
each of which is 3 feet deep and 8 feet long. New cars waiting to be completed are parked in their own area outdoors with the cars' protective
shipping cover intact.
The midengine Corvette requires some specific procedures and
equipment, including lift arms and pucks - spacers that prevent the lift
from coming in contact with the vehicle and causing damage.
" Racking a C8 is a lot different than racking a C7, " says Metts, who
works exclusively on Corvettes and has 45 years of experience as a GM
technician. " The C7's front/rear weight balance is about 49 front/51 rear.
In the new C8, it's 40/60. There are four holes in the C7 frame where we
position the pucks. That won't work on the C8. "
Failure to use the C8's new puck contacts just in front of the rear tires
could lead to a midengine Corvette being dangerously out of balance
and toppling off the rack.
Metts and Rick Conti, Coughlin Chevrolet's Corvette sales manager,
work hand-in-hand to communicate with Corvette owners, leveraging
Conti's Corvette YouTube channel to answer technical questions and
share advice with the Corvette community.
" The focus and passion we share for this specialty car becomes an incredible experience for us and our customers, " Conti says.
Even with five service bays dedicated to America's enduring sports car,
juggling time and space for efficiency can be a challenge, Metts says. A
key is to have one service adviser write up the Corvette repair orders.
" In the past, we've had four service advisers, " he says. " They'd all take calls
and make appointments but weren't communicating with each other. "
That led to scheduling conflicts and backups, Metts says.
" Having a single adviser helps us keep everything flowing and we're
not making people angry, " he says.
Shelby buyers also are discerning enthusiasts, says Doug Ikner,
see MUSCLE, next page

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Automotive News Canada - February 2021

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