Angrybird's Journal 06/15/2012 until ?????
 

Tomorrow my wife and I are starting out on what will be Bumblebees last ride. We are heading up to Michigan, 580 miles, where we have made a deal with Becky D. Of Rodgers Chevrolet. She has been great to work with and we are looking forward to meeting her.
Monday morning we will be picking up Angrybird, a 2012 Victory Red 1LT convertible. This thread will document our journey through experiences and pictures.
Just to start I have enjoyed having Bumblebee these last 2 1/2 years. Only one trip back to the dealer for warranty work. A couple trips to the beach, 4 trips to the Tail of the Dragon, 2 trips to Atlanta. Every one of the 27,000 permagrin miles have been great.
End of part 1.

Kind of bittersweet? By that I mean, such a great car and replacing it with.... a great car.

Have fun, be safe in your travels and ride home with the top down! Congrats!:w00t:

If its not to personal and don't mind me asking what did you get for your bumble bee?

Let's just say it was $3,000 more than I was offered around here.

I don't think is any of my business...:yikes: but may i ask why V6 for V6? (normally is V6 for V8) and 1LT instead of 2LT?
Congrats!!! Looking foward to joing you on this trip from C5!!!:thumbup:

Thanks, and yes it is bittersweet, but ever since I sold my Sky we have wanted another convertible. If they had made convertibles in 2010 we would have gotten one.
I would like to travel back through Indiana and stop at the speedway museum in Indianapolis, then down to bowling green ky to see the Corvette museum and tour the Corvette plant before heading home.

The only upgrade we got was the C&C package, plus it comes with the rear sensors and camera. Other than that we were very happy with the V6 and the 1LT.

I understand that. My wife wanted a Pontiac Solstice and was just devestated with the demise of Pontiac. I still want to get her one, they're just hard to find.

Your trip home is pretty much the route I'm taking to the fest!! Have fun!

June 16th 2012
 

we left the house this morning about 10:45, the wife had left her car keys at her Moms the day before so first we had to run by there to get them. We decided to go the long way down I-81 to Knoxville then up I-75. About a mile before we got to the I-81/I-40 split road construction held us up for about 30 minutes. not a good start ugh.
We then made our way through Tennessee and into Kentucky. We stopped a couple times at rest areas to use the facilities and eat a snack. after we got past Lexington and headed towards Cincinatti we decided to stop about 20 miles from Cincinatti to eat supper at a Steak and Shake, we also filled up with gas, averaging 29.4 MPG. We then got a room at a Holiday Inn Express in Richwood, KY. This is where we are now.
Here are a few pictures my wife took along the way today.
End of part 2.

June 17th
 

Left the hotel about 9 this morning and headed north through Cincinati, Dayton, Toledo, and then to Woodhaven on the outskirts of Detroit. We ran into and out of rain showers for the last 100 miles. We drove by the dealership nd then stopped in at the Walmart across the street to pick up a few items. We then came over to the hotel and checked in. we are now waiting until around 4 to go to Applebees for Supper. Thanks again to becky for arranging our room and meal.
here are some pics from today.
End part 3

Sounds like an awesome, but bitter sweet trip. I was almost able to do business with Becky myself, but some finances fell through so going to wait on my upgrade to a SS. Hope to either do business with my local salesman I've been doing business with or Becky! Keep updating this thread. It's fun to read and see the pics.

June 18th THE DAY OF THE TRADE!
 

Well we got up this morning to a bright and sunny day just right for breaking in a new Convertible. We ate breakfast at the hotel waiting for 9AM to get here.. around 9 AM we packed our bags and headed over to Rodgers Chevrolet and met Becky the Sales Manager the Body Shop manager and the lady in the parts department. We inspected the car which looked fantastic. top was tight and no marks at all. Becky showed us how to lower the top and install the toneau cover. We then went inside and completed all the paperwork and signed over our car :( . We then swapped out stuff over to our new Red Camaro which we have decided to Nickname Angry Bird. Took pictures of both cars together and the sales manager took several of our car and us with the new car and with both cars.
We then finished setting up our Onstar and got the directions to Indianapolis In. We left and drove down to where we are staying just outside of Indianapolis. About 250 miles of driving.
Our impressions of the car so far.
I have not one thing negative to say so far. t has run flawlessly, we have raised and lowered the top 3 times so far and all seems well, no rubmarks or wrinkles showing. We love the improvement in the 2012 over the 2010, the larger paddle shifters are easier to operate. the backup sensors and camera are great features. The new door lock buttons on the doors are also a plus. The Steering wheel is a good change, not great but it is an improvement. As I told Becky it proves that the decisionmakers are listening to owners as they post complaints on the various forums and one by one fix them. now they cannot please everyone but the major headache areas they seem to concentrate on.
I cannot seem to get my Ipod connected to the internet here so our pictures I will have to post later.
In Conclusion If you are thinking of buying a new Chevy you cannot find a better Salesperson than Becky Doyle, and no better dealer than Rogers Chevrolet. I highly recommend them to everyone.
End of part 4.

June 19th, Indy museum and Corvette museum
 

Today was a busy day, we left about 8:30 this morning and drove to the Indy 500 Hall of Fame Museum about 30 miles from where we spent the night. We checked out all the cars there and then I pulled the Camaro up in front of the building where my wife took pictures.
We then proceeded to drive down to Bowling Green Ky to the National Corvette Museum. If you have never been it should be on your must see list. We were to late for today's Corvette plant tour and was disappointed we could not go on it. When we left the museum I drove in front of the old entrence and the wife took more pics of the car.
We are now in Franklin Ky spending the night, pictures will be posted of yesterday's and today's travels when I can get to my wife's laptop (She is playing FarmVille right now).
End of part 5.

pics from yesterday and today
 

here are a few pictures from the trade of the two cars together and from today at the two museums.

June 20th
 

Today was a 2 stop day. After we left the hotel we traveled down to Nashville to the Antique Archeology store from the show American Pickers on the History Channel, it is located in the old Marathon Motor Works Building where they made cars in Nashville at the turn of the century. We then went to the Opry Mills Mall and shopped for a couple hours. We left and put the top down. About 5 miles down the road the temp shot up to 99 on the car thermometer and you could feel every degree of it. I pulled over and put the top up and we continued to tonights stopover.
Tomorrow the final leg of the journey. Distance traveled 615 miles in Bumblebee and 730 miles in AngryBird, with about 170 miles to go.
End of part 6.

June 21st, Finally home!
 

This morning was a overcast morning around 80 degrees out when we left the Hotel In Crossville Tn. We then traveled the final Leg of our Journey 160 Miles home. We were so glad to get home. After unloading the car we rested for a little while and I decided to do my first Mods to our new Car. Here is a few pics of our car after we got hom and the Mods I just completed.
Thanks everyone for folowing our adventure!!

This is not the end it is Just the Beginning For Angry Bird!

3700 mile report!
 

After one month and two weeks we are loving this car! It is everything we hoped for. Absolutely not one issue with the car.
My mod list is growing but slowly and all are cosmetic. I have added hood and trunk stripes, painted the engine cover and put an Angry Birds emblem on it, added Emblempros type 2 polished Gill trim and black pinstripe, I have also installed a set of the GM Quarter Flares.
So far no issues with the top other than minor rub marks and we have cycled the top at least 110 times, I can live with those.
Every time we go out in it with the top down we get so many comments about what a beautiful car it is.
I can hardly wait for our beach trip later this year.

Looks cool. Really awesome car you have! :thumbsup:

Thanks, I have to say I feel this is definitely the most beautiful car I have ever owned and one of the most beautiful cars ever made.

4,000 mile and 8 week update
 

Angrybird just turned over 4,000 miles today. My latest mod was adding my RX catchcan. So far, as last report no issues to date. The car is performing flawlessly. The only thing I feel should be better is Gas mileage. I am averaging about 18 in the city and 27 on the highway. My 2010 would get19 city and 31 on the highway. Must be the extra weight and drag the Vert has.
We had some torrential rainfalls the last couple weeks, in fact Saturday the entire downtown was flooded and water came to within 4" of getting in our house. I was worried with all the problems people report with water entering their car that ours would be flooded. So far it has remained dry.

Well my next report will be in another 4 weeks or 1000 miles. Everyone keep smiling and driving your Camaro!

12 week 5,000 mile update
 

Another thousand miles under our belt. Since my last update I have gotten the oil changed, a TSB done on the weatherstrip poking out on the side at her point where the top and side panel meet. And they replaced my air box that they discovered had one of the locking tabs missing. I have since discovered I have the dash bubbling issue others have had but I am not going to get it fixed until I hear there is a new piece for it that will not happen again.
Yesterday I added a VMax ported throttle body and it really livens up the throttle response. I recommend getting one to anyone with the LFX. I did notice that before the installation my Gas mileage had improved to around 29 on the highway.
No other top issues since last report other than the weather strip deal, we have now cycled the top over 200 times.
Overall we are still very very happy with AngryBird.
Next report at 6,000 miles.

Here are a few of the pics I took last weekend

Nice journey so far , happy your
having good luck with your
"Angry Bird "
i like the car looks great ! ! !!

Congrats on your new ULTRA GRIN.........and Becky D and the Rodgers Chevrolet crew top notch people to buy your Bowties from

Thanks guys, I feel so fortunate and blessed to have this car, I try to keep Becky up to date with the car too.
We may want to sell our Tracker and get a Spark in a couple years. But I won't buy one until they move production over here.

6000 mile report
 

After 6000 miles I still look for excuses to get out and drive this beauty. The weather is getting cooler and today was the first time this week it was warm enough to put the top down.
Anyway the Top is still operating flawlessly and no wear is apparent. Overall MPG is 20.3 with the highest I have seen is 29.4.
I am still completely happy with how our car has performed.
I emptied my Catch can the other day and after 2,000 miles I got about 2 ounces of oil out of it. I feel they are a good investment.
Have a great evening everyone and get out and drive your Camaros, your car will love you for it and you will love your car...

7000 mile 5 month report
 

Today our car turned over 7000 miles. Tomorrow will be our 5 month anniversary of ownership.
We are still completely satisfied with this car. Still no real issues with the top. Top down times are getting rare. I have been spending more time driving with the top up lately and although it isn't as quiet as the coupe, the sound isn't so bad that it's annoying. No real wind noise, just road noise.
I am looking forward to spring and more top down driving enjoyment.

6 months and 7500 mile update
 

Today we have owned our Camaro for 6 months.
In the last month we only put 500 miles on it, lowest since purchased. Colder weather is the main reason. The car has been virtually flawless. We still love the car. Last Saturday I installed the ZL1 grill I bought off EBay. This week my ACS TL1 hood insert should arrive. Hopefully I will be able to get it painted and installed soon afterwards. So far the average MPG is holding steady at 20, my highest I have seen is 29, lowest is 17. We are already looking forward to warmer weather and more Top down driving enjoyment.

Merry Christmas to everyone, and may God bless you in 2013.
Tim

8 months and 8,500 mile update
 

Well it's been a little over 8 months since we picked up Angrybird. I can happily report again, no problems with it in the last two months. I have installed my TL1 insert and have gotten many compliments on it. After I put it on I took some pictures of it and to of them are in my signature.
A couple days ago I ordered a new Axel back exhaust from Apex Chase the MRT V2. Next report I will give my impressions of it.
That's about it for now, just one more thing .....HURRY UP SPRING!

10 month report
 

I missed reporting last month so I will cover the last two months with this one.
Since my last report our Camaro has turned over 11,000 miles and is now sitting on 11,700 miles. I did get to put the top down a couple times last month and this month I have driven it a lot with the top down. Probably 20 times over the last 3 weeks. The top is still operating flawlessly, no water leaks or anything so far. I check it after every rain storm.
Now my MRT V2 impressions. I have had my exhaust on for a while now and I love it 90% of the time. It sounds great most of the time and has some drone the other times but it is livable. It has gotten me to using the paddle shifters anytime I am driving around town because of the sound is so good. Unfortunately the side effect is less gas mileage.
Well that is my 10 month ownership report. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.
Drive and enjoy your Camaro!!!

One year, 13,000 mile update.
 

One year ago I started this thread about our trip to Rodgers Chevrolet in Woodhaven,Mi in our 2010 Bumblebee and our trip home in AngryBird.
(By the way how can I change the title from Big Red to AngryBird?)
This year has seen many changes in AngryBird from the day we picked it up until what it looks like today.
Through it all and the 13,000 miles we have put on the car (most of which have been driving with the top down) I can say this has been one of the most trouble free cars in the first year of ownership that I have had. The only issues were very minor ones, the rubber strip on the passengers side of the top came dislodged. It was fixed with one trip to the dealership that only took 30 minutes, the air box had a broken tab that they replaced and the dash bubbling that disappeared over the winter and has not returned.
We have experienced numerous heavy rains, high winds, snow and ice while either driving or parked in my driveway. Not one drip or leak in the top or water bag so far.
The car is running and performing as I expect. I did add a RX Catch Can, and Ported throttle body and the MRT V2 exhaust.
My opinion of this car on a scale of 1-10 is a 9.95. It does everything I want and it is a beautiful car and never fails to get compliments everywhere I take it.

Thanks again to Becky Doyle for going the extra mile for us before, during and after the sale of our car.
Tim

It has now been 17 months with Angrybird. On the 21st I will be dropping it off at the dealership for a complete top and frame replacement.
My only problem I have experienced with the top was a small piece of weatherstripping on the passenger's side came loose for the second time. While looking it over trying to determine the cause the top guy took some measurements and determined the frame on the passenger's side was bent slightly. My dealer agreed that the frame needed replacing but the regional service rep would have to look at it first. Much to my surprise the regional service rep did not even look at the car and agreed over the phone to replace the entire top and frame with the latest design.
Here I am keeping my fingers crossed the installation will go smoothly and I can report next month that it is perfect.
We are still completely satisfied with our Camaro and have enjoyed every one of the 16,850 miles.

I just finished reading your build thread it's a nice story. Your Camaro is looking great. Good luck on the top replacement I am still on my original frame and canvas and I have a very early 2011 build (1/28/11). I have had two fifth bows replaced and got a four year extension on the top warranty. Like you I love this car and have no regrets in buying it. After almost 3 years of ownership we still get people telling us what a beautiful car it is almost every time I drive it. I am getting ready to start my own build thread just getting the pictures organized so I can put it together. I love to drive mine whenever I can we have 30,000 miles so far and its stored in the winter so we use it a lot when the weather is nice.

Well in two days we will hit 17 months and 17,000 miles together and I am still happy as can be with the car even with the top replacement. I still need to get it adjusted to sit lower when down but otherwise it's great.
I was just going over the Mods I have done on this car since we got it. Mostly just Cosmetic things but that's just what I like to do. Here is the list of my mods that are still on the car ( I had others but have been taken off for various reasons ).

2012 Camaro mods
1. Emblempros 1LT emblems trunk, Grille, and interior
2. Emblempros 323 HP emblems
3. Emblempros Stainless Gill trim
4. Emblempros red door panel kick panels
5. GM quarter flares
6. Black out tail light panel
7. Ported Throttle Body
8. Reverse Hockey Stripes
9. Painted engine cover
10. Sequential turn signal adapter
11. 63 Nova 6 cylinder emblem on engine cover
12. Angrybird emblem on engine cover
13. ACS TL1 Hood insert
14. GM Camaro emblem on ACS water deflector
15. GM 45th Anniversary Emblem on ACS water deflector
16. GM4pack Console Guages
17. Hood cowl and ACS insert custom painted Satin Black
18. ZL1 Grille
19. MRT V2 Axel Back Exhaust
20. ACS T5 splitter

1 1/2 years of Angrybird
 

Today it's been a year and a half since the faithful day we picked up Angrybird at Rodgers Chevrolet. Although the past couple month as have been rocky with the issues due to the top replacement I am still smiling every time I get in the car and start driving. It's the perfect treatment for the blues, top up or down there is just something about this car that makes me keep smiling.
Some may wonder how I can be so positive with my recent troubles. I guess it's just because I don't really blame the car as much as who was working on it. I am still sure that Chevy will eventually take care if me, I just need to keep my cool and keep pressure on them.
After 17,350 miles I am looking forward to many more fun miles with Angrybird!
Thanks again to Becky and the Gang at Rodgers, they are the best.

Well after a year and 8 months, and 17,800 miles things are doing great. I fixed a couple of the top issues with adjustments of the top stops and it is close to perfect right now. In the last couple weeks between snowstorms I have added a shift boot, dyed the dash stitching red and added a CAI today. I have a new shifter and knob ordered that should be here in the next couple weeks. Looking forward to spring and enjoying some top down driving again.

Update, I installed my shifter and dyed the rest of the interior stitching red. It sure does improve the looks to the interior. It turned over 18,000 miles today and in the past week I have gotten to drive with the top down some. All is well now with the top.

2 1/2 year update
 

Well it's been almost 2 1/2 years and about a year since the top replacement. Everything is going great with the car with 23,300 miles on it. Only mods since the last report are the CAI and replacing my RX catchcan with an Elite Catchcan.
We unfortunately have not been able to drive it as much as we wanted to, but I have made one trip to my son's house in North Carolina before he moved to Kansas. And went to the Tail of the Dragon once. The top is still working well as in everything else. I did finally take it in for the key recall. Getting use to not having the flip key portion any more but it's a minor thing to me. I am already looking forward to spring for more top down driving.
Still smiling
Tim.

January 2015 pics