My Dealership Service history regarding the imfamous LS3 "Transmission Problems" - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

LS3 SS · 04-25-2012, 03:32 PM

I guess I could have put this in the Transmission section, but I figure it could go here as well.

After 25k and two years of ownership dealing with the "notchy" shifting, and grinding of almost every gear, I finally couldn't stand it anymore and decided to take it into the dealer last month to see what would happen.

I saw all of the threads of Dealerships saying that "it's normal" and the fixes not amounting to a solution to the problem. I expected the worst, and hoped for the best summed up. Well when I took the car to the dealer, the service writer was friendly and helpful, and I immediately took the car for a test drive with the trans. tech. He Identified the problem as being the "blocker rings" in the transmission being worn, out of tolerance, and needed replacing.

They took my car in for service work, and replaced the blocker rings in the TR6060, and sent me on my way. Immediately I could feel a difference in shifting, as it was much easier to shift through the gears (primarily 2nd and 3rd Gear) while accelerating at different speeds. There was still some "notchy" shifting, and slight grinding, but I gave it some time to go away.

Well, it didnt go away. It came back, almost as strong as it was when I first took ownership of the car. I sent the car back to the dealership on Monday, where a different trans. tech took the car for a test drive, and indentified the problem once again.

As of today, My car is at the dealer, with the tranny taken apart, and no clear answer as to what the issue with my TR6060 is. The service writer informed me that they have to call GM tech support to get further guidance, because they just don't want to "keep replacing parts" and "wasting my time" so they can find the most accurate solution.

What do you guys think about this?? Does anyone have a similiar story, a story of failure, or a story of success?? The Service writer is top notch, and very friendly/helpful, as I have never had an issue getting a rental or any frustrating moments.

Hannibal · 04-26-2012, 09:23 AM

Your car is one of the LS3s that came with the copper blocker rings. I have the carbon fiber rings in mine and it is notchy. It has been that way from day one and 2nd, if you're not careful, could grind on you. I can not understand why GM cut corners on this trans. I had the borg warner 5 speed in my IROC and that thing shifted like butter for 150k miles.

Anyway, there is a solution but your dealer isn't going to pay for it. There is a guy on here who rebuilds the TR6060 the correct way and they shift beautiful after he's done. If you have a few grand laying around, you can be done with the notchy grindy crap for good.

LS3 SS · 04-26-2012, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hannibal

Your car is one of the LS3s that came with the copper blocker rings. I have the carbon fiber rings in mine and it is notchy. It has been that way from day one and 2nd, if you're not careful, could grind on you. I can not understand why GM cut corners on this trans. I had the borg warner 5 speed in my IROC and that thing shifted like butter for 150k miles.

Anyway, there is a solution but your dealer isn't going to pay for it. There is a guy on here who rebuilds the TR6060 the correct way and they shift beautiful after he's done. If you have a few grand laying around, you can be done with the notchy grindy crap for good.

WOW.

UPDATE : The service writer just called me, and go figure : GM tech support says they have no "claims" of other Transmissions having this problem, so they suggested replaced the synchronizers in the Transmission. This really makes me angry, with the amount of threads i've seen where people have taken their car into the dealer with this same issue. I didn't expect GM to actually admit that this is a problem, it's just dissapointing that they are still pretending that there is no issue.

Hannibal · 04-26-2012, 11:17 AM

In case you're interested in some nice pics and a good long read on the issue.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159933

partymn · 04-26-2012, 03:17 PM

Same thing here, I am actually at the dealership right now. Took the manager for a ride and saise that he can't hear it grinding, time will tell what they want to do about it. Also talking to them about side to side play in my right rear axle shaft. They are saying that there is no limit on it, so I dont have much hope on a good solution for the tranny. Buying parts and fixing a car that is under warrent at the owners expense is full on bull shit and should not be required.

LS3 SS · 04-26-2012, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by partymn

Same thing here, I am actually at the dealership right now. Took the manager for a ride and saise that he can hear it grinding, time will tell what they want to do about it. Also talking to them about side to side play in my right rear axle shaft. They are saying that there is no limit on it, so I dont have much hope on a good solution for the tranny. Buying parts and fixing a car that is under warrent at the owners expense is full on bull shit and should not be required.

If you can, keep me updated on what they plan to do with your Tranny. My dealership said GM tech support had never heard of anyone having Tranny issues until my car, so if they decide to call GM Tech support in your situation too, maybe we can exchange info, make some noise up there, and show multiple cases of TR6060 issues. I know many forum members have tried everything from Petitions to letters and emails, but it's worth a shot right?

partymn · 04-26-2012, 04:52 PM

They sent me away due to time contraints and I am going back on Tuesday. I will keep you informed.

partymn · 04-29-2012, 04:54 PM

Check out this site for TSBs that you can show your dealership.
http://www.safercar.gov/

TR-6060 can be found in:
2007+ Mustang Shelby GT500
2009+ Dodge Challengers
2009 Pontiac G8
2009+ CTS-V
2010+ Camaro SS
2008-2010 Dodge Vipers
and probably a few others, feel free to add any models that have the TR6060.

I realize that there are a lot of people on the forum that are having issues with TR6060 but the dealerships don't care about the forum members and what they have to say. In my most recent experiences, if it doesn't come out in a TSB or a recall, the technicians don't know what they are looking at. I feel like I have to draw pictures on a chalk board every time that I go in so that they can understand what I am saying. Makes you wonder what certifications the technicians have to obtain to work for GM.

The shop foreman at my dealership was talking to me like I didn't know what I was talking about, while we were driving around. He also stated that he could not hear the grinding going from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 1st, that all he herd was the shifter engaginging. I am dropping my car off on Tuesday for it to be dealt with along with a couple other things. What I don't understand is the common comments and the hesitation by the dealers to confront this issue. When we drive onto the lot we are customers and they should take our complaints as fact, not hearsay until they verify it. If I take the time off work to sit in the waiting room so that my car can be fixed, I am doing it because there is an issue not because I have nothing better to do. I truly feel bad for those that are doing this on an hourly wage. I could not even begin to calculate the amount of money that I would have lost up to this point if I was not on salary.

I believe that I may not have properly expressed my feelings or concerns the last time that I was at the dealer due to me being in Military uniform. This will not happen on Tuesday! I am going in with a fix it, replace it, or give me a new car attitude. I will not be denied on my fourth time to the dealer for the same issue, GM customer service be damned. I will let you know how it goes.

LS3 SS · 04-30-2012, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by partymn

Check out this site for TSBs that you can show your dealership.
http://www.safercar.gov/

TR-6060 can be found in:
2007+ Mustang Shelby GT500
2009+ Dodge Challengers
2009 Pontiac G8
2009+ CTS-V
2010+ Camaro SS
2008-2010 Dodge Vipers
and probably a few others, feel free to add any models that have the TR6060.

I realize that there are a lot of people on the forum that are having issues with TR6060 but the dealerships don't care about the forum members and what they have to say. In my most recent experiences, if it doesn't come out in a TSB or a recall, the technicians don't know what they are looking at. I feel like I have to draw pictures on a chalk board every time that I go in so that they can understand what I am saying. Makes you wonder what certifications the technicians have to obtain to work for GM.

The shop foreman at my dealership was talking to me like I didn't know what I was talking about, while we were driving around. He also stated that he could not hear the grinding going from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 1st, that all he herd was the shifter engaginging. I am dropping my car off on Tuesday for it to be dealt with along with a couple other things. What I don't understand is the common comments and the hesitation by the dealers to confront this issue. When we drive onto the lot we are customers and they should take our complaints as fact, not hearsay until they verify it. If I take the time off work to sit in the waiting room so that my car can be fixed, I am doing it because there is an issue not because I have nothing better to do. I truly feel bad for those that are doing this on an hourly wage. I could not even begin to calculate the amount of money that I would have lost up to this point if I was not on salary.

I believe that I may not have properly expressed my feelings or concerns the last time that I was at the dealer due to me being in Military uniform. This will not happen on Tuesday! I am going in with a fix it, replace it, or give me a new car attitude. I will not be denied on my fourth time to the dealer for the same issue, GM customer service be damned. I will let you know how it goes.

The TR6060 is also in :

2005+
Corvette C6
Corvette C6 Z06
Corvette ZR1
Corvette Grand Sport
2012 Camaro ZL1

I am the SAME way. I am a service member (5+ years Active Army) and most of the time I have been to the dealer, it's been during work hours when I'm in uniform. I am professional and non confrontational while I am in uniform, especially at places of retail.

The techs at my dealership are "open" for opinion, but obviously they are the subject matter experts and will seldom "believe" exactly what a customer is telling them until they check it out for themselves. Both times my Trans. went in for service work, they did not "butt heads" or fight with me to deny service work. When I told the last tech that the problem wasn't current because the trans. was hot, he even offered to let the car sit until after lunch to test drive it, to ensure that my needs and concerns were being addressed.

I hope that I get my car back today, even though the service writer said it's looking more like Tuesday.

partymn · 05-01-2012, 10:48 PM

Well it went very poorly. The dealer is saying that they can not find anything wrong with the tranny. I don’t have the patients for all of this and I refuse to take any more time off work to go back to the dealer, nor will I go to the last dealer on the island and ask for help. I am going to call GM customer service and let the local rep figure this garbage out.

LS3 SS · 05-02-2012, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by partymn

Well it went very poorly. The dealer is saying that they can not find anything wrong with the tranny. I don’t have the patients for all of this and I refuse to take any more time off work to go back to the dealer, nor will I go to the last dealer on the island and ask for help. I am going to call GM customer service and let the local rep figure this garbage out.

That absolutely sucks and I'm sorry that you have to go through that.

Apparently I am not going to get my car back this week, because the syncros that they ordered last week are on back order, or "lost", and they are having a hard time tracking the part down to find out the status of where it is to install it. So right now my car is just sitting at the dealership, awaiting a part that probably has to be manufactured, and isn't in stock anywhere close.

The only "good" thing that has come out of this, is the service writer and manager feel so bad, they have added another year to my Bumper to Bumper warranty, making it 4 years instead of 3.

partymn · 05-02-2012, 11:08 PM

That is so cool that they extended your factory warranty. Hopefully they get you up and runnig as soon as possible.

I called this morning to GM customer service center and was pushed to the reginal rep. Hopefully he gets back to me soon so that I can get the ball rolling on this, I want this taken care of as soon as possible.

LS3 SS · 05-03-2012, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by partymn

That is so cool that they extended your factory warranty. Hopefully they get you up and runnig as soon as possible.

I called this morning to GM customer service center and was pushed to the reginal rep. Hopefully he gets back to me soon so that I can get the ball rolling on this, I want this taken care of as soon as possible.

If they try to tell you that they have never heard of this problem, be sure to shoot me a PM, and give me all the info, and I will contact them and let them know you aren't the only one with Trans. problems.

Hannibal · 05-03-2012, 07:10 AM

GM is very aware of the issue. They have a customer service rep in this forum who has heard many of us complain about the TR6060 trans. You can even go on the Tremec forums and hear people with Mustangs and Challengers with the exact same issues as we have noted here.

Take the service manager to a computer, go to this site and search for transmission grind and look at the vast number of posts that the search returns.

04-25-2012, 03:32 PM	#1
LS3 SS Drives: 2010 Cyber Grey Camaro SS (LS3) Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Clarksville TN Posts: 2,275	My Dealership Service history regarding the imfamous LS3 "Transmission Problems" I guess I could have put this in the Transmission section, but I figure it could go here as well. After 25k and two years of ownership dealing with the "notchy" shifting, and grinding of almost every gear, I finally couldn't stand it anymore and decided to take it into the dealer last month to see what would happen. I saw all of the threads of Dealerships saying that "it's normal" and the fixes not amounting to a solution to the problem. I expected the worst, and hoped for the best summed up. Well when I took the car to the dealer, the service writer was friendly and helpful, and I immediately took the car for a test drive with the trans. tech. He Identified the problem as being the "blocker rings" in the transmission being worn, out of tolerance, and needed replacing. They took my car in for service work, and replaced the blocker rings in the TR6060, and sent me on my way. Immediately I could feel a difference in shifting, as it was much easier to shift through the gears (primarily 2nd and 3rd Gear) while accelerating at different speeds. There was still some "notchy" shifting, and slight grinding, but I gave it some time to go away. Well, it didnt go away. It came back, almost as strong as it was when I first took ownership of the car. I sent the car back to the dealership on Monday, where a different trans. tech took the car for a test drive, and indentified the problem once again. As of today, My car is at the dealer, with the tranny taken apart, and no clear answer as to what the issue with my TR6060 is. The service writer informed me that they have to call GM tech support to get further guidance, because they just don't want to "keep replacing parts" and "wasting my time" so they can find the most accurate solution. What do you guys think about this?? Does anyone have a similiar story, a story of failure, or a story of success?? The Service writer is top notch, and very friendly/helpful, as I have never had an issue getting a rental or any frustrating moments.

04-26-2012, 03:17 PM	#5
partymn Drives: 2014 1ss 1LE Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Goose Creek, SC Posts: 878 View My Garage	Same thing here, I am actually at the dealership right now. Took the manager for a ride and saise that he can't hear it grinding, time will tell what they want to do about it. Also talking to them about side to side play in my right rear axle shaft. They are saying that there is no limit on it, so I dont have much hope on a good solution for the tranny. Buying parts and fixing a car that is under warrent at the owners expense is full on bull shit and should not be required. __________________ 2014 1SS 1LE, bone stock for now. Last edited by partymn; 04-29-2012 at 05:00 PM.

04-26-2012, 04:52 PM	#7
partymn Drives: 2014 1ss 1LE Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Goose Creek, SC Posts: 878 View My Garage	They sent me away due to time contraints and I am going back on Tuesday. I will keep you informed. __________________ 2014 1SS 1LE, bone stock for now.

04-29-2012, 04:54 PM	#8
partymn Drives: 2014 1ss 1LE Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Goose Creek, SC Posts: 878 View My Garage	Check out this site for TSBs that you can show your dealership. http://www.safercar.gov/ TR-6060 can be found in: 2007+ Mustang Shelby GT500 2009+ Dodge Challengers 2009 Pontiac G8 2009+ CTS-V 2010+ Camaro SS 2008-2010 Dodge Vipers and probably a few others, feel free to add any models that have the TR6060. I realize that there are a lot of people on the forum that are having issues with TR6060 but the dealerships don't care about the forum members and what they have to say. In my most recent experiences, if it doesn't come out in a TSB or a recall, the technicians don't know what they are looking at. I feel like I have to draw pictures on a chalk board every time that I go in so that they can understand what I am saying. Makes you wonder what certifications the technicians have to obtain to work for GM. The shop foreman at my dealership was talking to me like I didn't know what I was talking about, while we were driving around. He also stated that he could not hear the grinding going from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 1st, that all he herd was the shifter engaginging. I am dropping my car off on Tuesday for it to be dealt with along with a couple other things. What I don't understand is the common comments and the hesitation by the dealers to confront this issue. When we drive onto the lot we are customers and they should take our complaints as fact, not hearsay until they verify it. If I take the time off work to sit in the waiting room so that my car can be fixed, I am doing it because there is an issue not because I have nothing better to do. I truly feel bad for those that are doing this on an hourly wage. I could not even begin to calculate the amount of money that I would have lost up to this point if I was not on salary. I believe that I may not have properly expressed my feelings or concerns the last time that I was at the dealer due to me being in Military uniform. This will not happen on Tuesday! I am going in with a fix it, replace it, or give me a new car attitude. I will not be denied on my fourth time to the dealer for the same issue, GM customer service be damned. I will let you know how it goes. __________________ 2014 1SS 1LE, bone stock for now.

05-01-2012, 10:48 PM	#10
partymn Drives: 2014 1ss 1LE Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Goose Creek, SC Posts: 878 View My Garage	Well it went very poorly. The dealer is saying that they can not find anything wrong with the tranny. I don’t have the patients for all of this and I refuse to take any more time off work to go back to the dealer, nor will I go to the last dealer on the island and ask for help. I am going to call GM customer service and let the local rep figure this garbage out. __________________ 2014 1SS 1LE, bone stock for now.

04-26-2012, 09:23 AM	#2
Hannibal Drives: Camaro SS & ZL1 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Southeast USA Posts: 527	Your car is one of the LS3s that came with the copper blocker rings. I have the carbon fiber rings in mine and it is notchy. It has been that way from day one and 2nd, if you're not careful, could grind on you. I can not understand why GM cut corners on this trans. I had the borg warner 5 speed in my IROC and that thing shifted like butter for 150k miles. Anyway, there is a solution but your dealer isn't going to pay for it. There is a guy on here who rebuilds the TR6060 the correct way and they shift beautiful after he's done. If you have a few grand laying around, you can be done with the notchy grindy crap for good.

04-26-2012, 11:17 AM	#4
Hannibal Drives: Camaro SS & ZL1 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Southeast USA Posts: 527	In case you're interested in some nice pics and a good long read on the issue. http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159933

05-02-2012, 11:08 PM	#12
partymn Drives: 2014 1ss 1LE Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Goose Creek, SC Posts: 878 View My Garage	That is so cool that they extended your factory warranty. Hopefully they get you up and runnig as soon as possible. I called this morning to GM customer service center and was pushed to the reginal rep. Hopefully he gets back to me soon so that I can get the ball rolling on this, I want this taken care of as soon as possible. __________________ 2014 1SS 1LE, bone stock for now.

05-03-2012, 07:10 AM	#14
Hannibal Drives: Camaro SS & ZL1 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Southeast USA Posts: 527	GM is very aware of the issue. They have a customer service rep in this forum who has heard many of us complain about the TR6060 trans. You can even go on the Tremec forums and hear people with Mustangs and Challengers with the exact same issues as we have noted here. Take the service manager to a computer, go to this site and search for transmission grind and look at the vast number of posts that the search returns.