Just bought 2012 Anniversary (26,432 miles)...Piston Slap?? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

JLightning77 · 10-23-2014, 06:10 PM

So I have always loved the 2012 Anniversary Model SS Camaro and I found one at the Chevrolet dealership in my Sacramento Area. The car looks great and only has 26,432 miles on it. I went thru ALOT to get this car parked in my driveway to say the least, had to deal with dealership strong arm tactics and a couple trips back and fourth "haggling" until I got the deal I felt was fair. I was completely happy with it until this weekend when I took it to my fiancés dads house. He is a racecar driver, gearhead, really knows his stuff. He was very impressed with the looks of the car. Well we had been there for about 8 hrs and it was time to leave. His driveway is very steep down to his garage so I had pulled down there to park. I needed to put it in reverse and back up the hill to get out. I put in reverse backed out and he was standing there listening to the car, we drove off. He called me that night when we got home and said he didn't know how to tell me but the car has something seriously wrong with it and I need to return it!!! He said he immediately heard piston slap when I fired it up and backed out. I called bullshit and the next morning listened as closely as I could and in fact I did hear it slapping for about 4 seconds and then go away on a cold start. Do these LS3 motors have some piston slap issues? I thought Chevy got rid of that in the LS3 motor?? Anyway I took it back to the dealer and told them about it, of course they told me they cant hear anything like that and it runs great but BTW "it was low a quart and a half" on oil!!! I told them WTF I just bought the car 3 weeks ago and it had a fresh oil change right from your dealership, why the hell is it LOW on oil?? They had a few excuses as to why it was low all of which were very strange and a "cover your ass" excuse. The next thing they should have done was a compression check or leak down test if they wanted me to feel good about the engine still being good. Im very worried.
Here is my fear: The piston slap we are hearing is causing the low oil condition and I have purchased a vehicle that has been beat on and I am going to have to fight the dealer to get a new engine put in. I will say the car seems to run great and that "piston slap" if that's what the noise is only lasts for about 4 seconds on cold start then goes away. Any questions or comments are welcome. Thanks guys.

45thAnniversary2SS · 10-23-2014, 06:41 PM

No noise in mine and it has about 33k miles.

two_wheel_mayhem · 10-23-2014, 06:42 PM

Piston slap is more common on engines that have forged pistons and high mileage, yours has neither. Of course his diagnosis is not totally out of the question but I really doubt it.

You could have an oil sample sent out for analysis.

Sounds more like a lifter is bleeding down when it sits for a while, that's not a huge problem but it is annoying.

Da2ss · 10-23-2014, 07:01 PM

I would have to agree most likely a lifter

2010SLVRBULIT · 10-23-2014, 07:08 PM

never heard a 'piston slap', so couldn't tell you if your dad-in-law is FOS or not.

SCREAMING EAGLE · 10-23-2014, 07:11 PM

I would insist they resolve the problem . If indeed it is piston slap eventually you will have an expensive problem and wont be able to take it back. Was it a certified car? In any case it is under powertrain warranty so GM will pay ,not the dealer. See your warranty.

vicnkathy · 10-23-2014, 07:12 PM

Bring it to the dealer and tell them to start it cold in the morning with you present.

JLightning77 · 10-23-2014, 07:12 PM

I honestly feel that this car was NOT beat on. It purrs down the road and reacts just as it should when you give it gas. It is still at the dealership waiting for me to pick it up. I suppose the next step I will take is have my father in law drive the car so he can see how good it runs and maybe he can reassure me that maybe this condition isn't as bad as he initially thought. The 5 yr 100,000 mile warranty is heaven sent!! I almost love this car more than my 2003 Ford Lightning lol...

JLightning77 · 10-23-2014, 07:15 PM

I did have them do a cold start.....TWICE .....they didn't hear anything.

I am going to stay on top of this until it is resolved, I just cant let it go and let the problem get worse and worse.

two_wheel_mayhem · 10-23-2014, 07:24 PM

Even if it was beat on, the engine is damn near bulletproof in stock form.

See if it looks like its been wrenched on. Wouldn't be unheard of for someone to return it to stock and trade it off.

dklowrider · 10-23-2014, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by two_wheel_mayhem

Piston slap is more common on engines that have forged pistons and high mileage, yours has neither. Of course his diagnosis is not totally out of the question but I really doubt it.

You could have an oil sample sent out for analysis.

Sounds more like a lifter is bleeding down when it sits for a while, that's not a huge problem but it is annoying.

LS1 motors had forged pistons?

VOLmanTN · 10-23-2014, 07:33 PM

I would suggest taking the vehicle somewhere besides the dealer that can make an unbiased opinion for you. Maybe leave the car over night or in the morning to let it cool down again.

If he suggest piston then he can write up a bill for fixing it and take that to the dealership. Otherwise, you might not get much from your experience at the dealership. Good news is you have a lot of warranty left if its not modded.

JLightning77 · 10-23-2014, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VOLmanTN

I would suggest taking the vehicle somewhere besides the dealer that can make an unbiased opinion for you. Maybe leave the car over night or in the morning to let it cool down again.

If he suggest piston then he can write up a bill for fixing it and take that to the dealership. Otherwise, you might not get much from your experience at the dealership. Good news is you have a lot of warranty left if its not modded.

Great advice! Thank you, I like this route.

45thCamaro · 10-23-2014, 08:35 PM

Do you think it is something that you can record? Maybe you upload a video for the more experienced to have a listen?

10-23-2014, 06:10 PM	#1
JLightning77 Drives: 2012 Anniversary Camaro SS Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Roseville Posts: 12	Just bought 2012 Anniversary (26,432 miles)...Piston Slap?? So I have always loved the 2012 Anniversary Model SS Camaro and I found one at the Chevrolet dealership in my Sacramento Area. The car looks great and only has 26,432 miles on it. I went thru ALOT to get this car parked in my driveway to say the least, had to deal with dealership strong arm tactics and a couple trips back and fourth "haggling" until I got the deal I felt was fair. I was completely happy with it until this weekend when I took it to my fiancés dads house. He is a racecar driver, gearhead, really knows his stuff. He was very impressed with the looks of the car. Well we had been there for about 8 hrs and it was time to leave. His driveway is very steep down to his garage so I had pulled down there to park. I needed to put it in reverse and back up the hill to get out. I put in reverse backed out and he was standing there listening to the car, we drove off. He called me that night when we got home and said he didn't know how to tell me but the car has something seriously wrong with it and I need to return it!!! He said he immediately heard piston slap when I fired it up and backed out. I called bullshit and the next morning listened as closely as I could and in fact I did hear it slapping for about 4 seconds and then go away on a cold start. Do these LS3 motors have some piston slap issues? I thought Chevy got rid of that in the LS3 motor?? Anyway I took it back to the dealer and told them about it, of course they told me they cant hear anything like that and it runs great but BTW "it was low a quart and a half" on oil!!! I told them WTF I just bought the car 3 weeks ago and it had a fresh oil change right from your dealership, why the hell is it LOW on oil?? They had a few excuses as to why it was low all of which were very strange and a "cover your ass" excuse. The next thing they should have done was a compression check or leak down test if they wanted me to feel good about the engine still being good. Im very worried. Here is my fear: The piston slap we are hearing is causing the low oil condition and I have purchased a vehicle that has been beat on and I am going to have to fight the dealer to get a new engine put in. I will say the car seems to run great and that "piston slap" if that's what the noise is only lasts for about 4 seconds on cold start then goes away. Any questions or comments are welcome. Thanks guys.

10-23-2014, 06:41 PM	#2
45thAnniversary2SS Drives: 2012 45th Anniversary 2SS LS3 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 2,812 View My Garage	No noise in mine and it has about 33k miles. __________________

10-23-2014, 06:42 PM	#3
two_wheel_mayhem Would rather be riding Drives: No car no more Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Indiana Posts: 2,750	Piston slap is more common on engines that have forged pistons and high mileage, yours has neither. Of course his diagnosis is not totally out of the question but I really doubt it. You could have an oil sample sent out for analysis. Sounds more like a lifter is bleeding down when it sits for a while, that's not a huge problem but it is annoying. __________________ No dog in this fight anymore. 5th Gen owner 2009-2016.

10-23-2014, 07:24 PM	#10
two_wheel_mayhem Would rather be riding Drives: No car no more Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Indiana Posts: 2,750	Even if it was beat on, the engine is damn near bulletproof in stock form. See if it looks like its been wrenched on. Wouldn't be unheard of for someone to return it to stock and trade it off. __________________ No dog in this fight anymore. 5th Gen owner 2009-2016.

10-23-2014, 07:01 PM	#4
Da2ss Drives: Blueray metallic 2ss Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Lampasas Texas Posts: 156 View My Garage	I would have to agree most likely a lifter

10-23-2014, 07:08 PM	#5
2010SLVRBULIT Drives: G5(LLT) & C6(LS3) Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: MARS Posts: 7,527 View My Garage	never heard a 'piston slap', so couldn't tell you if your dad-in-law is FOS or not.

10-23-2014, 07:11 PM	#6
SCREAMING EAGLE Drives: 2012 CAMARO 2SS 45TH,L99 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: ALABAMA Posts: 114	I would insist they resolve the problem . If indeed it is piston slap eventually you will have an expensive problem and wont be able to take it back. Was it a certified car? In any case it is under powertrain warranty so GM will pay ,not the dealer. See your warranty.

10-23-2014, 07:12 PM	#7
vicnkathy Account Suspended Drives: 2014 Subaru Forester Turbo Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: NY Posts: 536	Bring it to the dealer and tell them to start it cold in the morning with you present.

10-23-2014, 07:15 PM	#9
JLightning77 Drives: 2012 Anniversary Camaro SS Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Roseville Posts: 12	I did have them do a cold start.....TWICE .....they didn't hear anything. I am going to stay on top of this until it is resolved, I just cant let it go and let the problem get worse and worse.

10-23-2014, 07:33 PM	#12
VOLmanTN Go Vols! Drives: 2011 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: FL Posts: 226	I would suggest taking the vehicle somewhere besides the dealer that can make an unbiased opinion for you. Maybe leave the car over night or in the morning to let it cool down again. If he suggest piston then he can write up a bill for fixing it and take that to the dealership. Otherwise, you might not get much from your experience at the dealership. Good news is you have a lot of warranty left if its not modded.

10-23-2014, 08:35 PM	#14
45thCamaro Drives: 2012 Camaro 45th Anniversary RS Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: New York Posts: 2,418	Do you think it is something that you can record? Maybe you upload a video for the more experienced to have a listen?