Coolant loss on new 2015 ZL1

[Cabinetman]

This morning I took my new car to the dealer to get my trunk stripe replaced because it was scratched during PDI. When I got out of my car and was waiting for the service writer I noticed some coolant on the ground in front of the bumper. Within a couple of minutes there was a huge puddle and I realized that all the coolant was coming from my car. The car has about 300 miles on it and I have been following the break-in procedure.

I have a couple of questions/concerns. First, is there a known issue with the ZL1 that would cause a complete loss of coolant? I read about a cross threaded fitting in the block causing issues on other cars, but that seems to cause a slow leak and not a complete dump. Also, should I be concerned that my new engine got too hot during my drive? The dealer is about 60 miles from my house and I could have been leaking fluid during the whole drive. I wasn't watching coolant temps so I don't know. I do know that I never got a CEL or other warning and there was a lot of coolant on the ground at the dealer. I'm inclined to think the engine will be fine, but a little reassurance from other owns would certainly help.

The upside to my little saga is the car was sitting in the service drive at my dealer when the majority of the fluid leaked out.

[ZL1Reaper]

Are you sure it wasn't the condensation from your A/C?
My car had a small SC coolant leak in one of the fittings. Right by the heat exchanger. But it was a small one and never bothered. Now it seems like it went away. Anyway, you could look into that.

[Shark72]

You should be fine, no codes = no problem!

[Cabinetman]

Originally Posted by ZL1Reaper

Are you sure it wasn't the condensation from your A/C?
My car had a small SC coolant leak in one of the fittings. Right by the heat exchanger. But it was a small one and never bothered. Now it seems like it went away. Anyway, you could look into that.

I'm sure it wasn't a/c condensation. The fluid was reddish in color and made a huge puddle.

[cal45]

Have the dealer check it, there may be a loose hose.

[Stephen12ZL1]

Front bumper area has a bunch of stuff that could be the source of the leak. The radiator, hoses, heat exhanger and those hoses, oil cooler line to radiator, etc. It should be easy to fix if it isn't related to the engine itself.

[EOD_Tech Infidel]

this happened to me at 1700 miles.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=376832

[Cabinetman]

After getting jerked around by the dealership I finally found out that a hose ruptured and will need to be replaced. I'm not sure exactly which hose it was, but I'm glad it wasn't anything major. Unfortunately, the part will need to be ordered so I likely won't get my car back until Tuesday which is the same day I fly out business.

[cal45]

Originally Posted by cal45

Have the dealer check it, there may be a loose hose.

^^^ I was close.


Good to hear that it is nothing serious.

[vicnkathy]

It's so nice spending 60k plus for a car and having some service writer clam stain give you a hard time. When is GM going to WTFU and start correcting this dealer bullshit?

[z28lt1]

Originally Posted by vicnkathy

It's so nice spending 60k plus for a car and having some service writer clam stain give you a hard time. When is GM going to WTFU and start correcting this dealer bullshit?

What kind of grief could you possibly get for coolant leaking all over their lot? Or was this for the initial stripe scratch?

[Cabinetman]

Originally Posted by z28lt1

What kind of grief could you possibly get for coolant leaking all over their lot? Or was this for the initial stripe scratch?

The grief I got was just from poor service. When my new car leaked all over the service drive on Friday morning the service writer told me he would take it right back and get it looked at. That never happened and by the end of the day Friday no one had even looked at the coolant leak. I was promised my car would be the first one in on Saturday and I would get an update by 10am. There was no call by 10am so I called the dealer and I was told my service writer was not there and I would get an update Monday. I insisted I get an update right away and I was told I would receive a call back shortly. That never happened so I got a hold of my salesman and he got me in touch with the sales manager who finally told me about the hose and that it would be Tuesday before the part would arrive. It was 2pm on Saturday before I got that info.

My father-in-law is supposed to pick the car up this afternoon or tomorrow. I'm heading to a trade show later today so I won't be able to inspect the repairs myself. Hopefully everything gets put back together correctly.

[cal45]

Make sure you let them have it when you receive one of their "How did we do" surveys?.....I would also look for another dealer for any future service.