[RobbyBeefcake87]

I recently took my 2018 Camaro ss 1le to have the rear diff oil changed as I planned on going to FL2K and make a pass or two. The car has just over 3k miles on it and has been mostly babied outside of a few spirited runs (all break in procedures followed) but I figure it is a good idea to do before a "track" day as suggested by the manual.

Take it to my local chevy dealer where I get my oil changed on Friday(would do it myself but want no warranty voiding issues). The job takes about 2.5 hours and I can see the tech continuously going under the car pulling and tugging on things, not a great sign. I pay them $130 for the job and drive around for a few hours to make sure everything feels fine and fluids move around, seems ok.

The next day (Saturday) on my drive to drive to fl2k I hear a loud enough strange noise and the car feels different through the seat of my pants and through shifter vibrations for a few seconds. Take it to the same dealership since I was still around the area. They check out the rear end and come back an hour later and say it seems fine. So on my way to fl2k I go, I figure maybe the noise was that I ran over something since they claim it was good to go. In retrospect there was a weird smell on the drive that I just assumed was from the tech being in the car with dirty shoes as he didnt cover the seat or floor mats, but the car is performing normally.

I make to fl2k, I only make one pass while at the even and didnt even do a burn out. After enjoying the event I drive back home and everything is fine. When I make it back to my neighborhood at lower speeds I start feeling strange vibrations in higher gear. Since the dealerships diagnosis was useless the first time I felt something weird I decide to drive it around a bit in the neighborhood and try to diagnose the issue and have something more specific to tell them. As I drive around now the car seems to be acting weird on deceleration, almost as if the breaks or TC system is confused and applying the breaks when I let off the throttle. On my way back home I continue to feel it out to get and idea of what it may be and it goes into reduced power mode with a CEL light after accelerating at a stop sign. I finally make it home, park it and leave it alone and cool down. Come out later and turn it back on and it is no longer in reduced power mode but has the CEL light on. I feel it out to see if it was an electric issue with the TC system and check if it cleared out. I live a mile away from an advanced auto parts so I stop by to have the CEL light code read and have an idea of what it is. It was fine on the way there. The code turns out to be something related to throttle bodie sensor or fuel cap (p128f of something like that). On the way back home, again after a harder acceleration reduced power is back on with the CEL light and the breaks and actuating again on deceleration. Park it at home to take it to the dealership in the morning.

When I wake up on Sunday and push the car to check for leaks sure enough the diff is leaking, I was not sure it was the duff since the dealership said it was fine the day before but at this point I'm obviously sure. Take it to the dealership and leave it there since its Sunday and they have nobody besides oil changing techs. I drove it because I did not have a way to tow it and the dealership is within 5 miles. On the drive the car was not in reduced power mode but felt very strange vibrations in the rear end at lower rpms in higher gears.

Next day (Monday) they call and say the diff pinion seal broke and they ordered a new rear end. Should be about a week as it was not an easy to find part and needed a case to be opened with GM. Guy tries to tell me he's not sure he can get me a new diff again especially with the number on the window from fl2k si maybe I need to upgrade parts of I plan to track it. I tell him I dont plan breaking another diff and will probably not track it anytime soon. However I remind him it's a 1le, a track warrantied car and how it was perfect before I took it to them for the diff oil change. That's when my problems started. I had driven the car hard and never had an issue before. That was my biggest fear when I took in for the diff oil change. Something on my brand new perfect car would be messed up and sure enough it was.

Just wanted to share my experience. I am satisfied with the dealership doing what's right and honoring the warranty as they should (it's a stock car btw) but I was a bit bothered by the desk guy who called me and somewhat insinuated that I was doing something wrong because of the numbers on the window from fl2k. It's a track car, and they knew the car was going to the track from the day I got the diff oil changed since that was the point of doing that, as well as the following day when I took it to get checked out about the weird noise before heading out to the event.

Now I'm afraid to track the car again or even the spirited drive here and there. That shouldn't be the case when one buys the track specific option of a v8 american sports car.

[TJay74]

The dealer is full of it, as long as the car is bone stock and or only has GM approved bolt on mods then GM covers the car on the track no questions asked. It does have to go thru the same GM TAC system to get the repairs approved, but GM covers the Camaro SS and any of the 1LE variations for track use along with the Corvette line as well.

My guess is the dealership person made a mistake and they are trying to pawn it off on you.

[Alpha1BC]

Hm, seems like an odd failure but probably just got unlucky and got a bad part. Unless the dealer tech was messing around with something they shouldn't have been, the rear end fluid change shouldn't have done anything to damage the pinion seal. Good to hear the dealer is doing the right thing and replacing the rear end.

With a new rear end you don't want to thrash the car right away kinda like the break in period, but especially avoid driving at constant speeds for the first 1500 miles. Doing so will likely score the ring/pinion and you'll end up with a groan coming from the rear end. After that, don't be afraid to push it!

[RobbyBeefcake87]

Originally Posted by TJay74

The dealer is full of it, as long as the car is bone stock and or only has GM approved bolt on mods then GM covers the car on the track no questions asked. It does have to go thru the same GM TAC system to get the repairs approved, but GM covers the Camaro SS and any of the 1LE variations for track use along with the Corvette line as well.

My guess is the dealership person made a mistake and they are trying to pawn it off on you.

That's what I was under the impression of, and maybe my explantion was confusing but they are covering this under warranty but he was suggesting that the next track related mishap may be hard to get covered under warranty which I thought was bs and will let him know as much when I pick up the car.

That was also that specific service guy I spoke to, hopefully the higher ups have better knowledge of chevy performance car warranties.

[RobbyBeefcake87]

Originally Posted by Alpha1BC

Hm, seems like an odd failure but probably just got unlucky and got a bad part. Unless the dealer tech was messing around with something they shouldn't have been, the rear end fluid change shouldn't have done anything to damage the pinion seal. Good to hear the dealer is doing the right thing and replacing the rear end.

With a new rear end you don't want to thrash the car right away kinda like the break in period, but especially avoid driving at constant speeds for the first 1500 miles. Doing so will likely score the ring/pinion and you'll end up with a groan coming from the rear end. After that, don't be afraid to push it!

That's what I was thinking, I dont think it's a common issue. Just bad luck. While I wouldn't suggest that the tech who changed the oil was incompetent, I do bring it up as a variable when they mentioned the track numbers on the window.

Ditto on the diff break in. I'll baby her all over again for the first 1500 miles like the original break in. Thanks.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by RobbyBeefcake87

Now I'm afraid to track the car again or even the spirited drive here and there. That shouldn't be the case when one buys the track specific option of a v8 american sports car.

What dealer? (I'm local)

I don't drag race mine, but it's had no issues with track use. I do my own fluid changes though.

[RobbyBeefcake87]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

What dealer? (I'm local)

I don't drag race mine, but it's had no issues with track use. I do my own fluid changes though.

Wesley Chapel Chevrolet. I guess I shouldn't dog them too badly yet for one guys tone and comments, as everybody else I've dealt with there was nice and helpful enough. I'll reserve final judgement till I get the car back and speak with them in person.

Thinking of going to Stingray Chevy in the future for any service or gm performance installs, as apparently they're a GM performance shop. Heard anything about them? I've never owned a brand new car on warranty before so I'm skeptical of doing my own maintenance work due to horror stories I've heard. However my 06 GTO is exclusively serviced and worked on by me.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by RobbyBeefcake87

Wesley Chapel Chevrolet. I guess I shouldn't dog them too badly yet for one guys tone and comments, as everybody else I've dealt with there was nice and helpful enough. I'll reserve final judgement till I get the car back and speak with them in person.

Thinking of going to Stingray Chevy in the future for any service or gm performance installs, as apparently they're a GM performance shop. Heard anything about them? I've never owned a brand new car on warranty before so I'm skeptical of doing my own maintenance work due to horror stories I've heard. However my 06 GTO is exclusively serviced and worked on by me.

I wasn't asking with the intention of bashing them, just to know who to avoid for warranty issues as my car is definitely used on track.

I use Ferman Chevy in East Tampa/Brandon. One of their fleet sales guys has a 1LE as well and also tracks his so I feel fairly safe about service being performed there. They had no issues setting up my car with -2.7 camber up front and -1.9 in the back.

I bought the car at Stringray, I have nothing bad to say about them. They actually set the car up with the track alignment during PDI..

As for doing your own maintenance, I keep receipts of what I put in the car and a log of when it was done, mileage, etc. I've owned 5 or 6 new cars that never saw the dealer except for warranty work and no one has ever asked about maintenance. Now if they drained the oil and it came out like thick sludge I could see them asking.. that would never be a problem on something I own

[RobbyBeefcake87]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

I wasn't asking with the intention of bashing them, just to know who to avoid for warranty issues as my car is definitely used on track.

I use Ferman Chevy in East Tampa/Brandon. One of their fleet sales guys has a 1LE as well and also tracks his so I feel fairly safe about service being performed there. They had no issues setting up my car with -2.7 camber up front and -1.9 in the back.

I bought the car at Stringray, I have nothing bad to say about them. They actually set the car up with the track alignment during PDI..

As for doing your own maintenance, I keep receipts of what I put in the car and a log of when it was done, mileage, etc. I've owned 5 or 6 new cars that never saw the dealer except for warranty work and no one has ever asked about maintenance. Now if they drained the oil and it came out like thick sludge I could see them asking.. that would never be a problem on something I own

I didn't mean it like you had intentions of bashing, I just dont want to sound like I am bashing them too hard myself.. yet anyways lol.

I bought my car at Dimmit but that's too far of a drive for emergencies and what not. After my 2 free oil changes I will probably start doing it myself and just document it. Wesley chapel does offer full synthetic changes for $50 which is pretty decent on a car that takes 10 quarts in my opinion.

I hope that along with the diff these guys checked my brakes and e brake as I told them that one or the other was clearly actuating when it wasn't supposed when I had the issues. They said it was probably diff fluid leaking on them that caused that but I'd like to be sure just to make sure, and that the brake lock up didn't tax the diff and contribute to the failure.

[Boost Creep]

2 ½ hours to change the diff fluid?

[Pollock]

Originally Posted by Boost Creep

2 ½ hours to change the diff fluid?

Takes me about an hr to do both the engine oil and rear diff.

[RobbyBeefcake87]

My thoughts exactly. The GTOs fill hole is a pita and I can do it way faster on jacks in the drive way.

[wjones14]

OP, first thing, sorry for your troubles, and hope everything is fixed successfully.

The 2.5 hours is definitely a red flag, assuming all he did was to change the oil and rear diff fluid.

But not sure how the rear diff pinion seal could have anything to do with the noises and CEL? When that seal starts leaking, you lose diff fluid obviously, but you shouldn't get any noises until the fluid is gone or almost gone. I'm not sure about how different the 1LE eLSD is from other rear diffs, but a leaking rear diff pinion seal is something that is typically repairable by just replacing the seal itself. I've never heard of the diff needing to be replaced, unless it ran for a long time with little or no fluid.

The other thing is I'm not sure how the tech could have screwed something up while changing the rear diff fluid, where the pinion seal would start leaking? The only thing I can think of is that he used the wrong fluid.

Since the car was trouble-free for 3000 miles, and you first noticed a noise the day after the service, prior to putting the car on the track, it's reasonable to assume the tech screwed it up somehow.

For those of us who don't know, is FL2K a drag strip?

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by wjones14

OP, first thing, sorry for your troubles, and hope everything is fixed successfully.

The 2.5 hours is definitely a red flag, assuming all he did was to change the oil and rear diff fluid.

But not sure how the rear diff pinion seal could have anything to do with the noises and CEL? When that seal starts leaking, you lose diff fluid obviously, but you shouldn't get any noises until the fluid is gone or almost gone. I'm not sure about how different the 1LE eLSD is from other rear diffs, but a leaking rear diff pinion seal is something that is typically repairable by just replacing the seal itself. I've never heard of the diff needing to be replaced, unless it ran for a long time with little or no fluid.

The other thing is I'm not sure how the tech could have screwed something up while changing the rear diff fluid, where the pinion seal would start leaking? The only thing I can think of is that he used the wrong fluid.

Since the car was trouble-free for 3000 miles, and you first noticed a noise the day after the service, prior to putting the car on the track, it's reasonable to assume the tech screwed it up somehow.

For those of us who don't know, is FL2K a drag strip?

It's a drag racing event. There are 2k events in multiple states, TX2K is the biggest I think.

I was wondering if the tech drained the eLSD fluid (separate from the diff fluid) and didn't refill it.. would be stupid but.. :shrug: