Just got the 2SS ... Scratch ... Rough idle (vibrates unusually)

[advanceNconquer]

Hi fellow fans,

I already wrote a dreadfully long version, but didn't seem to go through ... So I'll spare you the boredom.

I got my Camaro on the 12th of March ... It was supposed to be delivered for my birthday (the 6th) but was delayed due to a snow storm in Buffalo NY. This part I understand ... So no point in going any further with this point ... But I also want to know your opinions about the "protective coating" for an extra $500 ... Has anyone gotten that, or am I just being ripped off?

However, here's my complaint and I need you guys/gals opinions:

I finished signing the paperwork, and my dealer walks into the finance office stating:

"I have some bad news ... The car has a scratch. It looks like one of the delivery guys that handled her somewhere in transit had the key in their hand, and opened the door. They tried to patch it up by putting some marker to it"

I proceeded to laugh, and ask him if he was joking ...

He stated:

"I'm afraid not, the guys doing the sealant and detail noticed it, and just told me about it"

So I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and looked at my wife. She proceeded to shrug her shoulders and stated that it's my call.

I said "$%&^ it ... I want the car, so let's see it"

He replied with:

"Don't worry ... you know, we'll take care of it, we'll repaint the door ... Just name the next sunny day, bring her in for 3 days and we'll have her back to you in no time"

So I discussed this with a few people at my job who are big car heads ...

They proceeded to ask me immediately if they slammed the price down a bit because of it ... I stated that they didn't, and they said they should have ... In terms of this, what should I do? Is there really an option now that I took the car? Can they still give me a break on the financing? I don't think so, right?

Now onto my next point ... Sorry for dragging ...

The first person I went to show was my cousin ... Him and his family came out, and wished me tons of luck, etc ... His dad however, pointed out that there was a bit of a rough idle. He said it wasn't too bad, but stated that the engine is brand new, and shouldn't do that.

A week went by, and I kept thinking to myself if this was something to be concerned about. So I finally headed over to my good friend and mechanic to show off my new car ...

Being a German car fan, I expected very low words ... However, he loved it and I had him take it for a spin. We got back and he sat in it idling. Having not said a word to him, he listened and felt very attentively. With a puzzled look on his face, he popped the hood. He proceeded to say:

"Check this out ... Did you at all not notice this?"

I told him: "What's up?"

He said: "The engine is idling a tad bit on the rough end, look at the engine ... see how every about 4 or 5 seconds it seems to misfire and the engine rumbles a tad?"

I said ... "You know what, yes that's exactly why I came here for, I needed a second opinion"

He continued to explain how a brand new engine shouldn't do that ... But that he's seen that on a bunch of new American cars, and doesn't want to worry me, however I should go to the dealership and mention it to them ... So here I am, the day before my scheduled trip to the dealer, to get some feedback from other owners and fans. I can feel it inside ... It's not too noticeable, but you can definitely see the engine RPMs dropping a very small amount, not even a full notch, slightly more than a quarter notch. You can even see the shifter moving a bit when it does this.

Any ideas? Is anyone else experiencing this? I checked out my 2001 Impala that has 150,000 miles on it, and it's not doing this. I take really good care of my cars, so I want to make sure I'm not getting a lemon.

Any feedback is much appreciated, and thanks for taking the time to read and reply.

[Bond]

Loose plugs? Wires? Distributor? Did you listen to the fuel pump?
How's the performance?

[advanceNconquer]

Thanks for the quick reply Bond. We checked everything, nothing seemed loose. The performance is awesome. I put 1,000 miles on it, and hadn't put it above 4,000RPM until today. As far as I can tell, nothing in terms of performance is an issue. But then again, I had a 200HP car prior to this, so I'm not entirely sure. I haven't put it on a Dyno to know for sure.

[wbt]

Mine idles rough too. Happens mainly when it is cold but have noticed it on occasion at a stop light. Nothing to worry about.

[advanceNconquer]

I can see it happening when it gets cold ... But it's been no colder than 60 degrees since I got it, so that's what concerns me.

[d69chris]

Mine too, almost all do it.

Having the throttle body ported & polished. Listened to a car today that had it done and was idling very smoothly.

They should have cut you a price break on car. Coatings are a rip off!

[Big Brunsy]

mine idles rough also....I just figured it was because it idles so low. (400-500RPM) any other car I've ever owned (all V-6) idled around 900-1000

[Bruticus]

Are you talking about the DuPont protective on the paint and leather? If so I had it done to my car I noticed the look difference right away when I picked up my car. The water seems to just sit on it in the rain instead of just running down.

However I washed the car the other day and noticed swirls in the paint on the hood of my car. I called the dealer auto body section and told them and they said it shouldn't have swirls in the paint and told me to bring it in this week. I think it was a good investment in getting it done to the car it will make it last longer.

As far as that scratch goes I would have never took that car off the lot with it if they did not give me a discount on it. Just take her back to the dealer and have them check out that rough idle issue it never hurts to get it checked out you spent money to get a great car and you gotta make sure its at tip top form.

[Rich1]

advanceNconquer, I went to pick up my Camaro at the dealer and the trunk and hood had a lot of scratches on the car. Also, the rear quarter had a scratch an inch long. It looked as if someone cleaned the car with an old dirty rag. I told the dealer that I did not want the car and left. The next day he called and said that they buffed the car and that it looks perfect. He convinced me to come in and look at it. The scratch was gone, but the hood still had some scratches. I decided at that point that I was not going to buy that car. I was not going to buy a brand new car that had to be buffed and still had scratches. About two weeks later I picked up another car at a different dealer. I am so glad that I was patient to wait for the right car. You should not have to settle for less because you are paying a lot for these cars.

[v6sonoma]

I think what you might be perceiving as a rough idle is just the nature of the more aggressive cam in the LS3. It will shake the car when parked. If it seems like it is actually hesitating when you accelerate then it could be a problem for the dealer to look at.

[WySilverado]

426 HP in a good ol' American V8 is not going to idle perfectly smooth,it takes a pretty nasty camshaft to make that power,if you have been around any V8 race engines you would have seen this before..... It should make you smile not worry!

[WySilverado]

Originally Posted by v6sonoma

I think what you might be perceiving as a rough idle is just the nature of the more aggressive cam in the LS3. It will shake the car when parked. If it seems like it is actually hesitating when you accelerate then it could be a problem for the dealer to look at.

You beat me to it!

[advanceNconquer]

WySilverado and V6sonoma ... I value your opinions, as well as everyone else here. As long as this is normal, then I'm cool with it.

As for the whole scratch thing ... I guess it's like my pops said ... "You're young and blind. You wanted the car so bad that you decided to look past it. But boy what a beauty it is, and that sound??? WOOOOOO!"

[Milk 1027]

LS3 power.