Chevy Corvette Z06 Owners Are Having Issues With Dealer-Installed Underbody Panels

Jul. 01, 2023 8:31 AM ET byRex Sanchez Supercars /10 Comments

The fix can be done at home in half an hour.

Following theincorrect suspension calibration issueraised by General Motors earlier this year, another underbody concern emerges for the Corvette C8. This time,Corvette Z06units may have an underbody closeout panel that could be incorrectly installed during the pre-delivery inspection.

Of note, Chevy employees install an underbody panel on the mid-engine sports car upon its arrival at a dealership to complete the inspection. Only Z06 units get their underbody panels installed at dealers, not the factory.

The faulty installation can deform the panels, resulting in airflow problems and the panels collecting small rocks. More than a few owners have reported the issue.

GTPprix/MidEngineCorvetteForum

The automaker didn't roll out a recall for this issue. Only owners atMidEngineCorvetteForumfound out about the improper installation, and they couldn't wait to get to the bottom of it. Fortunately,GTPprix, the original poster, said the fix is "very easy."

The bad panel looks like the photo above, while the correct installation looks like the photo below.

All Chevy Corvette Z06 owners will need are a Torx T15 and a 7mm socket driver. The incorrectly-installed panel must be refitted into the underbody above the closeout panel. This fix will prevent the car from collecting small rocks and mitigate airflow issues, which can be more apparent on high-speed runs.

GTPprix/MidEngineCorvetteForum

It would be a pity for owners to be unable to extract the most out of their Corvette simply due to a lousy underbody panel fitting. For a base price of $105,300, an almost stock Corvette Z06 (except for drag racing tires) can complete a quarter mile inunder 10 seconds.

As such,GTPprixadvises owners to check the underbody of their vehicles, as the forum brought out others that had the same issue. If they plan to work on the incorrectly-installed panel, the forum poster suggested the fix should only be completed in half an hour.

While we hope the next C8 Corvette Z06 model years won't get the same underbody panel issue, we won't be surprised if the problem persists, given that the pre-delivery inspection process is still in place. Or at least those at the dealers should do a better job, moving forward.