Car and Driver: Why Yes, Mr. GM Service Advisor, I Was on a Racetrack When My Camaro SS Grenaded

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Good news for owners of sixth-gen Camaros: Tracking your car won’t void your warranty. According to an interview with Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser on the Motor Authority website, Chevrolet will honor the warranty of track-driven SS model Camaros and above (that means ZL1, 1LE, and the future Z/28 models) as long as the car remains 100-percent stock.

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According Oppenheiser, “If you’re not modifying your car and you take your production car to a track day and you have an issue with one of your parts, it’s covered under warranty. We know when somebody changes their ECM calibration and we know if they changed to a cold-air intake, we can tell all that. But driving it as you break it in from the dealership, if you have a half-shaft or whatever, it’s covered.” Remember, this is coming from the same guy who told us during a track drive for the 2014 Camaro Z/28 that the primary motivation of his team was, “to beat the shit out of anything Ford puts on the road,” so he’s definitely passionate about his work.

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We called GM for confirmation of his statements, and to ask just how far that coverage extends. After some slight delays, Chevrolet got back to us, and basically confirmed his comments, with a few specific clarifications.

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First and foremost, “track day” means exactly that. According to Chevrolet, ‘”If you enter your car in a race or any type of competition event, that constitutes racing, and then it becomes an entirely different matter.” Furthermore, “Initial break-in procedures should be complete, and that includes brake burnishing.” The warranty covers the entire powertrain, and the maker confirmed that it includes the SS, ZL1, and 1LE with both V-6 and V-8 engines. We assume it will include the upcoming new Z/28.

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• First Drive Review: 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS Manual-
• Comparison Test: 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS vs. 2015 Ford Mustang GT-
• First Drive Review: 2016 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible-

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Ford came under similar scrutiny when it revealed the 2015 Mustang GT’s line-lock feature. Technically available for use by anyone with a 2015 Mustang GT and set of tires to burn, Ford maintains that the “electronic line-lock for 2015 Mustang GT is intended for use only on racetracks,” before mentioning that, “racing voids your warranty.” Talk about a buzzkill.

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Kudos to Chevrolet for spelling out what is–and isn’t–covered in no uncertain terms.

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