How many idiots does it take to turn on a Corvette.

[CassiesMan]

For those who don't know yet, I'm curently working at a BMW dealership in a Service Advisor training program. Which means I'm washing cars with the rest of the porters waiting for my 90 probation period to end, but getting five bucks an hour more, and working more one on one with customers with curent SAs observing. Hence why I haven't been exactly posting kill stories. I got them, but I'd rather not be talking about them in an open forum, especially since not many have been done with my own car. None with customer cars mind you...but I digress.

One of the things the dealership is working on is becoming a place for more high end sports cars to get tuned. We have a mechanic that only does work on M cars, as well as Ferraris, Porsches, and Maseratis. He's done a bunch of custom work for a good amount of local E60 M5s, E46 M3s, and even built up one of the GM's race cars (he has three). The other day I gave him a hand with an exhaust instal on a Maserati. Again...I digress.

So today, we had someguy come in with a C7 Z06 to get some work done. Intake and exhaust, and I think maybe a tune or something, not to sure. I was out with one of the SA's when he came in. So when I come back, we all gather around, pop the hood, marvel at the motor, stuff like that. Anyways, one of the SA's says its enough, and tells the porter to move the car. No big deal.

Yeah, right.

So appearently the new Z06 has one of those nifty push button starters that you don't even need the key in the ignition to get it going. So we toss him the key, he hits the start button. Nothing. That was anti-climatic.

For the next thirty or forty minutes, we tried everything. Moving the key around the inside, locking and unlocking the doors, rolling down the windows, disengaging the hand break, you name it.

Then, all of the sudden, one of the service advisors figures out whats going on. He tells the porter something, and then the porter presses down on the clutch, and presses the start button. Bingo.

So there ya have it. It took five service advisors, a service advisor trainee, two porters, and forty minutes to turn on a Corvette.

[-The Stig-]

You mean C6 Corvette.



And any manual car within the last 20 years has a neutral saftey switch built into the ignition so you can't start the car without the clutch pressed in.

Suprised they didn't think of it sooner, since it is a manual car... you're just pushing a button rather than turning a key...

[Dyno247365]

I can't stop laughing right now, that's hilarious. I would have thought push button sports cars didn't need the clutch to start.

[-Josh-]

That's when you take the switch out near the pedal and keep power at all times at the wire.

[CivRacer95]

Ironically enough, you guys are "hoping" to become a place for high end sports cars...right?

[thecackster]

wow, good stuff. Some cars have a clutch override button, i don't like them though.

[vectorspecialist]

not quite 20, 1991 i think was the first yr, the 88 944 i'm looking at doeesnt need clutch press to start.
the only cars from factory with push button start that doesnt need clutch, i believe is ferrari or lambo, one of the 2 if not both

[2.2 Straight six]

there are still new cars made that you don't need to put the clutch in to start.

My sister's doesn't, my mum's old Audi (late model TT) didn't either.

[turtlecrxsi]

Originally Posted by vectorspecialist

not quite 20, 1991 i think was the first yr, the 88 944 i'm looking at doeesnt need clutch press to start.
the only cars from factory with push button start that doesnt need clutch, i believe is ferrari or lambo, one of the 2 if not both

That's weird. My 85.5 944 needed the clutch depressed to start. And if I'm not mistaken 1988 came after 1985... LOL

[vectorspecialist]

eh maybe it the clutch, it's not stock, would an aftermarket clutch not need to b depressed, i've started it 5x, and never used the clutch. my 92 stealth needs to b depressed(tho sadly it wont start now)

[-The Stig-]

An aftermarket clutch won't change anything, but fiddling with the ignition so that there is no switchy on the clutch itself to bypass that function will do it.

[vectorspecialist]

well that might be what happened, the entire car was just rebuilt when it comes to engine/trans/ingnition/interior/front body parts/electrics.
it's almost like owning a new car, other than the chassis

[-Josh-]

Originally Posted by -The Stig-

An aftermarket clutch won't change anything, but fiddling with the ignition so that there is no switchy on the clutch itself to bypass that function will do it.