Tank sticker designation

[Jean C.]

Re: Tank sticker designation

They wouldn't make me (or anyone else) a blue interior.

Gee Terry, ya shoulda come to Houston for that blue interior. A Chevy dealer's "Corvette expert" (read, Fleet Manager) here in Houston swore to me that if I didn't like the solid black interior in the Z06 he was half a**ed trying to sell me, that they could order a car with a solid red interior if that is what I wanted. No worries. He was, as a friend would describe him, a zero with the rim rubbed out. I went elsewhere to buy the car.

PS: I'll bet the Head Cheerleader at Mid America could arrange for everything but the dash covers and he just might be able to do that too. Just wouldn't be factory original which is obviously what you wanted.
Best regards,

[Terry M.]

Re: Tank sticker designation

PS: I'll bet the Head Cheerleader at Mid America could arrange for everything but the dash covers and he just might be able to do that too. Just wouldn't be factory original which is obviously what you wanted.
Best regards,

I have had several conversations with the head cheerleader and his employees. That will do it once I find a set of full power seats. If I am going to upgrade I want to get both the full power seats Chevrolet also wouldn't install until later.

There are some other aftermarket folks making C6 seats that are drop dead gorgeous, and are reported to be far more comfortable than the stockers, but they all lose the side airbags -- which I value as a "just in case" item.

[Kenneth B.]

Re: Tank sticker designation

"Back in the day", most Corvettes were ordered from the choices available on the pre-printed order form; occasionally a customer wanted a "non-recommended" interior/exterior color combination, and that was easily done by the dealer by requesting a "trim over-ride" on the order form, and the Zone approved it (that did NOT require a COPO). Non-recommended combinations were specified by Styling, as they didn't want "weird" combinations out there to sully their artistic reputation.

These days it's a similar situation, except the name of the game is to reduce parts proliferation and the number of possible build permutations by severely limiting the number of individual stand-alone options the customer can choose, and "packaging" groups of options instead in order to reduce the part count, engineering and development expense for potentially low-volume combinations of parts, and reduce build complexity at the suppliers and at the assembly plant.

That's the way it is, and I wouldn't expect it to change any time soon; the costs involved in developing and offering all the possible permutations of many unrestricted stand-alone options are incredible.

I understand that the more options offered raise the cost of parts but what would be the extra cost to dye interior something other than Gray/Tan. Who decided that these two ugly colors were the ones people wanted. Most Corvettes are ordered so just have interior's made as ordered. My 85 has Medium Blue with the Gray/Silver leather interior which was a non recommended color. Funny in 85 blue was the only interior recommended. Times change.
KEN

[John H.]

Re: Tank sticker designation

I understand that the more options offered raise the cost of parts but what would be the extra cost to dye interior something other than Gray/Tan.

Ken -

Most interior parts aren't dyed - they're molded in color, which requires chemical color-matching of the raw material (including vinyl and leather) for those specific applications way upstream of actually making the parts; requires more people, more time, and more money to manage another "family" of color-matched raw material.

[Ridge K.]

Re: Tank sticker designation

That's the way it is, and I wouldn't expect it to change any time soon; the costs involved in developing and offering all the possible permutations of many unrestricted stand-alone options are incredible

John H, I'm quite sure.....is exactly correct.

I wonder on the other side of the coin, how many customers have been run-off by GM with these policies.

In 2003, they lost me on a Cadillac order, due to refusal to allow an interior choice of mine.
The same choice that was approved in 1993.....

[Kenneth B.]

Re: Tank sticker designation

Ken -

Most interior parts aren't dyed - they're molded in color, which requires chemical color-matching of the raw material (including vinyl and leather) for those specific applications way upstream of actually making the parts; requires more people, more time, and more money to manage another "family" of color-matched raw material.

JOHN
I understand. When I said dyed I meant adding color to the raw material before molding. I have a company in my industrial park called Color Masters that make the color pellets & are shipped in drums to the molders. That said why crappy gray/tan not red,black blue?
KEN

[John H.]

Re: Tank sticker designation

That said why crappy gray/tan not red,black blue?
KEN

Good question - many stylists became enamored with the typical European interior designs, which have been bland grays and blacks for many years, thinking those tones would lend a "European" look to the interior, and most contrasting interior color choices disappeared.

Fortunately, Chrysler hasn't been completely wedded to that theme, and offers two-tone interiors with some flavor; photos below of my 2010 Dodge Avenger R/T and my wife's 2010 Chrysler Sebring convertible interiors.