Defective 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Doors Suffer Paint Damage Just From Opening

Much to the owners’ frustration, a wrong size screw is chipping the paint off many new doors.

byJames Gilboy|
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Teething problems aren't uncommon in the early model years of brand-new vehicles, and Chevrolet's revolutionary mid-engined Corvette appears to not be the exception. Some owners of the new 'Vette have taken to social media to share what they believe is a possible assembly mistake that could cause paint damage—all because of a single errant screw.

Reports of the issue first surfaced in a public Facebook group of the eighth-generation C8 Corvette, where the owner of C8 VIN 57 posted photos of an over-extended trim screw that had already chipped the paint of his two-week-old car's door.

"Well... found the first defect, I will be letting GM know so they can improve the problem for future cars," said S. Lewis on the photo caption. "Be careful opening the driver's door all the way, one of the screws coming through the fender actually chipped the paint on the edge of my door. You can see the paint on the screw threads. Please be mindful opening all the way."

Within hours, word of the issue spread to CorvetteForum.com, where another user reported the same problem on their car, VIN number 16.

"Vin #16 NOT GOOD!!!!!!!! OMG it chipped Chuck's door all up," saidZ0Sick6 of CorvetteForum.com.

This issue is believed not to be a design or engineering flaw but an early assembly problem, as other early C8 adopters have reported no such issues on their own cars. CorvetteForum.com users who claim to own VIN numbers 50, 1839, and 2330 report okay clearance, and Facebook user Kenneth Jackson affirmed the same, posting a photo of a shorter trim screw in the same location on his car.

2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Paint Problem, Facebook user Kenneth Jackson

The original Facebook post attracted salesperson Aaron Bradlee Adams of Simms Chevrolet, who shared details of an internal GM email describing a "Technical Assistance Center" that had been set up to help early C8 buyers with quality control issues. Lewis stated his dealer would contact GM on Monday, and we have reached out to both him and GM for an update on the situation.

Ironically, a CorvetteForum.com user says this may not be the first time GM has struggled with this exact issue. We haven't been able to independently verify their anecdote, but if it is true, it goes to show how little the business of manufacturing cars has changed in the last 50 years.

"So the 68 had a similar issue where if the door opened fully the 68 hinge could chip the paint on the front edge of the door. Interesting that in over 50 years of refinement some lessons about clearances have been forgotten," said CorvetteForum.com user azza2u.

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h/t: Seth Lewis and Tire Meets Road

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