Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
2012 Chevrolet Corvette Owner ManualM
Driving and Operating. . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-18
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-27
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-36
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Conversions and
Add-Ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44 Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-78
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-82
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . 10-82
Service and Maintenance . . . 11-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . 11-3
Special Application
Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Additional Maintenance and Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Recommended Fluids,
Lubricants, and Parts . . . . . . 11-12
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . 11-15 Technical Data
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Identification . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Customer Information . . . . . . . 13-1
Customer Information . . . . . . . . 13-1
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . 13-19
Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
OnStar Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
OnStar Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i-1
Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Introduction v
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
%:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j: LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
d:Traction Control/Active
Handling System
M: Windshield Washer Fluid
Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
1-12 In Brief
Mirror Adjustment
Exterior Mirrors
To adjust mirrors:
1. Press
}or|to select a mirror.
2. Press the control pad to adjust the mirror.
3. Return the switch to the center to deselect the mirror.
See Power Mirrors on page 2‑16. If the vehicle has the memory
feature, a preferred mirror position
can be stored. See
Power Seat
Adjustment on page 3‑2.
To fold, pull the mirror toward the
vehicle. Push the mirror outward,
to return it to the original position.
Interior Mirror
An automatic dimming rearview
mirror will automatically reduce
headlamp glare coming from
vehicles that are traveling
behind you.
See Automatic Dimming Rearview
Mirror on page 2‑17.
Steering Wheel
Adjustment
The lever is located on the left side
of the steering column.
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Pull the lever toward you.
2. Move the steering wheel up
or down.
3. Release the lever to lock the steering wheel in place.
Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
1-14 In Brief
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamps
The exterior lamp control is located
to the left of the steering wheel,
on the multifunction lever.
O:Turn the band with this
symbol on it to operate the exterior
lamps.
O: Turns off all lamps. AUTO:
Sets the exterior lamps to
automatic mode. AUTO mode turns
the exterior lamps on and off
depending on how much light is
available outside the vehicle.
;: Turns on the parking lamps
together with the sidemarker lamps,
taillamps, license plate lamps, and
instrument panel lights.
5: Turns on the headlamps
together with the parking lamps,
sidemarker lamps, taillamps,
license plate lamps, and instrument
panel lights.
For more information, see:
.Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
.Turn and Lane-Change Signals
on page 6‑4.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The windshield wiper/washer lever
is located on the right side of the
steering column.
1: Use for fast wipes.
6:Use for slow wipes.
3: Use to set a delay between
wipes.
x: Use for a delayed wiping
cycle. Turn the intermittent adjust
band down for a longer delay or up
for a shorter delay.
Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-17
Folding Mirrors
To fold, pull the mirror toward the
vehicle. Push the mirror outward to
return it to the original position.
Heated Mirrors
For vehicles with heated mirrors:
1(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to heat the mirrors.
See “Rear Window Defogger” under
Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑1 for more
information.
Automatic Dimming
Mirror
If the vehicle has this feature, the
driver side outside mirror adjusts for
the glare of headlamps behind you.
This feature is controlled by the
on and off setting on the inside
rearview mirror.
Interior Mirrors
Automatic Dimming
Rearview Mirror
An automatic dimming inside
rearview mirror will automatically
change to reduce glare from
headlamps behind you. A time delay
feature prevents rapid changing
from the day to night positions while
driving under lights and through
traffic.
If the vehicle has OnStar
®, there are
additional control buttons located at
the bottom of the mirror. See OnStar
Overview on page 14‑1.
P(On/Off): The automatic
dimming feature is activated when
the vehicle is started. Press and
hold this button for up to
six seconds to turn this feature on
or off.
T(Indicator Light): This light turns
on when the automatic dimming
feature is active.
Map Lamps
If the mirror has map lamps, they
are located at the bottom of the
mirror. To manually turn the lamps
on or off, press the button next to
each lamp.
Cleaning the Mirror
Do not spray glass cleaner directly
on the mirror. Use a soft towel
dampened with water.
Black plate (25,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-25
Security Light
The security light should come on
briefly as the engine is started. If the
system is working normally, the
indicator light turns off. If it does not
come on, have the vehicle serviced
by your dealer.
If the light stays on and the engine
does not start, there could be a
problem with the theft-deterrent
system.
This light is also used to indicate the
status of the anti-theft alarm system
when the ignition is turned off. The
light will flash rapidly if the alarm
system is arming and one or more
of the monitored entry points is not
closed. The light will stay on if the
alarm is arming and all entry points
are closed.For information regarding this light
and the vehicle's security system,
see
Anti-theft Alarm System on
page 2‑14.
High-Beam On Light
This light comes on when the
high-beam headlamps are in use.
See Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer on page 6‑2 for more
information.
Front Fog Lamp Light
The fog lamp light comes on when
the fog lamps are in use. The light goes out when the fog
lamps are turned off. See
Fog
Lamps on page 6‑5 for more
information.
Lamps On Reminder
This light comes on whenever the
parking lamps are on.
See Exterior Lamps Off Reminder
on page 6‑2 for more information.
Black plate (43,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-43
If moving the transmitter to
different locations within the
vehicle does not help, place the
transmitter in the glove box
transmitter pocket with the
buttons facing to the right and
then press the START button.
.The vehicle's battery voltage is
low. The battery voltage must be
above 10 volts for the RKE
transmitter to be detected
properly.
NO FOB - OFF OR RUN?
This message displays when the
RKE transmitter is not detected
inside the vehicle while you are
trying to turn the ignition off. The
vehicle may be near a strong radio
antenna signal causing the RKE
system to be jammed. The vehicle
will remain in ACCESSORY until the
vehicle is turned off or is restarted,
or five minutes has expired. If you
turn the ignition off and you cannot
find the RKE transmitter, you will not
be able to restart the vehicle. The
RKE transmitter needs to be inside
the vehicle in order for the vehicle to
start. SeeStarting the Engine on
page 9‑22 for more information.
OFF–ACCESSORY TO LEARN
See“Matching Transmitter(s) to
Your Vehicle” underRemote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation on page 2‑3.
READY FOR FOB #X
See “Matching Transmitter(s) to
Your Vehicle” underRemote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation on page 2‑3.
Lamp Messages
HEADLAMPS SUGGESTED
This message displays if it is dark
enough outside and the headlamps
and the Twilight Sentinel
®controls
are off. This message informs the
driver that turning on the exterior
lamps is recommended. It has
become dark enough outside to
require the headlamps and/or other
exterior lamps.
TURN SIGNAL ON
This message displays and a
sound will be heard if a turn signal
is left on for 1.2 km (three-quarters
of a mile). Move the turn signal/
multifunction lever to the off
position.
To acknowledge this message,
press the RESET button.
Black plate (55,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-55
Entering the Personal
Options Menu
To enter the personal options menu,
use the following steps:
1. If you have an automatictransmission vehicle, turn the
vehicle on with the shift lever in
P (Park).
If you have a manual
transmission vehicle, turn the
vehicle on with the parking
brake set.
To avoid excessive drain on the
battery, it is recommended that
the headlamps are turned off.
2. Press the OPTION button and you will enter the PERSONAL
OPTIONS menu. The DIC will display the current
driver number (1 or 2) for a
few seconds and then will
display instructions on which
buttons to use for setting the
personalizations. The RESET
button is used to select a
setting for a particular feature.
The OPTION button is used to
move to the next feature.
3. Press the OPTION button while the instruction screen is
displayed to enter the first
personalization menu item.
4. Once you have cycled through all of the personal options,
pressing the OPTION button a
final time exits the personal
options menu. In addition,
if no button is pressed within
45 seconds, the DIC will exit the
personal options menu. Personal Options
The following options are available
for programming:
Display Units:
This option allows
you to choose the measurement
units.
Press the OPTION button until
DISPLAY UNITS appears on the
display, then press the RESET
button to scroll through the
following modes:
.ENGLISH (default)
.METRIC
If you choose ENGLISH, all
information will be displayed in
English units.
If you choose METRIC, all
information will be displayed in
metric units.
When the mode you want is
selected, press the OPTION button
to set your choice and advance to
the next personal option.