Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-3
General Information
For service and parts needs,
visit your dealer. You will receive
genuine GM parts and GM-trained
and supported service people.
Genuine GM parts have one of
these marks:
California Proposition
65 Warning
Most motor vehicles, including this
one, contain and/or emit chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm. Engine
exhaust, many parts and systems,
many fluids, and some component
wear by-products contain and/or
emit these chemicals.
California Perchlorate
Materials Requirements
Certain types of automotive
applications, such as airbag
initiators, seat belt pretensioners,
and lithium batteries contained in
Remote Keyless Entry transmitters,
may contain perchlorate materials.
Special handling may be necessary.
For additional information, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate.
Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
10-4 Vehicle Care
Accessories and
Modifications
Adding non‐dealer accessories or
making modifications to the vehicle
can affect vehicle performance and
safety, including such things as
airbags, braking, stability, ride and
handling, emissions systems,
aerodynamics, durability, and
electronic systems like antilock
brakes, traction control, and stability
control. These accessories or
modifications could even cause
malfunction or damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty.Damage to vehicle components
resulting from modifications or the
installation or use of non‐GM
certified parts, including control
module or software modifications,
is not covered under the terms of
the vehicle warranty and may affect
remaining warranty coverage for
affected parts.
GM Accessories are designed to
complement and function with other
systems on the vehicle. See your
dealer to accessorize the vehicle
using genuine GM Accessories
installed by a dealer technician.
Also, see
Adding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑26.
Lifting the Vehicle
{WARNING
Lifting a vehicle can cause an
injury. The vehicle can slip off the
jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be
badly injured. Find a level place
to lift your vehicle. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put an automatic transmission shift lever in
P (Park), or shift a manual
transmission to 1 (First) or
R (Reverse).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the
vehicle won't move, put blocks in
front of and behind the wheels.
Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
10-8 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your Own
Service Work
{WARNING
You can be injured and the
vehicle could be damaged if you
try to do service work on a vehicle
without knowing enough about it.
.Be sure you have sufficient
knowledge, experience,
the proper replacement
parts, and tools before
attempting any vehicle
maintenance task.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Be sure to use the proper
nuts, bolts, and other
fasteners. Metric and English
fasteners can be easily
confused. If the wrong
fasteners are used,
parts can later break or fall
off. You could be hurt.
If doing some of your own service
work, use the proper service
manual. It tells you much more
about how to service the vehicle
than this manual can. To order the
proper service manual, see Service
Publications Ordering Information
on page 13‑17. This vehicle has an airbag system.
Before attempting to do your own
service work, see
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑25.
Keep a record with all parts
receipts and list the mileage and the
date of any service work performed.
See Maintenance Records on
page 11‑15.
Black plate (56,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
10-56 Vehicle Care
FusesUsage
BTSI
SOL/STR
WHL LCK Brake
Transmission
Shift Interlock,
Steering Wheel
Column Lock
CLSTR/HUD Cluster,
Heads‐Up
Display
CRUISE
SWTCH Cruise Control
Switch
CTSY/LAMP Courtesy Lamp
DR LCK Door Locks
DRIV DR
SWITCH Driver Door
Switch
ECM Engine Control
Module (ECM)
EXH MDL Exhaust Module
(Z06 & ZR1),
Spare (Coupe
and Convertible)
GM LAN
RUN/CRNK GM LAN Devices Fuses
Usage
HTD SEAT/
WPR RLY Heated Seat,
Wiper Relays
HVAC/
PWR SND Heating
Ventilation/Air
Conditioning,
Power Sounder
IGN SWTCH/
INTR SNSR Ignition Switch,
Intrusion Sensor
ISRVM/HVAC Electric Inside
Rearview
Mirror, Heating,
Ventilation, Air
Conditioning
ONSTAR OnStar
(if equipped)
RDO/S‐BAND Radio, S‐Band
REAR FOG/
ALDL/TOP
SWTCH Rear Fog Lamp,
Assembly Line
Diagnostic Link
Connector,
Convertible Top
Switch Fuses
Usage
REVERSE
LAMPS Reverse Lamps
RUN CRNK Run/Crank Relay
SDM/AOS
SWTCH
AIRBAG Sensing and
Diagnostic
Module,
Automatic
Occupant
Sensing Module,
Airbag
SPARE Spare
SPARE Spare
SPARE Spare
SPARE Spare
STOP LAMP Stop Lamp
SWC DM Steering Wheel
Dimming
Black plate (76,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
10-76 Vehicle Care
Different Size Tires and
Wheels
If wheels or tires are installed that
are a different size than the original
equipment wheels and tires, vehicle
performance, including its braking,
ride and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover
may be affected. If the vehicle has
electronic systems such as antilock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, and electronic stability
control, the performance of these
systems can also be affected.
{WARNING
If different sized wheels are used,
there may not be an acceptable
level of performance and safety
if tires not recommended for
those wheels are selected. This
increases the chance of a crash
and serious injury. Only use GM
specific wheel and tire systems
developed for the vehicle, and
have them properly installed by a
GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires on
page 10‑74 andAccessories and
Modifications on page 10‑4 for
additional information.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width.
For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), which grades tires
by treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance.
This applies only to vehicles
sold in the United States.
The grades are molded on the
sidewalls of most passenger car
Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Customer Information 13-17
.Vehicle make, model, and
model year.
.Vehicle Identification
Number (VIN).
.Insurance company and policy
number.
.General description of the
damage to the other vehicle.
Choose a reputable repair facility
that uses quality replacement parts.
See “Collision Parts” earlier in this
section.
If the airbag has inflated, see What
Will You See after an Airbag
Inflates? on page 3‑20.
Managing the Vehicle Damage
Repair Process
In the event that the vehicle requires
damage repairs, GM recommends
that you take an active role in its
repair. If you have a pre-determined
repair facility of choice, take the
vehicle there, or have it towed there. Specify to the facility that any
required replacement collision parts
be original equipment parts, either
new Genuine GM parts or recycled
original GM parts. Remember,
recycled parts will not be covered by
the GM vehicle warranty.
Insurance pays the bill for the repair,
but you must live with the repair.
Depending on your policy limits,
your insurance company may
initially value the repair using
aftermarket parts. Discuss this with
the repair professional, and insist on
Genuine GM parts. Remember,
if the vehicle is leased, you may be
obligated to have the vehicle
repaired with Genuine GM parts,
even if your insurance coverage
does not pay the full cost.
If another party's insurance
company is paying for the repairs,
you are not obligated to accept a
repair valuation based on that
insurance company's collision policy
repair limits, as you have no
contractual limits with that company.In such cases, you can have control
of the repair and parts choices as
long as the cost stays within
reasonable limits.
Service Publications
Ordering Information
Service Manuals
Service Manuals have the diagnosis
and repair information on the
engines, transmission, axle,
suspension, brakes, electrical,
steering, body, etc.
Service Bulletins
Service Bulletins give additional
technical service information
needed to knowledgeably service
General Motors cars and trucks.
Each bulletin contains instructions
to assist in the diagnosis and
service of the vehicle.
Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
13-20 Customer Information
Vehicle Data
Recording and
Privacy
This GM vehicle has a number of
sophisticated computers that record
information about the vehicle’s
performance and how it is driven.
For example, the vehicle uses
computer modules to monitor and
control engine and transmission
performance, to monitor the
conditions for airbag deployment
and deploy airbags in a crash, and,
if so equipped, to provide antilock
braking to help the driver control the
vehicle. These modules may store
data to help your dealer technician
service the vehicle. Some modules
may also store data about how you
operate the vehicle, such as rate of
fuel consumption or average speed.
These modules may also retain the
owner’s personal preferences, such
as radio pre-sets, seat positions,
and temperature settings.
Event Data Recorders
This vehicle has an Event Data
Recorder (EDR). The main purpose
of an EDR is to record, in certain
crash or near crash-like situations,
such as an airbag deployment or
hitting a road obstacle, data that will
assist in understanding how a
vehicle's systems performed. The
EDR is designed to record data
related to vehicle dynamics and
safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less.
The EDR in this vehicle is designed
to record such data as:
.How various systems in the
vehicle were operating.
.Whether or not the driver and
passenger safety belts were
buckled/fastened.
.How far, if at all, the driver was
pressing the accelerator and/or
brake pedal.
.How fast the vehicle was
traveling. This data can help provide a better
understanding of the circumstances
in which crashes and injuries occur.
Important:
EDR data is recorded
by the vehicle only if a non-trivial
crash situation occurs; no data is
recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal
data (e.g., name, gender, age,
and crash location) is recorded.
However, other parties, such as
law enforcement, could combine
the EDR data with the type of
personally identifying data
routinely acquired during a
crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR,
special equipment is required, and
access to the vehicle or the EDR is
needed. In addition to the vehicle
manufacturer, other parties, such as
law enforcement, that have the
special equipment, can read the
information if they have access to
the vehicle or the EDR.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Active Handling System . . . . . . . 9-38 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Add-On Electrical
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Additional Information, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Adjustments
Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-25
Air Dam, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Air Filter, Passenger Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Airbag Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Passenger Sensing
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21 Airbag System (cont.)
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
When Should an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-17
Airbags
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-18
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Servicing Airbag-EquippedVehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Alarm System Anti-theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Antenna Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Anti-theft Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-50
Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22 Appearance Care
Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-90
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Assistance Program, Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-8, 13-10
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Audio System Diversity Antenna System . . . . 7-11
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-2
Automatic Dimming Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-27
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Shift Lock ControlFunction Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44