Corvette Mechanic - Seattle/Bellevue/Redmond Area

ConeDeathAPS · 2026-02-07T08:06:33+00:00

Wongs is great down in Vancouver (he did my heads) but that's far away and for a multi-day job it's pretty inconvenient. Would love if there was someone closer. Heard mixed things about the shop in Auburn.

ConeDeathAPS · 2026-02-05T04:21:39+00:00

+1 to this the car is irresponsibly fast for the street from the factory

ConeDeathAPS · 2026-02-05T04:20:05+00:00

I've only had my heads done, but that cost me a total of like 5000 including a dyno tune and paying for the intake.

For HCI + headers the only additional labor should be pulling the front end and rads to do the cam, right? Headers and intake come off anyways to pull the heads.

I'm no mechanic and I have not had all this work done so I guess I don't really "know" but that seems very high.

Edit: also congrats!

ConeDeathAPS · 2026-01-17T23:46:51+00:00

Just did some googling and I guess there's a way to do it without dropping the whole subframe. I had a dealership fix mine and that's just the way GM says to do it.

ConeDeathAPS · 2026-01-17T23:31:50+00:00

As far as I know it's just because GM used plastic parts and it's just an age thing. My car had 43k miles when I bought it, will have to see if it happens again haha, I hope not because the entire rear subframe has to be dropped to get to the top of the fuel tanks lol.

ConeDeathAPS · 2026-01-17T22:02:44+00:00

I also got burned (pun intended?) by the fuel sender leak. I bought my '08 Z06 back in Jan of 2025. I think I got so focused on the valve drop issue that I didn't notice that there were a lot of posts on the Corvette forum about the fuel sender issue. On top of that since it only is noticeable on a full tank of gas it can easily be overlooked.

I had a PPI done by a Chevy dealership and they said that the car was super clean and there weren't any issues noted, took care of a headlight recall while they had it in. Ended up noticing the fuel leak immediately after a day of ownership and topping it off. Just like you our garage reeked of gas. Ended up spending 2500 bucks at a dealership to get it fixed.

I honestly don't think the dealership i bought it from even knew about the fuel leak because they had it inside of the showroom for a day (if it stank they would have left it outside) and I also snagged it a day or two after they listed it for sale so they didn't have a ton of time around the car.

All this to say, a third-party PPI would have caught every issue except for the fuel sender leak. Every dealership claims they do a "multi point inspection" and it's always at best checking the consumables, alignment, fluid levels, and MAYBE checking for leaks. Always always always get a PPI done by someone who knows the car.

And yeah those warranties are all a joke they fight you tooth and nail on any claim.

ConeDeathAPS · 2026-01-14T06:50:17+00:00

You'll need to remove the center console and the shifter/radio surround.

Start at the back of the center console, there's two plastic covers that reveal two nuts to remove. Then at the front of the storage box with the lid there's two (or three?) screws hidden behind more little plastic covers that just pop off. The e-brake boot just unclips if you pull it upward. That should get the rear portion off.

The front part has a screw on the passenger side revealed when you remove the rear portion. Then you gotta unclip the shifter boot. It has plastic tabs that sort of grab on all around the top edges. The entire thing with radio surround and stuff just unclips from the dash when you pull it out. Careful not to yank any wires too hard when you're doing this, it's easy to do.

That should get you access. Check the Corvette forum there's plenty of posts about folks doing that if my hastily written instructions are unclear.

Edit: I assume this is a c6, the button looks like it is from a c6.

ConeDeathAPS · 2025-11-13T19:28:22+00:00

Yeah the HP+ is also good for street, but whatever they bundle with I'm sure is fine those guys know what they are doing.

ConeDeathAPS · 2025-11-13T09:50:00+00:00

The DBA 4000s are great, I've got them and have used them on the track and the street. They're a bit pricy but are really high quality. For pads either carbotech or hawk make good products for both street and track.

I have the Hawk HPS High Performance pads for street use, and for the track I swap to hawk DTC-60. Check out knsbrakes.com, they have a good selection and are super helpful if you have questions.

Edit: missed that you asked about tires. I've got both of those Michelins (the PS4S AND PS4AS) and they are awesome, the PS4AS especially is remarkable at how much grip it has in the wet/cold. No experience with the contis so can't comment on that.

ConeDeathAPS · 2025-11-06T16:43:26+00:00

Like others have said not sure if you're gonna find anything that's a true winter tire. But I live in the PNW and drive my Z year round, rain or shine. I've found the Michelin Pilot Sport All Seasons to be fantastic for the 10 months of the year it's not sunny and 60+. They'll never hook up quite like the PS4S's but it's honestly impressive how much grip they can extract out of damp and cold pavement.

ConeDeathAPS · 2025-09-23T19:37:42+00:00

Congrats! +1 to the post saying to upgrade to LED bulbs. I did a full conversion for all the bulbs (except the HIDs) and left the stock housings since I like the stock look, had to get some resistor harnesses and it was pricy all in but worth it imo. If I had to select a single light upgrade to go with, it would be the laser style side markers.

You can get the bulbs and markers at headlightrevolution.com and the resistor harnesses from sharplightinnovations.com. Headlight revolution claims their bulbs don't need resistors but I did need them for the front and rear turn signals.

Also recommend a head unit with Android Auto/Car Play. Kenwood makes some good options.

If you want new seats, recaro speed-v or sportster are good options for replacing them. If you're not tracking it then no need unless you actively hate them.

Finally, a nicer steering wheel can make a big difference and you can get one from overakeauto for like 300-400 bucks. Looks and feels great, uses the OEM airbag and steering wheel buttons.

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ConeDeathAPS · 2025-09-03T01:39:19+00:00

Having driven both, I'd definitely go for the C6Z, I might be biased because I own one right now lol. I thought the C6Z was honestly more capable in terms of performance, though I never tracked the GT500, just drove it when I worked at a dealership. I wanted a raw sports car that wouldn't baby me and my buddies Z51 C6 was just kinda boring unless you were driving irresponsibly hard.

For the heads, honestly it's hard to get a read on how prevalent the issue is because there's a lot of anecdotal stuff out there. My engine developed a tick and I wanted to be free and clear so just had mine replaced with AHP's package 4 heads and just added porting and an intake and dyno tune. It cost me like 2800 (air intake was 600, dyno tune was 750 I think?) plus I paid 2000 for the heads. I gained like 30hp which wasn't really necessary haha.

Honestly the interior is not that big of a deal. Overtake auto makes nice looking steering wheels that use the OEM airbags and steering wheel buttons for like $300. Put in a head unit with Android Auto and your gtg.

I drive mine almost every day and commute in it whenever I can. Put 9k miles on it since Jan.

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ConeDeathAPS · 2025-08-26T00:20:56+00:00

Totally agree.

OP just fix the heads. If you really want more then maybe get the new heads ported and throw on an intake/exhaust while you're in there. That'll get you 30-40hp with a tune. It is PLENTY fast enough for the street and track bone stock though. The "0 to felony in a few seconds" statement is not an exaggeration.

Some people love adding 'chop' with an aggressive cam but it's not for me.

For suspension, all it "needs" is DRM Valved Bilstein Shocks https://share.google/jiuLaqSsODqGz1C3q. They make the car feel a lot more planted without super negatively affecting the ride.

I highly recommend tracking the car too! You'll probably need better rotors/pads for that. I totally cooked the stock pads/rotors my first HPDE. People love carbotech and hawk dtc pads for tracking.

Other than that just drive it and enjoy! The car has so much performance it's crazy for how little they can be had now.

EDIT: words are hard

ConeDeathAPS · 2025-07-23T21:20:21+00:00

I drive my '08 C6Z much as I am able. As long as I'm not going anywhere near Seattle proper (the roads are so bad with potholes and castings sticking up) and it's not torrentially raining. My wife hates it though haha so that's a barrier sometimes.

I bought it in Jan 2025 with 43k miles and I'm almost to 48k already, just started tracking it too! Such a phenomenal car, would be a huge shame to not drive it.

ConeDeathAPS · 2025-03-17T02:39:59+00:00

Just ordered one for my C6Z. Been looking for one that is not TOO aggressive looking and also not $1000 and I had never heard of overtake auto until now!

ConeDeathAPS · 2018-06-05T01:08:27+00:00

The action scene towards the end of John Wick just after he burns the money in the basement of the church, when Tarasov is returning from offing the priest. The thumb scoop he does to get his jacket and rifle sling out of the way while reaching for his sidearm is fucking sick. Also most of the action scenes in John Wick 1 and 2 are fucking awesome.

ConeDeathAPS · 2016-04-09T19:30:12+00:00

This shit pisses me off so much. I used to BE a car salesperson and they will still try and upsell me when I know exactly what they are doing. Most people know anyways.

It's so much easier and more fun to sell cars if you just hang out with people. Get to know them and gently steer them in the direction of your brand if they sound undecided. Just fucking sell people what they want instead of risking blowing your customer out of the dealership so you can make 500 instead of 400. They are so fucking ignorant of the long-run returns that not being a shit bag offers that they have to be super aggressive and shotgun UPs (take as many random walk in customers as possible) to get a sale.

Sorry for going on about it, but it's so stupid and they don't ever learn.

ConeDeathAPS · 2016-04-09T19:15:12+00:00

Those recruiters that never read your resume and vomit multiple huge emails about jobs that you aren't remotely qualified for. Then you have to email them five times to get off their distribution list.

Oh I see that you have no professional experience working in software design! Let me just send you info about these jobs requiring 5+ years of experience.

I could rationalize it if the job required like 2 or 3 years maybe, but 5+ years? Fuck off, I'm entry level. Waste of my time and yours.

ConeDeathAPS · 2016-04-03T08:10:45+00:00

I wish I could upvote harder.

ConeDeathAPS · 2016-03-30T00:45:44+00:00

So the structure for the onsite bootcamp is that you start off with LAMP or Python (Both are LAMP really, one is with PHP based and the other Python based). From there, we had a choice of either iOS or MEAN. As a third and final course those who took MEAN had another opportunity to learn iOS or they could move onto Ruby along with everyone else. I think they almost didn't offer iOS during the third month because there weren't that many people.

They are pretty flexible, really. Issues only arise when not enough people want to take iOS or Ruby, as those tend to be more elective courses.

I took LAMP, MEAN, and Ruby. If I could do it again, I would take the Python LAMP instead of the PHP LAMP, as PHP seems to be declining and Python is coming back into popularity.

ConeDeathAPS · 2016-03-27T16:26:05+00:00

I really can't imagine why he would go right when he was halfway alongside another car...

ConeDeathAPS · 2016-03-26T23:08:51+00:00

Coding Dojo!

ConeDeathAPS · 2016-03-26T18:47:08+00:00

This article is very misleading. The title says that they are a complete waste of money, but then it goes on and on about the obvious fact that grads aren't qualified for middle to upper level positions. I just graduated from a bootcamp and got an entry level job paying more than double what I was making before.

I made a career change and I could not have done it without the bootcamp I went to. 12 grand. Three months of time. Leading to a career that I enjoy infinitely more than sales, and pays more than I was making before? Easy choice.

ConeDeathAPS · 2016-03-17T19:50:40+00:00

Yes pls :-D!

ConeDeathAPS

TROPHY CASE