Our 2021 Chevrolet Corvette Z51 briefly loses its cool:
While in most of the U.S., the year can be defined by four seasons, here in Michigan we experience a few more. We're talking about the transition periods such as false winter, second spring, pothole season, mud season, and construction season, which bridge the traditional seasons and make our state an interesting yet devastating place for vehicles to call home.
Here, sports cars typically shelter in place in a garage or beneath a cover for, let's call it, five months. But not at. Instead, we pilot our Chevrolet Corvette Z51, with its 495 horsepower delivered to the rear wheels, through the coldest, darkest, and most treacherous driving conditions of the year. After all, the Corvette is engineered to survive in these elements.
Though orange construction barrels have blossomed on the shoulder of nearly every Michigan highway, keeping up with the cycles of freeze, thaw, then freeze again has proved to be difficult. Our Corvette knows this from personal experience. On a nearby interstate, Mother Nature's jackhammer dislodged a chunk of concrete that the ground-hugging Vette could not clear, ripping apart the front plastic undertray in the process.
Our third service visit proved to be a bit more costly than the bargain oil change at the 15,000-mile mark. This one includes not only the standard oil and filter change but also transmission-filter replacement and fluid top off as well as a fresh cabin air filter for a grand total of $767. Included in that total is a $222 transmission filter that is apparently constructed of platinum mesh and a quart of transmission fluid synthesized from the finest chemicals that trades for $43.