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Supercharger Cover (Lid) white marks-Do not polish or wax!
There have been a few posts here about the ZR1 supercharger cover (Lid) yellowing. My issue is different in that my supercharger lid is showing several white marks, possibly heat marks, in the clear coat (see pics). I first noticed this while parked at the 2021 Corvettes @ Carlisle show when my car had approximately 6 thousand miles. The car is garaged when not being driven.
I had another ZR1 at owner at Carlisle (about 50 cars from my build VIN) notice the same issue and he stated he was able to get Chevrolet to replace his lid out of the 3/36 warranty by paying 1,000. Not a bad deal considering the list price is 4520.49 (part# 12681088). This owner added that he was aware that the carbon fiber quarter air vents can develop these same white areas in the clear coat.
I recently brought the car back to my ordering dealer to have them look at the lid. The state they spoke to Chevrolet and that they could install a new lid if I agreed to pay 3,400.00. I told them that did not seem be any assistance since their own on-line parts department advertises the lid for 2,821.46 and it is really almost no labor to install.
Last month I sent a snail mail letter to Jeff Strausser (Quality Brand Quality Mgr. at Corvette Assembly) but never received a reply. I then emailed Harland Charles and he responded back and forwarded me an email reply from Jeff Strausser stating the following: “The condition on the carbon fiber engine cover is not a parts quality issue. The condition is caused by the clear coat being polished away. If [the customer] would like to purchase a new cover he will have to visit the dealer to order the part.”
I must say that I have respect for Jeff and Harland although I must disagree with this explanation. I have never polished the car with any cleaners, although I have washed and waxed it numerous times since I took delivery. I don’t see how normal wash and waxing of a 2019 6k mile car would cause these kinds of markings. I believe that the cause is some sort of heat issue although I have no way to prove this. However, if it is caused by my routine cleaning then I would recommend that owners try not to clean or wax the carbon fiber hood lid area in any way. I have attempted to order the part but it is out of stock nationwide with no restock date. Just wanted to post here in the event anyone is having the same issue.
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17,'22-'23
Sorry about this, so far mine is okay, maybe a little more yellow but not bad. It's pretty obvious that they just do not care, that's the GM way, plus it would cost them money.
The focus is always on new models.
Wow that really sucks! Reminds me of the sail panel on my 4th fen Camaro. Bought it new in 2001 and babied from day 1. The paint started getting blisters in the sail panel after several years. I think it had about 9k miles on it and always garaged.
I fought GM all the way up to the VP of east coast. Guy really was a jerk but I didn’t give up, in the end I got them to pay 1/2 of the repair to replace it.
If you cant get GM to fix the problem I would just take it to a body shop they will clear coat it & it will look like new for around $200.00
Do you know of any shops that have successfully repaired these carbon pieces? Reason I ask is because I spoke to a couple of guys in the body shop business and wanted no part of repairing those pieces.
I finally have resolved the supercharger carbon fiber (CF) cover clear coat issue on my car and here is the update.
As I had stated in this thread, my selling dealer was not able to offer me any replacement as I was out of the 3/36 warranty and I did post that the Corvette quality plant manager (after viewing my photos) had thought that this might be a result of too much polishing, although my car's finish has never been polished or compounded, only washed and waxed by myself since delivery. So it was confusing to me what these white marks were, which to me, were actually under the finish.
After seeing posts in this forum about deBotech being the supplier for this CF part, I decided to reach out to them late in 2022. I sent an email with pictures and was then contacted by Lindy at deBotech Customer Service. Lindy had me ship the part to her for evaluation and I did so via UPS with insurance.
Once the part arrived, Lindy had it inspected by staff and then shipped off to a separate company that does the clear coating for them. The part was then shipped back to deBotech and I then received a call from deBotech owner Hans deBot.
Hans then discussed with me several possible solutions, the easiest solution being replacing the part with a new one. Hans then warned me that the only issue would be that the new piece would not match the somewhat yellow shift coloration that my part had from its sun exposure. If I were to replace the CF supercharger cover then I would have to think about replacing the other nearby CF pieces in order for them to match. The CF vent piece that is just forward of the supercharger cover is riveted on but easily replaceable, However the CF piece rear of the supercharger cover is bonded to the hood and requires more work to remove and replace. Again, all three pieces could be replaced to match the color shift but not an easy proposition labor wise.
I felt as though I would want to save my piece if at all possible and Hans agreed. Hans was able to have his crew sand down the clear-coat finish on my supercharger cover as carefully as possible without going too deep and causing the removal of too much yellowing that has already occurred to the CF. He then had the part cleared again and he was not totally satisfied with the results so he had it sanded and cleared again. I have now received the part back and I must say that it came out great! The slight difference in yellowing that it has Hans states will match even more in time as it is exposed to the sun.
I must compliment deBotech here for standing by their product. They no doubt spent a lot of time working with my part not to mention all the phone calls back and fourth and all at no cost to me. My only out of pocket cost was shipping the part to and from. I must say that I believe that GM is fortunate to have a such a quality supplier and I hope that they continue their work with the Corvette brand!
I would also like to add this note to those that may want to order this part from the dealer. Don't be surprised if your dealer tells you that none are available and that there is 'no anticipated ship date'. This is not true but is some kind of breakdown in communication between the GM dealers and GM Parts. Before I contacted Lindy I tried to order the supercharger cover from two GM dealers only to be told none were available when Lindy assured me that they had stock available. Hopefully GM will resolve that glitch at some point in the future.
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17,'22-'23
In this day that response is astounding and is real customer service at its best! Thank you for sharing all the information. GM seems to only care about their current model being produced----sometimes.
I finally have resolved the supercharger carbon fiber (CF) cover clear coat issue on my car and here is the update.
As I had stated in this thread, my selling dealer was not able to offer me any replacement as I was out of the 3/36 warranty and I did post that the Corvette quality plant manager (after viewing my photos) had thought that this might be a result of too much polishing, although my car's finish has never been polished or compounded, only washed and waxed by myself since delivery. So it was confusing to me what these white marks were, which to me, were actually under the finish.
After seeing posts in this forum about deBotech being the supplier for this CF part, I decided to reach out to them late in 2022. I sent an email with pictures and was then contacted by Lindy at deBotech Customer Service. Lindy had me ship the part to her for evaluation and I did so via UPS with insurance.
Once the part arrived, Lindy had it inspected by staff and then shipped off to a separate company that does the clear coating for them. The part was then shipped back to deBotech and I then received a call from deBotech owner Hans deBot.
Hans then discussed with me several possible solutions, the easiest solution being replacing the part with a new one. Hans then warned me that the only issue would be that the new piece would not match the somewhat yellow shift coloration that my part had from its sun exposure. If I were to replace the CF supercharger cover then I would have to think about replacing the other nearby CF pieces in order for them to match. The CF vent piece that is just forward of the supercharger cover is riveted on but easily replaceable, However the CF piece rear of the supercharger cover is bonded to the hood and requires more work to remove and replace. Again, all three pieces could be replaced to match the color shift but not an easy proposition labor wise.
I felt as though I would want to save my piece if at all possible and Hans agreed. Hans was able to have his crew sand down the clear-coat finish on my supercharger cover as carefully as possible without going too deep and causing the removal of too much yellowing that has already occurred to the CF. He then had the part cleared again and he was not totally satisfied with the results so he had it sanded and cleared again. I have now received the part back and I must say that it came out great! The slight difference in yellowing that it has Hans states will match even more in time as it is exposed to the sun.
I must compliment deBotech here for standing by their product. They no doubt spent a lot of time working with my part not to mention all the phone calls back and fourth and all at no cost to me. My only out of pocket cost was shipping the part to and from. I must say that I believe that GM is fortunate to have a such a quality supplier and I hope that they continue their work with the Corvette brand!
I would also like to add this note to those that may want to order this part from the dealer. Don't be surprised if your dealer tells you that none are available and that there is 'no anticipated ship date'. This is not true but is some kind of breakdown in communication between the GM dealers and GM Parts. Before I contacted Lindy I tried to order the supercharger cover from two GM dealers only to be told none were available when Lindy assured me that they had stock available. Hopefully GM will resolve that glitch at some point in the future.
Have the exact same issues. Good thread and I am going to follow your lead. Thanks for posting.
08-29-2022, 09:05 PM
Supercharger Cover (Lid) white marks-Do not polish or wax!
