Has anyone found a way to clean up the composite surround in the engine bay on a C8? The water spots detract from the beauty of this scene. The car only has 40 miles on it and I would really like to get this fixed before it gets totally baked into the material (but then again, maybe it already is). I've tried a number of trim cleaning products to no avail. I guess it could be tackled with a polisher like a paint correction but that seems like it might be more messy than it is worth. Any suggestions?

 

There are several threads about this you can search for.

 

Here is another option.

 

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1602149147

 

WD40. Years ago when I was competing in car shows with my 78 Pace, loaded with plastic and hoses under hood, one of the car judges told me about using WD40 to make plastics and hoses look like new. I have used it ever since.....

 

ABS plastic "carbon fiber" looking panels are more popular than I thought and for obvious reasons.
They look great and wipe clean in seconds.
Amazon sells the entire set, numerous different manufacturers , retailers and options.
Put them on and you're done.
I waited two years and finally did it, I am done with that cheap factory plastic.
A lot of people love the look and most have no idea it is just ABS plastic, it looks great.

 

thanks. Guess I didn’t use the right combination of key words.

 

There are lots of black plastic cleaners and polishes on the market, stuff made just for this issue, google it.

 

I tried many different products, and polishing methods for our previous 2020, but it very quickly came back looking terrible.... gave up and decided to cover it.

I did Carbon Fiber ( just about everywhere) on my previous 2020 Z51..... including the engine bay to hide the horrible cheap looking mottled looking plastic suround.


Strake's 2020 Z51 engine bay

For this 2026 Eray, I didn't want to go down the Carbon Fiber Slippery slope again, so to hide the hideous black plastic surround, I went with custom painted pieces from Classic Trim Customs !



[img alt="Strakes 2026 Eray Engine Bay
"]https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.corvetteforum.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/strake_s_eray_engine_bay_outdoors_c431b9 f9356a7c9a30ef409b4b6b9c8cd2d4adfa.jpg[/img]
Strake's 2026 Eray Engine Bay

 

The composite is what it is. Looks cheap no matter what you do short of overlays or painting it. It will never look presentable in its natural state.

 

Really???

 

That's about as good as it can get. Z I have only seen a couple that look that nice, usually the composite is muddled. Nice job!

 

Yeah i totally disagree as well. I polished and ceramic coated mine. Ne issues no spots and the job took less than 10 dollars.

 

Had lots of water spots on my 2020 C8. Some attributed that to the ~1000+ gallons of water used a BG in the Water Leak Test. Appears they have fixed their water treatment system as hear fewer complaints. BUT there are many on your car!

I tried a number of things folks suggested, vinier etc. None worked.

These two Products worked great:


Followed by Ultimate Black. I rubbed hard with a rag but can use a buffer.


My 2024 E-Ray had few water spots and I just used Ultimate Black. The added a Rear CF Cross Brace and thought it needed company! So added these Real CF adhesive backed panel covers. Pretty inexpensive on Amazon.

Pic from Cars & Coffee. Bought that Statue or Artemis to help answer the common question, "What Color is the Interior?" GM said the hues of dark Olive Green were named after the Greek Goddess of the Hunt and Nature!

 

I’ve noticed the same thing with the black plastic in the engine bay—lots of spots, and detail spray didn’t really help. I’m going to try Meguiar’s Black Plastic Restorer and see if it cleans it up a bit.

 

This is how! Way easier to clean and looks 1000 times better! In this photo the vented filler panels are real carbon fiber, the rest is not. But looks great, plus the fitment is excellent. Got pretty much everything on eBay.

 

Depends how bad the water spots. My 2020 C8 was very bad and use Meguiars water spot remover 1st. Worked much better than cheap options like vinegar etc. On my E-Ray there were no bad water spots and their Ultimate Black Plastic Restorer was all I used.

 

Dang @Zmurgy ! What did you use ?

 

Not mine, but it was done using Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0 followed by some Avalon King Armour Shield ceramic coating. By hand, not a buffer, I posted a link to the original post back in post #4 of this thread.

 

Mine isn't terrible and hoping the Meguiars Black Restorer does the trick. Would love to cover up all the OEM panels with carbon flash or carbon fiber like some have done. I just don't want to make that leap yet. For now, I just want things clean.