Thank you Z ! Must have missed the link.

 

But at what total cost? I’d rather go with the other solutions for 20.00 or less and a little elbow grease.

 

Do you have the link for those pieces?

 

Amazon has REAL CF pretty inexpensive:

Real Carbon Fiber Engine Bay Side Panel Cover Trim Sticker Compatible with Chevrolet Corvette C8 2020-2026, Engine Compartment Side Panel Decoration Accessories, 4Pcs

• 【PREMIUM MATERIAL】: This engine compartment side panel trim sticker is made of real carbon fiber material. The hand-woven carbon fiber covering, transparent and smooth surface, colorfast, scratch-resistant and anti-corrosion, lightweight and durability.
• Engine compartment side panel decoration cover is easy to install, Self adhesive design. Can installs directly to your car without the need for accessories or tools, Wipe clean your engine bay around in advance, and press firmly to ensure it fits quite tight and nice.

Under $100. Note the circles are sold separately!

 

Wipe it down when you wash it. It's an engine compartment.

 

Well I tried Meguiar’s Black Restorer to see if it would make a difference, but it really only added some shine—the spots are still there, as you can see. I skipped the Spot Remover since I didn’t want to risk using anything abrasive and making it worse. At this point, I may just have to live with it or consider overlaying the panels down the road.

 

You need to use Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. I used a combination of ultimate Compound and scratch 2.0 and some pads from walmart that I had for years and hand polished mine. Turned out great. If you have a small polisher I bet it would turn out even better. Good luck.

 

Thanks — I’m going to reach out to my detailer who handled the PPF, window tint, and ceramic coating to get their recommendation. I’m hoping their experience leads to a quick solution that doesn’t require extensive hand correction to restore the panels to near-new condition.

If they don’t have a viable approach, I plan to contact the selling dealer to see what support they can provide. Given my vehicle has only 80 miles, this really shouldn’t be an issue — especially at this price point.

 

Hmm, as I cautioned in posts # 14, if water sports use their water spot remover 1st. It's chemical not an abrasive. Might try even though you put their Ultimate Black. BTW after removing the water sports the more pressure you apply when using Ultimate Black the shinier. Can use a power buffer.

 

Yeah I saw your post. However that particular water spot removal uses both chemicals and mild abrasion to remove them. That back looks pretty bad on OP and allot of work to do, so I suggest straight to the hammer. Actually a follow up with that product would yield a better finish after cutting with the heavier compound as a 2 stage polish.

To be honest all of the products work in this situation. They just take some time and effort. Since this area is not paint, you can really get in there and make it look like you want. If my local walmart would have had the water spot removal when I started on mine. I would have bought a bottle of it as well. I didn't want to wait on that chemical guys product (that was highly recommended) that is solely chemical. Would be nice to hear if anyone has used it on that area and post some pics. Of course they would still have to polish the area to get a good clean looking surface.

 

^^^^
When the C8 1st came out, lots of heavy water spots reported. Many forum suggestions for removers like vinegar and hardware store CLR products. Tried a few and others posted generic products did not work so gave Meguiar's a try. Had used Ultimate Black on my splash guards purchased in my 1st C7 I removed and installed on my next C7.

Since we live 30 miles from town, cost more for gas to go to Walmart, AutoZone etc than buying from Amazon. Plus they built a Warehouse 5 miles away, off of I95 so we sometimes get whatever delivered in an Amazon truck the same day. So just placed an order with them. Frankly we buy a lot from them.

 

Eliminate your water spots from the source, which is the WATER. I use a carbon block RV water filter between my outside faucet and garden hose.

About $30 at Walmart, good for about 50 washes, depending how much water you put through it.

 

^^^
The water spots on new cars are probably caused by BG thousand gallons of water used in the water leak test.

My 2020 C8 arrived at the CD Dealer 2 days after leaving BG. It was the 1st C8 this small Chevy Dealer got. Service Manager called at ~4:30 PM and said the Jack Cooper truck left with two more C8s, headed South. Do you want to watch us remove the white plastic? Said yep but can't get there until ~5:30. He said no problem, I'll be here. All techshadhad gone home and he and the dealer owner's son removed the plastic as I took Pics. As seen the plastic cover does not allow water in the engine compartment. Speculation was the recycled water treatment of the huge amount of water used in leak testing many have needed better treatment!

As you can see the car was clean. BTW they never washed during PDI the next day. My 1st car bought from Kerbeck and delivered to this small dealer who only charged $350 For CD was my 2017 Grand Sport. I had interviewed the servcie manager to see how they would handle any defects when it arrived. Confident they would and did I was somewhat hesitant to tell him I did not want it washed. Told him when I get it home I would wasd with Dawn, Claybar and use Zaino. Did not what him to "feel bad!" He instantly said, my wife requested and did the same, detailing her C7 when it arrived!

When my E-Ray arrived Service Manager sent me this Pic in a Text. Watched the PDI and detailed when I got it home. It was also very clean from BG and NO DEALER water or scratches from using their normal rags employed to wash cars after servcie. Again I request they not wash then as well.

 

I thought WD40 causes plastic & rubber to break down prematurely if used regularly on them due to its solvent properties before that portion evaporates??

 

Yeah I didn't know of the water spots and bad looking area until I got my car. I had only been looking at motors through the glass at the lots before i got my car. I actually seeked the help of the forum for suggestions to get my area cleaned up. You always have good advice.

I totally agree that Amazon is the way, especially if you have a little patients. Most of the time you can get products the next day if you have hub close.

 

Duplicate

 

I just washed my 2025 Singray. I don’t cover the vents or anything special. I use Adams foaming car wash. After rinsing I use a small dedicated leaf blower to dry the car and the engine compartment. I did a quick wipe down of the engine and composite surround. Then I hit the surround with Avalon King ceramic spray and wiped it with a microfiber rag. Looks totally presentable and took about 15 minutes.

 

Yes your engine bay looks clean even the side engine bay panels. Lucky....

 

Certainly displays the difference in personal taste.