drglennb
New member
There are so many warnings about using the proper wax on the ZR1! Is there anyone who has experience about the Plexus plastic cleaner protectant & polish? Thank you for your help.
drglennb;help
drglennb;help
Proper polish for the ZR1
- Thread starter drglennb
- Start date
4LT GS Roadster2009 ZR1 GM TSB - Detailing Procedures
Customers and dealership personnel must be advised to NEVER ALLOW WHEEL CLEANER, TIRE CLEANER, or BRAKE CLEANER TO CONTACT THE ROTORS. Ceramic rotors will absorb any material that comes in contact with them. Only soap and water should be used to clean wheels and tires. Any product that is applied to the rotor surface will cause damage to the surface and is not covered under the GM warranty.
All of the exterior carbon fiber panels have a clear coat to protect them from UV light. If the clear coat protection is scratched, or rubbed away, the panel beneath is no longer protected. When unprotected carbon fiber is exposed to UV rays, the color will lighten significantly causing it to appear white or bleached. The delivering dealership will install the splitter and it should be inspected before the car is sold to the customer for any cuts or abrasions. Any cuts, nicks or abrasions will not be covered by the GM warranty. Carbon fiber can have rough and sharp edges. Caution must be used when handling the splitter and the rocker extensions and when washing the car after the parts have been installed.
Looking at the side of the car, you will notice the roof and roof halo bar are carbon fiber. These parts have a special clear coat to protect against UV fading and degradation. Customers should be advised that deep scratches cannot be repaired with regular clear coat. If a deep scratch occurs, the panel must be replaced. Replacement parts will come with the clear coat applied. Dealers should be aware that even though the carbon fiber looks smooth and glossy, there are small micro depressions where the clear coat has sunk to fill the space in the fiber weave. When waxing or polishing the carbon fiber panels, a wax or polish that is black in color is recommended. If a polish or wax dries to a white or light colored haze, the residue may fill the small depressions and it will be difficult to remove it. This is not a product concern but some owners may note that after waxing the part has small white dots. This is likely to be a wax residual in the pores of the fiber. This is especially true on the underside of the hood. Since the underside of the hood is not subjected to UV light it is not clear coated and tiny pores in the fiber are open. If customers wax or polish this surface they may note white specks in the paint. Advise them the white specks are residual wax and must be removed with a wax or polish remover.
Another noticeable feature on the ZR1 is the raised clear panel in the center of the hood. This is a polycarbonate surface and it has a very thin UV coat applied. This prevents the panel from crazing under the UV rays of the sun. Special attention should be given to the panel if the hood is being painted or buffed. Replacement hoods are currently being serviced with the clear panel attached. In the case of a collision repair, the paint facility must take care not to scratch the lens, not to apply any paint or solvent or use polishing or buffing equipment on the clear panel.
Notice: DO NOT allow any solvent or paint to come in contact with the clear hood insert as this will damage the UV coating.
Important: Never use wax, polish or spray cleaner on the clear panel in an attempt to remove any scratches as the protective coating may be removed.
Corvette Action Center Knowledgebase :: 2009: Service Guide, Unique Characteristics, Dealer Service Information for 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Customers and dealership personnel must be advised to NEVER ALLOW WHEEL CLEANER, TIRE CLEANER, or BRAKE CLEANER TO CONTACT THE ROTORS. Ceramic rotors will absorb any material that comes in contact with them. Only soap and water should be used to clean wheels and tires. Any product that is applied to the rotor surface will cause damage to the surface and is not covered under the GM warranty.
All of the exterior carbon fiber panels have a clear coat to protect them from UV light. If the clear coat protection is scratched, or rubbed away, the panel beneath is no longer protected. When unprotected carbon fiber is exposed to UV rays, the color will lighten significantly causing it to appear white or bleached. The delivering dealership will install the splitter and it should be inspected before the car is sold to the customer for any cuts or abrasions. Any cuts, nicks or abrasions will not be covered by the GM warranty. Carbon fiber can have rough and sharp edges. Caution must be used when handling the splitter and the rocker extensions and when washing the car after the parts have been installed.
Looking at the side of the car, you will notice the roof and roof halo bar are carbon fiber. These parts have a special clear coat to protect against UV fading and degradation. Customers should be advised that deep scratches cannot be repaired with regular clear coat. If a deep scratch occurs, the panel must be replaced. Replacement parts will come with the clear coat applied. Dealers should be aware that even though the carbon fiber looks smooth and glossy, there are small micro depressions where the clear coat has sunk to fill the space in the fiber weave. When waxing or polishing the carbon fiber panels, a wax or polish that is black in color is recommended. If a polish or wax dries to a white or light colored haze, the residue may fill the small depressions and it will be difficult to remove it. This is not a product concern but some owners may note that after waxing the part has small white dots. This is likely to be a wax residual in the pores of the fiber. This is especially true on the underside of the hood. Since the underside of the hood is not subjected to UV light it is not clear coated and tiny pores in the fiber are open. If customers wax or polish this surface they may note white specks in the paint. Advise them the white specks are residual wax and must be removed with a wax or polish remover.
Another noticeable feature on the ZR1 is the raised clear panel in the center of the hood. This is a polycarbonate surface and it has a very thin UV coat applied. This prevents the panel from crazing under the UV rays of the sun. Special attention should be given to the panel if the hood is being painted or buffed. Replacement hoods are currently being serviced with the clear panel attached. In the case of a collision repair, the paint facility must take care not to scratch the lens, not to apply any paint or solvent or use polishing or buffing equipment on the clear panel.
Notice: DO NOT allow any solvent or paint to come in contact with the clear hood insert as this will damage the UV coating.
Important: Never use wax, polish or spray cleaner on the clear panel in an attempt to remove any scratches as the protective coating may be removed.
Corvette Action Center Knowledgebase :: 2009: Service Guide, Unique Characteristics, Dealer Service Information for 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Zippy
Gone but not forgotten
Thanks shooter for the comprehensive reply. 
- Thread starter
- #4
drglennb
New member
Thank you 6 shooter. Do you recommen the 3M plastic polish? What do you use for protection/shine?
drglennb
drglennb
drglennb - I use Mothers, Meguiar's and Turtle Wax quick detailer, but then again I don't have a ZR1 or c/f(carbon fiber) panels.
From surfing the web it seemed like folks liked using Turtle Wax Ice on their c/f since it doesn't leave residue in the c/f's small pits.
Post a few pictures of your rocket some time!
L8TR - D
BTW - Welcome to the 
Hib Halverson
Technical Writer for Internet & Print Media
This week I did some research on this issue.
While the TSB posted by "6 Shooter" was issued by GM, it came out more than a year ago, just before the new ZR1 went on sale. At the time, GM had a problem with the carbon fiber panels on some early units. In fact, GM had discussions with a the car care product manufacturer "C-Magic" about making a special run of black-dyed wax just for ZR1s. At the same time, GM was "encouraging" the supplier of the CF panels to change its paint and finishing processes to eliminate the "pinhole issue" which is referenced in the TSB. That effort eventually paid off with a solution. While, problem covered in the above TSB no longer exists and only affected some prototype cars, GM has stated it's not going to issue a new TSB correcting the earlier bulletin. C-Magic never went past the testing stage (it worked great, BTW) with it's "black wax" and once the CF pinhole problem was solved there was no longer a need for such a product.
My advice to ZR1 owners is to use the same high-end car care products that the National Corvette Museum uses on all museum delivery cars, be they base, Grand Sport, Z06 or ZR1. That product is C-Magic. There are several 3rd gen ZR1 owners who already use it and I use it on my 2nd gen ZR-1 and, in fact, I use C-Magic on all my cars. See: C-MagicWax.Com
While the TSB posted by "6 Shooter" was issued by GM, it came out more than a year ago, just before the new ZR1 went on sale. At the time, GM had a problem with the carbon fiber panels on some early units. In fact, GM had discussions with a the car care product manufacturer "C-Magic" about making a special run of black-dyed wax just for ZR1s. At the same time, GM was "encouraging" the supplier of the CF panels to change its paint and finishing processes to eliminate the "pinhole issue" which is referenced in the TSB. That effort eventually paid off with a solution. While, problem covered in the above TSB no longer exists and only affected some prototype cars, GM has stated it's not going to issue a new TSB correcting the earlier bulletin. C-Magic never went past the testing stage (it worked great, BTW) with it's "black wax" and once the CF pinhole problem was solved there was no longer a need for such a product.
My advice to ZR1 owners is to use the same high-end car care products that the National Corvette Museum uses on all museum delivery cars, be they base, Grand Sport, Z06 or ZR1. That product is C-Magic. There are several 3rd gen ZR1 owners who already use it and I use it on my 2nd gen ZR-1 and, in fact, I use C-Magic on all my cars. See: C-MagicWax.Com
J
jonszr1
Guest
thanx for the info on the c-magic sounds like great stuff
NORTY
Well-known member
6 shooter makes a good point regarding the CC rotors ability to absorb. Because of this, I would try to not get them wet with anything. GM may say "soap & water" are ok, but soap has many things in it. None of which are beneficial to a CC rotor's swept surface. If you're going to clean your wheels, use lots of CLEAR water. The jury is still out regarding "soft" water...
99WhiteC5Coupe
Well-known member
After reading your post, last week I went to the C-Magic Wax web site. They have a wax / detail wax combo pack on sale, but I could not determine the size of the bottles from the web site.
I used the "contact us" link to send a question to the company about the size of the bottles. I never received the courtesy of a reply.
Hib Halverson
Technical Writer for Internet & Print Media
I haven't been back to this thread in a while.
I have a couple of C-Magic's wax/detail kits out in the shop, so went and looked. The bottles C-Magic packs in their detail kits are 16.9 fl. oz.
I have a couple of C-Magic's wax/detail kits out in the shop, so went and looked. The bottles C-Magic packs in their detail kits are 16.9 fl. oz.
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