[Capricio]

Early last May, I placed an order with the local small dealership. After about 6 months things started to seem hopeless for getting an allocation, so I widened my search and got orders placed with two other larger dealers in big cities. Things were really looking bleak for new 1LEs getting made, as I played with the configurator and saw most of performance bits on constraint with warnings when they were added in.

I saw a car listed as "In Transit" to a different dealer on the Chevy website, a black A10 2SS 1LE. I wanted tri-coat radiant red and an M6 but I figured I'd call and ask anyways. The salesman was nice, knew about Camaros, but he told me that particular car was being held for owner to gift to his son or some relative. But, he'd help place an order on a 2SS and we could try to add in some performance bits in case they got an allocation. 1LE allocations were almost like unicorns lately.

Anyways, a month goes by, and I get a call from the salesman. He said the son changed his mind and wanted some Infinity from the owner's other dealership next door in the AutoMall and the 1LE was available. I figured this is probably my only/last/best shot so I put money down right away.

So... I scraped together what I could and started looking for good rates. The dealership threw in tint and door edging. Took possession yesterday and drove it home last night, put about 70 miles on it. This is kind of a big deal for me, I'm in my 50s and this only my second new car, so this is a once in a lifetime frivolous big spend.

Questions:

PPF: Guessing this should be my first priority, yes? Is applying pre-cut pieces to a brand new car something within a mechanically inclined lay-person's capability? Is there a good kit for a 1LE that is fairly complete? haven't found much yet.

Why are the "SS" badges black on some cars and red on others? I know you can order blacked out fender emblems but not the "SS" badges on the front and rear that I recall. I saw no line item for black badging on the window sheet. Does Chevy put black badges on certain exterior paint colors?

G-Force reading on the HUD: Haven't seen anything other than zero yet. I only drove it home, very conservatively for now, but it hasn't even moved once. Does it only measure lateral G's, or acceleration/braking, too? Does it only work on cars equipped with PDR?

AER Rock Guards and Side Rockers: Matte Black (1LE) or Gloss Black like the main exterior color? Just asking for opinions since both colors are on the car.

Priorities after having spent all my money yesterday, in order:

PPF: DIY or $1200ish

AER Rock Guards and Side Rockers $1100ish?

Pinch Weld Jack/Lift protector blocks: cheap amazon $35 or expensive?

Windshield Sun Block: any reasonably priced custom fit ones out there?

Ceramic Coat: I have a friend has done several cars competently. I confess I don't understand all the talk about "color matching" when applying a clear layer on a brand new car but whatever. Time and materials $??

All season tires: I've read several threads in the past. Still confused if I can use a "square" symmetric size rubber on mismatched rims. Buying reproduction rims that are square but won't mess up your calipers or get their sidewall scraped. Or just give up on rotating tires. I don't want to die hydroplaning in an 1/16" of water or have my tires turn to stone when it's 40 degrees out like morning. Just buy OEM sizes? Put the OEM rims into storage and use something else for daily driving? I won't be at a track any time soon. What's the best value proposition?

any advice on prioritizing resources to reduce my anxiety about watching a black car evaporate it's clear coat in AZ or being a rock magnet is welcome, I'm sure there are things I haven't even though of. interior upgrades/protection can wait.

FYI: only missing chips i had to sign off for were the heated steering wheel and something about automatic braking into an obstruction in reverse. Came with hood insulation. The salesman said he checked the heated steering and it worked. I saw the light turn on but haven't really checked it for heat. Signed the paper to remediation later anyways.

Sorry for the wall of text. Thanks for any inputs. Love this forum, feel like I'm finally a real part of it as an owner.

[jamala00]

Welcome to the Camaro family.


I personally think Ceramic is a waste of money.

I would do the PPF on the front clip and in front of the rear tires. I wouldn't attempt that myself (but that's me).

If you are going to stick with the sticky summer only OEM tires... Yep, I'd get the rock guards. Not sure how much the side skirts stop rock chips vs just a look.

Jack points are nice to have from what I've read. I have yet to put them on. I have jack pucks that sit on top of my jack that I use. (Looks like a black hockey puk with the pinch weld grooves)

Just all "my opinions" take them with a grain of salt.

[pzoom]

PPF - I just bought a roll of the stuff and cut it with scissors. Looks fine and you really have to look for the edge to see it. The smaller the piece, the easier to do. I tried doing my entire rear bumper with one piece and I have some a couple of bubbles. I'll redo it this summer. Just take your time, it just takes practice and patience.

Rock guards - I went with ACS. I ordered the GM ones initially and I wasn't happy with the size esp w/the 1LE tires. They match the 1LE perfectly too. I plan on getting the skirts $oon.

[SpecialPurpose_1LE]

Comments on a couple of your points below:

Jack Pads: I have the ZL1 Addons JackPads, made out of billet aluminum here in the USA. My personal opinion is I would spend the money on a brand that is pretty well respected here on the forum for something where your life is on the line (being under the car while its jacked up). I believe they're around $100.

PPF: Definitely recommend PPF on the whole front of the car + rocker panels like jamala00 did. Important to note, before PPF I would recommend a full paint correction (compound + polish) done on the areas that are getting PPF'd. If the paint is swirled or scratched in any way, laying the PPF over that is just gonna lock in the imperfections until you take off the PPF and paint correct it. It may seem expensive for a quality paint correction but it is 100% worth it before PPF.

*Also a note on PPF: Chevrolet paint is notoriously thin and very finicky (professionally detailed for about a decade), and there has been many times where I have seen installers removing PPF to replace it with newer film and have the paint peel right off the car with the PPF. If you decide to do the PPF by yourself, it can be done with time and patience as others have mentioned, but ensure you are using the correct processes to install. On the flip side, if you ever decide to remove the PPF and replace it, definitely take your time and use a heat gun/steam gun to your advantage to make the removal process easier and lessen the risk of peeling paint. This is a fairly common problem on GM vehicles (mostly their trucks), but I have seen it on a few vettes/camaros.

Ceramic Coating: Definitely a contested topic in the detailing/car world. I personally think its 100% worth it. As I mentioned earlier, GM paint is pretty poor quality and can use all the help it can to stay in great shape for a long time (if you plan to keep the car for an extended period of time). Not only is a ceramic coating gonna provide great hydrophobic (water beading) and self cleaning properties, the main benefits of a ceramic coating are chemical resistance, UV resistance, swirl resistance, and increased gloss. Seeing your location is AZ, this would be a huge benefit (in my opinion) to your car. I'm in Vegas and see similar weather to AZ, and my camaro has been PPF'd and coated since new. The coating has significantly reduced the time I need to wash the car, stays cleaner for longer, and ultimately protects against the very hard water and acidic rain that we have in the Valley. The UV protection is a great added bonus to protect against clear coat fade and oxidation. Finally, its important to use a quality installer and quality products, like any industry there are horrible products out there likely at a cheap price that contain none of the actual benefits of ceramic coating. A properly produced ceramic coating and application can give you up to 5 years of protection if maintained properly. I personally would recommend Gtechniq CSL and Gtechniq EXOv4, a multiple layer system that will give you up to 5 years of protection, great hydrophobics, and swirl resistance. Finally, if you are doing both PPF and Ceramic Coating, make sure you do the Ceramic Coating ON TOP of the PPF, not the other way around. The PPF will begin to peel if installed over ceramic coating, and display none of the ceramic coating benefits. Also, like I mentioned with PPF, I would highly recommend getting your car paint corrected before doing a ceramic coating if you decide to go that route. Any paint imperfections/swirls will be locked in under the ceramic coating after application, so you want to make sure you're working with a "perfect canvas" for lack of better words. (And yes, it is very common for vehicles to come swirled/scratched straight off the dealership floor due to improper handling by dealers and the environments faced when the car is transported to the dealer).

Of course, like jamala00 said, take all these opinions with a grain of salt. I completely understand why people swear by ceramic coatings, and why people swear against them. Up to you to determine if the benefits are proportionate to the cost and if its something you're interested in. Most importantly, enjoy your new ride!

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by Capricio

Why are the "SS" badges black on some cars and red on others? I know you can order blacked out fender emblems but not the "SS" badges on the front and rear that I recall. I saw no line item for black badging on the window sheet. Does Chevy put black badges on certain exterior paint colors?
...
G-Force reading on the HUD: Haven't seen anything other than zero yet. I only drove it home, very conservatively for now, but it hasn't even moved once. Does it only measure lateral G's, or acceleration/braking, too? Does it only work on cars equipped with PDR?
...
All season tires: I've read several threads in the past. Still confused if I can use a "square" symmetric size rubber on mismatched rims. Buying reproduction rims that are square but won't mess up your calipers or get their sidewall scraped. Or just give up on rotating tires. I don't want to die hydroplaning in an 1/16" of water or have my tires turn to stone when it's 40 degrees out like morning. Just buy OEM sizes? Put the OEM rims into storage and use something else for daily driving? I won't be at a track any time soon. What's the best value proposition?
...

Sorry for the wall of text. Thanks for any inputs. Love this forum, feel like I'm finally a real part of it as an owner.

to the forums indeed

SS badges front and rear: they are red on all cars except for the 2017 50th anniversary edition, I think even the 1LE comes with the red ones. Most people who don't fancy the red just order up the anniversary edition dark gray ones, part numbers are 84005847 (rear) and 23345205 (front). Mind that they aren't the same, the front one has small orientation pegs.

G-force readings: the HUD only reads left/right g-forces, and they should definitely display even for a lane change, if only to the tune of 0.05-0.1 when you drive like a grandma. If you see zeros all the time, switch to either the horizontal g-force view or the performance bubble in the performance page of the DIC, if everything is zero and the bubble doesn't move there either, take the car back to the dealer, the accelerometer may be broken.

All-season tires: don't sacrifice handling and traction 100% of the time unless you need to drive the car in the snow or sub-35 degree temps. The Michelin PS4S and the Continental ECS2 are both amazingly excellent summer tires that are really 3-seasons, and even if you do drive the car in unpleasant weather, I'd consider a traditional switched summer + winter setup, using some cheap takeoff stock wheels from ebay or this forum, with true winter tires.

PPF: if you can swing it, definitely do it, helps a ton with rock chips, cleaning and anxiety (if that even applies to you, but I bet it does, heh).

Don't worry about walls of text, it all made sense

[jp6]

PPF: This was my first priority, yes. In my case, I know I will be keeping the car for a long time and I have cleaning/chip anxiety. I would pay to have it done right, unless you are confident in that kind of work.

G-Force reading on the HUD: My 2SS vert (non-1LE, no PDR) shows lateral G's only on HUD. In the dash, there is another g-force screen that has 2D g-force, and another that just shows lateral G's.

AER Rock Guards and Side Rockers: I have stock side rockers - they definitely catch a lot of the dirt and rocks. Rock guards less necessary - I have a set from ZL1 add ons, never installed them / i'm not upset about gravel/dirt spray.

Pinch Weld Jack/Lift protector blocks: Buy ZL1 add-ons. Quality guaranteed. This was my second priority

Ceramic Coat: I skipped on this since I apply opti seal's spray on sealant + PPF.

All season tires: I bought a second set of wheels + extreme contact dws06 plus tires for cold weather in my area. The peace of mind was worth it since I also do not track my vehicle.

any advice on prioritizing resources to reduce my anxiety about watching a black car evaporate it's clear coat in AZ - sounds like PPF should be your top priority I personally got "full front clip" and "lower sides", which includes the rear bumper. Then opti seal's spray on sealant after washes.

missing chips:
* mine came with heated steering wheel but without rear park assist. I recently got the retrofit done. You're not missing much, a few beep beeps during reverse when you get close + a visual warning in the screen.

[The Chief (tm)]

Windshield (and side window) sunshades: I have purchased custom-fit shades from heatshieldstore.com for at least five of my previous vehicles (including a 2019 Freightliner Cascadia tractor!) Reasonably priced, great quality, fit perfectly.

[JamesNoBrakes]

2nd set of wheels for winter.

Dont square the front tires on the stock rims, youll be rolling over 305s during hard cornering.

[2SS Capt]

PPF for sure, worth having it done by a reputable shop...

This is where I had PPF done on my 2SS, not a single rock chip and I'm at about 8,200 miles over 3 years of ownership...



1LEs come with black SS badges...

Get some kind of rock guards...

G meter on the HUD is only lateral G's, if you use the bullseye one on the center dash it shows all G loading...

I did ceramic coating and very happy with it, looks great, easy to clear and does provide UV protection (which is important in AZ)...

Enjoy your new car!

[Capricio]

First, a big thank-you to everyone that replied. I feel like a kid who got the hottest new toy of the Christmas season and won't open it because it might be collectable on Ebay someday, looking at it through the clear blister packaging. I will eventually come to terms with it being a depreciating asset bought to be enjoyed, but for now I'm just trying to scrape together resources to feel comfortable that it is "hardened" enough be in the brutal sun this summer and the debris fill roadways here.


Reading responses, I went over to most reputable local shop that does tint/PPF/wraps etc yesterday. This stuff is expensive. Even a good pre-cut DIY (i finally found a vendor) set costs $600ish. He's doing the front fascia area, from the chin spoiler to the the rim around the hood (minus headlights), the first 3" of roof above the windshield, A-pillars, mirrors, and door handle cups (gratis) for $1600. That seems like the minimum I can settle on to feel good driving behind a semi trailer.


The guy was talking about re-wrapping the hood and doing it "right" with PPF but it was like an extra $1k which put it as a lower priority. The General's hood wrap will have to suffice for now. He cautioned me about leaving it on more than 2-3 years if the car was in the sun a lot, possibly damaging the underlying pain over time. Appointment scheduled for Thurs so that's prob when I'll drive it next.



Since I'm kinda "broke" for now (saving hard for retirement so I can watch it go up in smoke as the dollar collapses). I will probably get the front and rear rock guards (flaps) from AES for $400 next and get the rockers guards $750 later. Consensus seems to be getting these pieces in matte, not gloss, even on a black 1LE, adding to the accents rather than looking like part of the main.



In my self-indulgent mentally justified ride to get the PPF quote and appointment scheduled, (taking advice from here) I did jerk the wheel a couple times hard enough to get the G's to register on the HUD. So, that was just me wrongly assuming it would show acceleration/braking.


I stopped by the local dealer on my way home to cancel my order and thank them for trying and putting up with me for a year. One of the guys said they were in a brief with a senior GM production person that explained the shortage of carbon fiber. Short version was the company that made CF parts went into bankruptcy. The designs and molds were seized even though they were GMs property. They have finally been released and a new production/supplier company has been found, so allegedly they intend to pump out some ZL1s as the end draws near.


We also talked about ceramic coat and he was a believer, if nothing else just for ease of cleaning. I didn't realize people applied it over their front windshield. He suggested darkening or replacing the bright RWB striped badge fender emblem. Does someone make one in matte black? Either "1LE" or a badge/shield?? My friend who has done ceramic coating before said he likes a product for DIYers, Adam's UV Advanced Graphine Ceramic Coating Kit.



Does anyone make a simple clear edging kit to go around the wheel wells? Something similar to door edging that is easy/cheap?


Thanks for clarification on the black "SS" being for 1LEs only.


I like covercraft sun screens but i see complaints about them not cut out perfectly for the big rearview mirror rig. others complain about the HUD projector being obstructive for placement. I guess I look into it more and spend for a custom one if i have to later on.


Off-topic: I remember years ago when sixth gen was released, some people loved/hated the induced retro-style crackling/popping noise from the exhaust. Did GM tune that out as a "feature"? I haven't heard anything like that (thankfully) from my own exhaust yet.



That's about all I can think of for now. Again, thanks for any replies and suggestions.

[ZPirate]

Welcome to the forum. I was in your shoes a little over a year ago. My priorities were rock guards and side skirts to protect the sides of the car and PPF for the front. I went with Xpel PPF and ACS rock guards and side skirts to match the 1LEs trim. Even if you switch to all season tires the wide 1LE wheels and tires are still going to throw up rocks and road debris on the side of the car. The rock guards and side skirts do a great job protecting the car.

[Big Lou 1le]

On the subject of splash guards. Has anyone used the painted GM ones?

[RayKinStL]

Originally Posted by Big Lou 1le

On the subject of splash guards. Has anyone used the painted GM ones?

Bought and installed them on my LT1

[NYS2]

I’m kinda in the same boat. I’m going to try and install this kit myself. https://precutppf.store/product/2019...partial-front/