Carbon Fiber Help

[03Mustanger]

I have a carbon Fiber hood thats sat outside the past year or two. And the entire hood has completely turned this whiteish color. Basically it looks like the entire hood is ruined. I would like to state, that I dont currently have all the detailing products but I am willing to purchase whatever I need to fix this (if its fixable)

It also has a spider web crack on the front, i'm aware that I might have to send this to a professional to be fixed. Or purchase the gel coating and try to tackle it myself.

But my question is, How can I repair this hood back to its original condition? What products do I need to not only fix it but to protect it so this doesnt happen again?

 

[Sizzle Chest]

It appears as if it oxidized/clear is pretty hammered. I believe you could compound/polish it and it should turn out much better. Hard to tell from your pictures or without seeing it in person.

You could coat it for the most 'protection', or at least wax or seal it to help stave off future damage.

The cracks you would not be able to repair IMO.

Hope this helps!

 

[JKDesign]

For longevity it really should be brought to a professional body shop. The clear resin that is all oxidized has no UV protection or stabilizers built into it. It really needs to be sanded and have an automotive 2K clearcoat sprayed over it. After that it will be polishing and whatever form of wax/sealant/coating as normal.

 

[JKDesign]

For what it is worth, for other forum members as well that may be into modifying cars. Majority of carbon fiber aftermarket parts have no form UV protection/stabilizers. The resins used to produce the part are porous with microscopic bubbles that we cannot see with our naked eye, and as stated those resins are not UV stable. Those parts need to be sanded and sprayed with automotive clear coat to avoid oxidation and degradation of the resins(which ultimately leads to part failure). Cars with exposed carbon fiber parts from the factory are made with highly expensive UV stable resins/epoxies (this is why something as small as a 8in x 6in carbon brake duct on an Audi RS7 is a $2000 part) or they have clear coat applied over them.

 

[FUNX650]

•Dr. Beasley’s sells a Carbon Fiber
specific product for projects such as yours:
-Carbon Glaze.

•Apply with a DA polisher equipped
with a polishing pad.

•Afterwards:
-I’ll suggest staying within Dr. Beasley’s
product-line for protection product(s)—LSPs.

-Their PlasmaCoat or Formula 1201 Paint
Coating are just a couple from which to choose.
Dr. Beasley's PlasmaCoat
Dr. Beasley's Formula 1201 Paint Coating

•Good Luck if you decide to
go this refinishing-route.


Bob

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Looks like an easy fix to me. When I was at Meguiar's in Irvine, California, I worked on a LOT of carbon fiber components as all the young tuner dudes bolted this stuff on their cars. But then never took care of them, so they oxidized.

Here's one blast from the past with great pictures....

Carbon Fiber Hood - How to work on?

I have a carbon Fiber hood thats sat outside the past year or two. And the entire hood has completely turned this whiteish color. Basically it looks like the entire hood is ruined. I would like to state, that I dont currently have all the detailing products but I am willing to purchase whatever I need to fix this (if its fixable)

It also has a spider web crack on the front, i'm aware that I might have to send this to a professional to be fixed. Or purchase the gel coating and try to tackle it myself.

But my question is, How can I repair this hood back to its original condition? What products do I need to not only fix it but to protect it so this doesnt happen again?

There's two basic types of carbon fiber components,

1. Epoxy resin
   
2. Polyester resin

The polyester type resin is the most common as it's less expensive. And what has been shared already is that for some reason they cannot add or include a UV inhibitor IN the polyester resin. Might not be able to do with with epoxy resin either, I don't know off hand or I forgot.

Of these two types of resin components, the high dollar brands can be clearcoated from the manufacturer. They do this because the clearcoat paint seals the resin and thus the resin will then not oxidize. The clearcoat can oxidize but clearcoat paints oxidize very slowly even without any care. The more common problem with clearcoat paint is swirls and scratches.


This is an easy fix if you have any brand of orbital polisher. You can use a rotary but it's going to leave holograms swirls, so I'd recommend using an orbital.

As for chemicals, you can skin this cat a number of ways but the easiest way would be to use a quality one-step AIO like the BLACKFIRE One Step. It's available in a 16 ounce bottle now but the better value is to simply buy the 32 ounce quart bottle for $40.00 - When Autogeek is having a 25% sale I will if I have time bump this thread as a friendly favor to my forum friends.

25% off until midnight - time to test out BF One Step or Wolfgang SiO2 Wash


BLACKFIRE One Step 32 oz


This stuff will fix damn near everything.

Use a foam cutting pad and buzz your polisher up to the highest speed setting and then make slow, methodical passes over the oxidized hood.

My guess is you'll see a miracle happen.

Be careful though, as the resin gets thin you can and will run into FIBER.


As for the swirls, the above process will remove swirls too. As for the cracks? Polish it out and drive it like you stole it.

 

[03Mustanger]

Thanks for the response guys. Ashame that this hood costs over $1200 and didnt have any uv protection added into it.

Which orbital polisher do you recommend for a weekend warrior?

DO you really recommend compounding instead of wet sanding the resin?

 

[JKDesign]

Ashame that this hood costs over $1200 and didnt have any uv protection added into it.

A hood with UV protection added in from the manufacturer would be autoclave vacuum infused full dry carbon and would set you back more than 10X what you paid...……….It would also probably be half the weight and twice as strong

DO you really recommend compounding instead of wet sanding the resin?

Wet sanding is not recommended- as Mike Phillips stated: as the resin gets thin you can and will run into FIBER!!!!!!!!!, so you are already running the risk of blowing through the resin even with a ONE STEP product. The goal is to maximize clarity and gloss while adding protection, while preserving the integrity of the piece and causing as little harm as possible.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Thanks for the response guys. Ashame that this hood costs over $1200 and didnt have any uv protection added into it.

I have a carbon Fiber hood thats sat outside the past year or two. And the entire hood has completely turned this whiteish color.

That level of oxidation looks like ZERO care. ANY exterior surface on a car exposed to the world needs to be "touched" in some way with some product to maintain it.

Maintaining means doing something frequently - Touching the surface


Even applying a simple one-step cleaner/wax like Meguair's Cleaner/Wax or Mothers Cleaner/Wax to it after purchase and then once or twice a year would have staved off oxidation.

Which orbital polisher do you recommend for a weekend warrior?

This, the new short stroke polisher from Griot's. Best bang for your buck.

Review: Griot's G9 - 9mm Orbit Stroke Random Orbital Polisher by Mike Phillips


Or the older version that's going to be phased out. I would buy this over the junk DA Harbor Freight sells any day. The below article has more information in it on how to get into machine polishing for a Newbie than reading 5 years of Facebook Groups. :laughing:

Here's what you need to get into machine polishing - Recommendations for a beginner by Mike Phillips

DO you really recommend compounding instead of wet sanding the resin?

Anytime I get asked the same question over and over again OR anytime I find myself simply sharing the same information over and over again, instead of typing out the same information FRESH (takes up typing time), I simply write a fresh article.

Here you go,

Wetsanding removes paint - Compounding removes paint - Polishing removes a little paint


Now the context of the above article is about wetsanding car paint. BUT I'll guarantee you - the same idea applies to your carbon fiber hood. That is the outside surface of the polyester resin and how much material is there before you run into the actual FIBER is going to be thin.

So from the above brand new article, I remove the word PAINT and substitute RESIN

1. Wetsanding removes resin
2. Compounding removes resin
3. Polishing removes a little resin

Sooner or later you're going to see fibers sticking out of the resin and then it's game over.


IF you want to try, get some 3M Trizact #3000 grit sanding discs, learn how to machine sand with the orbital polisher you're going to buy and then after sanding, remove your sanding marks.


It would be MUCH easier to take my original advice and get a quality one-step cleaner/wax, some foam cutting pads and an orbital polisher and simply spend some time machine buffing off the oxidation.



Autogeek Customer Service

Hope that helps...