carbon fiber hood needs fixed

Severiano

New member
I live in Pittsburgh. my seibon carbon fiber hood is covered in UV spots. Anyone know of a good paint shop around the Pittsburgh area that could wetsand and re clearcoat? Would prefer someone with carbon fiber experience. Thanks!
 

Eagleye

Tinkerer
Sorry I am unable to directly answer your question, but honestly I think you are better off selling it on craigslist to a kid with too much of his parents money, and then buying a new one. I looked into the same thing and it can get pricey to repair. You would be surprised at what you can get for even the crappiest of carbon fiber hoods (quality or appearance).
 

Severiano

New member
ok. im just gonna go get a quote and if its more than like $250 I will probably do that. Thanks for the response.
 

ZachTTLM

New member
I had work on a carbonfiber hood done at reeseman's autobody up here in kittanning. They did great work!

Also this sounds kind of funny and many may laugh but I have read write-ups on people using peanut butter on carbonfiber hoods to clear up the coating from fading and sun spots. I know two people personally that have tried it. One it worked for him very well, the other it didnt change anything. But for the cost of a jar of peanut butter it might just be worth the try. I guess it's the oil in the peanut butter that does the job but basically put it on and take it off just like you would wax.
 

STi FR3AK

Armyssoldierboy
I was told to use brasso and buff it. I need to try something though. I also have a 2" diameter spider crack right in the front middle of my hood as well as by a set of fins :( I was told to try the windshield crack injection kit.
 

ZachTTLM

New member
If you have spider cracks you will need to sand that off and re-clear it, but to have it done right they have to cure it in stages by baking it.
 

STi FR3AK

Armyssoldierboy
What kind of peanut butter btw? All I have is goober with the jelly in it... I'd try that if it werent for the seeds lol
 

ZachTTLM

New member
according to the write-ups I have seen, you want just regular creamy peanut butter..you dont want to use anything with jelly or nuts in it..
 

USARMY-STi

New member
Haha funny stuff...

Anyways, I had the same problem. Here is what I did to fix it.

Buy rubbing compound, polish, and wax (if you dont have it already)
Buy an electric buffer (preferably one similar to a drill, much easier and they dont wobble)

Then just use the rubbing compound on the hood, following instructions... Pretty much keep it wet, and dont hold it in 1 spot... Once you have made a few passes over the entire hood, wash it all off and repeat the step with the polish. If its still visible, then repeat the process again with the rubbing compound... and polish... keep doing it till its gone. Once it looks good, then wax it. Next day, wash your hood again, and apply a 2nd coat of wax and call it good :)
 

STi FR3AK

Armyssoldierboy
So I tried the peanut butter, no dice. The guys at the skill shop on post said to try brasso. Any thoughts??? I was always told NoT to wax a cf hood...
 

IGOTASTi

System Operator
Staff member
I always wax my carbon fiber parts. Who told you that Tim?
 

ZachTTLM

New member
you really have to watch using a high speed buffer on carbonfiber...yea like i said the peanut butter trick was just a hear type thing never tried it personally but thought it would be worth mentioning considering the cost of a jar.
 

USARMY-STi

New member
Welll you gotta be careful using a buffer on any part of your car lol. Just dont keep it in 1 spot. keep it moving around, and keep the surface wet... And you will have no problems.

And as far as not waxing a cf hood, I have never heard of that. Sounds kinda dumb to me...
 

ZachTTLM

New member
Welll you gotta be careful using a buffer on any part of your car lol. Just dont keep it in 1 spot. keep it moving around, and keep the surface wet... And you will have no problems.

And as far as not waxing a cf hood, I have never heard of that. Sounds kinda dumb to me...​


You are correct you have to be careful with any car part. However most carbon fiber products don't use a clear coat. They use resin and a Gel Coat to give it the end finish. The gel coats are softer and damage a lot easier and absorb the rubbing and polishing compounds creating the risk of discoloration or complete damage which isnt as much of a worry for your normal car exterior pieces. Also the ability to reduce discoloration, spider cracks, and so on relies mainly on the type of resin used.

Far as using regular car wax it has been seen that the gel coats and resins absorb some of the waxes because they are softer and more flexible than your normal clear coats. Some professional body guys will recommend using marine car products on carbonfiber parts because alot of boats and such use the same type of coatings.​
 
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