# Bad Carbon Fiber- Help!



## UofLsentra (May 25, 2003)

Ok, my brother bought a OEM/Stock- looking carbon fiber hood for his car. He's drives a Civic and is a bit ricer IMHO, I don't give him a hard time about it though. This new hood he bought I think he might have got ripped off. I don't know much about carbon fiber other than its light-weight. I don't know if its made like hand-laid fiber glass with the sheets in the mold with resin or what... but, let me tell you the problems/description and ?'s I have about carbon fiber and his hood. 

-The hood lines match the car but not everything is totally flush. There's about a extra 1/2 inch gap between where the front of the hood meets the headlights and grill in the middle. 

-The "clearcoat"(I don't know if carbon fiber has clearcoat, but I'm talking about the shininess that looks like clearcoat) on the hood isn't perfectly smooth. In a few spots it looks like its pinched. Little raised ridges that look like the edge of a dime on a few spots. Then its smudged in a few spots instead of being glossy, like if armorall gets on your paint.

-On the back corners of the hood, its looks like it got scraped and they put "clearcoat" on it. The scrape is the color of a manilla folder with the "clearcoat" over it.

-The bottom of the hood has a subframe like a stock hood would but you can't see the weave. The shop put his latches in and wiper squirters. He has to push it to shut it. It is lighter than his original hood. Its really brilliant and badass in the sunlight. With cloud coverage you see all the imperfections.

?'s 1. Should carbon fiber have visible weave on the in/outside of the hood?
2. Should there be a layer that looks like clearcoat?
3. What should I look for to know if its legit?
4. Can anyone explain how carbon fiber is made?
5. Are these smudges, ridges, and different colored scrapes normal?

Already I've told him he got ripped off(paid $300). He's going in on Monday to the shop when they open, I just saw it today. So please give me whatever info that I didn't already ask that could be helpful Nissan Forums. Thanks


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## samo (Apr 30, 2002)

Honestly, that all sounds pretty normal. CF hoods are not all carbon-fiber. In fact, most of the hood is fiberglass, which explains the lack of weave on the bottom (normal) and the "manila folder" color where it was scraped.

If he wants a better finish on the hood, he should have it sanded down a bit and clearcoated.


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## UofLsentra (May 25, 2003)

Any good referral links to how CF is made? I thought it was a totally different material than fiberglass but made in the same fashion, not a composite.... hmmmm.


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## LIUSPEED (May 29, 2002)

i say that a poorly made carbon fiber hood..

tell him to take it back and put back his stock and order a VIS one.

they are a better finish and fit alot better.. 

also u can tell him to buy one from fiber images their hoods are really good as well.


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## ScorchN200SX (Aug 13, 2002)

*You pay for what you get!!!*

Sound like he got what he paid for. 

All of the C/F hoods are made from a mold of an existing hood.
The mold is an exact reverse image of the hood.
First they polish the mold and buff out the inside with a release compound.
Then they mix and spary or brush on the clear resin.
Then the use a Roll of C/F Fabric in its raw form unroll flat and work it into the resin will its sticky and form it to the mold.
(Keep in Mind and weave stretches or pull in the fabric cannot be avoided)
Some dust or extra strands of C/F may be pulled into the resin since the C/F fabric is a fabric it has some static discharge.
From there they will work in some fiberglass mat. Then they do the same thing with the inside skeleton of the hood with either a first layer of C/F or black gel coat and fiberblass. Once all cured and cutt into shape then they will glue the 2 sections together. Once that is complete they will wet sand and then use a buffing compound for the out side of the peice. 

C/F is a Nice thing but if steps are skipped or rushed or they mix the resin to hot than it can be ugly. Minor flaws are seen in every C/F finished peice. Very few companies have really clean hood that dont fade or fit right and the ones that do charge a little more...

I will be the first one to admit that Quality of the peice should be determained buy the fit and finish strength. Minor little imperfections are unavoidable.........


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## xt_out (Jun 23, 2003)

^nice post. i oughtta give you some good reputation for that :thumbup: (but im lazy  )


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## ScorchN200SX (Aug 13, 2002)

I should just link this thread to my site! LOL, I dont know how many time I have had to reason with people about some of the weirdest things.... You dont see me complaining about the fruite fly in the gel coat of My drift spoiler do you? He is just along for the ride!!!!


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## Dustin (Dec 14, 2003)

lol, are you serious a fruit fly, i wanna see.. :showpics:


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## xt_out (Jun 23, 2003)

lol...i should've gotten a pic of that when i was in seattle mike :thumbup: it was so unnoticable, evne when you point it out though. maybe its my bad eyesight 
funny, nonetheless...did that robert guy ever buy that spoiler? (i think thats his name) it looked so good on his 200sx!!! HOT!


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## ScorchN200SX (Aug 13, 2002)

Nope sitting at my house collecting dust...


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## xt_out (Jun 23, 2003)

what  why? i thought quite a few ppl wanted one. why no sale and how much are you asking?


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