carbon fiber problem

[srt4boost]

hello MOL. i have tried the search but could not come up with an answere to my problem. i have a carbon fiber hood from seibon that has a goldish color and if u look at it from an angle it looks green. i contacted there web site and ask what materials they used and said they used clear coat but didnt get an answere on what type of resin they used. ive clayed it with the meguairs clay kit,used scratch x following with meguiars cristal clear polish and finishing with ntx tech wax 2.0. but still has the problem. i want to buy a DA but dont have the money for one right now. so im going to use an orbital my friend has. should i use a wool pad with the scratch x for a better result. any suggestions are welcomed

[retrofinisher]

Re: carbon fiber problem

If it is a true carbon fiber it would be mainly dark gray/black, it probably has kevlar to give the gold color. Maybe for impact resistance (and tricked out looks)

Kevlar has kind've fair to mild UV resistance,

Also the color shift could be gel coat related (probably not if good automotive/marine grade)

The clear coat will help, I'd ask the composites company that makes it, if it's fabbed in Asia hard to say for sure....

Goodluck

[Mike Phillips]

Re: carbon fiber problem

Some have that god hue and some don't, some are ore grayish/black.

There's nothing you can do to change the underlying colors.

[benhui86]

Re: carbon fiber problem

is it bulletproof it its got kevlar? hahahaha

but anyways i think that is the color the hood is suppose to be and not a problem with the clear coat...

you cannot use a wool pad with an orbital buffer or even a G100/G110..... wool pads are reserved for rotary buffers..... the orbital and DA is not fast enough so a wool pad would cause hazing on the paint.... even with a rotary you have to follow up with a polishing pad after using a wool pad....

I have tried an orbital with a foam bonnet before and although it does do the work slightly faster than hand..... it is not nearly as effective for fixing defects because they bog down a lot when pressure is applied..... I gave up on it and went back to just using hand....now that the DA is only $150(cheap compared to when it was $250).... maybe it will be an easier decision to go ahead and buy one..... i bought the G100 right away when i saw it was on sale for $150.... and i love it....

[eyezack87]

Re: carbon fiber problem

Nice "kevlar" CF you have there man lol. My friend has the same exact problem. Most of the time it turns yellow/green is because it is only gel coated, not clear coated. Unfortunately one of my friends decides to point it out as a carbon-kevlar setup instead of addressing the real problem

Anyway, in my past experience with CF, which includes scratch removal and major swirl removal; the color can usually be replenished with a good polish. While I was testing #83 via PC on a number of panels, it seemed to work quite well on CF. If you are familiar with Vorsteiner, that was the type of hood I was working on. Give #83 a try if you have the time, otherwise try to find someone who has had past experience with CF polishing. You never know until you try man

[retrofinisher]

Re: carbon fiber problem

Why mention the kevlar.

In short..the kevlar or epoxy gel coat is turning greener due to UV,

Kevlar can turn a greener yellow tint after a long outside exposure.

The best you can do is keep the topcoat polished and waxed.

The carbon fiber is for light weight and strength, kevlar only adds impact resistance and appearance in a hood.

I work with kevlar in alot of our products.

[srt4boost]

Re: carbon fiber problem

huh... once i buy a DA ill try to polish and wax it again. if it is a clear coat like they said would it help if i try to wet sand it and clear coat it. i asked a shop near by wich has never worked on carbon fiber but would charge me 100 dollars. i could do it my self but theres so to many things that i need to buy that would probably end up costing me more than what they charge me. if that doesnt work ill just run over stuff and hit it with a sludge hammer to see if its really for hi impact lol.

[retrofinisher]

Re: carbon fiber problem

Based on your photos and info the best I suggest is consider clear coating,

Definitely let the shop wet sand and prep it though. You will not save any real $$ that way, plus you have waxes and other surface materials to clean off.

Remove the wiper jet nozzles first. (what are the wireties at the front?)

Maybe remove the hood-- that will save masking time and cleanup $.

Color wise- I think the color is what it is, clear coating will not change that.

I truly welcome any comments from Mike or others.

except for gloss and minor scratshes the color will not change back. good luck

[retrofinisher]

Re: carbon fiber problem

Why has my colored carbon/Kevlar hood has faded?
The Kevlar material is dyed with a pigment to obtain its color. Similar to paint where there are pigments added to change its color; eventually when exposed to the sun the color starts to fade. Clear coats actually aid in slowing down the rate at which the UV rays penetrate the paint causing it to fade. Likewise, with the Kevlar, it will fade after time when exposed to the sun, but the clear coat will help in slowing this process.

fyi..Excerpt from a USA composite body parts supplier.

"put a dark tinted clear coat on the hood"

Good luck

[roushstage2]

Re: carbon fiber problem

Just to ask for clarification: are you sure you didn't order a gold weave CF hood?

Didn't see that anywhere, my apologies if it was already answered.

[jpitt1987]

Re: carbon fiber problem

Hey bro,

I have a ViS Racing CF hood and living with it is a nightmare. It came from the factory with a really poor clear coating and within 3 years, even with regular washing and waxing with Gold Class it has cracks and deep defects in the clear. I even went and got it re-cleared, making sure my friend did it really thick and used high quality stuff in a top notch booth...and the cracks are still there...

I say all that to say, you might be out of luck.

Whoever mentioned repainting it had a great idea. I am thinking about just doing that...

[Mike Phillips]

Re: carbon fiber problem

huh... once i buy a DA ill try to polish and wax it again. if it is a clear coat like they said would it help if i try to wet sand it and clear coat it. i asked a shop near by which has never worked on carbon fiber but would charge me 100 dollars. i could do it my self but theres so to many things that i need to buy that would probably end up costing me more than what they charge me. if that doesn't work ill just run over stuff and hit it with a sludge hammer to see if its really for hi impact lol.

Polishing the surface, even wet-sanding the surface and then buffing out your sanding marks won't change the underlying gold color to the carbon fiber.

If the surface of this hood is already smooth and orange peel free then don't sand it, just polish, wax and maintain.

If you don't like the color of the hood then the best option is to change to a different hood.

[srt4boost]

Re: carbon fiber problem

i gave up on the hood... im just going to paint it white and that would be the end of it... carbon fiber is a PITA t take care of... thanks to all for the advice...