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CF hood, not sure if it's clear coat or gel

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  • #1

    CF hood, not sure if it's clear coat or gel

    First, hi, I'm new... and I apologize if this question gets asked a lot, but I wasn't able to find references to caring for clear coat vs. caring for gel coat CF hoods in the tutorials I found here.

    My hood is having oxidation issues, or white spot issues, whatever you want to call it. I would love to get some Meguiar's products, as I've been reading online for the past hour or so on how people touch-up their CF hoods and get rid of these unsightly blemishes. I'll try to get pictures up if that would help.

    If it matters, my hood looks nice and shiny, aka no white spots, when it's wet after it's rained or something, or when I get it wet myself.

    Depending on the type of hood I have (came with my car, not sure on brand or anything) I understand I might need to use different methods to get it up to snuff again.

    I plan to do this by hand even if it takes a while. I can be patient.

    Thank you in advance for your help!
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  • #2
    Re: CF hood, not sure if it's clear coat or gel

    All right guys, I hate to bump my own topic, but I do need help and I know there are people here who can provide it.

    I could just go ahead and try buffing it out and spraying on some UV-protective clear, but if I have the wrong kind of hood this could be a disaster!

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    • #3
      Re: CF hood, not sure if it's clear coat or gel

      best way to figure it out, is by calling the manufacturer of the hood.

      My carbon creations hood is a clearcoat.
      2004 Competition Orange SVT Focus with Jackson Racing Supercharger

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      • #4
        Re: CF hood, not sure if it's clear coat or gel

        Generally the biggest difference between a clear coat paint and a gel coat is that the gel coat is harder and thicker. Ultimate Compound would be safe to use on either surface, but a gel coat is likely going to require either more applications, or a more aggressive application. Either way, you won't hurt anything with Ultimate Compound and you should be able to correct the clouding issue you have. The only real exception to that would be if the clouding is actually a case of clear coat failure, in which case the only way to correct it is to strip it and respray clear.
        Michael Stoops
        Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.

        Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.

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        • #5
          Re: CF hood, not sure if it's clear coat or gel

          Any pictures of the CFhood ?

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          • #6
            Re: CF hood, not sure if it's clear coat or gel

            Thank you for your replies guys! Pictures? Sure:





            The oxidation/wear, upon close inspection, does not appear to have worn through to the actual carbon fiber, but looks pretty bad as you can see.

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            • #7
              Re: CF hood, not sure if it's clear coat or gel

              What "brand" is that CF hood.....

              High quality aftermarket companies tend to have a good clear coat........but if you got say a "china knock off" or a "ebay" hood odds are there wasn't much clear to begin with. I sell these tings on a daily basis and have seen the results, with carbon fiber alot of time you get what you pay for as far as the quality is concerned

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              • #8
                Re: CF hood, not sure if it's clear coat or gel

                I would tape off a section of the hood and start polishing with a mild polish like Swirl X and see what you can achieve.
                If thats not working you can always step up to something more aggresive like Ultimate Compound.

                By the looks of things and the state of the hood it can only get better IMO.

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                • #9
                  Re: CF hood, not sure if it's clear coat or gel

                  HighLine - thanks for the info, I was unaware of that. I'll check tomorrow to see if I can some sort of brand info on the hood.

                  geert dr - start mild, then should I put on some UV-protective clear immediately after the polish (and if I should clear it afterwards, should I clay it beforehand), or...?

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                  • #10
                    Re: CF hood, not sure if it's clear coat or gel

                    Update: there does not appear to be a brand name on the hood. I can get a picture of the underside of the hood if that would help.

                    Is this clearcoat failure? If it's not oxidation, then I'm going to have to completely remove the clearcoat and have a new one put on, correct? I see where people say to just 'paint over the failing clearcoat' but I would imagine the continued deterioration of the CC would make the fresh paint on top of it to flake off as well...?

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