Carbon fiber hood question????

mizbiz · 03-20-2011, 03:28 PM

Can anyone tell me is there anything special that needs to be done to paint a carbon fiber hood? Live in the St. Louis area, and was curious can a regular paint shop know what to do?

ooowowizstev · 03-20-2011, 03:54 PM

Yes they should know what to do. I don't believe it is all that different from painting any other part.

Legion5 · 03-20-2011, 04:14 PM

It depends how the hood is primed etc. If the surface is clean and clear, simply prime it normally and paint it. If you want to have the carbon fiber exposed then make sure to clearcoat it with a UV resistant clear or it will turn yellow.

If the surface has lots of pits in it, meaning small holes that look like they were made by a needle, then you have a problem, you'll need to use a body filler or those will ruin the way the paint goes on. If you want to leave any areas with pits exposed then you'll have huge problems, because you'll have to sand down and buff the clear expoxy (which is really annoying to do) and then apply layres of clearcoat while sanding between each clearcoat to fill in the pits. Chances are if it's an M3 hood it doesn't have pits which would be your biggest problem and you can just prime and paint it or seal it with UV clear and be good to go.

rzm3 · 03-20-2011, 04:30 PM

^+1

Depending on the quality and finish of your CF part, the amount of prep work can differ significantly.

03-20-2011, 03:28 PM	#1
mizbiz Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: 335I 2008 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: STL iTrader: (0)	Carbon fiber hood question???? Can anyone tell me is there anything special that needs to be done to paint a carbon fiber hood? Live in the St. Louis area, and was curious can a regular paint shop know what to do?
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03-20-2011, 03:54 PM	#2
ooowowizstev Brigadier General 141 Rep 4,903 Posts Drives: '08 E92 M3 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Los Angeles, Irvine iTrader: (4) Garage List 2008 BMW E92 M3 [10.00]	Yes they should know what to do. I don't believe it is all that different from painting any other part. __________________ '08 E92 ///M3 - AW/BLK/CF, M-DCT, 19's H&R, Vorsteiner, Eisenmann, BMC, BBS More to come...
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03-20-2011, 04:14 PM	#3
Legion5 Major 175 Rep 1,379 Posts Drives: e92 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: USA iTrader: (12)	It depends how the hood is primed etc. If the surface is clean and clear, simply prime it normally and paint it. If you want to have the carbon fiber exposed then make sure to clearcoat it with a UV resistant clear or it will turn yellow. If the surface has lots of pits in it, meaning small holes that look like they were made by a needle, then you have a problem, you'll need to use a body filler or those will ruin the way the paint goes on. If you want to leave any areas with pits exposed then you'll have huge problems, because you'll have to sand down and buff the clear expoxy (which is really annoying to do) and then apply layres of clearcoat while sanding between each clearcoat to fill in the pits. Chances are if it's an M3 hood it doesn't have pits which would be your biggest problem and you can just prime and paint it or seal it with UV clear and be good to go. __________________ Clean cars are happy cars! CANON PHOTOGRAPHER
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03-20-2011, 04:30 PM	#4
rzm3 Moderator 673 Rep 4,737 Posts Drives: E92 M3 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: USA iTrader: (18)	^+1 Depending on the quality and finish of your CF part, the amount of prep work can differ significantly.
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