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05-28-2020, 01:30 PM | #1 |
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E92 Carbon Fiber Roof - Restoration Success Story
Late last year, my detailer noticed a spot near the middle of my carbon fiber roof that looked as though something had found its way underneath the gel coat. I knew immediately that something had hit the roof and caused the integrity of the gel coat to fail. Flash forward several months and the spot got worse until eventually I had enough and began removing the gel coat in sheets to prepare the roof for either replacement or refinishing.
My local BMW dealer would not touch the roof, nor would their certified shop. I quickly found out what a pain this process would be and fortunately had the garage space and alternative transportation to figure out the best next steps. With the Coronavirus mess I had enough time to call around found a shop in Central Florida (closer than I expected) that specializes in restorations - they actually have done some paint work for Revology Cars. Carbon fiber was somewhat new to them, specifically how to remove the residual gel coat (yellowing) and the most efficient products to replicate the OEM look, but hopefully last longer than OEM. Needless to say, I gave them the go ahead to research, experiment and do what needed to be done. At the very worst, the roof could be painted to match the body if restoration was not successful. Enter PPG. The shop has a good relationship with PPG and some of their personnel involved with their racing division. By some miracle, an employee had a similar experience to mine with an F80 M3 and shared the process he went through. I wanted to share with everyone some process photos that shows the roof after a chemical treatment to remove the gel coat residue and the final product after 5 coats of clear coat with intermittent sanding and preparation. There is still a little bit of buttoning up to do to finish the job before putting the car up for sale, but I wanted to share this with the group - restoration can be done! As to what started the mess, I can only speculate that an acorn or piece of debris poked a hole in the already weakened gel coat and the rest was history. It is not if your roof will have an issue, it is when (at least that is my opinion). I am happy to share anything I can, so please feel free to reach out. |
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05-28-2020, 02:00 PM | #5 |
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it is, for sure
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05-28-2020, 05:30 PM | #6 |
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Looks good!! What was cost for the repair?
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05-28-2020, 05:34 PM | #7 |
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njdrive97.50 mym3adventures170.50 |
05-28-2020, 06:40 PM | #9 |
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Thank you. Based on the quality of cars they work on I'm sure you got quality work.
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05-29-2020, 09:07 AM | #10 |
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I appreciate the feedback. My main objective here is to share with the group that all is not lost - restoration can happen and there is no need to panic about a resolution.
As for the chemical they used to clean the roof, they did not disclose other than PPG recommended it. I will have to ask. |
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05-30-2020, 12:57 AM | #12 |
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Man I must say that is absolutely amazing work. I grew up around boats doing small fiberglass and gelcoat patching and I can say whoever did that work is a real pro. You did well finding them.
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05-30-2020, 01:55 AM | #13 |
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Looks brand new! I had couple rock chips in my roof and I could see the moisture spots under the gel becoming bigger and bigger...so I wrapped it in gloss black vinyl (don’t care for cf look) and will have it redone before I sell the car in 20 years lol
Great alternative to replacing the whole roof for $5k+ |
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07-04-2020, 07:46 AM | #15 |
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Hey man, sent you a PM. Just wanted to post some pictures here. The first is of the roof after the shop re cleared it. You can see an overall yellowing and even some wavy discoloration at the rear edge next to molding. It was still there after reclear! Hoping I can find out more to get this crap fixed!
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07-04-2020, 10:51 AM | #16 | |
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OP, car looks great.
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07-04-2020, 02:57 PM | #17 |
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AWESOME. CF roof is definitely the most sexiest part of the E92.
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Sold - 2008 E92 M3, AW x FR, 6MT. CF roof is oh-so-Sexy! IG @misterclutch888 Slow Build |
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07-04-2020, 05:56 PM | #18 |
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I recently bought a roof from a wrecked e92m3 to swap into my non M e92. It had a few chips in the clear coat and I was able to repair them myself. It’s not hard just sand the the chips until the edges are smooth, then fill with clear coat or gel coat, and then wet sand to flush with the rest of the gel coat. My roof came out flawless...
It’s pretty much no different than repairing paint chips. Sand chip edges smooth, then fill the chip with paint (clear coat or gel coat in this case), and then wet sand after it’s dry. It actually surprised me how easy it was and I have never done any paint repair before. Last edited by Biginboca; 07-04-2020 at 06:02 PM.. |
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07-05-2020, 09:10 AM | #19 |
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I wasn't very clear, the bottom picture shows the wavy discoloration around the edge and overall roof yellowing before being recleared. The top picture is after a shop sanded and recleared it. Roof is still badly yellowed and rear has the wavy discoloration. Not sure if the shop just didn't sand my roof down enough or what?
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07-05-2020, 10:59 AM | #20 | |
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07-05-2020, 11:36 AM | #21 |
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How would them clearing it prevent it from being fixed now? Shouldn't it just be able to be sanded down again past new clear etc.
Last edited by Mercinman; 07-05-2020 at 11:42 AM.. |
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07-05-2020, 11:44 AM | #22 | |
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is the car at the shop? did you pay them yet? I wouldn't take her home until its fixed.
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