Had a few questions about carbon fiber.

1. Does it get damaged by weather (sun, acid rain)?
2. Can it be waxed?
3. Can it be painted?

 

1. yes
2. yes
3. yes

 

Thanks, all I needed to know.

 

Well I've got a question. With it being damaged by sun, acid rain and such how do people get away with getting cf hoods? Does that mean that a cf hood is something that you should only get if you cover your car regularly or have a garage? Is it a bad idea for someone that lives in the north where there is a lot of snow (i.e. salt on roads) to get one?

 

it shouldnt be a problem if u take care of it alot more then if u had it garaged daily(wax the **** out of it, polish it and wht not)...but yes if u get a CF hood u might as well just get a car cover while ur at it.

 

a freind of mine leaves his on all year round and so far he hasnt had any problems with it but gess it all depends on how you take care of it.

 

yeah, the cf hoods will fade if you leave it in the sun too long and you'll see it if you don't take proper care of it, you'll start seeing the little white spots on it which in time will turn into a big white spot

 

you can get a protective clear coat or something applied to it cant you??

 

the white spots you see is corrosion ... that means there is aluminum contacting bare carbon somewhere not necessarily in that spot... ... if you get it painted make sure there is a nice coat of primer and then a nice coat of paint then several coats of clear... or if your just gonna clear it... make sure you put several coats of clear on it sanding it with like 1000grit or higher between coats...

I have been working with CF for 4 years now on aircraft for the Air Force in washington state(just to give you an idea of what the weather is like)... and there are always bare spots ... and its has never faded but i have seen the so called " white spots"....

i have made carbon fiber coasters for at home and they sit in the sun all day long... and they have never faded.... as for rain and stuff just make sure the whole thing is covered... if it does fade then most likely its just a piece of plastic molded over some fiberglass that is painted to look like CF... i have seen that a few times...

 

iv had my cf hood for almost a year now and it hasnt faded at all. no garage. granted i never get acid rain either, but even in the sun all day it still looks good as new

 

so I suppose this applies to all carbon fibre objects then? What about something like the Accolade EvoVIII FRP CF spoiler where the middle is just CF? I guess that has to be taken care of nicely as well? (wax+polisH)

thanks

 

as long as it a good even coat of clear and a few good coats of wax... anything carbon fiber should last as long as you want it to...

 

awesome, thanks alot

 

does anyone have close up pics of damaged cf

 

i do... i can go take some right now