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      06-18-2010, 12:53 PM   #1
chungdae
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Issues with Carbon Fiber cosmetics.

Many of us love the look of carbon fiber. The stunning 3-D appearance, smooth texture, and its unsurpassed weight contribution entices us to put as much carbon fiber on our beloved vehicles, for a premium. I purchased CF hood vents and CF mirror replacements from **********s, a CF spoiler from JL Motoring, and a CF roof spoiler from JLevi. All of them are less than a year old.

Hood vents:


Mirror replacements (Driver side):

(Passenger side):


Spoiler:


As one can tell there is bad discoloration and severe bubbling. I called up the manufacturer's and explained to them my "issues" and was expected a warranty claim. The manufacturer's explained once the item has been sold and is installed there is no warranty; the warranty is: "no damage from shipping." They explained that I can go to a body shop, sand it down, and clear coat it once again AFTER they tried to sell me a replacement. Disappointed with the customer service, I went to a body shop. They told me the bubbling was so severe that removal of the clear coat would simply damage the CF.

Lessons learned:
1. You don't get what you paid for. Just because an item has a premium price tag does NOT mean it is warrantied.

2. Never purchase CF again.

Many vendors claim to have "multiple" layers of clear coat to protect it from the sun, discoloration, and bubbling. Many vendors will almost say anything to sell a product. I wanted the community to know to think twice maybe even three times before spending so much on carbon fiber.

EDIT: The car sits in a air conditioned garage for 15 hours a day.
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      06-18-2010, 01:01 PM   #2
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that's why i buy CF products only OEM...

the rest is not good for sure...
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      06-18-2010, 01:15 PM   #3
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other than the fact that the process is no good, one of the reason they are bubbling up is because you leave your car exposed in the sun for a long period of time.

i purchased my carbon mirror covers from renn spec and had it on for about a year now with no problem, you just need to know how to take care of them
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      06-18-2010, 01:18 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mye90 View Post
other than the fact that the process is no good, one of the reason they are bubbling up is because you leave your car exposed in the sun for a long period of time.

i purchased my carbon mirror covers from renn spec and had it on for about a year now with no problem, you just need to know how to take care of them
dont get me wrong pls but just curious, do these cf parts come with a manual to show us how to use it?

i am sorry but i dont accept that answer since most vendors here sell these items as a perfect replacement to oem parts.
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      06-18-2010, 01:26 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mye90 View Post
other than the fact that the process is no good, one of the reason they are bubbling up is because you leave your car exposed in the sun for a long period of time.

i purchased my carbon mirror covers from renn spec and had it on for about a year now with no problem, you just need to know how to take care of them
Read the edit. The car is in an air conditioned garage for 15 hours a day.
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      06-18-2010, 01:28 PM   #6
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With years of experience with carbon here, i can say you may be making a very general statement. From what i can tell, most of the stuff JL is selling is replica carbon lips i think that are made very cheaply. I have seen a few of the replica lips from many vendors come throught the shop here, all with issues over time with delamination, big drips in the clear coat or resin and poor fitment.

With some of the premium manufacturers like us at Challenge, you DO get what you pay for, and we stand behind the products fit and finish.


Dont give up on Carbon just yet, just do your homework before making purchases so you dont have any regrets.
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      06-20-2010, 03:51 AM   #7
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^+1. Quality CF products will not do that.
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      06-20-2010, 09:20 AM   #8
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+1

my Vorsteiner stuff held up no problem at all, no discoloration, no bubbling, nothing!

You bought a replica JL lip for a quarter of the price...what did you expect?
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      06-20-2010, 04:29 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slammedm3 View Post
+1

my Vorsteiner stuff held up no problem at all, no discoloration, no bubbling, nothing!

You bought a replica JL lip for a quarter of the price...what did you expect?
It wasn't a lip. Might want to read the actual explanation.
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      06-20-2010, 04:46 PM   #10
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Thanks for posting. I think this is one of the generally unspoken ailments of the aftermarket carbon fiber parts industry. I've bought many, many parts for my M3, Cayman and Ducati's. Only a very few manufacturers make quality parts that look and perform for more than a few months with use.

Just for the M3 I've bought M3 mirror replacements, hood vents and a complete interior all from the "good" vendors on this site. They all bubbled, discolored, chipped, delaminated from the substrate or just plain didn't fit well and needed "adjustments" or some hack to get a clean installation.

I won't buy anything but OEM again, ever for this car. I live a hot climate and park outside during the day, and can't believe anyone would say that's "not proper usage", it's a freakin' car. Maybe that explains why these parts are only for "show".
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      06-21-2010, 02:46 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slammedm3 View Post
+1

my Vorsteiner stuff held up no problem at all, no discoloration, no bubbling, nothing!
+1
My Vrs carbon parts are fine... only problem is I scraped the botton of the front lip..... now the carbon has frayed at the botton... looks like my car has a goatee
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      06-28-2010, 02:55 AM   #12
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I have to bump this thread... I have never had this kind of issue with cf parts before, but I had all "brand name" cf parts that were considered to be high quality. I am about to order cf front grills, fender grills, and hood scoops from one of the vendors on here. The ones I see the most are the "autotechnic" ones that a lot of the vendors are selling. Are those considered "cheap"? Are those prone to bubbling and discoloration? It seems those hood scoops the OP posted might be autotechnic ones as well...

If the autotechnic ones are prone to this, does anyone knows of a high-quality alternative? Please let me know!
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      06-30-2010, 11:29 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 11' AW M3 View Post
I have to bump this thread... I have never had this kind of issue with cf parts before, but I had all "brand name" cf parts that were considered to be high quality. I am about to order cf front grills, fender grills, and hood scoops from one of the vendors on here. The ones I see the most are the "autotechnic" ones that a lot of the vendors are selling. Are those considered "cheap"? Are those prone to bubbling and discoloration? It seems those hood scoops the OP posted might be autotechnic ones as well...

If the autotechnic ones are prone to this, does anyone knows of a high-quality alternative? Please let me know!
All of the carbon grills and sie parts ive seen to date havent impressed me. Most end up delaminating or have some sort of resin seperation. often this is because they are done in an "ovelay method" Im sure someone has done it right though
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      06-30-2010, 02:45 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 11' AW M3 View Post
I have to bump this thread... I have never had this kind of issue with cf parts before, but I had all "brand name" cf parts that were considered to be high quality. I am about to order cf front grills, fender grills, and hood scoops from one of the vendors on here. The ones I see the most are the "autotechnic" ones that a lot of the vendors are selling. Are those considered "cheap"? Are those prone to bubbling and discoloration? It seems those hood scoops the OP posted might be autotechnic ones as well...

If the autotechnic ones are prone to this, does anyone knows of a high-quality alternative? Please let me know!
I haven't had any issues with my autotecknic grilles yet, and i had them on for about 8 month already
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      07-01-2010, 04:40 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 11' AW M3 View Post
I have to bump this thread... I have never had this kind of issue with cf parts before, but I had all "brand name" cf parts that were considered to be high quality. I am about to order cf front grills, fender grills, and hood scoops from one of the vendors on here. The ones I see the most are the "autotechnic" ones that a lot of the vendors are selling. Are those considered "cheap"? Are those prone to bubbling and discoloration? It seems those hood scoops the OP posted might be autotechnic ones as well...

If the autotechnic ones are prone to this, does anyone knows of a high-quality alternative? Please let me know!
1. The autotechnic brand is the one shown in the pictures.
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      07-01-2010, 08:16 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chungdae View Post
1. The autotechnic brand is the one shown in the pictures.
How are you Chun! Give me a ring about this issue; I'll replace this for you through auto tecknic. I've sold many of these and have a few guys with the same product locally for a while now, no issue at all.

Anyways, any question regarding their products shoot me a PM or give me a ring and I'll take care of it for you.

-G
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      07-04-2010, 11:27 PM   #17
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^Amazing customer service! I'll be calling as soon as I get a chance!
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      07-05-2010, 04:14 AM   #18
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Man, I hope this doesn't happen to my parts. Autotechnic should provide some sort of warranty though, right? I have cf front grills, side grills, and hood vents...
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      07-05-2010, 04:30 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slammedm3 View Post
+1

my Vorsteiner stuff held up no problem at all, no discoloration, no bubbling, nothing!

You bought a replica JL lip for a quarter of the price...what did you expect?
My VRS parts are over 2 years old and I don't have that problem.

One thing I don't understand is when people install CF parts without getting them finished. I haven't seen any CF parts clear coated, usually they are just straight polished resin. I always have my paint guy lay a coat of clear on them just to get that glass finish and some extra protection. I even have him tint the clear so I can get a deeper looking finish.

As for avoiding CF altogether because of durability issues I agree that it depends on the manufacturer. Our roofs are carbon fiber...
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      07-05-2010, 04:53 PM   #20
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Hopefully this gets resolved and you dont have the same issues down the road.

replicas are cheap for a reason. Buy original if your gonna buy...It will cost alot more more but the companies that make it will stand behind it's quality.
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      04-02-2011, 05:03 AM   #21
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Gota bump the thread... my carbon fiber parts are all fcked up. I have yet to contact the vendor I bought them from, but should I expect them to get exchanged? The parts are like 6 months old, and they are the "Autotechnic" brand... This is pretty ridiculous IMO
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      04-02-2011, 09:23 AM   #22
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Yeah I purchased these from chungdae. Every piece was complete garbage. I gave them away for free. Lesson Learned.
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