I recently got into a car wreck and I was thinking about getting a carbon fiber hood. My question is do carbon fiber hood's color fade real fast and look crappy after awhile? Thats what the body shop told me so I'm not sure if I should just get a new painted hood or go carbon fiber. Anyone with Carbon Fiber hoods, how have they been on your cars? Thanks

 

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Never blindly trust someone who stands to profit from you changing your mind, like a body shop telling you not to buy a part that they don't sell and thus wouldn't get to mark-up. Maybe I'm jaded. That's the way I see it. Especially in this case, as I have never heard of carbon fiber fading in anyway. Sure the finish will get cloudy if you don't treat it right, but so will paint. High quality carbon will outlast any paintjob if the carbon is properly cared for.

 

i did some research a few weeks ago when i was considering getting a CF hood...if you don't wash/wax your car regularly, you're better off getting an OEM painted hood. but if you take care of your car, go with CF. like silver said, it will fade if not cared for, but if you keep the maintenance up, it will last pretty much forever

 

I'll tell you right now, that my Carbonio engine cover, has went from CF "Grey" to CF "Yellowed". You can tell the difference already between it, and my Carbonio Intake cover. All of that heat turn's it a yellowish color... [:@] I think over a longer period of time, the heat from the engine will get to the hood. If you live somwhere sunny, and leave you're car parked outside all day, that would do it too...

 

Two things, first the heat applied to an engine or intake cover is much much greater than the hood will ever be subjected to. Underhood engine temps can easily top 300* or more in normal driving, and very little air is moving over it to convect any heat away. a hood is way cooler than that, and actually, even in Vegas summers with a turbo rotary (undoubtedly the hottest underhood temps possible), my top hood temp has never once exceeded 200* (I have a laser pyrometer that I check things like intake/exhaust/tire temps with).

Second, I hate to say it, but if your carbon is yellowing then it's a cheaply made part. The part that yellows is not the carbon weave itself but the resin used in it. Cheap resin will yellow easily. Good resin will NEVER yellow, not before the part completely degrades beyond use anyway. My M5 has a carbon intake applique, right on top of the engine, and even though it would routiely see temps above 375*, it did not yellow a bit in over 30,000 miles. It's still as good as new. And, just about every bike I've ever owned had a carbon exhaust. I got a few of those so hot that you could squeeze them in half with one hand, and they never yellowed either, despite being well over 450* numerous times.

Get good quality, top notch carbon fiber and heat will not be an issue. Just care for it properly, polish it and don't go too long between cleanings and it will outlast the car.

 

VIS cf hoods are the best quality from what i've heard

 

What if you paint a CF hood black? How will that work out?

 

i thought about doing that too...i was told that would work fine.

 

I guess they apply some layers of primer that make it adhere better to the CF?

It is probably expensive when one considers the actual weight savings of a CF hood. Most people don't want it painted because they want the CF look. I like it on the interior, but I'm not sold on mismatched exterior body parts though.