Learn Me Exterior Carbon Fiber

Sky Render

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Da Missus got me a carbon fiber spoiler for my birthday. (I think I'll keep her.) I love me some carbon fiber, but I've seen some AWFUL-looking carbon fiber pieces on cars. The stock carbon spoiler on Mitsubishi Evos and most aftermarket carbon hoods I've seen look like total crap after being outside for a while.

So how do I keep that from happening? My car is garage-kept, but I do drive it regularly. Should I pay a body shop to shoot a layer of clear coat or three on top of it before installing it? Use a particular type of sealant or wax?
 

01yellerCobra

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Friend of mine had a carbon fiber hood on his GT. He had it cleared and it lasted a few years until he sold it.

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TxGt1

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use any automotive sealant that you like then maintain it with a spray sealant like Wolfgang deep gloss spritz sealant.

You could coat it with something like Cquartz for longer durability and added protection.

found this post on a Ferrari forum by Carbonio Performance

Most carbon fiber that you find commercially whether it be wet lamination (coated) or pre-preg (dry) receives a coating of automotive grade clear coat as a finishing step. This clear coat is most often a gloss finish but can also be a satin finish and should be treated the exact same as any painted surface on your car. As such it can be buffed and waxed while minor imperfections can be polished out.

It is quite rare to find raw out of the mold carbon with no finishing of any kind but even those pieces can be treated to a coat of automotive wax to help protect their surface.

Hope this helps
 

skwerl

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Because carbon fiber is not UV stable. Most finishes will break down and yellow over time, usually hastened by overzealous care administered by owners. Similar to how vinyl pieces will look like crap after a few years when the owners use lots of harsh chemicals and treatments to make it look better when new.
 

Sky Render

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Because carbon fiber is not UV stable. Most finishes will break down and yellow over time, usually hastened by overzealous care administered by owners. Similar to how vinyl pieces will look like crap after a few years when the owners use lots of harsh chemicals and treatments to make it look better when new.

So what do you recommend? An extra coat or two of clear on top of it? Maintaining a good coat of sealant/wax? Both?

EDIT:
This is a good read:
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?41427-Carbon-fiber-yellowing#3cPPyiurwjYQD1Bd.97

And this sealant from CG has UV blockers in it:
http://www.chemicalguys.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=wac_113_16
 
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