Carbon Fibre Repair
Vehicle & Motorsport Carbon Fibre Repair
Returning your carbon fibre parts to their best
Having worked with Carbon Fibre for many years we know our way round the stuff and what is involved in repairing high end / premium carbon fibre parts for the automotive world. We can undertake a whole array of carbon fibre repairs to almost any carbon fibre part for any type of vehicle whether that be a BMW, Mclaren or even a part from a motobike.
For some brands such as Bentley and McLaren it is much more cost effective to have a part repaired than to have it replaced due to the extreme cost that manufacturers charge.
Whether you require a heavily damaged, structural repair or simply a strip back and re-finishing of a small area we’re able to help. We can even help with small chips, dents or peeling lacquer.
How its done
The Repair Process
1. Getting The Part To Us
After the initial consultation, the first part of the repair process is getting your part to us. Typically we will need the part removed from your vehicle and then shipped to us directly or dropped to us. With the smaller parts this is usually quite simple and easy to organise but with the larger items you will need to package and ship via a courier. If you don’t have an account with a courier then you have options with Parcel2Go or ParcelMonkey. Please make sure that it’s fully packaged so that it remains as safe as possible whilst in transit.
If you're not too far from us here in Poole or fancy a trip out then we can remove and re-install the part in our workshop before handing it over to our fabrication team.
2. Inspection
Once the part arrives with us, our fabrication team will look over to inspect the damage and make sure it fits the initial brief supplied and confirm that all the costings and timescales are as accurate as possible. If any additional materials are needed or allotted time then we’ll confirm this with you before we start.
3. Stripping Back
When we’ve got confirmation that you’re happy to proceed we’ll strip the part back in the areas required to allow us to start the repair process. Typically this is done by sanding down the original lacquer and resin so we can get to the raw carbon fibre. This is done by a mixture of hand and power sanding making sure the carbon isn’t damaged in the process.
4. Reinforcing & Strengthening
This is probably one of the most important parts of the repair to ensure that it is structurally sound. There is no point having a pretty looking part to then simply flex & bend excessively and potentially snap or crack again once fitted! To do this we’ll usually reinforce the rear of the part with genuine carbon fibre to ensure the part is back to it’s original strength. We’ll use a mixture of materials to get it just right, just like factory!
5. Front Aesthetics
Once we’re happy with the strength of the part we’ll then move to the next stage of the repair to obtain the best finish possible. The majority of parts in the automotive world use a 2×2 Twill but all the same we’ll match up the correct weave and pattern and start laying the Carbon Fibre Cloth if this is required. Once we’re happy we have matched as close as possible we’ll move to various layers of Infused Resin. This is what firms up the Carbon Fibre, gives it more strength and that “smooth polished” look that you would expect. At each level of resin we’ll then hand sand the area to ensure it’s super smooth and that no pitting or holes form.
6. Baking
This is a super important part of the process which is where we “Cure” the part. Using our specialist composites curing oven we’ll raise the temperature to the right level for approximately 8 hours so that the part bakes through. Carbon Fibre parts are always exposed to differing temperatures and UV which can cause issues with the finish later down the line. If we can control this element prior then there will be no issues later on.
7. Bodyshop Lacquer
When the part has fully baked, we’ll then have the part professionally lacquered in our bodyshop. This is the final finish to ensure the part will always look it’s best and gives it the protection it needs from the elements. Firstly, using a special “Stat” Gun we’ll remove any static from the part and then we’ll spray our secret ratio of lacquer on to the part and leave to rest for a few hours. We use a special lacquer designed specifically for carbon fibre that we import from Germany.
8. Polish & Final Prep
As soon as the part has come back from lacquer our fabrication team will go over the part and ensure the lacquer has given the required finish. There could always be some pitting or lacquer runs which need to be sanded down and removed. Once we’re happy the part is sound and looks good we’ll then spend some time machine polishing and then hand polishing the part to give it the final shine needed. When we’re happy with the part we will finish it in a high carnauba wax from our partners Race Glaze. This gives it that final sparkle to give you a factory finish that also offers some additional protection and longevity to the outside elements.
9. Final QC
Once the fabrication team have done their thing the part will go through the Quality Control stage to ensure that we’re collectively happy to release the part back to you the customer.
10. Shipping
When we’re happy that the part meets our highest checks of assurance it will be correctly wrapped, packaged and shipped back to you (Or let you know when it’s ready to pickup).
If we originally de-installed the part then we'll book you back in to have the part re-installed!
The proof is always in the pudding
The Final Result
It’s always super difficult to show the final look and finish but we’ve dropped a couple of images below to show you some before and after shots of a couple of repairs we’ve recently completed and a pretty decent Mclaren 600LT that we had in for a full front end repair!
Mclaren 600LT Front Canard – Heavy Front Damage and Split within the Carbon
Bentley Continental GT – Front Splitter with heavy scoring and damage on the under panel. Crack to the part on the front section going all the way through
Mclaren 600LT Front Bumper – Heavy scoring on the underneath of the front bumper
Some people think or are told that Carbon Fibre can’t be repaired… It Can…
The Aston Martin Vanquish was in need of a front splitter repair and you can see how we got on with the video above:
Audi R8 in need of a serious carbon fibre diffuser repair.
Bringing back a full carbon fibre diffuser for a Ferrari F8 Tributo
The devil Is In The detail
Brand Specific Repair Pages
It’s time to showcase some of the more popular (but not limited to) brand carbon fibre repairs we have completed in the past. Click one of the images below to check them out!
The Carbonwurks
Repair Flight Case
If you’re a private owner, main dealer or bodyshop that needs a carbon fibre repair on a large (or more expensive) vehicle part then we have the perfect way of getting it to us safely and quickly.
You can simply request our custom made flight case to be shipped to your location, you package the part up and place inside the box. Once it’s ready, it gets picked up and delivered to ourselves ready for the repair to begin!
The internal dimensions measure 2200mm x 1200mm x 1050mm so if your part is smaller that this then it’s suitable to use the case.
We handle all the logistics of the shipping and will provide the costs involved for it’s use and movement. Just let us know if it’s needed and we can let you know how the whole process works.
so here's what's
Needed From You!
If after reading all the above you want to proceed with getting us to repair your damaged carbon fibre part then we’ll need a few things:
Pictures of the damaged part
We’ll need high quality close up and far away pictures of the item in question so we can see the damage and the overall part. Please ensure you take as many pictures as possible from different angles. If the damage goes through the part then we’ll need to see the rear also
Send over the pictures
Once you have all your pictures you can email them to us at [email protected]. If there is a lot or the files are too big then your best solution is to put them all into a folder, zip / archive them and send them to our WeTransfer Account – WeTransfer.com
Vehicle Info
When you send the photos it would be great to include as much information about the vehicle as possible such as Make / Model / Year / Reg or VIN Number. We’ll also need to know how the damage initially occurred.
Once we have all of the above our team of fabricators will look over all the information provided and then come back to you with costings and timescales involved.
Please try to be as accurate as possible with the pictures and the information provided as if we don’t get all the facts prior to the part arriving it may be that extra time and materials may be required which will increase the costs.
For some of the more serious damaged parts it may be that we can’t offer any quote or timings until we have physically seen the item. There is also the possibility that the cost of repair is not financially feasible but we will certainly try to cater as best as we can.
The next step is to get in touch with us using our contact form below:
Frequently Asked
Questions
Often when carbon has damage, the fibres themselves can be fractured and torn. We can bind the part back together along with making it structurally sound but normally if the carbon has suffered cracks, splits or is missing carbon, there will be what we call a “Witness” mark. The best way to think of it is tearing a hole in your jumper, you can stitch it back together, but you may still see a small line where the fabric has been bound back together. Most of the time the witness mark is very small and unnoticeable, other times it can be slightly more obvious depending how bad the damage was. Regardless of this, the end result is as good as can be achieved and saves considerable amounts over replacing the component.
Generally, most repairs do look very good and, in some cases, do look brand new. To re-skin the entire part can be very complicated and very expensive. We try not to go down this route as it’s not always cost effective to do so. We work around the carbon that is there to give the best possible outcome. It’s rare that we would need to consider re-skinning the entire part.
The short answer is yes. We can fabricate small sections and if you still have the snapped off or damaged carbon, we can often make use of this. Depending on the part and the desired end result, sometimes this isn’t cost effective or viable but all the same, this is a type of repair we carry out often.
Very much so. We offer a range of different tinted finishes so if your carbon has a tint to it, we can normally refinish in the same colour.
This will vary massively on the part in need of being repaired. Often aftermarket parts are cheaply made which likely would be cheaper to replace than repair. For higher end, more expensive or rare carbon fibre parts, more often than not it absolutely does make sense to repair as the cost to replace is extremely high or the part is no longer production. We try to cater a repair to the budget of the customer, but we won’t offer a cheap solution if it means compromising the end result.
Sometimes yes depending on where the damage is and the possibility to reinforce. If the part is enclosed, it makes it very difficult to repair behind the damage point and reinforce to suitable level. More often than not however, if we can gain access behind the part, we can make the part as strong or even stronger than before. Carbon manufacturers will only use a handful of layers of carbon, we can add many more layers if required which will increase strength massively.
You can either drop the part off yourself or choose a courier to transport the part to us. We use Parcelforce large for most UK items as they will accept parts up to 2.5 meters in length. If being shipped to us, we do recommend using bubble wrap to protect the part itself along with a cardboard box to ensure the part doesn’t suffer any more damage during transit. If you need help with this element, please do get in touch to discuss as we may be able to help.
Sadly not. The repair process even if it is a simpler and more minor amount of damage, it will still require days of sanding, resin infusing and lacquering. In some cases, we can remove the part from your car here at our workshop (for an additional charge) and you may be able to drive away for a number of weeks until ready to refit.
Although we are capable of removing and disassembly, we prefer not to store any other parts and request the carbon is delivered or dropped off to us in bare form. By this we mean any other elements removed that could get in the way (fog lights, brake lights, trims, cables, fixings etc).
We get asked this quite a lot and the answer is mostly yes. We use specialist high temp resin and cure the part to have the ability to cope with high temperature demands. Often re-finishing/lacquering can be more complicated, but we do have methods to manage this depending on the application.
