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
The Aston Martin Vanquish was in need of a front splitter repair and you can see how we got on with the video above:
The Mclaren 600LT was such a time consuming repair we got the chance to film some of the process which you can see above:
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 fabrication@carbonwurks.com. 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 by Clicking Here!
Frequently Asked
Questions
Typically our repair schedule is approximately booked up about 4-6 weeks in advanced.
As every part and it’s damage is unique and different, it can take anywhere from 1 week to 4 weeks to complete to our usual high echelon of standards
Every repair is unique and as such one piece may need more components and materials than another.As part of the initial enquiry we’ll take a look at all the pictures and information you provide and work out what is needed in terms of materials, the complexity of the repair, and how much time will be required to complete the repair.
Until we have all the correct info we cannot provide any pricing or quotes.
Every carbon fibre part we work on will be repaired and most importantly finished to the highest standard as possible.
We will endeavour to return every part back to as close a factory finish as possible.
In some instances (Based on the type of damage) it may not be possible to fully get that straight out of the box from factory look and feel but will always get is as close as possible!
