XC Carbon Hood.. CLOUDY coat!?! WTF!!

[Metallic36]

So yeah.. went out to mess with the car today and found that the freaking "UV" gel coat is cloudy in numerous spots. I NEVER got any reconciliation from the previous issue regarding the air bubbles (after he said he would "help" pay for getting it repaired since I didn't want to be out $450 for shipping this hood back and paying for shipping a replacement that who the heck knows if it would have been good or the same as this one).. I sent him photos so he could show it to his manager/boss because he thought he knew why my hood was bad, and never heard anything back after trying several times to get a response. NOW THIS. I've had this hood for less than a year. This cloudy crap just started recently as I never noticed it before now. WTF!! There's no other option now since the air bubbles are all the way to the CF anyway, only thing I can do is paint it, which will cost $180. I've already taken it around once, to get quotes/info on fixing the bubble issue and everyone I took it to said because of the damage being so far down, it would have to be painted since everyone was afraid of messing up the weave. So now, not only do I have a CF hood with air bubbles that randomly come through to the surface, I have a bad gel coat too! In two words.. I'm pissed! WHY WOULD THIS HAPPEN SO SOON??

I wish this was true!
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3414383&postcount=10

 

[JCell]

ouch, thats horrible

best of luck

 

[NOTSPCY]

wow i have had mine on my car for 2/3 yrs now and no issues . i had it painted this past yr on the sides but no issues.

 

[pavone]

looks like that clear coat got mangled, prob start from rock chips and the like and raised the clear coat up or somethin. can you sand a cf hood? maybe wetsand and buff it too hell?

 

[Metallic36]

There were bubbles under the gel coat, all the way down to the carbon fiber. They rise to the surface and eventually break through, then there is a hole left over. They are all over the hood in random places. It's not from rock chips. This was visible as soon as I received the hood, it has just went on over time since then. Now this cloudy crap has happened. I suppose I was the lucky one that got a hood that was hurried through without attention to how it was made. There isn't anyone around here that even wants to attempt fixing it or wet sanding it. I just find it stupid that I paid that much for a hood, had all these issues with no help offered from XC (except for the option of having ME pay out of pocket), yet when I had an issue with Steedspeed he did not hesitate to correct it and make me happy. It frustrates me that it's an ongoing battle with XC for them to fix the issue without costing me more money. I bought a hood that was supposed to be better quality, and I get this.. I haven't even had it for a year. (protest)

 

[not yellow]

are the bubbles still coming through? cause if you paint it the bubbles might mess with the paint job as well.

 

[Metallic36]

Yes, there are still bubbles coming through. That's why they would have to get all the gel coat off, all the way down to the carbon fiber, then paint it.

are the bubbles still coming through? cause if you paint it the bubbles might mess with the paint job as well.

 

[yudkib]

ive been doing a lot of reading on CF stuff lately, but no fabrication, so my experience is limited.
before i say much, let me say: that sucks, big time. really bad spot.

bubbles arent too unusual in CF stuff, but ones that big and along the top (the portion contacting the mold) are... those are the worst ive seen. id imagine you could sand into the bubble and fill it in, but it might not be a huge improvement... and with it going so close to the weave you couldnt easily sand it down far enough to get it back to 100%.

as for the cloudiness, being that it wasn't present at first i'm suspecting some kind of UV damage. the epoxies in CF are sensitive to UV, and generally a UV protectant is applied above the epoxy but before any gloss clear coats. there could have been a gap or insufficient coverage.
was the car garaged?
i havent seen what other people do for sunlight damage, all ive seen is you have to prevent it... theres bandaids like buffing it but theres not a lot to really fix it, from what ive seen.

again, im not a pro on this but just what ive read.
good luck

 

[not yellow]

damn, that's rough... they really should be giving you a free replacement.

 

[CrazyCaker]

I've given you a few options, some even going further then our usual warranty. I'm not sure why you choose to keep letting this drag on, when we could have resolved it months ago. I'm also not sure how much simpler I can make this, but all you have to do is pay for shipping and I will send you a new one! It is clearly stated in our policy that shipping charges, and other indirect costs (eg. installation), are not covered.

 

[speedin]

even for factory defects? i am sure everone does not have the whole story but as a consumer it does not seem fair that i would have to pay to ship something back to the person that essentially did the damage in the first place. it seems as if it is some sort of defect that is out of the purchasers hands (as far as the air bubbles). again we probably dont have the whole story but sure does not seem right.

 

[Metallic36]

I have not let it drag on, after I sent you the photos you wanted, I never heard back! Even after sending messages asking for an update. This "cloudy gel coat" is a NEW issue on top of the previous one. And it's cheaper for you to make a new one than help with paying for it to get painted? And then how long is my car going to have to sit without a hood since I would have to ship this one back to you first? The thing I am afraid of is that I pay $450+ JUST for shipping costs (I'm in GA.. you're in CANADA), and then I get another hood of the same quality. Then what do I do? Pay for shipping costs again for another one? My issue is that I'm not so sure I want another one since I've had all the crap happen with this one. Each product that leaves your company represents your company, so I'm very leery about paying that much for shipping and then I get another hood of the same quality as the one I already have.

 

[CrazyCaker]

Please do me a favour, and read what I said. "Pay for shipping and I will send you a new one!". You can do whatever you want with that hood that you have. It clearly slipped though the cracks and is not something we'd opt to repair at this point.

 

[Metallic36]

Sending you a PM, thank you for your attention to this. That would definitely help out, I don't mind paying the shipping for a new hood.

Please do me a favour, and read what I said. "Pay for shipping and I will send you a new one!". You can do whatever you want with that hood that you have. It clearly slipped though the cracks and is not something we'd opt to repair at this point.

 

[CrazyCaker]

even for factory defects? i am sure everone does not have the whole story but as a consumer it does not seem fair that i would have to pay to ship something back to the person that essentially did the damage in the first place. it seems as if it is some sort of defect that is out of the purchasers hands (as far as the air bubbles). again we probably dont have the whole story but sure does not seem right.

Sorry but that's generally how it works, with pretty much every company in any business. I know our competition has simular limitations stipulated in their policies as well, just take a look for yourself and you'll see.