Opinion on carbon bonnets please?

[Hofmiester 10]

My car is pretty much spot on exterior wise but the bonnet is buggered, lots of dents and ripples, a big deep dent at the front right on the radius (very hard to fix) and also the paint has reacted.

 

The most cost effective way to fix this is to buy another one, have it painted and then swap it onto my car. For that, I am probably looking at £50 for a bonnet, then I have to transport it (there are 0 bonnet in the North East right now) and then have it painted and prepped.....probably looking at £300 to £350 all in all

 

Or.....I could go carbon for a couple of hundred more but it would be delivered to my house with no hassle

 

What do you guys think about carbon on my car?

 

 

Btw I hope previous owner doesn't mind me using one of his pics ;)

[Gareth192001 10]

Don't go carbon!!!

 

I've yet to see one fit well.

 

Plus black bonnet on your car would look bad.

 

Did you get a quote to fix yours?

[VW_OwneR_85 1]

cant comment on the fitment with carbon fibre bonnets but im sure someone on this forum has one, so maybe ask there opinion on that before makeing any decisions, but i was in the same boat as you with needing the bonnet resprayed, a carbon bonnet on my car wouldnt of looked bad as its black , personaly dont think a carbon bonnet would look bad on your car either!, but i decided to spray mine instead, even if you buy a carbon bonnet you can still spray it to match the car later down the road anyway,

[MarkFoster 0]

Yeah, agree with above. Check examples of fit before you let go of your money and if happy, go for it. Then just get it painted when funds allow if you can't live with the blackberry/carbon contrast.

 

Mark

[clumpy1 11]

I personally wouldn't do it to my car i do like carbon bit's like spoiler,splitter etc but bonnet is a bit to fast and furious a bit to modern for a corrado it's your car and money but mate if you want to do it go for it;)

[lewvw 10]

Don't do it, unpainted carbon has no place on a corrado unless it's nugget or white IMO.

[Hofmiester 10]

I think I need to get some prices for a new (used) bonnet and re-spray. Living in the north east is so inconvenient for buying corrado parts :(

[Billzeebub 1]

To me original is best

[VW_OwneR_85 1]

. Living in the north east is so inconvenient for buying corrado parts :(

 

try living in the channel islands then ;)

absolute nightmare for things like that,i would happily go out on a road trip for bits like that, personaly idd find another bonnet the same colour thats in good nick that doesnt need spraying and hope it matchs , as these carbon bonnets are almost £700 now, they were £500 at one point ,even if you got to go on a road trip it will be worth it, its not like your be needing a bonnet every other week,

[Hofmiester 10]

Easier said than done though mate, I've been looking for a blackberry bonnet for 4 months now. Lots of Green, Blue and Red about but no blackberry.

 

I found one but it was 600 miles away and still needed reprinting :(

 

I have found a green one in Leeds for £40 and chances are, I'll go for that and have it repainted top and bottom.

[fragsxr 10]

hi mate, theres a aqua blue breakin down at v dubs in bill quay. not sure what the bonnets like but worth a try before travellin down to leeds.

[Hofmiester 10]

Problem is those guys take the mick on price ;)

 

They'll probably want £150 for it!

[fragsxr 10]

yeah ur right there like... obviously been down before, they can be quite helpful though.

[Andrew_LWSDesign 10]

I obviously have a vested interest in this thread and dont want to hide that or want to be banned for my comments but remember Carbon is mainly about weight saving and not just the look as it does not suit all cars and will always be personal preference, companies that supply carbon parts (not just us!) can supply the parts primed ready to be painted which would still represent some 15kg saving over a standard bonnet even when painted and you would not know it isnt stock...

 

On a dark car the roof skin I will always suggest stays carbon without painting (again personal preference but this is often not noticeable until you look closely) and then usually gets a wow comment, even the M3 now comes from the factory with a standard Carbon Roof although accept BMW might not always be the best examples and might be flamed on here but don't think anyone can argue with the M3's performance characteristics :-)

 

Happy new year to one and all :-)

[16VG60 0]

As to individuals perception concerning the cosmetic aspects of fitting a carbon fibre bonnet, or indeed other body panels for that matter, my opinion is just that, and we will all have a view on the subject.

With regard to quality of manufacture, installed fit, and service as a viable alternative to the OEM steel

Item, I can offer some facts based on personal experience. I have fitted to my Corrado 100% carbon fibre bonnet, roof skin, & rear tailgate spoiler. All of these components were manufactured by the late Performance Trim. Indeed it was for my Corrado that the original roof skin and rear spoiler were initially created. All of the components were generated from moulds, that were created from OEM panels, so indeed the fit of these parts is unsurprisingly therefore every bit as good as the OEM panel. The bonnet is a faithful recreation in carbon, it accepts the original hinges, closure pins, and catch assemblies. Given that the individual fitting the bonnet, has a decent comprehension of how to carry out such works, then the resulting installation will be very satisfactory and without compromise. The rear spoiler is again the same high quality and fit. The roof skin is not a DIY job however, and requires professional expertise to install, but none the less is off the same calibre. I am personally delighted to hear these parts remain available to Corrado owners through LWS. My reasons for replacing panels for carbon alternatives were primarily for weight saving, but others could equally benefit from the other well documented attributes of this composite material. My own Corrado I hope will in time be equipped with carbon tailgate and doors, two more panels I hope LWS will

Entertain for manufacture.

Irrespective of whether or not one chooses to paint carbon panels, I can vouch for the quality and fit of these parts, and on the back of that confidence, we are undertaking the fitting of a Forum member's LWS carbon roof skin in January 2013. It is my belief that in the light of the ever worsening situation every Corrado owner faces, wherein replacement parts supply for our cars is drying up, we need to support specialists and manufacturers who undertake to keep the Corrado alive.

[Anton Sobriquet 0]

16VG60 can you post a pic of your car, please? Looks good in your avatar.

 

I'm in a similar position, needing a new bonnet after a garage door fell on the car while workmen were replacing it. It also scuffed the left wing. My repair is down to the company employed to change the doors and the bodyshop says it needs a new bonnet. A brand new one is quoted at £550, which isn't a million miles from the price of a carbon one, so I'm tempted even tho' I've been warned off about ffitting issues.

 

If 16VG60's fits like OEM I might be persuaded. Seems to look good on a blue car, too.

[coullstar 0]

Heres my old one with the Perf trim bonnet. Fitted fine, only issue was with washers but that seemed relatively easy to work around using Mk4 washer jets hidden away or if you want function over form I had a set of those wipers with jets on them. This was the carbon skin with fibreglass frame.

Biggest thing is the weight saving. Corrado bonnets, doors and tailgate are stupidly heavy.

[OllieVR6 0]

Adding little to this thread but I would assume that removing weight from the front, specifically the bonnet and wings is going to help reduce under steer?

[16VG60 0]

Here are some pics of my carbon fibre bonnet. I opted to keep the clean lines and use the Mk4 Golf fan jets for screen washers. They are simple to fit, far superior in use, and get rid of the two plastic lumps in the bonnet. Again my opinion and choice, but it is a choice issue as one could equally fit the OEM washer jets.

[Anton Sobriquet 0]

I like the look of that. Think I'm persuaded. Anyone up for a GB?

 

Which Mk4 washers do you use and where/ how do they fit?

[16VG60 0]

Here's a couple of pics to illustrate washer fitment

[Andrew_LWSDesign 10]

Group buy live in Parts for Sale :-)

Edited December 31, 2012 by Andrew_LWSDesign

[lj16v 0]

I'm pretty interested in this........was thinking I would contact you at some point in the new year about one of these!

Probably want it painted on the outside with the oem holes for the washer jets, want to keep the car 'looking' standard, like the idea of seeing the carbon on the inside though, one question I was going to ask.....what is the finish on the underside where the sound deadening/insulation would go? It looks matt/raw, I'm thinking about leaving the foam off but would like the finish to be consistent, is that a possibility?

 

Laurence

[Andrew_LWSDesign 10]

The finish is exactly as you have said and is slightly rough to touch and "raw" is a good word to describe. We can apply a single layer of lacquer to the underside which would result in the weave of the carbon being more noticeable and a light sheen to the underside which would look good but i would never be the gloss of the top of the bonnet or the gloss of the inner frame.

 

---------- Post added at 7:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 7:22 PM ----------

 

Re the washer jets, these certainally can be put into the bonnet and as always the buyer decision is what we will adhere to but have to say I like 16VG60's idea of the washer jets sitting out of sight...this would leave more of the expanse of carbon to admire :-)

[lj16v 0]

Oh that dose sound good : )

I'll be in touch in the new year......gotta go and get ready for this fancy dress nye party!!