SEIBON carbon parts!?

[Uli_HH]

Has someone experience with Seibon carbon parts ... they produce parts that Vorsteiner hasn´t in her stock ... M3 OEM-carbon hoods and trunk lids .... but how good are they - as good as Vorsteiner?
How are fitment and quality? Are they producing real (full) carbon parts?

Many questions - but I hope that someone could help me ...

Greets Uli_HH

[itsmeeeugene]

i had a seibon carbon fiber hood on my eco 8, and at first, they look amazing. then over time, they yellow, the clear coat cracks and/or blemishes. in the end, i was very unsatisfied with it.i wish i had pics of it to show you, but it was pretty bad. im not sure if it had anything to do with the fact that my evo was in the sun for most of the day, but it was sure a dissapointment. my vote is to stay away.

[dvpouldar26]

Originally Posted by itsmeeeugene

i had a seibon carbon fiber hood on my eco 8, and at first, they look amazing. then over time, they yellow, the clear coat cracks and/or blemishes. in the end, i was very unsatisfied with it.i wish i had pics of it to show you, but it was pretty bad. im not sure if it had anything to do with the fact that my evo was in the sun for most of the day, but it was sure a dissapointment. my vote is to stay away.

The reason it turns yellow is because the top gel coat that seibon comes from the factory isnt good quality and all yellow over time. Most people who get seibon sand down the clearcoat and reapply clear. Then there would be no yellowing. Overall, on the e92, seibons fitment hasnt been that good and needs alot of adjusting to make it fit right. I would only buy a used trunk where it had already been to a body shop and fitted. Also, another complaint is that for the trunk for the e92, there is nowhere to put a roundel.

[SV Concepts]

Originally Posted by dvpouldar26

The reason it turns yellow is because the top gel coat that seibon comes from the factory isnt good quality and all yellow over time. Most people who get seibon sand down the clearcoat and reapply clear. Then there would be no yellowing. Overall, on the e92, seibons fitment hasnt been that good and needs alot of adjusting to make it fit right. I would only buy a used trunk where it had already been to a body shop and fitted. Also, another complaint is that for the trunk for the e92, there is nowhere to put a roundel.

(Disclaimer: Of course I am biased, but as you'll see, I'll be 100% forthcoming)

One other factor is that they use a wet-lay process AFAIK, which is why they are so affordable.

To answer your question, they are not "full" carbon fiber - but most companies (short of Ericsson and selected parts from other brands listed below)) are. This isn't to say that other companies (i.e. Vorsteiner, Novitec Rosso, Techart) do not use more advanced materials and methods, such as pre-impregnation, S-Glass composites, etc.

Overall, there are much better quality alternatives out there, but if you're on a budget, a re-sprayed and very meticulously adjusted Seibon component is fine, though it may warp/yellow over time.

I had a wet-lay hood on my E46 and it was fine at first but over time it warped, which bothered the HELL out of me

Hope this helps!
JL

Edit: One other thing. If you're worried about strength and integrity of the component, there is no comparison, as wet-lay is not much stronger than fiberglass.

[msile]

I had a seibon front lip on my supra and every stone that hit it resulted in a spiderweb effect on the clear which was white. This was with 3M protection.

[maaicher]

what if you clear bra the hood?...does it still age?