I bought a CF hood scoop and hatch handle off of a guy not too long ago and the hatch handle needed a clear coat respray. It was starting to peel and bubble around the edges and had a gross yellow tint to it from exposure to the sun. The Texas sun sucks and I see a lot of peeling CF parts on various types of cars all over town (Houston), but instead of taking it to a shop and paying more money I decided to tackle the job myself for cheap and the results were pretty darn good. This process should work for any cosmetic CF part with peeling clear like hoods, mirror covers, scoops, and so on.

I have refinished and repaired surfboards before, but I am definitely not an expert. If I can do it I think anyone can!

Materials:

1) A spray can of high gloss, fast drying clear coat. I bought the stubby Dupli-Color can from Autozone for a little over 7 bucks.

2) Various levels of wet/dry sandpaper. I used 800, 1000, and 2000 all purchased at Autozone. Be on the lookout for the combo packs that come with all of various grits so you can save some money.

3) Some rubbing compound and applicator pads. I got the Meguires compound and some cheap applicator pads from, you guessed it... Autozone.

Overall total for supplies was about 20 bucks. Now to the fun part.

First thing: Open a beer and turn on your TV before your hands get dirty.

Once you get comfortable, sand off the original clearcoat that was peeling. Start with the 800 grit and wetsand until you can no longer see the bubbling. It will rub out slowly like you are erasing it so take your time. Be careful not to sand too much or you can damage the carbon weave under the gelcoat and ruin this expensive part. This is the scarriest part so I suggest keeping the part wet. Once it dries it will look dull, but have no fear, whatever the part looks like wet is how it will look once it has been recleared (hard to believe but trust me!).

Next wetsand the part again with the 1000 grit until the part looks uniform and any deep scratches or imperfections are gone. Remember to take your time! It is supposed to look hazy and dull so stop worrying and grab another beer.

Rinse the part off with water and wipe it down with a clean microfiber cloth. Steal some of your girlfriends nailpolish remover and wipe it down with that and a clean cloth to remove any leftover particles before painting.

Allow the part to dry for a bit while you mask off the parts you dont want to refinish if you need to (like the back of the part or any tabs, connections, etc.).

Now we are ready for paint. Remember to paint your part in a well ventilated area! This does not mean the enclosed hallway of your apartment complex! Spray a few coats onto the part following the instructions on the can. I did 1 heavy coat and about 4 light coats with 10 minutes between.

Might not be necessary, but I allowed the part to dry 24 hours before moving to the next step.

Here is the part after the first round of coats and 24 hours of drying:


and with better light so you can see the gloss and imperfections from spraying:



I sanded the part lightly with 1000 grit again to get rid of the small imperfections in the paint. Rinse the part off just like earlier to remove all particles before the next round of coats.

For the final round of clear I just repeated what I did for the first round, but let it dry for 48 hours before touching it again.

Once the part dries it will look like the part in the pictures above but with more depth. Imperfections in the paint will need to be removed by wetsanding with 2000 grit sand paper. You will start to feel the part get smoother and smoother while wetsanding, but remember to take your time wetsanding! You dont want to take too much of that beautiful clear off of the part.

Once you clean the part off again (for the last time I promise) it will look a little hazy but not near as bad as it did after first sanding. This is where the rubbing compound and some elbow grease really make the difference. Apply the rubbing compound following the instructions on the bottle until you achieve a beautiful glass finish on the part. It is a lot easier with a power buffer, but I didn't have one and was too cheap to get one.

After buffing and installation:


After you are done the part will look brand new and will be ready to go on the vehicle. If you want more shine, wax the part with normal wax with the rest of your car during your regualar waxing interval (I am planing on doing this).

Finally, crack another beer to celebrate the completion of the job.

If you have any questions let me know!