Repairing Carbon Parts: Fix Scratches, Cracks & Breaks Yourself

Repairing Carbon Parts: Fixing Scratches, Cracks, and Breaks Yourself

A rock chip, a parking scratch, or a hairline crack in the clear coat – carbon fiber parts look elegant, but they aren't indestructible. The good news: Many damages can be repaired, often even by yourself. In this guide, you'll learn which damages you can fix yourself, which are better left to the professionals, what materials you need, and how a carbon fiber repair procedure works step by step.

What carbon damage is there?

Before you attempt a repair, you should properly assess the damage. This will determine whether a DIY repair is worthwhile.

Repairing carbon scratches yourself – step by step

As long as only the clear coat is affected and the carbon fiber underneath remains undamaged, the repair is manageable.

1. Clean & degrease: Thoroughly clean the spot so no dirt is trapped.
2. Sanding Carefully remove the damaged clear coat with fine wet sandpaper – only the coat, not the fiber.
3. Clean Removing grinding dust with acetone. It's practical to have a solvent-resistant spray bottle.
4. Reseal Apply several thin layers of clear coat or top coat, lightly sanding between each layer.
5. Polishing After curing, polish to a high gloss.

Repair cracks and deeper damage

If the damage goes deep into the fibers, clear varnish is no longer sufficient. Here, epoxy resin and, if necessary, new carbon fabric must be used:

1. Widen and clean the crack, remove loose parts.
2. Fill with resin; for larger damage, laminate in a layer of fabric.
3. Allow to cure, then wet-sand with multiple grits.
4. Reseal clear-coated carbon fiber until the surface has a uniform gloss again.

The basic technique is similar to laminating. If you've never done this before, please read our instructions first „Making carbon yourself“ – there we explain soaking and curing in detail.

Repairing carbon parts – the professional service

If the damage is too great, you want the viewing image to be perfect, or the risk is too high for you, we will handle the repair for you. You can find all information about this on our page Carbon Repair. If a part can no longer be saved, a complete Carbon finishing of the original part – the result will then look like new again.

Sometimes replacement is the better choice: In our Carbon prefabricated parts find many components immediately available, for example open-pore carbon interior trim as a direct exchange.

Prevent carbon damage

The best repair is one that's never needed. With the right care, the clear coat stays intact longer and UV damage is avoided. Read the guide to learn how to protect carbon fiber permanently. „Carbon Care & Seal“. If you have questions about a specific claim, our team is happy to help – simply describe it to us via the Contact form.

Frequently Asked Questions