I AM HERE TO HELP WITH ANY QUESTIONS FOR THOSE IN CONSIDERATION OF THEIR OWN EFFORTS!
So I myself have done countless hours of research trying to figure out who else saved their carbon fiber roof from the peeling gel-coat. The most i found was one guy with an M6 made a video talking about his roof and ended up painting it the same color as the car. Well folks, that does not satisfy me. I purchased the car for the car and its performance and aesthetics. Painting over the looks of the carbon the same color of the car would be nothing but an utter disappointment. So here I am now writing up on this experience and hoping i give a deep insight on my experience on recovering the roof without sacrifice. I am also conducting this write up to help give people the relief that they to can also salvage their roof from the horrifying gel-coat that becomes weaker over time from outside sittings. Not only have i taken plenty of pictures but i also made some video footage of my process for them DIY guys. I want to make this write up simple and fast because no one wants to read forever. haha.
Lets begin
remove the antenna cover, it is double back taped so you can get some sort of strong thin plastic to removed it cutting through the tape. once removed, use a T25 or T30 torque socket and pop the antenna off. I suggest taking a picture of the wiring plugs to ensure its plugged back into the same slots.
Peel from the beginning center of the roof
Work your way around until entire center is peeled
in my experience the 4 corners begin to become a challenge. that is because the roof is a dome shape which the sun beats directly in the center.
any hard areas to work i used a brand new clean razor blade.
you cannot cut directly with the blade you must take your time and do a teeter-totter motion to slice through the gel-coat. be sure to keep the blade in a very sharp angle to prevent slicing into the roof. it may happen that's okay just cannot cut so deep more than likely you will not see it after re-cleared.
where the antenna is located try your best to remove as much clear as possible but keep in mind the antenna will cover the area so it is okay if there is a hard line inside within the cover itself no one nor you, will see it.
as for the edges, use the blade in a sharp angle to carefully cut through the clear, it was relatively easy for me cut down as much as possible, keep in mind also here the roof moldings will hide any hard lines in there too.
it is an option for the enthusiast to have both front and back glass removed for painting but is not needed. they can pull back the strip and mask off the seal.
mask off the hole where your antenna was with good tape and rinse down your roof cleaning it up as well as you can with water, also enjoy it with water on your roof as it simulates clear coat looking clean.
The next morning i drove to my shop where i work and parked my car inside the other building till my lunch break and dropped the car off at my buddies shop down the way for him to do the job.
5-7 coats of clear is recommended, every 2 coats sanding is recommended. the final coat you will still see the weave pattern in the clear coat as it settles in. my buddy did 7 coats as he told me. i left it alone at that if i want to i could sand it down and buff polish to give it a flat final finish. but the weave pattern in the coat does not bother me i dont really notice unless i take a good look at it.
As safety reasons i highly suggest gloves and a respirator at most to avoid inhaling and getting all the resin all over your hands. do at your own risk.
So I myself have done countless hours of research trying to figure out who else saved their carbon fiber roof from the peeling gel-coat. The most i found was one guy with an M6 made a video talking about his roof and ended up painting it the same color as the car. Well folks, that does not satisfy me. I purchased the car for the car and its performance and aesthetics. Painting over the looks of the carbon the same color of the car would be nothing but an utter disappointment. So here I am now writing up on this experience and hoping i give a deep insight on my experience on recovering the roof without sacrifice. I am also conducting this write up to help give people the relief that they to can also salvage their roof from the horrifying gel-coat that becomes weaker over time from outside sittings. Not only have i taken plenty of pictures but i also made some video footage of my process for them DIY guys. I want to make this write up simple and fast because no one wants to read forever. haha.
Lets begin
remove the antenna cover, it is double back taped so you can get some sort of strong thin plastic to removed it cutting through the tape. once removed, use a T25 or T30 torque socket and pop the antenna off. I suggest taking a picture of the wiring plugs to ensure its plugged back into the same slots.
Peel from the beginning center of the roof
Work your way around until entire center is peeled
in my experience the 4 corners begin to become a challenge. that is because the roof is a dome shape which the sun beats directly in the center.
any hard areas to work i used a brand new clean razor blade.
you cannot cut directly with the blade you must take your time and do a teeter-totter motion to slice through the gel-coat. be sure to keep the blade in a very sharp angle to prevent slicing into the roof. it may happen that's okay just cannot cut so deep more than likely you will not see it after re-cleared.
where the antenna is located try your best to remove as much clear as possible but keep in mind the antenna will cover the area so it is okay if there is a hard line inside within the cover itself no one nor you, will see it.
as for the edges, use the blade in a sharp angle to carefully cut through the clear, it was relatively easy for me cut down as much as possible, keep in mind also here the roof moldings will hide any hard lines in there too.
it is an option for the enthusiast to have both front and back glass removed for painting but is not needed. they can pull back the strip and mask off the seal.
mask off the hole where your antenna was with good tape and rinse down your roof cleaning it up as well as you can with water, also enjoy it with water on your roof as it simulates clear coat looking clean.
The next morning i drove to my shop where i work and parked my car inside the other building till my lunch break and dropped the car off at my buddies shop down the way for him to do the job.
5-7 coats of clear is recommended, every 2 coats sanding is recommended. the final coat you will still see the weave pattern in the clear coat as it settles in. my buddy did 7 coats as he told me. i left it alone at that if i want to i could sand it down and buff polish to give it a flat final finish. but the weave pattern in the coat does not bother me i dont really notice unless i take a good look at it.
As safety reasons i highly suggest gloves and a respirator at most to avoid inhaling and getting all the resin all over your hands. do at your own risk.
the first owner put a bike rack on the car. It's okay i will repair that to on a later day the hood also has a ding.
