Last Updated: October 16, 2024
After much consideration and research, I finally decided to buy the BMW carbon fiber hood. It arrived more than 60 days after I placed the order, but the wait was well worth it. Is a carbon fiber hood worth buying for your BMW build? I do believe so, and I will be diving into the details as to why.
Main Benefits of Carbon Fiber Hood vs BMW Factory Hood
The first one is weight savings. I was in shock at how light the carbon fiber hood was. I would have a similar experience here as I did with the Vorsteiner wing (non-real one), where the seller sent me a fiberglass piece coated with low-quality CF imitation. However, I was wrong in a good way. This carbon fiber hood arrived flawless and was full of carbon fiber.
How Much Weight Can You Save By Getting a BMW Carbon Fiber Hood?
In my case, the F82 BMW M4 factory hood weighs around 36.6 lbs. The carbon fiber hood I received weighs around 16 lbs, over 20 lbs less. In the world of car enthusiasts and racers, every ounce counts.
Think about it—that weight comes off the front of the car, which can affect its handling. The car's been on a little diet, improving its balance and making it more nimble around corners. Remember that weight savings of 20 lbs will only be had if you go with the double-sided carbon fiber BMW hood.
The Cool Factor: Carbon Fiber's Appeal
A big part of this mod is about looks. Carbon fiber looks cool. It's got that high-tech, sporty vibe that turns heads at car meets. Plus, it's a way for BMW owners to personalize their rides and stand out from the crowd of stock cars.
In my case, I got the BMW F82 M4 GTS Style carbon fiber hood. I always loved how it looked, and truth be told, I'm not very big into racing either way, so the weight factor wasn't the one that sold me on it.
Carbon Fiber is Just a Better Material Than Metal
Carbon fiber isn't just about losing weight and looking good. This stuff is like the Superman of materials. It doesn't rust like metal, which is a nice bonus if you live somewhere with harsh winters. It's also incredibly stiff, which improves its structural integrity. Some people even claim it helps dissipate heat better, keeping your engine compartment cooler.
Speaking of heat, the GTS hood I ordered came with the GTS vent, so the heat can freely escape. The only worry about carbon fiber hoods with vents is that water and dust will get under your hood much more freely, resulting in more cleaning needs.
Fall-backs of Buying a Carbon Fiber Hood for Your BMW
Now, let's get real for a second. If you do not care about your BMW's looks and do not go out racing, the carbon fiber hood might not make much sense. It's expensive and will be a much bigger pain to replace if damaged. It could hurt your resale value if the next buyer isn't into the modded look.
Also, finding the hood that fits perfectly on your vehicle might be tough if you are penny-pinching. As much of a penny pincher as I am, I have spent weeks looking for the right one and spoken to dozens of carbon fiber parts suppliers. Luckily, I found the right one. However, the communication and waiting for the shipment of parts could have been better.
Where to Buy a Carbon Fiber Hood for Your BMW?
There are plenty of suppliers to choose from when hunting down the right carbon fiber hood for your BMW. If you live in a fairly well-populated area, you might even have a local shop manufacturing full carbon fiber BMW hoods. I have seen one show up on a Facebook group here in Denver. However, the price will reflect that since it's an American-made product.
Here are a few reliable suppliers where you can get a carbon fiber hood that are based out of the USA:
- Bimmer Plug (5% off automatically applied through this link)
- RW Carbon
- Vivid Racing
How To Choose The Right Carbon Fiber Hood
You will encounter many interesting characters when shopping for carbon fiber car parts for your BMW. Some of these characters are fine people and trustworthy, and some are just trying to make a quick buck (think of pushy new eBay sellers). You will have to find the most optimal balance between the price point you want to stick to and the frustration you are willing to put up with.
Usually, there is a reverse correlation between the product's price point and the frustration levels you will reach. So yes, contacting a supplier from Alibaba or AliExpress will be much cheaper, depending on your time per hour, but it might not be worth it.
One of the biggest things to watch out for is product descriptions that need more accuracy. Here are the three different options that you must understand before starting to shop for a BMW carbon fiber hood:
Single Side Carbon Fiber BMW Hood
- Material: Fiberglass or Kevlar with Carbon Fiber overlay
- Price range: $800 – $2000
When speaking to the company selling a carbon fiber hood for your BMW, you must ensure you fully understand what you are getting. If the product description mentions “single-sided carbon fiber,” it is pretty much the same as a Fiberglass hood with a layer of carbon fiber on top of it. Simply put, it is not “real” carbon fiber. One of the examples is below. Pay attention to how listings like this hide the back of the hood from you. I would ask for pictures taken by the person selling and run a reverse Google search to ensure it's not someone else's picture.
Who is a single-sided carbon fiber hood for? If you want the same looks as the double-sided CF hoods but are on a budget, this hood is right for you.
Double Sided Carbon Fiber BMW Hood
- Material: Full carbon fiber
- Price range: $2000 – $4000
Now, double-sided carbon fiber hoods are the full package deal. Carbon fiber is on the outside and the inside. When you pop the hood, you're greeted with that distinctive carbon weave pattern, which is sure to impress at car shows.
These hoods are typically lighter than their single-sided cousins, though the difference is a couple of pounds. They're also generally stiffer, which can be a plus for high-performance applications.
It is worth mentioning that there are two types of double-sided carbon fiber hoods: wet carbon fiber and dry carbon fiber, the latter being more expensive. The differences between the two are as follows:
Wet and dry carbon fibers differ in their manufacturing processes and resulting properties. Wet carbon fiber is made by pre-impregnating carbon fibers with resin before molding, resulting in a glossy finish. It's generally less expensive. It's strong and lightweight but not to the same degree as dry carbon. Wet carbon is more commonly used due to its lower cost and easier production of complex shapes.
Dry carbon fiber, on the other hand, introduces resin during the molding process rather than before. It typically has a matte finish with a more visible weave pattern. Dry carbon is lighter and stronger than wet carbon, with better heat resistance, making it ideal for high-performance applications. However, it's significantly more expensive and can be more brittle. While wet carbon is suitable for most applications, dry carbon is preferred by enthusiasts and in racing scenarios where maximum weight savings and strength are crucial.
What to do Once Your BMW Carbon Fiber Hood Arrives
Opening the box
Your hood most likely and hopefully will arrive in a wooden box which will be a pain to open. So make sure to have some solid gloves that aren't easy to puncture. In my case all wooden panel's on my box were stapled, which made it very tricky to open. I had to get a crowbar and some stiff gloves.
Make sure to not damage the hood while trying to open the box. It's easy to get carried away and damage in the process of unboxing. You do not want the hassle of trying to get it fixed or file a return, since 90%+ of these hoods will be coming from Asia by ship. It is rare that companies in US have them in stock, unless they produce them here.
Unpackaging the Hood
Similar to taking it out of the box, make sure to not scratch it up. Expect the hood to have quite a bit of dust on it, so any heavier friction might cause scratches on it. I used a box cutter to carefully cut around the tape and then took off the protective layer that the shipper wrapped the hood in.
I would advise you to leave the protective padding on the corners of the hood until the installation time. I left mine leaned against the wall, and the protective padding helped it to not get scratched.
Paint Protection on Your New BMW Carbon Fiber Hood
Another few advices to make sure that your hood will look great for a long long time. After all, they are not cheap and you don't want to ruin it. I would get it PPF'd (paint protected) before even mounting it on the car, if possible. As good as they look new, that can change quickly with a few rock chips.
You can either go to a local detailing shop or try to do it yourself. DYI PPF is not an easy feat, but if you have the skills needed, some help, patience, and precision, you could knock it out in a short evening.
Some companies sell precut PPF film for any type of hood, which would make the process much less tedious. If you spent over a thousand on your BMW carbon fiber hood, spending a bit more to preserve it should be a no-brainer.
BMW Carbon Fiber Hood Installation Issues and Troubleshooting
There are A LOT of things that can go wrong. When I received my hood, there was quite a bit of work that needed to be done to get it to fit properly. One of the major things when ordering aftermarket carbon fiber BMW hoods is the fitment. The hood I received doesn't fit properly, so I spent around 2 more hours (besides attaching it to the car) to get it to sit properly. Let's review a few of the hood alignment issues you might face.
Carbon Fiber Hood Installation Possible Issue #1: Hood Leaves Large Gaps Between Other Body Panels
As you see from the image above, my hood initially had massive gaps. Also, note how far the corner of the hood is compared to the top of the headlight. That doesn't look normal.
Possible Fixes for Large Gaps Left By Installing a Carbon Fiber Hood For Your BMW:
The quickest way to fix it is to move other body panels closer to the hood. This would be the first thing that I would do. Once you are sure that all of the body panels are moved as close to the hood as possible without causing damage, you can work on properly aligning the gaps that might still be present.
Once I moved the fenders and the front bumper closer to the hood, I realized that the passenger-side fender didn't move as much as the driver-side fender. This meant I would need to play around with the brackets on which the hood is attached to the car. Let's go over how that might look in the next section.
Carbon Fiber Hood Installation Issue #2: Gaps On Both Sides or the Front are Different
As you can see from the image above, I still had some major alignment issues after moving the body panels closer to the hood. However, the driver's side is now closed off quite a bit. However, as you see in the red markings, the gaps, even from the top of the headlights, are uneven, making me believe that the hood is pushed too far back.
The yellow marking on the image indicates gaps across the front of the carbon fiber hood. I fixed this issue by twisting the hood's hooking points to go deeper into the hood. It is super easy and doesn't require any tools. Since you are attaching the same hood hooking points to the aftermarket carbon fiber hood on your Bimmer, you will realize this fix is the easiest.
The gaps on the sides of the hood are the toughest to solve, and you will need to keep opening the hood, loosening, and tightening the 2 bolts on each side. It depends on case-by-case scenarios, so I cannot even give solid advice on how to adjust them here. If I nail it down in the upcoming week, I'll update this post to reflect the new strategy.
BMW Carbon Fiber Hood Possible Installation Issue #3: Pre-Drilled Holes Are Too Small
This was probably the most frustrating part (besides breaking a clip off) when I realized that the holes in the new hood were too small to move over the windshield washer jets neatly. I'm not super handy when it comes to working on cars, but I also didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars that it would have cost me if I had gone to the shop to get it done. So, instead, I found myself a rotary tool that made this process not too terrible.
The rotary tool that you see above is the one I used to widen the holes in the hood to move over the windshield washer jets properly. When using the tool, it gets dusty; I would highly suggest having a vacuum running close to you to suck up any of the dust that gets produced while shaving carbon fiber.
Since I'm not a professional, the holes didn't turn out perfectly. However, they reached the point where I could snuggly place the windshield washer jet clips. To ensure that they stick in their place properly, I also added 3M double-sided tape at the bottom portion of the clip. This way, I have peace of mind knowing they aren't going anywhere.
Quick Suggestion: Before attaching the 3M Double-Sided tape, please make sure to have cleaned the area properly from any dust that might have been left over from shaving off the carbon fiber.
Another Suggestion: When removing the part circled in red, ensure not to break off the clips. I've watched YouTube videos after the fact, but you can twist the circled clip, and it will pop out. I ended up breaking mine because of the lack of patience.
Bottom Line: BMW Carbon Fiber Hood
Ultimately, if you feel like you have some spare cash and want your BMW build to look even better, investing in a carbon fiber hood is not a bad idea. If you care about performance more than looks, the money might be better invested in performance mods. I have written a page on BMW M4 Mods where I go over quite a few options for optics as well as performance modifications on the BMW M4s, however, most of BMWs can benefit from the same type of modifications.
