2M Autowerks Carbon Roof Feedback?

[robgill]

I'm looking at carbon roofs and 2M Autowerks has popped up recently as vendor to consider. Couple people referenced them in the carbon roof thread but I haven't seen any actual reviews of their product. Does anyone have any direct experience of the quality of their roof? My standard is RKP (formally Challenge) and Karboniuos but they both have long lead times.

[usdmej]

I've heard nothing but bad things about their fenders fitment wise

[nextelbuddy]

I'm running their M3 sedan fenders on my E46 M3 sedan conversion car. They are FRP fiberglass reinforced plastic and they seem to fit okay out of the box. But there's always an expectation with any aftermarket fiberglass product that they will need to be some modifications. So of course there was some blocking and sanding and specific areas to get even gaps. But overall the fenders fit great for what they were

I'm also running their carbon fiber roof for sedan on my sedan and it fit. The corners didn't fit completely flat but there was no problem with just using your finger to push it down gently and once they were pressed down everything lined up like they were supposed to and the entire roof is panel bonded with 3M panel bond to the roof bow and the front and rear bows. Again the fitment was fine out of the box

The weave is not 100% awesome, mainly because the way they do their carbon fiber work is vacuum bag sealed which is kind of old school compared to Karbonius which does the autoclave. That's why Karbonius products are pretty much meant every single time. Nice perfect weaves

on my roof I have a one by one weave which is pretty much good everywhere except one specific spot where the weave got pushed out of place slightly during the vacuum bag process. You can't really see it because nobody looks at the top of the roof from overhead view but I noticed it when I was installing the roof again. I kind of had that expectation considering the price that I paid and the fact that they are the only ones really making a sedan carbon fiber roof for me anyways.

I have another friend that has an M3 conversion car in South Carolina. He's also running their roof and when he got his roof it was damaged in shipping. It wasn't the fault of the shipper but they work together and were able to get him another roof shipped out and he has it installed.

[robgill]

Thanks for the detailed feedback [mention]nextelbuddy [/mention] , I'm going to stick with the RPK roof 👍

[bigjae46]

The weave is not 100% awesome, mainly because the way they do their carbon fiber work is vacuum bag sealed which is kind of old school compared to Karbonius which does the autoclave. That's why Karbonius products are pretty much meant every single time. Nice perfect weaves

When the weave gets messed up it is an issue with the layup, not the method of curing. Using pre-preg with an autoclave is optimal in high temp applications. Pre-preg makes the layup a little easier since the cloth is stabilized.

There are parts with pre-preg that are not cured in an autoclave. There are parts that are infused and cured in an autoclave. I've seen many parts with perfect weaves that were laid up dry, its really down to the person laying it up.

Whether the part is pre-preg or not or cured in an autoclave...it is vacuum bagged. The part is laid up, bagged, and then a vacuum is pulled before putting it in an autoclave. The vacuum is what draws the excess resin out and compacts the layers of fabric.

[jdamore44]

When the weave gets messed up it is an issue with the layup, not the method of curing. Using pre-preg with an autoclave is optimal in high temp applications. Pre-preg makes the layup a little easier since the cloth is stabilized.

There are parts with pre-preg that are not cured in an autoclave. There are parts that are infused and cured in an autoclave. I've seen many parts with perfect weaves that were laid up dry, its really down to the person laying it up.

Whether the part is pre-preg or not or cured in an autoclave...it is vacuum bagged. The part is laid up, bagged, and then a vacuum is pulled before putting it in an autoclave. The vacuum is what draws the excess resin out and compacts the layers of fabric.

Yes. this. (I'm a production supervisor for a composites aerospace manufacturer. We build composites from Fiberglass, Kevlar, and Carbon fiber. All of our parts are pre-preg and autoclave cured. Bigjae is spot-on.)

[AWE46M3]

I went with Karb after seeing a few 2M roofs in person. 2M is great, but Karbonius is exceptional. Love my roof and very happy with the purchase.

It's a big job and you don't want to have to do it again.... buy nice or buy twice 😅 Karb was worth the wait.

[tlow98]

Great to hear about the sedan roof. Thanks nextelbuddy! I’ve been considering this roof for my car. They’re also close-ish which is nice

[jdamore44]

I'll be going with Karb for CSL trunk and eventually roof. I wish my company would get into automotive, but the money is in aerospace.

[bigjae46]

I'll be going with Karb for CSL trunk and eventually roof. I wish my company would get into automotive, but the money is in aerospace.

Yeah, automotive pays crap.

[robgill]

Just to close this out. Went with the RKP from IND as they had one in stock and shipped it pretty fast. Couldn't be happier with the quality and fit!

[Tbonem3]

Noice