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Questions About Composite Body

outsydthebox

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Hey All,
So I've no experience with owning a vehicle made with composite. If someone hits me, will it dent like metal or will it crack? Can it shatter? Can composite be fixed at Joe Blow's Body Shop and will it be costly?
Will a repair compromise future safety? Will a repair negatively impact the interior sound-deadening qualities of the panels? Thanks, everyone, for your time.

I have several business contacts who own or manage body shops, so I will share what I "think" I know. It isn't just Saturn and Corvette that use "plastic" panels. Buick LeSabre and Park Avenue front fenders have been "composite" for over a decade, and there are probably others. Even when a body panel is steel, If the damage is more that just "dings" most shops will replace it, as they make 25% "mark up" on any parts they replace (plus labor), so I doesn't make $en$e for them so pay out a lot of labor. These shops are all held to high "safety" standards for repairs, tho (in my opinion) not all shops are honest.
If it is a reputable shop, "future safety" and "sound deadening" should not be an issue. The law allows you a limited amount of time, after the repairs are complete & you take possession, to have any problems (fit and finish, rattles and squeaks) fixed to your satisfaction.
I have found it helpful to ask your local body shops..."what insurance companies do you LIKE to work with?"...as there are some companies that will not pay for good quality replacement parts! my 2 cents
 

imageon

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Most of these composite plastics are white in composition. Some are gray or black.
I had a motorcycle that the plastic parts were white and the bike was black. Then a Burgman 650 which was black and the plastic itself was black.
If I scraped up the plastic you could hardly see it because the innards of the plastic were black. The white bike was a different story.
I wonder what color the material they make the Elio panels out of is? May have a barring on what color I get.
MK
 

Coda1

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Composite repair shouldn't be a problem. I've repaired a few composite canoes and it wasn't too hard. Structural repairs would be best made from the backside of the panel with some resin and fiberglass cloth. Bondo is more or less just a resin with some fillers in it so would work good for cosmetic repairs. Any auto body shop can do these repairs. If the shop is any good you will not even be able to tell it was repaired.
 

CrimsonEclipse

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ok, I'll tackle this one.

Composites, like the name suggests, consist of 2 or more items to make the structure. Fiberglass is a composite as is carbon fiber which is really only a half name. The full name is Carbon Fiber Composite.

First there is a fiber mesh. Carbon, glass, wool, hemp, can all make the fiber and each have characteristics like weight, price, strength, heat resistance, etc. and is chose for the specific task.

Second there is the thickness of the fiber, threads per inch, the weaving of the fiber that affect the load bearing characteristics that are needed like torsional, compression etc.

Tasks include weight bearing structure, aero dynamic fairings, etc.

The resin used also varies. price, heat and UV resistance are factors as is ease of forming. Many composites require vacuum chambers and high quality temperature and pressure controls. Others can be mixed with a paint brush.

Repair is actually easier with composites than metals.
If it is a structural repair, the cracked area is usually reduced or removed and filled with layers of composite and then cured.

There's also the fact that composites do NOT rust or corrode.
Paint is also unnecessary since the composite can be made to have a resin that is the desired color.

Elio would be advised to have a UV resistance to that of South Florida sunlight. Many car companies get permission to patrol airport parking lots to survey the paint of cars in the South Florida, South Texas and Southern California areas to gain data on paint durability.

I hope that helps!
 

Rickb

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ok, I'll tackle this one.

Composites, like the name suggests, consist of 2 or more items to make the structure. Fiberglass is a composite as is carbon fiber which is really only a half name. The full name is Carbon Fiber Composite.

First there is a fiber mesh. Carbon, glass, wool, hemp, can all make the fiber and each have characteristics like weight, price, strength, heat resistance, etc. and is chose for the specific task.

Second there is the thickness of the fiber, threads per inch, the weaving of the fiber that affect the load bearing characteristics that are needed like torsional, compression etc.

Tasks include weight bearing structure, aero dynamic fairings, etc.

The resin used also varies. price, heat and UV resistance are factors as is ease of forming. Many composites require vacuum chambers and high quality temperature and pressure controls. Others can be mixed with a paint brush.

Repair is actually easier with composites than metals.
If it is a structural repair, the cracked area is usually reduced or removed and filled with layers of composite and then cured.

There's also the fact that composites do NOT rust or corrode.
Paint is also unnecessary since the composite can be made to have a resin that is the desired color.

Elio would be advised to have a UV resistance to that of South Florida sunlight. Many car companies get permission to patrol airport parking lots to survey the paint of cars in the South Florida, South Texas and Southern California areas to gain data on paint durability.

I hope that helps!

That was very helpful. I'd prefer Carbon Fiber but cost prohibitive..............so I'm hoping Elio specifies HEMP fiber mesh for it's composite body panels.
 

Ty

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They'll most likely use a.plastic resin based blow--in molding set up... cheap and faster to make than fiberglass or other woven mat setups. Probably High Density Poly Ethelene (HDPE) aka plastic.
 
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