FAQ

Q: Why should I choose oCarbon to customize my trim?

A: We are quality. Attention to detail and superior craftsmanship is the core of our belief system at oCarbon. We don't rush parts, run blowout sales, or try to beat our competitors on price alone - instead, we focus on the quality and let our work sell itself. Our customers frequently tell us it was worth the wait to have their interior trim professionally crafted by oCarbon, and how glad they are they came to us.

oCarbon has been custom crafting high-end carbon fiber products since 2004. Wrapping carbon fiber is more a work of artistry rather than a manufacturing process. This means that the years of experience we’ve invested have strengthened our craft and gives us what it takes to create the finest quality, industry leading carbon fiber products.

oCarbon Founder, Matt personally oversees every detail and treats each piece like a work of art. The finished product is OEM quality, often for half the price of buying the OEM carbon fiber trim (if it's even available for your car), and we afford you the opportunity to choose the weight, weave, and color of your fiber and specifically which pieces you’d like upgraded to truly customize your high-end car.

At oCarbon, our goal is to exceed your expectations. You can see our in our Photo Gallery that we have many satisfied customers that have sent us pictures to show off how proud and thrilled they are with our finished product.

Q: What exactly is Carbon Fiber?

A: Carbon fiber is a very unique textile. When dry, it is no different than other type of densely woven fabric. However, when the appropriate resins are combined and applied to the fabric, the carbon fiber becomes very rigid once cured. The result is like no other material on earth; it is stronger than steel, lighter than aluminum, and stiffer than titanium.

Aside from its weight advantages and its structural integrity, when treated correctly it can be quite stunning in appearance. There is a simplistic beauty in the multicolored fiber weave that is emphasized by a deep gloss shine clear coat that makes it visually appealing even to those with no knowledge of its strong, lightweight properties.

Q: Is there really a big difference between vinyl decals and oCarbon fiber?

A: There really is no comparison. Although carbon fiber is expensive, the brilliant shine, deep and rich texture, and extremely detailed and unique patterns created by real carbon fiber is something so striking in real life, but completely lost in vinyl imitations. Vinyl patterns lack a deep, textural finish, and look too flawless to be real. Simply put, vinyl carbon fiber replicas attempt to imitate the multidimensional weave of actual carbon fiber. Even an untrained eye can spot vinyl imitations nearly instantly.

oCarbon makes products for hardcore enthusiasts that demand the highest quality parts for their car; for our customers, slapping a carbon fiber sticker over their trim is simply not good enough. Making this selection between vinyl decals and an oCarbon custom piece is all about your standards, and your willingness to pay for the real thing. To us, carbon fiber vinyl is like having a fake Rolex or hubcaps on your Mercedes.

Q: Why are oCarbon parts so expensive?

A: There are many factors, but frankly it is related to the time, effort and artistry. It takes a skilled carbon fiber fabricator many hours of extremely detail-oriented work to create a finished part, especially when aesthetics are important. From meticulously laying the fiber to assure correct weave directionality, to the chemistry involved in mixing the resins, to the several hours spent block sanding a part smooth, as well as the final buffing and polishing for a brilliant shine, there are a lot of man hours that go into making even the smallest carbon fiber part.

Additionally, oCarbon sources only the highest quality clear coats, resins, and carbon fiber to produce your parts, and all of these products do come at a significant cost. We'd rather charge more for a quality product that we’re proud to call an oCarbon piece than try to cheap-out with lackluster clear coats, poor resins, thin and imperfectly woven fiber, or products constructed using other shortcuts that is common practice by many of our competitors.

In the end, you get what you pay for and our many satisfied customers agree it is well worth the investment. There are no shortcuts and no compromises at oCarbon. We focus on our relentless attention to detail and superior craftsmanship.

Q: Where are these pieces made? I'm worried about quality from "overseas" companies.

A: Absolutely everything is made in-house at our facility in Glendale, Arizona. We control the process from start to finish. Sure, our Carbon Fiber costs more than most of the products manufactured outside of the United States, but as you'll see, the quality of an oCarbon product is far beyond these cheaper options.

Q: Speaking of quality, can you give me more info about the materials you use?

A: Most companies use a cheap 5.7oz. 2x2 twill fabric for their parts. This lighter weight fabric has gaps in the weave and is much more susceptible to gaps and weave distortion around complex corners. We only use name brand (mostly Japanese based Toray) Carbon Fiber fabric. We work with a minimum weight, 11oz. 2x2 twill that is much thicker than the industry standard because it is more tightly woven and a higher quality end-product. Again, it costs more, but it makes a huge difference in how the fabric lies. We also use only the highest-end epoxies that have UV inhibitors to prohibit fading and yellowing. We finish the pieces in high-solids polyurethane clearcoat for a deep, glossy shine.

Q: Can you give me a little more info about the process?

A: Absolutely. Check out a sample photo tour of oCarbon process on Our Process page. Converting your basic trim into a one-of-a-kind piece is quite labor intensive but here's the quick version: you remove your current trim and ship it to us. We take the original trim, remove excess material, wrap it with real carbon fiber, coat it with epoxy, sand it smooth, spray it with clear-coat, and buff it to a high shine. The whole process takes about 3-6 weeks, and then return the set back to you. Now you've gone from factory to custom just like that.

Q: So you won't be making molded pieces?

A: Nope, absolutely not. We've found that molded interior trim pieces never really fit right and they don't look as good as overlaid parts. Using an original OEM piece as a base means all the OEM tabs for a perfect fit.

Q: Do I have custom options when ordering through oCarbon?

A: Absolutely! We have many options available. Most of our customers opt for the standard weight, weave, and color options shown in the sample photos of completed projects; however, we can customize your order from just the smallest tweak to a completely unique set of combinations.

Check out our various custom projects on the oCarbon blog. If you are interested in doing something different from the standard finish, please email us so we can provide a detailed list of available options. We are constantly searching for new weaves and finishes to continually innovate within the automotive carbon fiber space. Below are the standard options but is by no means comprehensive:

• Weave- The pattern in which the carbon fiber is interlaced.
  • Standard: 2x2 twill weave – A 2x2 weave specifies that a strand of carbon fibers in the horizontal direction rest above two strands of a vertical strand of carbon fibers, which will then alternate so that the horizontal strands rest below the vertical strands (two up, two down).
  • Optional:4x4 twill weave, plain weave, and various others. There are a multitude of twill weaves available. The 4x4 weave indicates a chunkier style than the standard as it is woven four up, four down.
• Color – All authentic carbon fiber fabrics have a base of black fibers. The color option for your selection is the alternating color. This alternating color is achieved with a dyed Kevlar fabric, as carbon fiber cannot be dyed.
  • Standard: 100% Carbon Fiber (black)
  • Optional: Many colors are available; please email us for an up-to-date inventory or special requests and we can look into ordering custom colors for you. Some previous customer examples include Red, Orange, blue, silver, and Yellow. Please be advised that with some colors, 11oz or 20oz weight is unavailable for purchase in the market, so 6oz weight will be used; however, we will ensure that the weave pattern is perfect and the end product will not suffer.
• Weight - the thickness of the carbon fiber weave. While most of our competitors use a standard 6 oz. weave, oCarbon uses 11 oz. fiber as standard. This is just one of the many ways we place quality first. A heavier weight means a more consistent weave and a deeper, richer finish.
  • Standard: 11 oz
  • Optional:20 oz

Q: Can I install my products myself?

A: If you can use a screwdriver and have a general working knowledge of your car, chances are that you can remove your OEM parts and install our oCarbon parts with no issue. We designed all of our products with you in mind to make it as easy as possible to work with them. Additionally we provide install guides with photographs for all the parts we sell. You can find the appropriate installation guide for each part on its product information page. If one does not exist for your car, please let us know and we'd be happy to help you along the way, and will try to create a guide for your car in the future.

Q: How do you know the pieces will fit since you're not doing the install?

A: Great question. Not only is it our practice to only wrap OEM cares because of the better quality end-product, we also choose to use the OEM parts to be sure that the final carbon fiber piece will have a perfectly tight fit for an easy install and a sleek look. Additionally, we have a lot of experience and have worked out the majority of bugs that could cause a piece to struggle for a fit.

Q: What about the added carbon? Won't that make the pieces too large to fit?

A: No. We sand down wood cores and we remove the aluminum from aluminum cores to make room for the extra carbon fiber and epoxy. We rarely have any fit issues with pieces, and we guarantee fitment, so if for some reason something doesn't fit quite right, we'll fix it until it does.

Q: What about a warranty?

A: We offer a full, one-year warranty on every product we sell, even on development projects. While most carbon fiber product manufacturers are afraid to warranty their parts because they use inferior quality materials, we stand behind our products. We offer a full replacement warranty on everything we sell for one year. If your product fades or yellows give us a call and we'll replace it for free. This warranty only covers workmanship and quality and does not cover normal wear and tear issues like scratches or breakage due to improper installation.

Q: Why don’t you have finished trim sets in stock?

A: Our products are in very high demand. It's hard for us to keep items in stock as they sell very quickly. We do our best to maintain our website to show you when we have ready-made items in stock, but for the most part we rarely have any finished trim sets on our shelves. We prefer to build each set to order, allowing you to customize the weight, color, and weave of your set to your preferences, as well as complete any custom parts like seatbacks or other parts you'd like done.

Q: How long will it take to complete my order?

A: A typical set usually takes 2-3 weeks in manufacturing. This is considered the timeframe when the OEM trim is received in our shop to the time your carbon fiber is ready to be shipped back to you. Depending on the complexity of the order, current workload, weather (humidity, though rarely an issue in Arizona), and other factors, this time estimate may vary.

Please remember that shipping to and from our facility takes time in addition to manufacture. If opting for the “core exchange”, plan to go without your OEM trim for up to as long as 6 weeks.

Q: What does ‘OEM’ mean?

A: OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. oCarbon uses OEM parts as the core frame that is wrapped in carbon fiber rather than wrapping a less expensive molded replica. By utilizing OEM parts we are able to guarantee a proper fit in installation.

Q: What is a “Core Charge” or “Core Exchange”?

A: carbon fiber interior set by oCarbon is handmade using original equipment manufactured interior trim to ensure a perfect fit and finish. Once you’ve decided which parts you’ll be upgrading with oCarbon fiber, the next step is to select one of the two trim exchange options:

1. Send us your own trim. Upon its arrival at our facility it will be undergo the oCarbon Process and will be returned to you, ready for installation.

OR

1. Provide a deposit (depending on which package you select) in lieu of your existing trim. We will create a custom trim kit to your specifications. Once you’ve received the oCarbon wrapped trim, simply package up and return the factory trim you remove when installing your fiber pieces for a full refund of your deposit.

Important: When selecting option #1 to have your own OEM trim oCarbon wrapped, you will go without these interior trim pieces until they are returned to you.

Even More Importantly: The oCarbon wrapping process takes time as they are individually handcrafted! From the time your part arrives in our Arizona facility, it typically takes anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks until it is ready to be reinstalled (this timeframe may vary – you will be notified ahead of time if this is the case).

Q: Can you make other interior parts?

A: Probably. Email us if you'd like a quote. We're happy to hear your ideas and will do what we can to create a custom piece just for you. We have years of expertise in wrapping carbon fiber so we can you’re your idea to the creative drawing board before we get started. What we will never do is ship a bad product that does not meet our quality standards.

Q: Do you wrap engine covers or other pieces for the engine bay?

A: No. Pieces in the engine bay are exposed to excessive amounts of heat. This heat will cause the carbon fiber parts to yellow and sometimes even become brittle or warped. Because we can't guarantee the finish and quality of carbon fiber products in or around the engine bay, we have decided not to do any engine parts. Our focus on craftsmanship and quality dictates that we only sell products we can stand behind, and we simply cannot do that for carbon fiber parts in the engine bay.

Q: Do you accept returns?

A: In the unlikely event that you wish to return your order you absolutely have the option to do so. However, we have strict guidelines on how a return must be handled. Please view our terms on how to proceed with a return.

Q: I have a ton of questions. Who can I talk to?

A: We're a small custom shop in Arizona so it's best to contact us via email as I'm likely sanding, buffing, or wrapping trim and unable to answer the phone. Shoot an email to matt@ocarbon.com or leave a voicemail and I'll do my very best to help you as soon as possible.