Thursday, September 9, 2010

Kia Cerato Forte Body Kit

After months of inaction on the Cerato Forte front, we finally replicated the OEM kit and boot spoiler, in addition to another high mount spoiler application.



OM replica application with OM replica spoiler


SQ replica spoiler application


The plug (in layman terms - the part with which we utilize to make a mould to allow future duplication of the part) was just of a terrible, terrible quality. Many manufacture fibreglass body kit parts, but very few are capable of fabricating quality fibreglass body kit parts.

The Chinese character in the pictures is an allusion to the marketing material of the manufacturer of this particular part. It means to "dazzle" or to "boast". They have indeed dazzled us with their inept manufacturing processes and their product quality. Do be careful when purchasing bodykit parts people, especially for those that reside in Singapore. A body kit should serve you well for an extended period of time, not fail the minute the sun comes out or when you accidentally graze the curb.




The air void that is seen in this picture is just unacceptable. Gelcoat is just a thin layer of filled resin that when consolidated well with subsequent layers of glass or other reinforcements, results in a pleasing surface that prevents print through of the reinforcement. The defect as seen above will surface when the air between gelcoat and subsequent layers of reinforcement expands due to heat and ruptures the thin gelcoat layer. There is also an inordinate amount of filled resin utilized to allow for easier fabrication of the part, at difficult to consolidate areas. This will lead to brittleness of the composite part.





Areas that are covered with the rust coloured compound are areas where we had to fully resurface the part. A quick look at the pictures will reveal the extent of just how bad the surface of the part was when we received it.




The little red dots are pinholes that we've filled. After coating, these pinholes will show up as surface defects after some time. There are more bubbles in their part than a bottle of champagne.

Conclusion: EPIC Bodykit Fail!