nynguah

Ok - so I have read the other posts about the bubbling on the CF wings on the Evo and have concluded that it's fairly prevalent. I don't know how many people pursued it with their dealers, but apparently Mitsu has released a 2-3 page tech bulletin explaining how discoloration (i.e. bubbles) and surface abnormalities (warbling) are an expected result of the process.

Now, I am quite clueless as to the details of CF and it's manufacturing process (other than it's a laminated composite lattice) and have no idea whether this is a bunch of crap, or the real deal. Anybody with CF experience, either from a consumer standpoint (hoods, wings, etc.) or a manufacturing standpoint care to chip in and enlighten me? I'm curious as to whether this really is to be expected, or whether it's a Mitsu copout that should be pursued.

Thoughts?

-Josh

theheff

I have some experience w/ CF work so I'll chip in what I can-- the bubbling occurs when they don't cure long enough at a low enough temp. Kinda like if you try to bake some cookies that were supposed to be done for 15 min at 350 and decide, "hey, i'll just do them at 700 degrees for 7.5 min..." bad idea. Anywhoo, what happens is that the solvent in the epoxy doesn't get to gradually evaporate out-- it bubbles trying force it's way out. Also, if they don't cure for a long enough time, some solvent remains inside and may try to make its way out in the form of bubbling possibly a month or so after manufacture. In a nutshell, it sounds to me that the bubbling defects people have been reporting are due to mitsu either:

a.) mitsu rushing them out the door
b.) mitsu lacking experience w/ CF manufacturing

I am betting on a.) In any case, it is entirely mitsubishi's fault and they should be held resposible-- these are not simply "aesthetic blemishes" -- the bubbling actually creates a weak spot AND may be indicative of not-fully-cured epoxy (meaning its softer than it should be).

Heff

r0gu3

I have never heard of CF bubbling up like that.

Jonasan50

iTrader: (1)

As far as I've been informed, Mitsubishi did not manufacture the wings.. It was another company contracted to do so... Maybe they just don't want the hassle to replace it...

Secret Chimp

iTrader: (2)

Wings were manufactured by a company subcontracted by Mitsubishi.

It's also rumored that it was that company's inability to create a quality piece in the needed quantities that delayed the shipments of the first Evo's to the US. ie, they were cutting corners and making some bunk wings to meet the demand.

SC~ who's wing is absolutely perfect.

Longfury

i saw a TSB on the mitsu tech site that basicly said it was normal and that they will not replace them

eternal9

Well as soon as I have a free day, probably tuesday, we will see what my dealership has to say abou it because mine has now developed bubbles in a patch right in the middle.

jsammari

i saw a TSB on the mitsu tech site that basicly said it was normal and that they will not replace them.

You've got to be joking. I see some legal issues for in the future!

favre95

iTrader: (7)

I was the first one to post on this matter probably back a month and a half ago or so. So I'll add what I have found out through mitsu. Being that I know the mitsu people here very well I know they will give me a straight forward answer.

Mitsu knows this is a problem according to the regional rep here in the springfield,il area. So I asked is there going to be any action taken...like a replacement wing. He said that not as of yet. Mitsu does not want to put new wings on these cars and have them do the same thing over again. According to him they are trying to figure things out with this carbon fiber/wing company before replacing any defective wings. If something does not happen within the next few months I am going to become very impatient with this matter and bug the crap out of this reginal rep as much as I can until something is resolved.

EVOeight

When I bought my new EVO the dealer said like 4 times that I had to put UV protection on the rear wing. I bet they are going to try and us that as one way to not have to replace the wing, saying that we didn't take care of them properly. I keep my reciept for the UV inhibitor wax...

jsammari

I'm not sure the UV would help out much, by the sounds of it, it appears to be a manufacturing flaw, but I understand your point. We must stay on top of this.

ryancb

iTrader: (11)

if thats like a wax that could cause problems if its like how paint is if you wax it to soon after being made it might seal up the little microscopic holes that allow paint or epoxy 2 fully evap and dry thus causing a bubble then it mit be your prob or mitsus depends who waxed it. im not sure about the whole wax thing if its like paint or not (cf) so dont shoot me if im wrong

Longfury

http://www.mitsubi****echinfo.com/da.../520034737.htm

here is the TSB if u guys wanna look...u may have to register with the site but its free for now

jotan82

iTrader: (12)

my wing is flawless!!! no bubbles, no inconsistencies in the pattern... i feel they took time with my wing at least

i may have gotten lucky

nynguah

Thanks for the update you guys. Heff's explanation makes a lot of sense - especially given the time constraints Mitsu was working within.

As far as where to go from here, what is the best way to get in touch with our Rep and ensure that this issue receives high visibility on an ongoing basis? I don't want this to go away. I know that this may seem like a small issue, but I'm unhappy with paying a premium for a (literally) half-baked product.

For those who haven't developed the issue yet - I'm happy for you. I don't recall having the bubbles initially, and I'm still a little unclear on whether it's something that can continue to develop, or is pretty much set at this point - given that the resins have had a couple of months to cure.

I'm glad I have a resource like this board to get infor like this - it'd be awfully frustrating to go it alone. Thanks all!

-Josh