Yes. Although most Seibon hoods come with built-in latches (depending on whether or not your stock hood has built-in latches), hood pins are required for your own safety.
WHAT IS “GRADE A” CARBON?
There is no official standard to grade carbon fiber products. Because of the way carbon fiber products are made, there can be quite a big difference on the quality among different brands. As a result, manufacturers started to call their products “Grade A” to stress their quality. But it’s just a commonly used term for advertising.
ARE SEIBON PRODUCTS MADE WITH 100% CARBON FIBER?
The “carbon fiber” material is just a piece of cloth. You can’t make any shape out of it without some kind of support. Seibon uses fiberglass backing to construct the skeleton.
HOW TO JUDGE THE QUALITY OF CARBON FIBER PRODUCTS IN GENERAL?
When comparing carbon fiber products, the 3 most important questions to ask are:
Is the product made with one-piece carbon sheet, or multiple sheets put together?
Does it have a gel-coat or clear coat finish?
Is the carbon sheet wrapped around the skeleton or integrated into the mold?
All Seibon products are made using one-piece carbon sheet, so you do not see broken lines and patterns. All these products use a clear coat finish. Clear coats are shiny and durable, and give you the nice “wet” look as opposed to a duller look from gel coats.
All Seibon carbon sheets are built into the mold, so they do not break and split like the ones where carbon is only wrapped around the skeleton.
WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS BETWEEN “DRY CARBON” AND “WET CARBON”?
Dry vs. wet involves completely different processes of manufacturing. You can find extensive articles about the details on the web if you do a general search. As for pros and cons, here is a brief summary. Simply put, dry carbon is best for race usage so you get the most strength and save the most weight. The weaves and quality are more consistent, but they are generally 3 to 4 times more expensive than wet carbon. Wet carbon products are hand-laid or vacuum infused, and are more prone to small defects like wavy weaves and tiny bubbles. They do not save as much weight as their dry carbon counterparts. But on the plus side, you get an incredible combination of visual attraction, weight-reduction, and most importantly, price. Wet carbon products are the most popular and most commonly referred to as just “carbon fiber”.
WHAT KIND OF WARRANTY DOES SEIBON HAVE?
Seibon has a 6-month limited clear coat warranty, and guarantees fitment for all US-modeled vehicles, unless Seibon specifically indicates otherwise. The company test fits all parts before it makes them available for sale. But customers need to understand that no aftermarket body parts will fit exactly like OEM. It is normal, and you are expected to do minor adjustments for a good fit. With that said, Seibon is very confident that its products are among the best fitment in the aero-styling market. The company’s warranty extends only to vehicles that have not had any bodywork done. As a precaution, test fit all parts before you cut/paint/drill them.
HOW DO I MAINTAIN MY PRODUCT?
Your carbon fiber product is durable, but it still needs care and maintenance to stay looking good. More specifically, keep the products clean, minimize exposure to the sun, and wax when necessary. For carbon fiber hoods in particular, it is important that you use heat shields under the hood to avoid premature aging. All dry-carbon products are sold raw and consumers must protect the product upon receipt.