Carbon Fiber Hood Review - Bodykits NW / TC Sportline
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From: DDMotoring, CT, USA
Carbon Fiber Hood Review - Bodykits NW / TC Sportline
I know people have done them in the past - This is a new one to keep up with the changes in build qualities over the years. Companies try to keep consistency, but quality will always fluctuate.
With that said, this is just a newer opinion based on the build process as of 2005.
Here is some FAQ's to clear up
Why is it Bodykits Northwest and TC Sportline?
BKNW contracts TC Sportline to make their hoods, and claim them to be of similar standards/quality of their own. Not having owned an orginal BKNW hood, I cannot confirm this.
Was your car in any accidents?
My car has not been in any accident where the alignment or fitment of a hood would be in jeopardy.
How much was it?
I paid 410 shipped, the market price on carbon fiber has gone up since then.
how long did it take to ship?
After waiting 2 1/2 months for the container to come (from being out of stock), the hood shipped in a mere 3 days - CA to CT.
Customer Service Review
For starters I was told they had 1 hood instock, and later found out after ordering they did not. Inventory is always +1/-1 at almost any store. I was told the new container would be in in 2 weeks, that took 2 1/2 months. A little longer than hoped, but I was in no terrible rush.
I would say I had a difficult time getting complete to the point answers when asked. This is most likely credited to situations of the unknown on BKNW's end.
ie: The could not confirm when the shipment of containers would be - They had no control over how fast the boat gets here.
My questions were answered in a relatively timely fashion, I never needed to call them.
Customer serivice gets a 7.5/10 - They are very polite and easy to deal with, but I wish they could of had more concrete answers to my questions. I would not hold this against them.
The hood.
The package looked good, one side was comming apart, but no real dents or crunches to worry about.
The hood was packed securely with the finish in mind. VERY WELL
The weave looks very good, a tight weave with a very good shine. If you look from eye level, it is 99.9% smooth. This hood deserves an A or AA finish based on looks.
The hinge is also metal, and very securely mounted IMO. I do not feel the need for hood pins on this hood; but I do have a set laying around incase I change my mind.
Weights.
BKNW CF hood: 18 lbs
OEM 96 Honda Civic hood: 31 lbs
Weight savings of 13 lbs!
This hood is very light to handle.
[/b]Install.[/b]
total time - 1 1/2 - 2 hours because of picture taking.
I found the install process very direct, the test fit yeilded pleasent results. So I quickly moved onto transfering the gaskets and stops.
I should add, I do have experience mounting hoods and pannels, but that shouldnt defer you from taking on this task. It definatly helps to have 2 people.
Fitment.
The fitment on this hood is quite good. I did find that it did not offer a whole lot of cleanance by the shock towers. Inface I had to trim the mount down on my alarm siren. This hood will 100% clean a stock motor and bay, and I am confident it will clear a swap as well.
I did find the the hinge mounts were not drilled on center, as the hood extends out about a 1/4 more towards the passenger side. You can pysically see where the edges of the hood are off on each side.
To compensate for this I loosened my fender bolts and adjusted the fitment of the fenders to match on each side.
Even with the adjustments, I feel the hood is cut a about a 1/2 narrow (1/4 each side), but it is not terribly noticable.
Over all fitment when compared to the OEM hood is about an 8/10
Over All
I am very happy with the experience overall, and would reccomend BKNW's products. The price is worth the product.
Here are the pictures.
The Box
Dispite saying "Do not lay down" it appears either the shippers laid it down, or they can walk on walls.
The slight undoing...
Very nice packaging
The suface is well covered
Overall look, very nice
Weave shot, nice and glossy
Very tight and consistant
On the car, you can see a little bit of the gaps remaining between the fender and the hood. over all, it is quite well
you can see it looks very good. I have seen other people not use the OEM gasket, I found that this hood required it to help it fit right.
Passenger side spacing.
Drivers side spacing.
Shot of the front fitment.
Height fitment. the edges on either side are raised a hairline over the fenders, but nothing noticable or major.
I hope this helps people in the market for a CF hood find out a little more about the product they are about to buy.
With that said, this is just a newer opinion based on the build process as of 2005.
Here is some FAQ's to clear up
Why is it Bodykits Northwest and TC Sportline?
BKNW contracts TC Sportline to make their hoods, and claim them to be of similar standards/quality of their own. Not having owned an orginal BKNW hood, I cannot confirm this.
Was your car in any accidents?
My car has not been in any accident where the alignment or fitment of a hood would be in jeopardy.
How much was it?
I paid 410 shipped, the market price on carbon fiber has gone up since then.
how long did it take to ship?
After waiting 2 1/2 months for the container to come (from being out of stock), the hood shipped in a mere 3 days - CA to CT.
Customer Service Review
For starters I was told they had 1 hood instock, and later found out after ordering they did not. Inventory is always +1/-1 at almost any store. I was told the new container would be in in 2 weeks, that took 2 1/2 months. A little longer than hoped, but I was in no terrible rush.
I would say I had a difficult time getting complete to the point answers when asked. This is most likely credited to situations of the unknown on BKNW's end.
ie: The could not confirm when the shipment of containers would be - They had no control over how fast the boat gets here.
My questions were answered in a relatively timely fashion, I never needed to call them.
Customer serivice gets a 7.5/10 - They are very polite and easy to deal with, but I wish they could of had more concrete answers to my questions. I would not hold this against them.
The hood.
The package looked good, one side was comming apart, but no real dents or crunches to worry about.
The hood was packed securely with the finish in mind. VERY WELL
The weave looks very good, a tight weave with a very good shine. If you look from eye level, it is 99.9% smooth. This hood deserves an A or AA finish based on looks.
The hinge is also metal, and very securely mounted IMO. I do not feel the need for hood pins on this hood; but I do have a set laying around incase I change my mind.
Weights.
BKNW CF hood: 18 lbs
OEM 96 Honda Civic hood: 31 lbs
Weight savings of 13 lbs!
This hood is very light to handle.
[/b]Install.[/b]
total time - 1 1/2 - 2 hours because of picture taking.
I found the install process very direct, the test fit yeilded pleasent results. So I quickly moved onto transfering the gaskets and stops.
I should add, I do have experience mounting hoods and pannels, but that shouldnt defer you from taking on this task. It definatly helps to have 2 people.
Fitment.
The fitment on this hood is quite good. I did find that it did not offer a whole lot of cleanance by the shock towers. Inface I had to trim the mount down on my alarm siren. This hood will 100% clean a stock motor and bay, and I am confident it will clear a swap as well.
I did find the the hinge mounts were not drilled on center, as the hood extends out about a 1/4 more towards the passenger side. You can pysically see where the edges of the hood are off on each side.
To compensate for this I loosened my fender bolts and adjusted the fitment of the fenders to match on each side.
Even with the adjustments, I feel the hood is cut a about a 1/2 narrow (1/4 each side), but it is not terribly noticable.
Over all fitment when compared to the OEM hood is about an 8/10
Over All
I am very happy with the experience overall, and would reccomend BKNW's products. The price is worth the product.
Here are the pictures.
The Box
Dispite saying "Do not lay down" it appears either the shippers laid it down, or they can walk on walls.
The slight undoing...
Very nice packaging
The suface is well covered
Overall look, very nice
Weave shot, nice and glossy
Very tight and consistant
On the car, you can see a little bit of the gaps remaining between the fender and the hood. over all, it is quite well
you can see it looks very good. I have seen other people not use the OEM gasket, I found that this hood required it to help it fit right.
Passenger side spacing.
Drivers side spacing.
Shot of the front fitment.
Height fitment. the edges on either side are raised a hairline over the fenders, but nothing noticable or major.
I hope this helps people in the market for a CF hood find out a little more about the product they are about to buy.
As long as I dont have to take out any more Metal Gears
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,267
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From: Socal, CA, USA
Re: Carbon Fiber Hood Review - Bodykits NW / TC Sportline (Vero)
Good review, my car has the same front end and lip, so now i know what it would look like with a CF hood. 
Too bad ur car isnt white like mine
Too bad ur car isnt white like mine
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Posts: 1,863
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From: Minneapolis, MN
Re: Carbon Fiber Hood Review - Bodykits NW / TC Sportline (slowdx9585)
Except for the driver side spacing towards the headlight, it looks like it fits very well. Sure better than I thought it would. Good review, nice car.
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From: Auckland, New Zealand
Re: Carbon Fiber Hood Review - Bodykits NW / TC Sportline (green00EX)
That looks real nice, My fitment was a bit annoying. shunts down where the headlights are. Doesnt look to bad. But looks good man
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Thread Starter
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From: DDMotoring, CT, USA
Re: Carbon Fiber Hood Review - Bodykits NW / TC Sportline (green00EX)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by green00EX »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Except for the driver side spacing towards the headlight, it looks like it fits very well. Sure better than I thought it would. Good review, nice car. </TD></TR></TABLE>
I was going to look at making a few more adjustments, I can pull that spot on the fender out a hair.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hybrid_ek »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">That looks real nice, My fitment was a bit annoying. shunts down where the headlights are. Doesnt look to bad. But looks good man </TD></TR></TABLE>
You need to play with your mounting stops on that side. You can unscrew the little rubber piece enough to push the hood up.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by chris99mrpsi »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">this is off topic but what kindof of front bumper do u have, it looks weird</TD></TR></TABLE>
factory 96-98 front bumper with a CTR style lip and DIY black headlights that I need to take off and clean up soooo badly.
I was going to look at making a few more adjustments, I can pull that spot on the fender out a hair.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hybrid_ek »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">That looks real nice, My fitment was a bit annoying. shunts down where the headlights are. Doesnt look to bad. But looks good man </TD></TR></TABLE>
You need to play with your mounting stops on that side. You can unscrew the little rubber piece enough to push the hood up.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by chris99mrpsi »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">this is off topic but what kindof of front bumper do u have, it looks weird</TD></TR></TABLE>
factory 96-98 front bumper with a CTR style lip and DIY black headlights that I need to take off and clean up soooo badly.
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 84
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From: Auckland, New Zealand
Re: Carbon Fiber Hood Review - Bodykits NW / TC Sportline (Vero)
Thanks for that man, will give it a go tommorow :D. heres a pic pretty hard to see from there 
Pic is a bit old, interior been replaced by itr black seats and ctr rear. Your car looks mint as man
Modified by Hybrid_ek at 12:46 PM 8/4/2005
Pic is a bit old, interior been replaced by itr black seats and ctr rear. Your car looks mint as man
Modified by Hybrid_ek at 12:46 PM 8/4/2005
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From: Auckland, New Zealand
Re: (Vero)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Vero »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you might want to loosed your passenger fender bolts up and push them in 1-2 mm. You can see a little bit more of a gap on that side.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Cheers dude, ill give it a try in the weekend.
Cheers dude, ill give it a try in the weekend.
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Joined: Aug 2005
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From: I'm so close to Reno, you can see Sparks
Re: Carbon Fiber Hood Review - Bodykits NW / TC Sportline (Vero)
good review, i am also looking for a cf hood for my car so i will be sure to look at this when it comes down to it.
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From: DDMotoring, CT, USA
Re: (cvclover)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by cvclover »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Got mine today too. Looks good besides a nice inch long deep scratch (like from a key) in the middle of it.
So I take it windshield wiper nozzles shouldnt be expected to be in use ever again?</TD></TR></TABLE>
You should claim it if there is a scratch. ASAP.
I was under the assumption yes to wiper holes, but my hood came hole free. Which is fine for me, I hardly use them.
So I take it windshield wiper nozzles shouldnt be expected to be in use ever again?</TD></TR></TABLE>
You should claim it if there is a scratch. ASAP.
I was under the assumption yes to wiper holes, but my hood came hole free. Which is fine for me, I hardly use them.
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From: DDMotoring, CT, USA
Re: (cvclover)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by cvclover »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What do you mean claim it asap?</TD></TR></TABLE>
if you hood has a huge scratch acrosss it and it is not suposed to be there, you need to contact the business and the shipping company and file a claim. Someone messed up along the way and you did not pay for a defective product.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MadtownSi »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Looks good but the gaps on the side would drive me nuts. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Almost finished getting the gaps right on one side, still a little more tweaking onto the other. But it is looking better.
if you hood has a huge scratch acrosss it and it is not suposed to be there, you need to contact the business and the shipping company and file a claim. Someone messed up along the way and you did not pay for a defective product.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MadtownSi »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Looks good but the gaps on the side would drive me nuts. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Almost finished getting the gaps right on one side, still a little more tweaking onto the other. But it is looking better.
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Joined: Jun 2004
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From: RAIN OR SHINE, WA
Re: (ROK801)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ROK801 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">wow, **** looks clean...
</TD></TR></TABLE>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
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