Terms & Conditions

Phoenix Composites Ltd aims to satisfy customers and go above and beyond expectations however situations may arise whereby these aims are not met and it's important to understand your rights in these situations.

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Quotes -

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Quotes are non-binding and are valid for any bookings received within 30 days of the quotation. If you choose to not go ahead with a booking that's no problem at all, however if it has been more than 30 days since the quote was issued then a new quote will be required before booking due to fluctuations in materials prices and availability.

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Booking in -

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Work is not considered to have been booked in until an invoice is paid in full. Upon payment of the invoice the contract is deemed to be in progress and expectations will be set regarding production times. It is vitally important that you have ensured the works required are accurate and that you are happy with the lead times BEFORE payment of the invoice, any specifications such as materials or cosmetic weave direction must be mentioned during the quotation process as once works have started any changes will be chargeable to the customer.

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Timescales -

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These can vary for a number of factors so any quoted timescales are usually a worst case scenario. If you have a deadline in mind - such as an impending car show or reliance on the parts for other work to be completed - this must be mentioned during the quotation process to ensure your expectations can be met. If you have not mentioned a deadline when booking the work in Phoenix Composites Ltd will not be held liable for any deadlines added at a later date and we should be allowed the original timescales offered when the invoice was paid.

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Timescales also start from when the parts are received. If you are quoted 4 weeks and take 3 weeks to send your parts, the 4 weeks only begins to elapse from the day the parts are received by Phoenix Composites Ltd.

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Receiving your parts -

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We aim to exceed expectations however sometimes issues may have been missed during quality control and we will do our best to rectify them if they arise.

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Upon receipt of your parts please ensure you check the overall finish of the parts and test fit them to ensure compatibility. Skinning is messy work and sometimes resin can bleed around the rear of the parts and interfere with the fitment of them. If you think this is the case please reach out to us either via email at info@phoenixcomposites.co.uk or on instagram @phoenix.composites to let us know and if necessary we will arrange to rectify the issues.

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Please note that skinned parts are hand made and, while the utmost care is taken to provide the best possible finish, it is unrealistic to expect the same finish as OEM or pre-preg full carbon parts and there may be distortions to the weave or slight differences in tow thickness when compared to parts from other manufacturers. Of course if you have any concerns about the overall quality then please get in touch but it's important to manage expectations, carbon skinning is adding anything up to 1mm of thickness to parts so the original panel gaps or alignment with adjacent parts is unlikely to be the same as the original. Fine detail or edge sharpness can be lost which is unfortunately a part of the skinning process and can't be avoided.

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What if I want to cancel? -

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Cancellation terms and your statutory rights vary depending on the type of work involved.

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For any work that is deemed as "bespoke" the contract is considered in progress from when the invoice is paid. "Bespoke" work covers the majority of the carbon skinning or CAD design work and statutory rights do not apply, however in the interests of goodwill the following sliding scale will be offered should the customer wish to cancel their bespoke order -

 

If the cancellation request is within the first 7 days - 50% refund

If the cancellation request is after 8-14 days - 25% refund

Cancellations after the first 14 days will receive no refund.

 

It is therefore important that you fully understand the type of work you are paying for and that you have triple checked your order for accuracy.

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For any work that is considered in-stock or made to order - such as shift knobs with existing designs or off the shelf parts - you would be entitled to your statutory 14 day cooling off period where a full refund would be issued assuming the parts are returned in original packaging with all accessories and in "new" condition.

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In the rare situation where Phoenix Composites Ltd needs to cancel your order you will be fully reimbursed.

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Original parts -

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Parts provided to be skinned will be assessed for quality and photographic evidence will be taken of the parts received. It is vitally important that the customer ensures fitment of the parts before sending them to us to be transformed as we will not accept liability for any parts that have been processed and turn out to be ill fitting or for the wrong car.

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In some circumstances we can supply new parts at additional cost however many of these - such as replacement body panels - will be OE-equivalent parts and may require some adjustment to fit your car.

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Part exchange -

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Unfortunately due to previous issues we can no longer offer part exchanges on any parts without a significant refundable surcharge. In some instances we may be interested in purchasing your original parts to stock for future use, if so we will enquire as to the availability when your carbon parts are shipped.

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Shipping -

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For UK Domestic orders shipping will be with Royal Mail Tracked 24 for smaller items. Larger items may require an appropriate courier.

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The buyer is responsible for arranging their own shipping if they need to send parts to us to work on.

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For international orders items will be declared at their retail value and all customs and duty fees in the recipient's country are the responsibility of the buyer, we will not ship items with duty paid up front nor will we underdeclare the value of items. Please ensure you have provided the correct email address and phone number to ensure you are contacted by the courier upon arrival in your country.

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If any items are lost in transit please contact us at the earliest opportunity to be investigated.

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Aftercare -

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The resin used when skinning parts differs slightly from the resins used in pre-preg or infused full carbon parts and it's important to know what to expect long term regarding the fit and finish of the parts.

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Without boring you with the science too much, fundamentally the resin used in skinning has a service temperature of around 70C maximum. Above this the resin will soften and can move slightly as it flows leading to something called "imprinting" - the visual effect of seeing the carbon weave bulge slighlty through the surface giving a rippled look to reflections. Full carbon parts typically use resins that can be cured to much higher temperatures which means they can withstand higher temperatures before this imprinting appears.

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Skinned parts are post-cured with heat to ensure a full cure of the resin and to attain the maximum service temperature possible but in some instances this may not be high enough.

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As a result it is strongly recommended that any carbon skinned parts on the exterior of the vehicle are kept out of direct sunlight where there is a risk of surface temperatures exceeding 70C, especially in warmer climates than the UK where they are produced. Due to the manufacturing process the higher temperature resins are not suitable for skinning so this may be unavoidable however there are steps you can take to prolong the finish and condition of your parts such as avoiding direct sunlight on hot days or covering exposed parts when the vehicle is not in use.

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With this in mind we can not be held liable for issues arising from excessive heat. You will be advised against the service if you enquire about engine bay or transmission components specifically and if you choose to accept the risks we will not be held liable for any imprinting or defects caused by high temperatures regardless of the time since production.

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If you live in a warmer climate and have exterior panels that may suffer from this issue we can only recommend that you consider whether you would be happy taking extra precautions to protect the parts from excessive heat and if the parts are suitable for you.

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The good news is, if this issue does occur, it can be remedied once the panel has cooled down with sanding and fresh clearcoat. Unfortunately if the temperature exceeds 70C in the future the same issue will arise as the resin softens again. Phoenix Composites Ltd can carry this remedial work out for you however if this is a long term issue and not a manufacturing defect at point of sale then this would be chargeable.