Service Bulletin: Bubbling Sail Panels

**5LtrBtr** · 07-02-2006, 12:03 PM

Just a little advice for you guys, don't have it repainted. It won't last very long. The entire top needs to be replaced.

**Jeremiah** · 07-02-2006, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by 5LtrBtr

Just a little advice for you guys, don't have it repainted. It won't last very long. The entire top needs to be replaced.

Refinishing the panel is only a temporary patch, I have seen one guy try it and it lasted only a couple of months.

**MrEddie** · 07-17-2006, 07:32 AM

Yep, I have a 6.5 year old Z28 hardtop that is showing some bubbles/waves. I also have a "S" shape where the glue was apply down the middle of the roof (this has a small bubble when you look hard). Only the plastic covering of the roof is removed and replaced, not the roof structure itself, thank God. A guy posted some good shots of the process and finished product on chirpthird.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1875. The dealer I talked to said it was $750 to $900 to replace. I'm thinking of going with a reputable body shop if I'm going to pay for it instead of a having to deal with a dealership.

**firebatbirdv8** · 07-17-2006, 11:50 PM

Originally Posted by Jeremiah

Like someone else allready stated it is covered under corosion, its covered for six years from the original purchase date. Both my 01 SS and my 30th TA were covered by a local dealer with no problem. Also, the service bulletin is not a warrenty bulletin. It is only a refference tool for the tech to get the suggested repair/replacement procedure. GM used windsheild urithane "same adhesive used on the front/rear glass" to adhere the roof panel. The older urithane used a sepperate primer/adhesion promoter and the newer has it mixed into it allready. Other than that GM uses the same panel and the same windsheild urithane to adhere it to the roof structure. Unless the primer was causing the problem then we will be seeing the same problem on the same cars again. the roof is made from SMC (sheet moulding compound) the same composite used with the SS and WS6 hoods, doors and rear hatch. The current replacement roofs are exactly the same as your originals. SMC has the same expansion rate as steel and is more durable than Fiberglass of the same thickness, GM no longer uses fiberglass on any thing. I am a body tech and I used to work for a Chevy dealer and have done several of the replacements.
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Hi Jeremiah, I live in the UK and have a 99 T/A with T-TOPS with the same problem, it took me about 4 months to get a new sail panel from my GM dealership here in the UK after a lot of arguing, anyway they said they would supply the sail panel but would not fit it as they had never done one before and did not want to damage my car,i was ok with that as at least now i have the new sail panel and can get it fitted at a later date. What is the best way to take the old sail panel off and what is the name and part number of the adhesive i need to use to put the new sail panel on with as being in the UK know one knows anything here.
Any help would be appreciated thanks.

**hwyhog** · 07-19-2006, 03:38 PM

I have been fighting with GM over the bubbles in my pant for about two months now. The first chev dealer that I went to did not want to help me out at all. They told me that It will not be replaced under the 100k rust through warranty b/c there is no hole, or sheet metal in the top. The shop manager told me that they heve never been able to get any of the cars with this problem fixed, so my car was going to be the same. They also told me that if it was ther car that they would not even worry about fixing it. Now that customer service, I was so pissed off. I called the 800# and they said that they will call the dealer and call me back. When they finaly called me back they told me that my car was over 5yrs old and that there was nothing that they could do for me.

I then went to a Gmc dealer and after a day or two The owner called me and told me that GM would pay for half of the cost. I have got a couple of est. and they where all about $1400 to $1500. That is all parts labor and a warranty. GM should be fixing this for all of us, hell it is a defect!!!!

**Yong** · 07-21-2006, 06:23 PM

I too have a 2000 Z with a shitty looking roof. The bad part is, ive had mine painted 3 times....and it still bubbles. Im waiting on a response from GM right now. Im out 900 dollars for fixing a roof that i didnt know was defective. Its a factory DEFECT....GM should be responsible for fixing it. If the say they wont fix it then im sorry to leave you because I know the ls1 rules, but im sellin this pile of feces and buyin a mustang and tellin GM to kiss my ass forever. If they cant stand behind their product and fix a factory defect they know if fucked up then they can kiss my ass

**INMY01TA** · 07-22-2006, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by Yong

I too have a 2000 Z with a shitty looking roof. The bad part is, ive had mine painted 3 times....and it still bubbles. Im waiting on a response from GM right now. Im out 900 dollars for fixing a roof that i didnt know was defective. Its a factory DEFECT....GM should be responsible for fixing it. If the say they wont fix it then im sorry to leave you because I know the ls1 rules, but im sellin this pile of feces and buyin a mustang and tellin GM to kiss my ass forever. If they cant stand behind their product and fix a factory defect they know if fucked up then they can kiss my ass

Go buy a slowass mustang then. You had your roof fixed the wrong way 3 times!

**Peter 2001 SS** · 07-24-2006, 08:01 PM

I have an '01 SS with the bubbling paint behind the t-tops also. It first started right at the bottom of the panel and in the last year has spread across the whole top of the panel. It has only 11,000 miles on it and never sits outside, it sits in the garage all the time it is not being driven. I have been to 2 dealers, the first one told me there was no way GM would cover it, but the 2nd one has been more helpful. They referred me to the GM customer service line and I have been talking to them about it trying to get it covered.
They are supposed to call me back on Thursday after they talk to the service manager that looked at my Camaro. I am hoping that they will cover it. It is basically a new car and I have always taken very good care of the appearance and everything else with it, the same as many of yours are that are having this same problem too.

**Peter 2001 SS** · 07-27-2006, 11:45 AM

I just got off the phone with GM customer service and they told me they will do nothing for me, it is my responsibility since it is past the 3 years. She claims that there hasn't been many cars with this problem. Everyone should call them and make the problem known so that maybe we can get this crap recalled. The phone number is 866-790-5600

**sstevecamaro** · 08-01-2006, 01:02 PM

Mine has started to bubble really hard these days. The clear is going off at some places !! I have been thinking about this problem for some time now and I think that the best way to solve it would be to isolate the plastic from the glue. So, I am thinking about buying a new roof, put a layer of epoxy under it, have it painted on the surface and put it on the car. I have even thought about putting a layer of epoxy, a band of aluminum foil where the glue will be applied and a final layer of epoxy to seal to whole thing. Without a doubt, aluminum will stop the gas (from the glue) from reaching the paint if the epoxy doesn't.

I am not sure about re-using the old roof since it is certainly saturated with the gas from the glue and some bubbling might reappear. However, it would reduce the repair costs if it would work with the old roof.

The only problem I can see with this solution is that I am not 100% sure that the epoxy will not delaminate from the roof after some time. Hopfully, it won't.

The other day, I have seen one of my friend which has a black SS like me but a '98 instead of '01. He's always using his car to go to work so it's not a garage queen like mine. Well, he has absolutely no problem with his SS (and it is not a convertible, hehe). What the hell !!! Now, I regret that mine is not a convertible tough.

**sstevecamaro** · 08-12-2006, 06:38 AM

I have been thinking about this problem for some time now and I have finally decided to go to a GM dealer. I was expecting a big fight but everything went very smoothly. I showed the car to the service girl along with the service bulletin and she said she would call me back. One week after, I called back myself because I had no news from them. She said : Sorry, I forgot to call you back but would September 18th be ok for you ? I couldn't believe it. Well, I think that it is because I live in Quebec, Canada and there is not a lot of Camaro down here. I also think that having a very clean car helps a lot.

Anyway, Thanks a lot to everybody from this forum for having provided very useful info on this problem.

**sstevecamaro** · 10-08-2006, 07:52 PM

I finally got my car back from the dealer. They did a very good job. They have followed the bulletin religiously. They only put the roof panel a little bit far from the T-Tops so there is a small gap now between the T-Tops and the roof. However, it is hardly noticable. Overall, I am very satisfied about what GM did. They have accepted to do this job for free and without a fight on my 5.5 years old Camaro. Definitely, some dealers appear to be more generous than others. I was lucky...

**INMY01TA** · 10-08-2006, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by sstevecamaro

I finally got my car back from the dealer. They did a very good job. They have followed the bulletin religiously. They only put the roof panel a little bit far from the T-Tops so there is a small gap now between the T-Tops and the roof. However, it is hardly noticable. Overall, I am very satisfied about what GM did. They have accepted to do this job for free and without a fight on my 5.5 years old Camaro. Definitely, some dealers appear to be more generous than others. I was lucky...

That's how they fixed mine the 1st time. Better water test it. The t tops seal themselves against the roof. Water poured into the cabin and puddled down by the floormats. They got it right the 2nd time.

**sstevecamaro** · 10-10-2006, 06:39 PM

Ok, I will check that next time I wash it.

**Jeremiah** · 10-11-2006, 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by firebatbirdv8

Hi Jeremiah, I live in the UK and have a 99 T/A with T-TOPS with the same problem, it took me about 4 months to get a new sail panel from my GM dealership here in the UK after a lot of arguing, anyway they said they would supply the sail panel but would not fit it as they had never done one before and did not want to damage my car,i was ok with that as at least now i have the new sail panel and can get it fitted at a later date. What is the best way to take the old sail panel off and what is the name and part number of the adhesive i need to use to put the new sail panel on with as being in the UK know one knows anything here.
Any help would be appreciated thanks.

The best way to remove it is to first remove the T top devider, then mask the surrounding erea to aid against any scratches ect. Wrap some tape a few layers thick around a pry bar to keep from sratching the paint under the roof cap. start peeling it off the roof peice by peice untill you get it all removed. trim the original adhesive with a sharp knofe or razor blade, leave a thin amount on the suface. Last I would suggest having a glass company re attach the new panel to the car. If you preffer to do it your self, buy a tube of ordinary windsheild urithane, same adhesive used to glue the front/rear glass into our cars. Cut a slice in the side of the despenser tip to allow the urithane to leave a bead that will stand up approx. 3/4" to take up any gap that might be between the new panel and the car. You have to have someone help you place the new panel into palce. Re fit your T tops while the adhesive is soft "it takes a couple of hours to start setting up" and make sure the gap to the rear is closed up but not too tight. Make sure your gap between the rear 1/4 panel is equal and square from side to side. Place several strips of tape to hold the panel in allignement and let sit over night.

The removal process sounds terrible but its the best/easiest way, it doesnt hurt anything but the peice that is being replaced. I have seen other techs try to cut it off with piano wire and they allways end up cutting the ribbon on the top of the rear glass or scratching something.

Good luck guys!

**ntimid8r** · 10-18-2006, 06:55 AM

I got my t-top roof replaced under warranty!!

Everything went great from the contact with Chevrolet all the way through with the dealership (Courtesy Chevrolet).

Here's a link to our Western forums where I posted a thread about the whole deal. Link

Thanks to Sassy Cassie for posting this.

Without this sticky I wouldn't have known I could've got the repair done..... free under warranty.

Also thanks for everyone posting up their experience(s). Both good and bad they all helped my situation.

**Tman** · 10-18-2006, 10:57 AM

Does anyone have pictures of these "bubbles" ??

Can you feel the bubbles or what?

**INMY01TA** · 10-18-2006, 08:46 PM

If you had em, you'd know.

**bluethunder2** · 10-19-2006, 08:54 AM

Scott Settlemier (aka FBodFather) from GM was at an F-body Gathering in Atlanta, a few years back. He took care of getting mine fixed, since the dealers in Atlanta were unwilling. Scott used to be the head of the F-body dept. of GM. If you all can find a way to get with him, google, email, phone, etc. I'm sure he will make sure yours get fixed too. Good Luck.

**4U2ENVY** · 10-23-2006, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by bluethunder2

Scott Settlemier (aka FBodFather) from GM was at an F-body Gathering in Atlanta, a few years back. He took care of getting mine fixed, since the dealers in Atlanta were unwilling. Scott used to be the head of the F-body dept. of GM. If you all can find a way to get with him, google, email, phone, etc. I'm sure he will make sure yours get fixed too. Good Luck.

HMMMMMMMMM Anybody know if he's going to be around Georgia anytime soon i got 2 cars for the dealers to fix lol......seriously my bird which is in the garage most of its life and my dd z28 need a sailpanel fix as well... go figure.......... anybody know?????