[MANNAXMAN]

Originally Posted by Uk2019

No, that's one of the 4 or so spots on the old one. Picture 2 is the old roof, 4 is the new one. You can see the difference in the bonding method, the gahh one doesn't have a visible bead of adhesive like the gm oem one does

Do you expect the window on the GAHH top to hold up better than OEM?

[Uk2019]

I'm hoping so. Given the experiences of many others on the forum, replacing one defective top with another of identical design didn't seem the best idea. Since I'm out of warranty for the car (we get 3 years/36k miles in export markets) an oem gm part would probably have a 12 month warranty at best and the gahh warranty is stated as 5 years. In the event of delamination of the gahh one, let's see if gahh honour their warranty but hopefully I won't need to use it. As I mentioned in my post, the quality seems to be at least as good as the oem gm part, all of the fixing points were spot on and the window does appear to be bonded differently.

Experiences seem to vary in terms of which factors may have contributed to the delamination between different forum members. I never drove with the roof up and windows down, live in the UK which isn't the hottest nor driest nor most humid of climates but do park the car outside.

I'll check back as to how the new top is getting on every so often to keep you all updated. As I mentioned, if anyone is attempting to DIY the swap and needs any help, feel free to get in touch.

[Chutzpah]

Originally Posted by Uk2019

I'm hoping so. Given the experiences of many others on the forum, replacing one defective top with another of identical design didn't seem the best idea. Since I'm out of warranty for the car (we get 3 years/36k miles in export markets) an oem gm part would probably have a 12 month warranty at best and the gahh warranty is stated as 5 years. In the event of delamination of the gahh one, let's see if gahh honour their warranty but hopefully I won't need to use it. As I mentioned in my post, the quality seems to be at least as good as the oem gm part, all of the fixing points were spot on and the window does appear to be bonded differently.

Experiences seem to vary in terms of which factors may have contributed to the delamination between different forum members. I never drove with the roof up and windows down, live in the UK which isn't the hottest nor driest nor most humid of climates but do park the car outside.

I'll check back as to how the new top is getting on every so often to keep you all updated. As I mentioned, if anyone is attempting to DIY the swap and needs any help, feel free to get in touch.

Nice work! You’re the first that I know of (on this forum) to tackle this.

If I still had my convertible, I’d definitely be checking in with you….

[MANNAXMAN]

My rear window separated sooner than I thought it would. There was complete separation at the top right corner, so if I washed the car, water could get inside. I'm not quite ready to replace the top, but I didn't want to get caught off guard by rain (not likely here in Cali at this time of year). Here's my temporary fix. I used Permatex 81158 Black Silicone Adhesive Sealant to seal up the hole.
Before & After pics are attached.

[Chutzpah]

Originally Posted by MANNAXMAN

My rear window separated sooner than I thought it would. There was complete separation at the top right corner, so if I washed the car, water could get inside. I'm not quite ready to replace the top, but I didn't want to get caught off guard by rain (not likely here in Cali at this time of year). Here's my temporary fix. I used Permatex 81158 Black Silicone Adhesive Sealant to seal up the hole.
Before & After pics are attached.

I happen to be a huge fan of silicone. Had a minor accident (very little visible damage, my truck) that required me to pull the front bumper and bend some supports straight. I was surprised to find major damage to most of the moulded bumper clip attachment points (snapped) the back sides of the headlights (cracked and some holes) and the headlight attachment points snapped too. Two tubes of Permatex and everything is stronger and more flexible than it was new. That was 5 years ago… $16 verse a lot of $ to replace everything. Hope your temp repair holds up as well. As long as both surfaces were cleaned of old adhesive, it should hold up great. If not, still way better than doing nothing.

[MANNAXMAN]

Originally Posted by Chutzpah

I happen to be a huge fan of silicone. Had a minor accident (very little visible damage, my truck) that required me to pull the front bumper and bend some supports straight. I was surprised to find major damage to most of the moulded bumper clip attachment points (snapped) the back sides of the headlights (cracked and some holes) and the headlight attachment points snapped too. Two tubes of Permatex and everything is stronger and more flexible than it was new. That was 5 years ago… $16 verse a lot of $ to replace everything. Hope your temp repair holds up as well. As long as both surfaces were cleaned of old adhesive, it should hold up great. If not, still way better than doing nothing.

The opening was too small to do any cleaning other than squirting in some alcohol. I couldn't even fit the tip of the Permatex in the opening. I forced as much silicone into the gap as I code and pressed the top and glass together to spread it out as much as possible. I couldn't find a good way to hold the glass and top together to get the glass to sit flush. But, like you said, it's better than nothing. If the top can be removed and put back on, I'd consider separating the glass from the top and regluing it with Permatex or a similar black silicone adhesive instead of replacing the top entirely. The black isn't a perfect match to the factory adhesive, but most wouldn't even notice.

[Uk2019]

The top can be removed from the frame (have a look at my previous post) so you could try removing and resealing the glass to the fabric. I considered that but didn't think I'd be able to clean the surfaces sufficiently to get a good bond so just went down the replacement route.

[Uk2019]

So, the gahh top has been installed for only a few weeks and the glass appears to be delaminating already! Barely used the car, no driving with the windows down and top up. It's been a warm summer here in the UK (occasional days up to 37c which is about 98f) but still no excuse for it to have failed at all, let alone so quickly. Now we'll have to see how good gahh are at honouring their warranty and if they leave me out of pocket since it involves international shipping (I will definitely fight with them if they don't cover all the costs to get me a replacement since it's failed so soon). Question now is whether to replace it now before the winter with only a small amount of delamination or risk leaving it and it worsening over a rainy British winter.

[classicrockr]

Originally Posted by MANNAXMAN

Post #12058 from the What did you do to your 6th Gen Camaro today?! thread in the general forum:

that looks like the glass is covering the "joining area", which i mentioned in an earlier post. Maybe by keeping the glass over the adhesive area, direct sunlight doesn't affect the adhesion.

[classicrockr]

Originally Posted by Uk2019

So, the gahh top has been installed for only a few weeks and the glass appears to be delaminating already! Barely used the car, no driving with the windows down and top up. It's been a warm summer here in the UK (occasional days up to 37c which is about 98f) but still no excuse for it to have failed at all, let alone so quickly. Now we'll have to see how good gahh are at honouring their warranty and if they leave me out of pocket since it involves international shipping (I will definitely fight with them if they don't cover all the costs to get me a replacement since it's failed so soon). Question now is whether to replace it now before the winter with only a small amount of delamination or risk leaving it and it worsening over a rainy British winter.

Damn, and I had hopes for that GAAH top. keep us updated on their warranty process please!

[classicrockr]

Originally Posted by MANNAXMAN

Post #12058 from the What did you do to your 6th Gen Camaro today?! thread in the general forum:

Did you happen to make a "step by step" guide on how to replace your own top?

[Gunkk]

Originally Posted by classicrockr

Did you happen to make a "step by step" guide on how to replace your own top?

Step #1: Call Convertible Tops and More in Bradenton and make an appointment.

Step #2: Drop your car off.

Step #3: Pay on pickup and enjoy.

Yes they did a perfect job on my wife's Solara, and they do all the top work for Cox Chevrolet (Corvettes and Camaros). I wouldn't try to DIY my own top, way too much skill required (i.e. advanced upholstery) that's way beyond my ability.

[Uk2019]

Definitely no advanced upholstery needed, just a few bolts, clips and 2 pop rivets. When I replace the top again (maybe the over the next few weeks if my warranty claim is processed) I'll take pictures and write a guide

[Weege]

I left the following post on a thread about broken sliding panels and didn't get any comments. I'll try here:
ANYBODY KNOW ANY LAWYERS? I've never come close to suing anyone but between the posts about broken sliding panels and the ones about repeated rear window glass coming unglued, I'm thinking we convertible owners should think about it. These seem to clearly be design flaws that are affecting a significant number of owners. It seems that GM ought to own up to the issues with more that technical service bulletins that only alert to costly repairs. I don't know much about class action suits. In this case, a victory would be an extended warranty coverage, say to 10 years for the problems. Since there would be no monetary reward, a potential case would probably not be very attractive to lawyers. Maybe some consumer advocacy organization would be a better route. It just seems like GM should be flipping these bills. Does anyone have any interest or advice about organizing a complaint that might yield results?
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