mk3cn4

I notice there's a LOT of C5 glass targatop vette's out there with what looks like a "peeling" problem on the glass top, does anyone know enough about it to suggest how to maybe prevent it from happening?

Is it a physical film that gets a scratch and that's what starts to peel?

Or, is it like paint and temperature makes it peel?

Has anyone repaired one that peeled and it actually look OK?

Anyone who has examined 1 with peel and wants to throw their .02 I'd appreciate it.

drews60

stormrider

Mine is starting to peel

Eric 96

Keep in under your bed, out of the light, far from the UV rays. It's probably our punishment for what we contribute to Global Warming (Al Gore, if you're on the Forum, please chime in!)
The tops I've seen that are peeling are the ones that get alot of time on the car.
I'm just being more selective with the times I use my clear top. If it looks like I'm going to be using my Vette for work transportation, then I use my painted top that week. No need to sit out in the sun for 8 hours while I'm at work.
I also keep a coat of Meguires on it...not sure if it helps, but it can't hurt.
Anyone else?

lazoaj

Keep it out of direct sunlight when not in use. Since I do not have a garage to put it in, I purchased a really good car cover. Also I would suggest avoid putting any foreign substances other than water on your top.

99mallett

Pretty typical of the C5 tops, especially 97-00, and there isn't a lot you can do about it but replace it. Newer Lexan doesn't have the delamination problem, so getting a rebuild should take car of it. Unfortunately you're looking at about $600 or so. Got my new top 3 years ago and it is holding up fine.

rkort

i read on another thread that there is a a person that have paint one and it seem to work, something like doing a black out kit, sounded interesting, but no price was mention, may we there could be a group purchase from one the sponsored that does refurb.

happa

I had to replace mine cause of the peeling, I just hope this one doesnt start. I wish there was something we can put on to protect it.

Oldvetter

My 1998 has the dreaded passenger side stripe. I found if you apply diaelectric grease it helps. But I did replace my top with a later year one.

Sniper168gr

With the hot weather and hot sun season starting, I swapped the clear top for the painted. Anyone else do the same?

SebringSixSpeed

My 98 top is in bad shape so I'm going to have it painted to match the car. I don't know how it will hold up but it will look better for awhile at least.

mk3cn4

I think if mine goes bad, I'll try to paint it black myself even though my car is silver. I think painting it black is something I can handle, instead of the color matching etc.

First though, I think I'd try those headlamp buffer sandpaper pads that they sell to unglaze your fogged plastic headlights, used one of those on my Camaro headlamps and seemed to work reasonably well. Would take a lot but but might get that top's shine back (maybe?)

I wonder if anyone's tried that on a bad top? I've seen people who have spent a few hours on their horribly glazed headlamps and they look brand new when they are done.

Prosecutor

My '03 top still looks like new after almost 100K miles. I put a little ICE on it every few washes. I must be getting lucky if that doesn't do anything.

mk3cn4

Has anyone heard of anyone trying to fix the peeling with something like this?:

http://www.myfto.co.uk/peeling.htm

Looks like a lot of work, but the before and after look dramatic.

C5VetteLS1

That was probably me. I offered to attempt to repair a real bad tinted top as a freebee for a forum member. We wanted to see what, if anything we could do to improve it. If it turned out successful, our intentions were to offer such repairs as a service.


The hot-coating procedure that we use to blackout C5 & C6 Taillights etc. seemed like a logical means of repair. I never mentioned a price because we were only experimenting. The finished results were a huge improvement, but clearly less than perfect. Looking at the top from outside of the car appeared perfect. However when looking through the top from the inside, you could see the sanding scratches we caused during prep. That IMO, would be a major annoyance.

Being that a targa can be refurbished for about $600.00, our price cap was $300.00 to repair. Unfortunately the experiment failed on two counts. The repair offered a less than perfectly translucent image ... somewhat of a slight frosted effect. And we couldn't possibly treat them for $300.00. If I remember correctly, I believe we spent about 24 hours of labor on the repair. So it was a lose-lose situation. The customers wouldn't be happy with the results that cost them $300.00, and we can't put 24 hours labor into a $300.00 project. We therefore abandoned the entire concept.

In conclusion, at least in my opinion, the most successful repair for a tinted targa is to paint it with solid body colors. We've painted many successfully. They just need to be well sanded with 400 grit wet/dry paper, then sprayed with an adhesion promoter. Followed with Primer, Base Color Coat, then Clear Coated.

I know this is really of no help. I'm just sharing our failed repair attempt of a tinted top. So I've basically concluded that in utilizing our best efforts, such a repair cannot be accomplished.

Picture Before Repair:
That was probably me. I offered to attempt to repair a real bad tinted top as a freebee for a forum member. We wanted to see what, if anything we could do to improve it. If it turned out successful, our intentions were to offer such repairs as a service.


The hot-coating procedure that we use to blackout C5 & C6 Taillights etc. seemed like a logical means of repair. I never mentioned a price because we were only experimenting. The finished results were a huge improvement, but clearly less than perfect. Looking at the top from outside of the car appeared perfect. However when looking through the top from the inside, you could see the sanding scratches we caused during prep. That IMO, would be a major annoyance.

Being that a targa can be refurbished for about $600.00, our price cap was $300.00 to repair. Unfortunately the experiment failed on two counts. The repair offered a less than perfectly translucent image ... somewhat of a slight frosted effect. And we couldn't possibly treat them for $300.00. If I remember correctly, I believe we spent about 24 hours of labor on the repair. So it was a lose-lose situation. The customers wouldn't be happy with the results that cost them $300.00, and we can't put 24 hours labor into a $300.00 project. We therefore abandoned the entire concept.

In conclusion, at least in my opinion, the most successful repair for a tinted targa is to paint it with solid body colors. We've painted many successfully. They just need to be well sanded with 400 grit wet/dry paper, then sprayed with an adhesion promoter. Followed with Primer, Base Color Coat, then Clear Coated.

I know this is really of no help. I'm just sharing our failed repair attempt of a tinted top. So I've basically concluded that in utilizing our best efforts, such a repair cannot be accomplished.

Richard

Picture Before Repair


Pictures After Repair

Dave68

I use only my translucent top (semi-daily driver for 6 years) and it looks like the day it was new. I cover my car every day that it sits outside at work and THAT, my friends, is the key.

JACKAL0PE

I agree.

I've got a 98 without a bit of peel in the top.

But it's always been garaged even when I take it to work. Probably hasn't spent five days under the sun since it was new.

Winterlude

mine started peeling 2 years ago, it was barely noticable, then the next year it was like a belt on the passenger's side in width from front to back, it did that all on it's one, the car just sat there, barely driven.

jrose7004

I tried to paint mine twice but I couldn't get the paint to stay on it.

rkort

C5VetteLS1, thanks for your reply i am sure alot found it interesting, and really sorry the project fail, i was hoping that there was a way to fix the 4" delam problem that seem to be happening with some many tops, the before and after pic look really great, but was wondering if you had any shot of the inside looking out if we could seen the result. i roof look good or ok except for 4" stripe on the passenger side.
again thanks, and if you want another guinea pig, let me know
thanks