My 2001 coupe came with only the tinted plastic top, which we very carefully remove occasionally during nice weather. It has never been dropped, squashed, or had any other abuse. The car has 50,000 miles.

Recently I noticed 3 small cracks near the right edge, just above the blow-out clip. They are about 1" long and 1" apart, running from the metal edge toward the center of the panel. The cracks do not go completely through the tinted plastic, but create a slight ridge on the outer surface.

Has anyone else had this problem?

 

Wow! I'm the first person to ever experience this !?!?

 

Sorry, I've never heard of this problem. Are you still under warranty? This might be considered a defect in workmanship if you can get them to believe the targa hasn't been dropped or otherwise damaged.

Good luck!

 

My top on my '99 coupe was replaced under warrantee for a problem called "crazing". When looking out at the sun through the top from inside the car it seemed to have a webbing of minute surface fractures. You could not see this from outside the car. This is a well known problem that can occur with Lexan, and it can be precipitated by twisting/banging or certain glass cleaners, or, especially exposure to certain solvents or even solvent fumes, as when parking the car near a paint booth.

I don't know whether this is the problem that you are experiencing, however it can start with just a few small fractures that continue to spread across the top. Unfortunately most GM service personel are not educated about this -- or, they were not four years ago when I had this problem. I had to take my car to a local Lexan distributor who immediately recognized the problem. After they told me what the problem was I called every local GM service department till I found a service manager who was aware of this problem. I spoke with EVERY service manager in the Nashville area and only found ONE who was educated about this! He sent a warrantee claim to GM, and in ten days I had a new top!

I have no idea what caused this problem in my top because I bought the car used in December of '99 -- it was about seven months old.

Sorry about your top, but I hope this helps.

 

I recall some people complaining about an issue like this. Maybe a search will turn up something. Mine so far has not done this.

 

I have two little surface cracks on mine too coming from the edge. I also have the webbing effect.

 

Sorry - I went and checked out my top.
I have heard that certain chemicals can cause a problem with Lexan and have seen problems with Lexan from just being in the elements. Lexan constructed domes on emergency vehicle lighting starts to oxidize or crack.

Think I'll put the solid top on for awhile. Good luck

 

Mine too. However, mine is a 99 and I purchased it like this. I do have the GM Full Warranty for the next year or so. Don't know if it would kick in to get me a new one or not. Dealership I got it from has changed ownership, so I don't know how they would react to this since I bought the car like this. Probably gun me down. I'm probably going to take it to a Corvette shop locally and see what they can do. I know the crystallization cracks you see from inside are not repairable, but the exterior can probably be redone. Maybe yours is just exterior clearcoat and can be repaired? Anyways, good luck with the top.

 

I'm currently dealing with this very issue on my '02. One local dealership has already told me, because I'm the second owner of the car, that the previous owner must've dropped/kicked/banged/{insert action here} the top and they therefore aren't liable to replace it under warranty "defect" coverage.

Another dealership across town is giving me a second opinion next week (on that and the flaking clearcoat on my polished wheels). I'm going trying to get the warranty to cover anything.

 

Guys don't let a service manager get away with this! If you have a warranty they are legally obligated to honor the warranty. What if you don't know anything about cars and buy a one year old used Corvette and the second morning you have the car you see that it smokes. You take it in and the service manager says that the previous owner must have ran it too hard and abused it, so they are not obligated to fix it. Would you accept this? What if you just bought a used (under warranty) Corvette and you notice that the tranny is slipping a bit. The service manager tells you the previous owner must have abused it, so tough luck!

GM has to PROVE abuse before they can deny coverage. As long as there are no signs that the top was dropped, etc., they have to give you a new top. Many things other than obvious abuse such as dropping/banging the top can precipitate this problem. This is a known issue with Lexan. It is not necessarily your fault. Be persistant and you will have a new top!

 

Oh trust me, I'm being persistent. Just today, I think I've finally found the dealership that I'll continue to trust with service work. I was able to have a phone conversation with the service manager of the dealership that I'll be taking the car to next week. He was very understanding and the best part about the conversation was that the service manager knew exactly what I was talking about when I mentioned "fractures in the top, only visible from the inside out". He sounded very optimistic about warranty covering the replacement costs. We'll see!

 

I recently had a problem with my clear targa and I had it covered under my glass insurance.

 

Maybe your Vette has been a member of the FRC

 

I had 8 tops on my 94'. I wouldn't have another one. There cr@p!

 

Are you nuts???

Sorry, but get that thing to the dealer immediately and demand they replace it under warranty.

 

My sentiments exactly!

 

 

Well, I just got back after having a 2nd dealership look at my spider-webbed targa top. This time, rather than being told it wouldn't be covered under warranty because I was the second owner of the car, this dealership told me that all vehicle glass (and they say the top is included in this) is only covered during the first 12-months of the 3-year new vehicle warranty. When I tried to discuss this with them they handed me the GM Customer Service phone number and told me to call it. They wouldn't help me further and said it was out of their hands.

So, I searched through the entire warranty coverage booklet for my car and NOWHERE in there does it say that glass is only covered for 12-months. Looks like I'm getting the run-around AGAIN!! So far, all I've found is dealership warranty excuses and blame.

Time to call GM Customer Assistance, AGAIN!!

 

My 94 LT-1 had the tinted glass top and I had a similar situation. If you looked up through the cockpit it looked like the top had cracks all through it.....like ice w/ spider webs all over the top...it got progressively worse....

It may be covered under warranty.

 

Your treatment by these dealers is ridiculous! I had much better luck getting mine replaced under warrantee. And mine was two years old when they replaced it! You need to post your experiences about this (naming dealers, etc.) on ALL the Corvette forums! Keep us posted.