Lost my roof today!
05-30-2009, 10:27 PM
#41
Melting Slicks
My colored roof also delaminated. They refused to repair it because my car came with the transparent top and the painted roof was a dealer option.
The roof delamination issue is an NTTSB recall. You can look it up and copy it for your dealer.
The 05 to early 07 roof was a carbon based laminate and was lighter. You can recognize it by its black color under the liner. The new roof is a fiberglass material and is white under the headliner. It is heavier, but adhesives stick better and the thermal expansion is more suited to the magnesium frame.
Hope this helps.
The roof delamination issue is an NTTSB recall. You can look it up and copy it for your dealer.
The 05 to early 07 roof was a carbon based laminate and was lighter. You can recognize it by its black color under the liner. The new roof is a fiberglass material and is white under the headliner. It is heavier, but adhesives stick better and the thermal expansion is more suited to the magnesium frame.
Hope this helps.
05-30-2009, 11:51 PM
#42
Race Director
Thread Starter
The roof delamination issue is an NTTSB recall. You can look it up and copy it for your dealer.
The 05 to early 07 roof was a carbon based laminate and was lighter. You can recognize it by its black color under the liner. The new roof is a fiberglass material and is white under the headliner. It is heavier, but adhesives stick better and the thermal expansion is more suited to the magnesium frame.
Hope this helps.
The 05 to early 07 roof was a carbon based laminate and was lighter. You can recognize it by its black color under the liner. The new roof is a fiberglass material and is white under the headliner. It is heavier, but adhesives stick better and the thermal expansion is more suited to the magnesium frame.
Hope this helps.
06-01-2009, 07:56 AM
#43
Pro
Here's a link with the letter --
http://nhthqnwws111.odi.nhtsa.dot.go...6V181-3965.pdf
You should have no issues.... This was included in the dealer instructions --
The US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides that each vehicle that is subject
to a recall of this type must be adequately repaired within a reasonable time after the customer
has tendered it for repair. A failure to repair within sixty days after tender of a vehicle is prima
facie evidence of failure to repair within a reasonable time. If the condition is not adequately
repaired within a reasonable time, the customer may be entitled to an identical or reasonably
equivalent vehicle at no charge or to a refund of the purchase price less a reasonable
allowance for depreciation. To avoid having to provide these burdensome remedies, every
effort must be made to promptly schedule an appointment with each customer and to repair
their vehicle as soon as possible. In the recall notification letters, customers are told how to
contact the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if the recall is not completed
within a reasonable time.
http://nhthqnwws111.odi.nhtsa.dot.go...6V181-3965.pdf
You should have no issues.... This was included in the dealer instructions --
The US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides that each vehicle that is subject
to a recall of this type must be adequately repaired within a reasonable time after the customer
has tendered it for repair. A failure to repair within sixty days after tender of a vehicle is prima
facie evidence of failure to repair within a reasonable time. If the condition is not adequately
repaired within a reasonable time, the customer may be entitled to an identical or reasonably
equivalent vehicle at no charge or to a refund of the purchase price less a reasonable
allowance for depreciation. To avoid having to provide these burdensome remedies, every
effort must be made to promptly schedule an appointment with each customer and to repair
their vehicle as soon as possible. In the recall notification letters, customers are told how to
contact the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if the recall is not completed
within a reasonable time.
Last edited by pmayo; 06-01-2009 at 08:08 AM.
06-02-2009, 12:42 AM
#44
Race Director
Thread Starter
Thanks, Paul.
Interestingly, GM still has not committed to taking care of this problem. They've deferred to the local rep to review my case and make a decision. I know for a fact that my local dealer sent all of the relevant info to the rep on Friday but they still had not received a response at close of business today. I'm told that it could still be several days until I hear anything. In my view there should be nothing to even have to think about in this case - they should replace my roof panel at no charge to me and be darned glad that the roof is all it's going to cost them. I expected more from GM and I'm disappointed. I'll post an update when I have one.
Interestingly, GM still has not committed to taking care of this problem. They've deferred to the local rep to review my case and make a decision. I know for a fact that my local dealer sent all of the relevant info to the rep on Friday but they still had not received a response at close of business today. I'm told that it could still be several days until I hear anything. In my view there should be nothing to even have to think about in this case - they should replace my roof panel at no charge to me and be darned glad that the roof is all it's going to cost them. I expected more from GM and I'm disappointed. I'll post an update when I have one.
06-02-2009, 12:49 AM
#45
Safety Car
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From exp dealing with region rep..the squeeky wheel gets the oil,remember a closed mouth never gets fed particular in this issue
Thanks, Paul.
Interestingly, GM still has not committed to taking care of this problem. They've deferred to the local rep to review my case and make a decision. I know for a fact that my local dealer sent all of the relevant info to the rep on Friday but they still had not received a response at close of business today. I'm told that it could still be several days until I hear anything. In my view there should be nothing to even have to think about in this case - they should replace my roof panel at no charge to me and be darned glad that the roof is all it's going to cost them. I expected more from GM and I'm disappointed. I'll post an update when I have one.
Interestingly, GM still has not committed to taking care of this problem. They've deferred to the local rep to review my case and make a decision. I know for a fact that my local dealer sent all of the relevant info to the rep on Friday but they still had not received a response at close of business today. I'm told that it could still be several days until I hear anything. In my view there should be nothing to even have to think about in this case - they should replace my roof panel at no charge to me and be darned glad that the roof is all it's going to cost them. I expected more from GM and I'm disappointed. I'll post an update when I have one.
06-02-2009, 08:10 AM
#46
Racer
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St. Jude Donor '10
I have an 06, my original roof was replaced due to the delamination. I took my car in for an alternator problem and wanted them to check the replacement roof as I suspected it was delaminating. Sure enough, delamination had started. They replaced it no questions and gave me no grief about it.
06-02-2009, 09:33 AM
#48
Team Owner
Now just imagine how different the situation would be had your imitation James Bond flying roof hurt somebody behind you. You would be safe from legal harm as you did what GM told you to do, but I think GM would be screwed. Some more, I mean. They would have your new roof on that car pronto when given a copy of the police (or coroner's report). And it sounds like it's going to take a sacrificial lamb/dead person to motivate GM to do the right thing by the downtrodden FRC. Let's have a moment of silence for that poor lamb...
06-02-2009, 02:38 PM
#49
Le Mans Master
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St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Sorry to hear that Mike. Like someone else said...cry like a little girl to that GM rep. You did your due diligence and it's all documented. Threaten a lawsuit if you have to. Maybe that will get their attention.
If they don't take car of this you could always fix it yourself with some J.B. Weld and a repaint.
Keep us posted and good luck!
If they don't take car of this you could always fix it yourself with some J.B. Weld and a repaint.
Keep us posted and good luck!
06-07-2009, 12:03 PM
#50
Team Owner
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CI 1-4-5-8-9-10 Vet
St. Jude Donor '03,'04,'05,'07,08,'09,'10,’17
Thanks, Paul.
Interestingly, GM still has not committed to taking care of this problem. They've deferred to the local rep to review my case and make a decision. I know for a fact that my local dealer sent all of the relevant info to the rep on Friday but they still had not received a response at close of business today. I'm told that it could still be several days until I hear anything. In my view there should be nothing to even have to think about in this case - they should replace my roof panel at no charge to me and be darned glad that the roof is all it's going to cost them. I expected more from GM and I'm disappointed. I'll post an update when I have one.
Interestingly, GM still has not committed to taking care of this problem. They've deferred to the local rep to review my case and make a decision. I know for a fact that my local dealer sent all of the relevant info to the rep on Friday but they still had not received a response at close of business today. I'm told that it could still be several days until I hear anything. In my view there should be nothing to even have to think about in this case - they should replace my roof panel at no charge to me and be darned glad that the roof is all it's going to cost them. I expected more from GM and I'm disappointed. I'll post an update when I have one.
06-07-2009, 01:18 PM
#51
GM doesn't honor all recalls due to tricky legal racket
Thanks, Paul.
Interestingly, GM still has not committed to taking care of this problem. They've deferred to the local rep to review my case and make a decision. I know for a fact that my local dealer sent all of the relevant info to the rep on Friday but they still had not received a response at close of business today. I'm told that it could still be several days until I hear anything. In my view there should be nothing to even have to think about in this case - they should replace my roof panel at no charge to me and be darned glad that the roof is all it's going to cost them. I expected more from GM and I'm disappointed. I'll post an update when I have one.
Interestingly, GM still has not committed to taking care of this problem. They've deferred to the local rep to review my case and make a decision. I know for a fact that my local dealer sent all of the relevant info to the rep on Friday but they still had not received a response at close of business today. I'm told that it could still be several days until I hear anything. In my view there should be nothing to even have to think about in this case - they should replace my roof panel at no charge to me and be darned glad that the roof is all it's going to cost them. I expected more from GM and I'm disappointed. I'll post an update when I have one.
A recall exists for all 05-07 C6 OEM corvette removable targa tops. The glue bond holding the removable top to its frame breaks with temperature changes, and the tops break away and fly off the car. Over time, air at highway speeds air eventually blows under the top and pulls it off the frame. As part of the recall repair, GM injected foam under the thin plastic top into the roof frame to prevent the air from entering and ripping the top off. They did not address the real problem with the glue not holding the top on. They only addressed a symptom of the real problem to avoid the cost of replacement.
My top had months of air leaking under it, a lot of noise over that period, and the foam inject recall had been performed with a previous owner. GM denied my safety recall claim stating they injected the foam, but in reality they only treated a symptom. GM used a legal run-around to avoid having to replace the top, saying they corrected the problem and met the NHTSA recall. All they did was inject some foam. They did not correct the glue problem and meet the burden of correction according to the recall.
I was able to grab onto the top through my drivers window to hold it down when it unexpectedly started to rip off, or it would have hit traffic behind me, and caused wreck(s). Thanks you for your help and consideration in addressing GMs reluctance to correct their recall problem.
So I believe they come up with some bs repair such as the foam, which again does not work and doesn't correct the problem of the roof glue delaminating, and they save money and lose customers. I tried everything on the phone with them, talked to them 12 minutes. Asked what happens if the roof comes off and hits someone, and they just say they fixed it. ATTENTION GM...this is why you are bankrupt!! I told them it was the principle of the situation, it is a major safety and liability problem if they issue a recall and not a TSB. I have no problem taking responsibility and repairing my out of warranty vehicle, but GM doesn't honor a safety RECALL.
Friday I stopped at a glass installer I know, and we used the windshield glass glue to reattach the panel on my car. There was some primer needed prior to the glue application. Because of the nature of temperature changes for a windshield, I believe this glue will work for the tops and not delaminate. I would not use an epoxy glue that does not respond well to temp changes. My research with some help on the board indicates that a urethane type glue such as Goop will handle the temp changes. See this post also, this guy is a chemist and helped me out:
Mine was first glued on recall then replaced last fall after it sat out in Colorado Springs for 3 days in how sun. The problem is different coefficients of expansion between the metal frame and the polymer hard top. That said, a hard glue like epoxy is bound to fail. I believe if you are going to try to repair it yourself that an elastomeric glue would have "give" in it so as to not pop the adhesive bond. Siloxane (silicon) type glues remain elastic but I don't think they have enough bond strength. There ought to be some urethane type glues that remain elastic (gorilla?) but it wil take some investigating. My car was garaged continually from oct 2005 (2006 model) til last September. It was the heat soak outside in the sun that caused the failure. That is what first showed up in Phoenix too.
Last edited by tim87tr; 06-07-2009 at 02:37 PM.
06-07-2009, 01:43 PM
#52
Ultimate Keyboard Warrior
I'm sorry to report that I became the latest member of the flying roof club this morning. I was doing 70 on the freeway on my way to work on a beautiful, sunny morning when, without warning, my roof delaminated and the outer skin became airborne and landed on the freeway shoulder. It was strictly a matter of luck that it didn't hit a following vehicle; it simply flew and landed on the side of the freeway.
Don't feel too bad--I ran over my clear roof in my garage!
06-07-2009, 02:54 PM
#53
Le Mans Master
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St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-12-'13-'14-'15-'16
06-07-2009, 08:55 PM
#54
Former Vendor
I'm sorry to report that I became the latest member of the flying roof club this morning. I was doing 70 on the freeway on my way to work on a beautiful, sunny morning when, without warning, my roof delaminated and the outer skin became airborne and landed on the freeway shoulder. It was strictly a matter of luck that it didn't hit a following vehicle; it simply flew and landed on the side of the freeway.
My first thought was that I'd forgotten to latch the rear latch when I replaced the roof after a topless drive yesterday. Thankfully, that was not the case although it wasn't until I got the car home that I realized that the roof frame was still attached to the car. After getting the Corvette home I retraced my drive in my DD and recovered the flying panel.
If anyone wants to reference the previous thread, here it is.)
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...aint-good.html
Thanks very much to forum buddy Allen Lemasters (calemasters), the buttons have now been pushed to get my delaminated painted roof panel replaced. It had been a week since my flying roof was reported to GM but no one at the district level or within customer service had authorized any action. (My car is a 2005, 11 months out of warranty.) As a frequent contributor to this forum, Allen learned of the problem and gave the process a huge shot of adrenaline. As a direct result of his efforts, GM is covering the replacement.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Allen on the phone this morning. All I can say is, "What a terrific guy!" He's yet another example of the many great members of this forum. He's also a shining example of the fact that there are many great folks at GM and I wish them the very best in their futures with the company.
Many thanks to you, Allen!
I immediately phoned Chevrolet customer service. I explained what had happened and hoped that they'd find it easy to make the decision to take care of the situation. They did not. Here's the skinny:
Hopefully the news will be better come Monday. In the meantime, my Corvette is committed to the garage with its roof panel being held on with duct tape so as to keep bugs out. This sucks.
I'd welcome any thoughts others here might have. Thanks for reading.
My first thought was that I'd forgotten to latch the rear latch when I replaced the roof after a topless drive yesterday. Thankfully, that was not the case although it wasn't until I got the car home that I realized that the roof frame was still attached to the car. After getting the Corvette home I retraced my drive in my DD and recovered the flying panel.
If anyone wants to reference the previous thread, here it is.)
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...aint-good.html
Thanks very much to forum buddy Allen Lemasters (calemasters), the buttons have now been pushed to get my delaminated painted roof panel replaced. It had been a week since my flying roof was reported to GM but no one at the district level or within customer service had authorized any action. (My car is a 2005, 11 months out of warranty.) As a frequent contributor to this forum, Allen learned of the problem and gave the process a huge shot of adrenaline. As a direct result of his efforts, GM is covering the replacement.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Allen on the phone this morning. All I can say is, "What a terrific guy!" He's yet another example of the many great members of this forum. He's also a shining example of the fact that there are many great folks at GM and I wish them the very best in their futures with the company.
Many thanks to you, Allen!
I immediately phoned Chevrolet customer service. I explained what had happened and hoped that they'd find it easy to make the decision to take care of the situation. They did not. Here's the skinny:
- My car is a 2005 with painted roof only (no transparent panel). As such, it's pretty much confined to the garage until it gets a replacement roof panel as I won't leave it unattended in its current condition.
- Like many folks here, I received a notice from GM in 2006 telling me of the potential delamination problem and their "Customer Satisfaction Program" (# 05 112, the one that was issued before there was an actual recall) that was intended to fix the problem in affected cars. In compliance with this notice, I took my car in. The dealer took the measurements and determined that my roof could not be repaired with the foam injection; instead, it would need to be replaced.
- The dealer ordered the parts, painted the new outer panel, assembled everything, and sent me on my way; the process took a couple of weeks or so.
- I know for a fact that my replacement panel was of the same design as my original one. It was not one of the newer version like what's now being used.
- Approximately a year after my panel was replaced, GM announced a recall to address the problem. This, I'm told, is very different from the "Customer Satisfaction Program" that my work was done under. The recall includes replacing the defective outer panel with one of the newer design. I never received the recall notification, presumably because by the time the recall was announced my roof had already been replaced under the "Customer Satisfaction Program".
- My car is now out of warranty. Although it has just 19,500 miles on it, my 3 years were up last July.
- GM customer service has told my dealer (not the same one that performed the fix in 2006 - I've moved since then) to try to get resolution through their factory rep. That dialogue won't take place until at least Monday so it's going to be at least several days until I know whether or not GM is going to cover this.
Hopefully the news will be better come Monday. In the meantime, my Corvette is committed to the garage with its roof panel being held on with duct tape so as to keep bugs out. This sucks.
I'd welcome any thoughts others here might have. Thanks for reading.
If anyone wants to reference the previous thread, here it is.)
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...aint-good.html
Thanks very much to forum buddy Allen Lemasters (calemasters), the buttons have now been pushed to get my delaminated painted roof panel replaced. It had been a week since my flying roof was reported to GM but no one at the district level or within customer service had authorized any action. (My car is a 2005, 11 months out of warranty.) As a frequent contributor to this forum, Allen learned of the problem and gave the process a huge shot of adrenaline. As a direct result of his efforts, GM is covering the replacement.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Allen on the phone this morning. All I can say is, "What a terrific guy!" He's yet another example of the many great members of this forum. He's also a shining example of the fact that there are many great folks at GM and I wish them the very best in their futures with the company.
Many thanks to you, Allen!
06-27-2009, 01:42 AM
#56
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That brings out a good point GM by going bankrupt will try and weasel out of all its past obligations. The stock holders lost everything, the bond holders are being screwed so why not screw the customers too. I hope I am wrong and that GM replaces the defective roof as it was recalled and should have been replaced.
Last edited by 2006c6keller; 06-27-2009 at 02:06 AM.
07-28-2009, 01:12 PM
#58
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I bought an '05 C6 last December. The roof makes lots of poping noises, almost all the time. Only totally straight highway is quiet. In city streets driving the noise is constant. A few weeks ago I went to the garage that painted my car, it's a white pearl color.
So one of the guys comes over and says something like "see, you can't tell the roof was painted after the car.." .. he probably didn't know I was a new owner. So I was like huuuh why was the roof painted ?
And he said because "It flew off on the highway"
Needless to say I found that truly weird and to be honest didn't really believe him.
Now I see this thread and realize this actually is true. Not only that, but apparently the poping noises are the intro to entering the flying-roof club
So probably I'm to expect this as well..
Obviously this means my roof is the old style, do you think I'm eligable for the recall program, my car's a US car imported to Europe. Can anyone give a specific recall code ? There's only one official dealer for Corvettes here and I don't think they'll be too happy to replace my roof just like that.
But if I have a recall number and date etc, may be I can convince them to replace my top, eventhough they didn't sell me the car and it's a US spec model, rather than EU one.
So one of the guys comes over and says something like "see, you can't tell the roof was painted after the car.." .. he probably didn't know I was a new owner. So I was like huuuh why was the roof painted ?
And he said because "It flew off on the highway"
Needless to say I found that truly weird and to be honest didn't really believe him.
Now I see this thread and realize this actually is true. Not only that, but apparently the poping noises are the intro to entering the flying-roof club
So probably I'm to expect this as well..Obviously this means my roof is the old style, do you think I'm eligable for the recall program, my car's a US car imported to Europe. Can anyone give a specific recall code ? There's only one official dealer for Corvettes here and I don't think they'll be too happy to replace my roof just like that.
But if I have a recall number and date etc, may be I can convince them to replace my top, eventhough they didn't sell me the car and it's a US spec model, rather than EU one.
