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I am having a problem with the top. I dont know if it is a coating of wax or something from the factory. It had come off in some spots and was cloudy and looked like crap. I tried acetone, & alcohol, to try and remove it, no luck. Today I tried very fine steel wool then 600 grit wet sand, then went higher to 5000 grit then rubbing compound and polishing compound. Its still not coming off very easy Any suggestions as to what it might be and how to better remove it Thanks
I've had the transparent top on my C5, C6, and now on my C7 and I have not seen anything like that. I have seen previous posts here concerning crazing of some transparent tops. You might try a search using that keyword and see what comes up.
I do not know if the C5 and the C7 tops are made from the some material, however... On my C5 I redone my top and I had to wet sand (by hand) for days to get all the top coating off. Once I sanded it all down I hit it with some clear coat and then polished it. It really is alot of work to get that top layer off, what ever it is. When I sanded mine I went in opposite directions each time I changed grit. Hope this helps.
I do not know if the C5 and the C7 tops are made from the some material, however... On my C5 I redone my top and I had to wet sand (by hand) for days to get all the top coating off. Once I sanded it all down I hit it with some clear coat and then polished it. It really is alot of work to get that top layer off, what ever it is. When I sanded mine I went in opposite directions each time I changed grit. Hope this helps.
Thanks, I had some Aircraft coating remover that I used on wheels in the past., I might try that but I'm worried about damaging the top. But I think I'm stuck with sanding and polishing for now It just looks so bad on the car I hate it
Sorry to see that... Agree that copious wet sanding and polishing might work but think that's asking for a lot of work without knowing the result.
Checking with a body shop or plastic vendor before going forward would be worthwhile.
All I can see is the scratches from the steel wool and 600 grit sandpaper. Sorry but your remedy is worse than any spots.
Its hard with the sun shinning but the top half of the picture is more cloudy and you can see a jagged line. the top is where the old coating is. I know there are still scratches visible. I have not completed the process of polishing it out I was hoping maybe someone here might know an easier way. If I had a before pic you would see I couldnt leave it like that it wasnt spots it was places where the coating was off this picture without the sun is a little better but still alot of reflection
Last edited by Jmhornz71; Apr 8, 2020 at 07:14 PM.
Go into the C5 section and check some posts over there, with those being a little older, there more likely to see what I am talking about and some step by step processes.
I've got 2 clear tops as I write this, one on my C5 that's nearly 19 years old, was a daily driver for some years, and still looks like new--nothing "peeling." My '18 is about 2.5 years old and still fine. I must ask if you got the top used? I think it has experienced some sort of previous damage. Sorry, but I think it's toast, unless painted.
I bought the car in 2017 used came from Florida. No damage to it from when I bought the car. It came with the transparent top when new. Its going to take some work but I think I can make look ok
did you buy the car used? Perhaps the previous owner put a cheap "protective" film on it that has now damaged the look of the top? There is a member selling his top for $1K in the DC area...get rid of this headache fast!
From: The line waiting to see Santa Claus stretched all the way back to Terre Haute, and I was at the end, Indiana
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Odd... I had a clear C5 (99) top delaminate within a couple years and ended up forking over a fair amount of cash to replace it. I never had any issues with the replacement and no trouble with the C6 or C7 tops.
last time I saw something that bad was the clear coat peeling away on my moms 87 dodge ram.. It might be cheaper and less stress just to buy a new one. .. I love mine so much I dont even know if Ill ever remove the top.
I agree with other posters, looks like you went way too rough with the abrasives.
I would have started too high and work your way down to see if you got any positive results.
As an alternative "fix" is wrapping the top in a tinted vinyl on the outside. Never seen this before, but seems possible.
Or screw it, life it too short, just bite the painful bullet and buy a new one. Keep the old one and paint it to block the sun or sell it to someone who will.
I have seen previous posts here concerning crazing of some transparent tops. You might try a search using that keyword and see what comes up.
My C7 top is crazing, like some C6 tops I've seen pictured. Crazing looks nothing like that peeling situation the OP has. Crazing looks like a million tiny spider webs all over the place in random directions.
Here is a picture of my top sitting under my dinning room light. Depending on the angle and intensity of the light it can look really bad or be hardly noticeable.
Now if the top is wet it looks perfect, however once it dries the tiny lines appear again. I've been told such behavior is a sure sign of clear coat failure. The top is perfectly smooth to the touch, so its not physically cracked or scratched. The white line on the refection of my head and iPhone is a scratch.
I've read that some chemicals can do this damage by removing the UV coating GM applies. When the crazing first appeared I attempted to buff it out using standard car polish type products. It looked a little better, but then sadly got much worse over time So let this be a warning to others.
The top is too hot in FL so I am just going to vinyl wrap it in a matte carbon fiber pattern. I did it once and it looked really good... but then bubbled up apparently a DIY fail on my part - so next time it goes off to the professionals.
Tranparent Top
Agree that copious wet sanding and polishing might work but think that's asking for a lot of work without knowing the result. 
So let this be a warning to others.
apparently a DIY fail on my part - so next time it goes off to the professionals.