Convertible Issue
 

Since it was a nice sunny day here in SC, I decided to take the top down on the car for the afternoon. This was the first day that I have been able to for more than a 5 mile drive. As usual, I inspected the top once I put it back up, and I am not very happy with what I see. Can some one let me know if this is normal wear? Please note that none of these marks were there before today.

Pic 1 - above the driver's side
Pic 2 & 3 - from passenger's side

http://i.imgur.com/sxSprwJ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/RHFz9jp.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Bo7uZhw.jpg

Yup sorry to say it but you have the common top problems.
Pic 1 looks like the rub mark where the flapping fold hits the back of the well.

Pic 2 - doesn't look good bit hard to tell exactly where it is


Pic 3 did not happen in one day. This is the common v and its already a hole.

You need a new top. Find the convertible rub marks thread and you'll find a bunch of info.

I always screw up trying to find links and post while on iPhone

Sorry for the pain you are about to go through.

Great. Should I take it to the dealership now, or do I need to wait until I take the top down a couple more times.

If you have the stomach to watch it get worse, the dealer then won't be able to tell you "it's normal wear" or "a minor issue."

:yikes:

Yep - time for a new top!

Pic 1 - had the same thing on mine, but it was just to the passenger side of the center line of the roof. the passenger side was the only side touching the well area when the top was down. that 45 degree pattern is wierd, but I had the same thing.

Pic 2 - Looks like more rubbing aganist the well.
Pic 3 - Classic "V" rub marks - these were the 1st to start showing on the verts. Caused from the frame pinching it too tightly when the top is down. Mine never got the hole in either side though.

I just had my 3rd top put on. It was the dealer's 1st time - they tried to say the hole in the top was from road debris. then I showed them where it was touching the well area when the top was down. Their response was "Oh, well it must be rubbing when the top goes up & down then".

I told them "It's probably getting more damage when it flaps in the wind & hits the well area repeatedly. IDIOTS! to make it worse, they put the headliner straps on the frame incorrectly and put on my receipt that I had to "Manually adjust the straps when raising & lowering the top in order to keep straps from getting pinched".

Needless to say, I found another dealer who had a reputable top shop fix the strap routing.

My point is, ask if the dealer has ever dealt with this issue; if not, find one who has. It will save you headaches in the end....

Any recommendations for the SC area? Also, once the top is replaced, will this happen again? Once I find a dealer and take the car in, what is the average turn around time to get it back. I don't like the idea that I have had the car for 2 months, and I am already having to have major work done to it.

Join us on facebook.. we've got a lot of people that have experienced the same thing as you.

https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups/226942550693692/


GM bought my first one back (2011) becuase of this issue and the resulting problems from the replacement.

We feel your pain, but sometimes it feels like GM doesn't. I'm now having problems such as yours in pic 1 on my 2012 MY and close to taking it in for service.

Holding off because I'm afraid that if I let anyone touch it, it may make the problem worse.

Thanks. I will be calling around to the local dealers to see which have had experience with this. From what I was told by a friend (Convertible owner for 20+ years) is that it looked like the top was already replaced once. From looking at it now, there was not a single rub mark or blemish when I bought her 2 months ago, so I don't think I can doubt that statement any longer.

I am in Savannah about 2 hrs away. Coastal Chevy changed mine last year and did a pretty good job. No leaks or fit issues afterward. Not sure if you want to drive that far but some would say it is worth it. Only issue was the routing of the cables over the quarter windows and that took 5 mins to correct myself.

Once the fabric is damaged it is a replacement by GMs standards. I recommend you send a message to Brandon, cust rep on this forum, and get a case opened. It circumvents the dealer inconsistencies and their varying opinions on what they want to do.

Hope this helps.


\(^^^)/ <--- A Smile from He11

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Funny you should mention Brandon. I just sent him a PM to point out this thread and see if he had any information to give me before I started calling around.

How long ago was yours replaced, and how has it held up since you got it back? To be 100% honest, I bought a vert so I can have the top down as much as possible, and while my car is a 2011, it was first put in service in 6/2012, and IMO 2 tops in 9 months/10k miles doesn't look promising. However, this is the first vert I have owned (all other Camaros had t-tops), so maybe I am expecting too much here.

I called 3 of the local Chevy dealerships today.

1 - Crews Chevrolet - left message, never got a call back

2 - Dick Smith - was told that they tried to fix a top once and it was a 3 week process and now they send it out to have taken care of.

3 - Hendrick Chevrolet - Said that it is normally a 3-4 day process and will have to replace the top.

I am going to take it to Hendrick to look at tomorrow.

Algeron,

Find out how many top replacements they have done and get references.

The guy my dealership uses does all the top replacements for Hertz/Avis in my neck of the woods.

You want someone who has learned on someone else's car.

Hendrick said they have done 4-5 of these recently. Dick Smith would not tell me who they would send the car to, but they have only had the 1 come in.

Unless you're paying for the replacement, the dealer can withhold the name of the Top Shop (aka upholsterer)...but I'd feel a lot better if they were open and transparent.

A dealer needn't worry about a customer doing an end-run around them since it's Warranty work.
There's no money to be saved by the owner.

My dealer asked a customer if he knew a good upholsterer he'd like them to use to replace the top, since they'd never done one.
Now there's a switch.

:smoking: