can it be true...a FIX????

[95birdible]

Remember that the top is canvas only. Not the whole assembly. Check the date on the tag the top was made. Anything before December I would be suspect about.

[Drago77]

Dealership called asking for more pix of the top damage. I've got a road trip to Georgia tomorrow, gonna to without my "protective masking tape" and see how bad the marks get... appearantly GM reps are finally getting involved in this issue.... baby steps!

[cactuseater]

If anybody gets the TSB # on this posted up here (The latest fix) please post. I'm sitting on the fence with my dealership - did not let them touch the top until the "end game" fix was in. Thanks!

[Drago77]

Originally Posted by cactuseater

If anybody gets the TSB # on this posted up here (The latest fix) please post. I'm sitting on the fence with my dealership - did not let them touch the top until the "end game" fix was in. Thanks!

That's a horrible sight, and damages exactly where mine is... I've been covering the effected areas so that didn't happen... get that documented/fixed... your gonna have a leak soon!

[RockNCamaro]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is the issue with the top? Is the mechanism rubbing a hole in the canvas? I just picked my Vert Friday it was made mid Feb and I am wondering if I should expect to have a defective top on mine?

Thanks.

[classicrockr]

Originally Posted by RockNCamaro

Pardon my ignorance, but what is the issue with the top? Is the mechanism rubbing a hole in the canvas? I just picked my Vert Friday it was made mid Feb and I am wondering if I should expect to have a defective top on mine?

Thanks.

Ok...here we go...

Right before the Convertible was going into production, the convertible top supplier went bankrupt & out of business, causing GM to have to find a replacement manufacturer/supplier for the top on very short notice. As a result, there have been 3 main top issues:

1) "Rub" marks on the driver & passenger side above the windows. These are usually "V" shaped marks" that are being caused by the top being "pinched" by one of the brackets when it's put down. There have been a few TSB's out on this; one of them involves grinding the bracket/bolt down & placing a heavy "tape" on the area that was ground down. GM was promising a permanent fix by February and supposedly the GM customer service reps that call people are telling them that the "permanent fix" is now being implemented on the assembly line. They are also telling people that they will be contacted by GM and the permanent fix will be applied to their vehicle at some point, after which they will get a new 3 year/36,000 mile warranty on their top.

Here's the most popular thread regarding this topic: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142513

A member with the UN "sux2bu" has done some very detailed DIY work, showing step by step where the rub marks are originating.

2) 5th bow breaking. This is happening both before & after top replacement. The same "permanent fix" as above applies to the 5th bow issue.

3) Water management bag system leaking or being damaged by mechanics that are fixing/replacing the top. While some cases involve water leaking beofre any type of top repair, most seem to be caused by inexperienced mechanics causing the damage to the water bags as they try to repair/replace the tops.

A member with the UN "Nutbutt" has had some experience with issue & has said that the new water management bag system they installed on his car is made of more durable material & has held up pretty well. I'm sure he won't mind if you PM him & ask about his experiences.


Additionally, some members have had to have their tensioning cables adjusted on either one or both sides to reduce the wind noise - this is a very easy fix that the dealerships usually get done very quickly.

With all this said, I ask you that if you have any of these problems, please don't get frustrated. Have faith in GM - they will do us right. I have had my top replaced once; the V shaped rub marks are re-appearing on the passenger side only. The 5th bow on my car has also broken. I've been fortunate enough to have a dealership that has a mechanic that is very skilled with the convertibles & has not caused any additional damage to my car during repair. GM has told me that the permanent fix is being implemented on the assembly line and that it will eventually be applied to mine & I'll get a fresh warranty on the top once it is.

This car is fantastic - I've had mine 4 months & have 10,000 miles on it. I can't stay out of it & people are still staring constantly. Trust me, if you get any of these issues, they will be taken care of & you won't regret it!

And WELCOME to the 'Vert family!

[Nutbutt]

Wow great write up ! This should be a sticky in the vert section so every 2 pages this won't have to be re-written!
Mine is back in at the dealership this morning for a review of the new water management bag. I was assured they wouldn't break anything else
Figures this would happen on one of the first nice days in a while.
I am hoping for more info on the new top TSB when I pickup my car this afternoon. If anything new I'll post it, but my 5th bow is starting to pull away again and they are looking at that also. Fun fun fun !

[Terrypm]

Originally Posted by Nutbutt

Wow great write up ! This should be a sticky in the vert section so every 2 pages this won't have to be re-written!

+1

[11BEE]

Guys, Thanks for taking the lead on this. Our 2012 has 3700 miles and I am just now starting to see the v shaped marks. I am looking forward to the permanent fix being released and will wait until then to have mine fixed.

[Drago77]

Interesting occurrence today... as i stated, GM requested additional pix of the damage, took a 500+ mile road trip (loving every minute of it!!!!) Without my"protective tape" on the top, topless for a good 300 of those miles, wouldn't you know it, less of a mark than it was just cycling the top standing still!!! I'm a little dumbfounded by this, out side of Murphy's Law, I'm completely in disbelief. See how it looks on the ride home...

[RockNCamaro]

Classicrockr, awesome brief brother. Thanks for taking the time to educate me! I got my ride last Friday, and I have put the top down twice and I am starting to notice the small dents in the same spot you mentioned. It makes me wonder if I should put the top down at all, to not damage it until they get a permanent fix. My issue is I am stationed at a Fort about 70 miles away from nearest Chevy delaership and not only is it expensive to get it there but I would need a car to get around while it's being fixed. This seems like a such a pain inthe ass.

Again thanks for the write up!

[classicrockr]

No problem, I enjoyed putting it together.

Yesterday I noticed a noise when I was putting the top down. It was like a spring was "winding up". Well this morning, my wife said she heard more wind noise than usual, and about 10 minutes later as my daughter was getting out of the backseat, we heard a "popping" sound. As we started driving again, I noticed a little more wind noise...the first thing I thought was "it's the 5th bow again".

Once I got to work & looked at the outside back window area, I saw that there was no extra spacing at the base of the window like I've seen with some of the 5th bow problems. I'm hoping it's just one of the tensioning cables...any thoughts anyone?

[Drago77]

Spoke w GM again today, the requested another set of pix of my cars top marks, to "compare to the fix being released" as well as actually asking my input on what I believe the cause is... explained the lotion test results and Sux's latest fix... we'll see where that goes... but overall, I feel like im making genuine progress!

[Nutbutt]

Yesterday the GM quality people came out to the dealership after my 5th bow failed 1day after the GM reps replaced it.
Quality people took couple dozen still shoots and videoed the removal of the canvas to expose the mechanics. GM quality people then had a conference call and we all then got on the phone together. The opinion was to replace the top, mechanics, and all brackets with a the new system right off the production line. Hmmmm, I had to ask if this is the fix they have promised since January. They were quite coy and said I got the fix previous but this replacement was if nothing else works. Looks like the instruction from GM are to try all the bandaids before replacing the whole thing. Both me and the dealer mechanic felt vindicated as we said this for the past two weeks as we looked at some of the new 2012 verts just recently shipped in.
The new top and mechanic were shipped in late yesterday and the fitting of the whole new mechanics are happening today by the GM quality people. I'll be going to have a look at lunch time to see the progress. I am interested to see the canvas as the new 2012 ones seem to be as thick as my original, not as thin as the replacement.