Top wrinkles on a 3-week old Camaro :(

[deryk]

Okay so apart from the rub marks, last night I noticed some significant wrinkling I never saw before above the doors on my convertible:

Driver's side:


Passenger's side:


What even causes this? Is my fabric top shrinking or something? I'm taking it in to be checked by the dealer tomorrow for this, plus the rub marks, and excessive wind noise issue. I've also PM'ed Jeff about it.

What sucks is that the service rep has already gone on the defensive, saying essentially that, "We'll do what we can, but these are only cosmetic issues and don't affect the car's performance."

Umm... One of the primary reasons I bought the car is because it looks GOOD.

Hoping for a good outcome from my service appointment. I don't want to have to trade up or do a buyback thing... I love my '11 steering wheel. :(

[Russell James]

Tell them to shove that excuse up their ass. The warranty also covers cosmetic defects.

[deryk]

Just found the TSBs on wind noise and rub marks posted by by angrykiller and drago on these boards. I'm going to print them all out and take them to the dealer tomorrow morning.

After what I've read on these forums, I'm hesitant to accept any top replacement offers, if any. Does anyone have any idea as to what can be done to remove the currently existing rub marks on the tops? I believe someone mentioned black shoe polish, and there was also some stuff on 303 cleaner. Any experiences with either? I'd hate to ruin my top from experimentation.

[deryk]

Alright so I took my car to the shop today, along with the TSBs provided by Drago and Agentkiller.

Unfortunately, even though I had an appointment, they had to have me come back on a non-rainy day so they could take a better look at my top. Strangely, it seems like the service department had never heard of the problems with rub marks and wind noise before. When the service manager called his top guy in, the comment was:

"If it's a problem with the fabric, we'll need to take your car in and have someone else look at it. If it's a problem with the mechanical components, we can take a look."

So I whip up the documents and show that it's a pretty widespread problem and some articles have been released on it already. Guy has a look over them, looks up at me, and says:

"If it's a problem with the fabric, we'll need to take your car in and have someone else look at it. If it's a problem with the mechanical components, we can take a look."

I show the photos I took earlier which match the photos in the rub mark TSB, and I get the same response like they may or may not fix it. I don't get it. :(

In short, nothing was done today. Gotta take it back next week, when the clouds over Northern California disappear.

[ambientweather]

So what was your outcome? My top is starting to get wrinkles and excessive rubbing that was not present before. New waves of fabric are forming in the top.

[Gio Bella]

Hi deryk,
When you say three week old, did you buy it used? How many miles do you have on it?
My reason for asking is I own a 2011 SS convertible with a total of 744 miles on it , I
haven't been able to drive it since September,due to Bicep re-attachment and rotator cuff surgery, so my car sits in the garage with a cover over it but lately when I take the cover off, I see the same wrinkles over both doors.my concern is maybe the 5th bow is ready to snap like so many other convertible owners have experienced on this forum.
Good luck and let us know what your dealer is doing to help you.

Gio

[GnyaTek]

Pretty sure that this is specific to the '11's and early '12's.

I have concerns that this is precursor (though not necessarily an immediate one) to a 5th bow issue.

I had the same waves on both driver's and passenger's side when I purchased my new '11 a year and a half ago and thought that since it was a very recent build (purchase date 1 month after the build date), I figured that it might just need additional cycles of heat and cold to stretch out the top. This has not been the case and my "waves" have gotten worse on both sides and have developed sections in the middle of the top that periodically are between minor/moderate and extreme in severity.

I have been awaiting a more permanent solution (since I haven't had the leaking/broken bow issue yet). Really am wanting a full top mechanism replacement since am having issues with rub marks and excessive wind noise from back right as well.

[theragtopguy]

My '12 (build date 8/11) also has the above door wrinkles on both sides. Been that way ever since the 'enhancement' TSB was done last April. Have the 'V' marks on both sides also, waiting until Spring to get after the dealer on those. I did point them out and have them documented when I had service and inspection done in September.

[Michael Rophone]

Originally Posted by theragtopguy

My '12 (build date 8/11) also has the above door wrinkles on both sides. Been that way ever since the 'enhancement' TSB was done last April.

When my '12 (built 11/11) rolled off the car carrier, there were no wrinkles in any area of the top. Perfectly smooth all over. I paid close attention to that detail.

The sales guy put the top down to show me how it worked. When we put it back up, there was an indentation above each door in the fabric. We cycled the top, but they were still there. They have never gone away. Plus, the ends of the bows are stretching the fabric so tight, the top looks like the ribs on an anorexic European fashion model.

That's the last time I ever put the top down. I also ignored the TSB.
I was too scared to have anyone mess with it.

[SnowVert]

The wrinkles you have (if I recall correctly) are caused by one of the elastic bands under the roof having torn off of one of its anchor points. It is a separate issue from the Bow 5 failure. However, having this issue could be indicitave that you may also have the bow 5 failure as well because many convertibles have had both problems.

If you search the convertible forums, you should be able to find a thread that describes the culprit of this wrinkle and also had some good pics showing what failed.

Good luck.

[Nutbutt]

The "wave" you see is consistent with all 2011 & 2012. I have had my hardware replaced totally with the canvas and the waves are present. In the cold weather other wrinkles will appear besides the waves above the doors. I hate to say it but the other small wrinkles are normal for canvas in colder weather. I'm not saying this is great but this is what it is. The waves are not from any cord issues. I still would bring it in and make sure the top is adjusted correct to make sure the dreaded rubbing doesn't happen.

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

Originally Posted by GnyaTek

Pretty sure that this is specific to the '11's and early '12's.

I have concerns that this is precursor (though not necessarily an immediate one) to a 5th bow issue.

I had the same waves on both driver's and passenger's side when I purchased my new '11 a year and a half ago and thought that since it was a very recent build (purchase date 1 month after the build date), I figured that it might just need additional cycles of heat and cold to stretch out the top. This has not been the case and my "waves" have gotten worse on both sides and have developed sections in the middle of the top that periodically are between minor/moderate and extreme in severity.

I have been awaiting a more permanent solution (since I haven't had the leaking/broken bow issue yet). Really am wanting a full top mechanism replacement since am having issues with rub marks and excessive wind noise from back right as well.

I see that you want to wait, however, would you like me to check your VIN for any applicable warranties or recalls? Please let me know via PM.

Brandon
Chevrolet Customer Service

[rubbersoul84]

Find a new dealer. The top should be warrantied whether it's just cosmetic or not. I had my fabric replaced with only wrinkles, no tears. Of course, it's going to happen again, but I'm confident they will replace it again. You can go to any dealer for service. Don't stick with them if you're not satisfied!

[angrykiller1]

i'm getting my 5th new top and 5th bow as we speak, and somewhat experienced, tho unwillingly. the wave is at the end of a piece of elastic. not a defect, just shows a pull towards the center. there is also a cable in the edge of the top, running along the windows, to pull the side down. it is spring loaded for temperature variations. there is a tsb to reroute this cable. it's not adjustable, but when they give it a longer route, it pulls tighter, and the "wave" will tend to be less noticeable.