Roof Defect/Bubbles

**her ss** · 09-20-2007, 04:28 PM

I have a 2002 SS Camaro and I started getting this small roof bubbles, I have been informed that this is a defect that the glue has started to come thru the fiberglass. The Body shop states I have to have the entire roof taken off which means cutting it off completing and replacing it.. Anyone have any info on this.. Has anyone had this replaced? What was the outcome.. I am scared to have my car cut on. I am out of my extended warranty, is this a factory Defect? I am calling the Dealership in the morning.. The service manager was out today.

Thanks in advance for your feedback..

Susan

**occamaroz** · 09-20-2007, 06:21 PM

There's a technical service bulletin on this. It calls for replacing the whole roof which I had done. It turned out fine.

**PontiacFan** · 09-21-2007, 04:35 AM

Search "Roof Bubbles", there's a ton of info here, as mentioned above.
Find a copy of the TSB, Technical Service Bulletinm & take it to your dealer. If you are polite enough, they might just fix it without any cost to you.
Some dealers do, some don't.
And they don't really have to 'cut' into the car. It's a big plastic panel that is simply gluded on. Pull it off, clean up the area, glue on the newly painted panel. Rarely takes more than a couple hours.
Had mine replaced after it was over the 36k mile warranty. But still in the 3yr window.
Good Luck, ...

**her ss** · 09-21-2007, 03:34 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I brought my car to the dealership today and he said that it would be repaired and covered 100%! My faith in Chevrolet has been restored,

I plan on purchasing an 09 Camaro to share the garage (and I hope there is a High Performance Engine option)

**MikeSomething** · 09-21-2007, 05:04 PM

Mine's a 2000 w/ no warranty. Don't think the dealer would do anything for me honestly.

**JonB** · 09-21-2007, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by her ss

Thanks for the feedback. I brought my car to the dealership today and he said that it would be repaired and covered 100%! My faith in Chevrolet has been restored,

I plan on purchasing an 09 Camaro to share the garage (and I hope there is a High Performance Engine option)

Glad to hear there taking care of you. I really should take mine in to see if they will do mine. My roof panel seems to just keep getting worse.

**Jeremiah** · 09-22-2007, 08:28 AM

Originally Posted by MikeSomething

Mine's a 2000 w/ no warranty. Don't think the dealer would do anything for me honestly.

Six years from the "original" purchase date under Corrosion protection.

**Pyromaniacal** · 09-22-2007, 01:16 PM

My '02 WS6 with 77k miles just got them about 2 months ago, they just appeared one day.. how much does the operation to get them fixed cost usually?

I doubt that I have any sort of warranty help here either..

**screamin chicken** · 09-22-2007, 08:57 PM

I am one of the unlucky ones my 2000 WS6 has them and since 2003 with only 22,xxx miles GM would not do anything to mine.

**her ss** · 09-23-2007, 07:01 AM

I went straight to the dealership, not the one I ordered it from but one that I was referred to by a good friend who is an excellent painter for an auto body shop. The manager of didn't even call GM. He looked at my car saw I took excellent care of it and sd he has seen this in the past and would cover it. Sd he couldn't cover it under the 6 yr corrosion warranty for it was not rust. But as Chevy he would cover it. I was in his office approx 30 mins. He ordered my parts that day. It is factory defect. GM should cover everyone's repairs! As I have been reading in other posts before mine was posted, it seems it just has to do w/the dealership whether they cover it or not. I would try a diff dealership esp since you have low miles.

**PureSShp00** · 09-26-2007, 12:26 AM

so they have to replace the whole top peice? i have a 2000 ss and it has the lil bubbles as well...but it looks like the clear coat...im guessing from the sun and the heat?

**her ss** · 09-26-2007, 09:08 AM

they have to replace all 4 panels of the roof. The heat makes the glue come thru the fiberglass of the roof panels.. Painting will not fix this issue, the bubbles will just come back thru, is what I have been hearing.

**blackmagic00** · 09-26-2007, 04:04 PM

hmmm thats interesting...i have the same problem on my car...not only the roof but i notice that my spoiler has bubbles forming. anyone else have this problem yet?

**SENN13** · 10-04-2007, 09:42 AM

My 2001 Camaro had the same bubbles and was repainted three times before the dealership decided to replace the panel. The panel was replaced and all was fine. The body shop guy actually painted my whole car (after market hood, wing, and ground effects were primer), said he would write it all off as warranty work.

**Mike's TA** · 10-04-2007, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by SENN13

My 2001 Camaro had the same bubbles and was repainted three times before the dealership decided to replace the panel. The panel was replaced and all was fine. The body shop guy actually painted my whole car (after market hood, wing, and ground effects were primer), said he would write it all off as warranty work.

Lucky Bastard!!!

j/k I know I won't be able to get mine fixed for free. I'm just not that lucky. Even though I agree that GM should fix it since it's a manufacturers defect. Thing is. I'm probably going to repaint my hole care eventually anyways and mine does not look that bad yet. Barely even noticeable.

**SENN13** · 10-04-2007, 10:21 AM

From what the body shop manager told me, the dealership gets pais from GM for warranty work performed. He said that he would tell GM that the bubbles were on most of the body panels and that way the body shop wins and so do I. haha!

**her ss** · 11-28-2007, 09:19 AM

Update: Well I took my car into the dealership for the top replacement. When I picked the car up the top looked beautiful but there was a gap between the windshield moulding in only the driver and passenger side corners. I asked the Bodyshop Manager what happened and he said that my mouldings must have shrunk. (it was lined up perfectly before I brought the car in) I might also point out that the windshield was not removed to install the top, they slid the top in under the existing moulding. Well I new this didn't sound reasonable but decided to replace the glass and see what would happen.

I brought the car home and had the windshield replaced but the gap is still there. The man that replaced the windshield installed a new moulding and slid the windshield up as high as it would go. I brought the car back to the body shop and they don't know what the problem is. They want to attempt to change out the moulding again to fill in the gap. It looks to me that the top is actually about 1/4 short on both corners (driver and passenger side) and this would explain the gap. My question is this…..

1) Is there a quality control issue possibly with the top being short in just the two corners?
2) Is it possible that the top wasn't installed properly? The manager said that there is only one way that the top will fit like there is some kind of guide for it to fit.

3) Any bodymen out there that have experience changing the tops on these cars that might be able to offer a suggestion?
I asked the shop (a Chevrolet Dealership) to measure the old top so that we could compare it to the length of the new top but they had already shipped it back to Chevrolet. Any information will help. Has everyone else had success with their top replacements or have there been issue's?

Thanks

**RaulSS** · 11-28-2007, 12:42 PM

I had the same issue but my gap ran from the front of the roof to the back. I noticed because my car is white and underneath the roof is white. So I just painted the little visible gap that I had in black so now you really can't notice. When I took it back to the dealer they told me that the molding would settle and the roof what drop and cover the gap. That never happened and I just left it like that. I'm pretty sure that the only way to fix it is to replace the roof again.

**her ss** · 11-29-2007, 03:46 PM

Does anyone know if it is possible for them to have put the top on a little to far back or are there some type of alignment pegs etc that will not allow it to be moved? The body shop manager said there is only one way it will fit but I question this because he doesn't want to have to change out the panel again.. From my standpoint the roof panel was put on incorrectly OR the panel is about 1/4" short on both corners.
Thanks

**PontiacFan** · 11-29-2007, 04:17 PM

Is this a full roof panel, or just the strip from b-pillar to b-pillar?
This sounds confusing.
If the car has t-tops, this panel has nothing to do with your windshield alignment.

Does your car have t-tops or not?

I don't believe it could be set too far back.
As then it would intereferre with the rear hatch when it opens.