Appearance & Detailing Interior & Exterior Appearance Modifications

Roof Vinyl

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Old Jul 7, 2010 | 07:22 PM
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Default Roof Vinyl

Long story short I have a coupe and the bubbling problem began to arise and I took my car in to get it fixed a few years ago. However, the a*** hole made it 500 times worse and refused to fix it then it started to crack and chip after a few months. Any way I got tired of it and tried my hand at painting it just to get rid of the cracks and it looks ok but I'd like it to look a bit better so I was thinking of wrapping the roof in black vinyl. I know there was one guy on here that has done this and it looked good. My question is should I go with gloss or flat. My car is a 2002 black SS. I think flat might look kinda cool but thats just me. Also anyone whose had experience with this let me know how hard it is to do. Thanks.
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Old Jul 7, 2010 | 08:11 PM
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seems like several have said that the bubbles still end up showing through the vinyl.
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Old Jul 7, 2010 | 08:14 PM
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I figured but it'll still look better than what it is right now and I don't drive it more than 5000 miles a year so they should take a while to show up.
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Old Jul 7, 2010 | 09:44 PM
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Not necessarially. Once the bubbles appear, they will continue to re-appear. Probably more of them and more often. Only thing to fix it is to replace the roof panel. I would think the bubbles and the crap that comes out of them would show in the vinyl. Had mine replaced a couple years ago. So far so good.
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Old Jul 8, 2010 | 06:08 AM
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I understand but I don't have the $1000 to fix it properly right not so I repainted the pannel myself and it doesn't look good at all and mow I just want to cover it until I can afford to get it dont right. The vinyl is only $70 which I have right now.
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Old Jul 8, 2010 | 07:46 AM
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Originally Posted by zanethan
I understand but I don't have the $1000 to fix it properly right not so I repainted the pannel myself and it doesn't look good at all and mow I just want to cover it until I can afford to get it dont right. The vinyl is only $70 which I have right now.
I understand. I also heard the roof panels are getting hard to find. Not sure how true that is.
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Old Jul 8, 2010 | 07:51 AM
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Couldnt you just sand the panel down, put some primer on it to prevent rust, then cover that in vinyl? I saw a 2002 mustang that someone covered the roof in black leather before. Didnt care for the look but it was different. Just an idea.
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Old Jul 8, 2010 | 10:05 AM
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Originally Posted by johns777
Couldnt you just sand the panel down, put some primer on it to prevent rust, then cover that in vinyl? I saw a 2002 mustang that someone covered the roof in black leather before. Didnt care for the look but it was different. Just an idea.
Nope, for a couple reasons.

First the top piece isnt metal, so you dont even need to worry about rust on it.

Second the glue GM used is what causes the bubbles. It seeps through the fiberglass piece & bubbles up thru the paint.


The only proper way to fix this problem is to find a new sail panel, remove the old one, replace & have repainted. If you cover it in vinyl its gonna bubble thru, if you paint over it then it'll bubble thru & to properly wrap the sail panel in a leather type vinyl you'd have to remove it first to wrap around the edges properly & removing this in one nice piece that can be reused has yet to be accomplished.
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Old Jul 8, 2010 | 10:15 AM
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Actually a guy removed it with no problems using the "wire method."
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Old Jul 8, 2010 | 10:44 AM
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Originally Posted by ColossalCamaro
Actually a guy removed it with no problems using the "wire method."
I'll believe that when i see it. So far I have not seen anyone remove it without tearing it all to hell. Matter of fact the ones I have seen removed had to be torn into several pieces & pried off.

I guess it could be possible of somehow the sail panel was already comming unglued & you could get underneath it easily. But even then I'd be very suprised to see it come off undamaged.
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Old Jul 8, 2010 | 11:40 AM
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All the ones I have seen have been torn to pieces trying to get it off. The adhesive works great, it just eats the roof.
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Old Jul 8, 2010 | 11:48 AM
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A buddy of mine is getting ready to do this to his car..I wasnt sure if they would show back up int he vinyl or not?? Worth a try if its cheap ya know..better than spending $1000 to get a new roof..
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Old Jul 8, 2010 | 05:34 PM
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Originally Posted by 223HAWK
A buddy of mine is getting ready to do this to his car..I wasnt sure if they would show back up int he vinyl or not?? Worth a try if its cheap ya know..better than spending $1000 to get a new roof..
thats what I'm saying. now back to the question at hand, gloss or flat?
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