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Bubbling Sail Panel Issue for Dummies
****! Well it isn't terrible yet and good that this is here because I was starting to wonder if it was from an accident or something. Will it ruin anything? If not I will wait until it gets pretty ugly and have it done with maybe a nose repaint if it ever gets chips.
****! Well it isn't terrible yet and good that this is here because I was starting to wonder if it was from an accident or something. Will it ruin anything? If not I will wait until it gets pretty ugly and have it done with maybe a nose repaint if it ever gets chips.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/paint-body-work/884432-important-repair-information-sail-panel-paint-issues.html
****! Well it isn't terrible yet and good that this is here because I was starting to wonder if it was from an accident or something. Will it ruin anything? If not I will wait until it gets pretty ugly and have it done with maybe a nose repaint if it ever gets chips.
Better than nothing I suppose. Before I went to arbitration they offered me a "deal" which was to make the $100 dollar deductible on my extended warranty (which was about to be up in about 2-3k miles) a $0 dollar deductible. Not only does the extended warranty NOT cover paint, I told her I'd rather pay $500 just to get it done. I guess it all depends who you talk to when you call GM, the woman I talked to would not budge until she was ordered to by the BBB.
Whatever you do, don't just have it repainted. You can try going to a few Chevy dealerships, maybe even the one you bought the car from if you did buy it from a dealer. Sometimes if you bring your car to a dealership that you have bought a car from or have regular maintenance there they will do the job for you because they want to keep you as a customer. For a hardtop, doing it out of pocket will cost you ~$2300, t-top ~$800. I don't know if anyone has had any luck claiming this on insurance but you might want to try that route as well.
Whatever you do, don't just have it repainted. You can try going to a few Chevy dealerships, maybe even the one you bought the car from if you did buy it from a dealer. Sometimes if you bring your car to a dealership that you have bought a car from or have regular maintenance there they will do the job for you because they want to keep you as a customer. For a hardtop, doing it out of pocket will cost you ~$2300, t-top ~$800. I don't know if anyone has had any luck claiming this on insurance but you might want to try that route as well.
There was some guy posting on here that got his car fixed with about 50-60k miles and was the 3rd owner. Don't remember what year the car was though. That whole "not the original owner" claim by GM is the biggest crock of ****. Like being the second or third owner has anything to do with them screwing something up at the factory.
CALL GM and use patience.
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,608
Likes: 2,515
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
I just wanted to reply back to this thread with some additional info:
I received word from pjb that his ’98 car was built in May of ’98 per his build sticker. This is in-line with what my research has shown to date about the 1998 cars and which months seem to have the condition.
Just to recap, so far I’ve discovered that only 5/98 and 6/98 built 1998 cars have this condition. My 3/98 car, and all of the other March or earlier cars built for ’98 that I’ve looked at do not have this condition. The only month that I have not been able to confirm so far is April of ’98.
For anyone reading this thread with a 1998 car:
Please check your build date if you can. It’s located on one of the white stickers on the inside edge of the driver’s door in “MM/YY” format. If your car is 3/98 or earlier, and you DO have this condition (roof bubbles), please post or PM me your build date. If your car is 4/98 or later, and you DO NOT have this issue, please post or PM me your built date.
I’m trying to narrow down exactly when GM changed whatever they changed to cause this condition. I’ve heard everything from it being caused by a change in glue, to a change in primer, to defective roof panels sent by a new supplier after a certain time. We all know that the ’93-’97 cars never develop this condition, but that every ‘99+ car can potentially have this issue, as can late-build ‘98s. So clearly, GM changed something. My question is, what did they change, and do they even really know what the problem was? My reason for concern is, will the cars that have been repaired potentially develop this issue again?
My ’02 Camaro (T-top car) also had this condition. I had the repairs completed two weeks ago by a local GM dealer. But do any of us know for sure if the issue will ever return?
I received word from pjb that his ’98 car was built in May of ’98 per his build sticker. This is in-line with what my research has shown to date about the 1998 cars and which months seem to have the condition.
Just to recap, so far I’ve discovered that only 5/98 and 6/98 built 1998 cars have this condition. My 3/98 car, and all of the other March or earlier cars built for ’98 that I’ve looked at do not have this condition. The only month that I have not been able to confirm so far is April of ’98.
For anyone reading this thread with a 1998 car:
Please check your build date if you can. It’s located on one of the white stickers on the inside edge of the driver’s door in “MM/YY” format. If your car is 3/98 or earlier, and you DO have this condition (roof bubbles), please post or PM me your build date. If your car is 4/98 or later, and you DO NOT have this issue, please post or PM me your built date.
I’m trying to narrow down exactly when GM changed whatever they changed to cause this condition. I’ve heard everything from it being caused by a change in glue, to a change in primer, to defective roof panels sent by a new supplier after a certain time. We all know that the ’93-’97 cars never develop this condition, but that every ‘99+ car can potentially have this issue, as can late-build ‘98s. So clearly, GM changed something. My question is, what did they change, and do they even really know what the problem was? My reason for concern is, will the cars that have been repaired potentially develop this issue again?
My ’02 Camaro (T-top car) also had this condition. I had the repairs completed two weeks ago by a local GM dealer. But do any of us know for sure if the issue will ever return?
I just wanted to reply back to this thread with some additional info:
I received word from pjb that his ’98 car was built in May of ’98 per his build sticker. This is in-line with what my research has shown to date about the 1998 cars and which months seem to have the condition.
Just to recap, so far I’ve discovered that only 5/98 and 6/98 built 1998 cars have this condition. My 3/98 car, and all of the other March or earlier cars built for ’98 that I’ve looked at do not have this condition. The only month that I have not been able to confirm so far is April of ’98.
For anyone reading this thread with a 1998 car:
Please check your build date if you can. It’s located on one of the white stickers on the inside edge of the driver’s door in “MM/YY” format. If your car is 3/98 or earlier, and you DO have this condition (roof bubbles), please post or PM me your build date. If your car is 4/98 or later, and you DO NOT have this issue, please post or PM me your built date.
I’m trying to narrow down exactly when GM changed whatever they changed to cause this condition. I’ve heard everything from it being caused by a change in glue, to a change in primer, to defective roof panels sent by a new supplier after a certain time. We all know that the ’93-’97 cars never develop this condition, but that every ‘99+ car can potentially have this issue, as can late-build ‘98s. So clearly, GM changed something. My question is, what did they change, and do they even really know what the problem was? My reason for concern is, will the cars that have been repaired potentially develop this issue again?
My ’02 Camaro (T-top car) also had this condition. I had the repairs completed two weeks ago by a local GM dealer. But do any of us know for sure if the issue will ever return?
I received word from pjb that his ’98 car was built in May of ’98 per his build sticker. This is in-line with what my research has shown to date about the 1998 cars and which months seem to have the condition.
Just to recap, so far I’ve discovered that only 5/98 and 6/98 built 1998 cars have this condition. My 3/98 car, and all of the other March or earlier cars built for ’98 that I’ve looked at do not have this condition. The only month that I have not been able to confirm so far is April of ’98.
For anyone reading this thread with a 1998 car:
Please check your build date if you can. It’s located on one of the white stickers on the inside edge of the driver’s door in “MM/YY” format. If your car is 3/98 or earlier, and you DO have this condition (roof bubbles), please post or PM me your build date. If your car is 4/98 or later, and you DO NOT have this issue, please post or PM me your built date.
I’m trying to narrow down exactly when GM changed whatever they changed to cause this condition. I’ve heard everything from it being caused by a change in glue, to a change in primer, to defective roof panels sent by a new supplier after a certain time. We all know that the ’93-’97 cars never develop this condition, but that every ‘99+ car can potentially have this issue, as can late-build ‘98s. So clearly, GM changed something. My question is, what did they change, and do they even really know what the problem was? My reason for concern is, will the cars that have been repaired potentially develop this issue again?
My ’02 Camaro (T-top car) also had this condition. I had the repairs completed two weeks ago by a local GM dealer. But do any of us know for sure if the issue will ever return?
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,608
Likes: 2,515
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
I was told by the dealer that GM is claiming the issue is due to hairline cracks forming in the underside of the panel allowing the glue/gasses to leak/vent. So they seem to be claiming that the roof panel was the issue.
Then we have many people here claiming that it's the glue itself. So again, I can't seem to get a consensus on this.
(1) 10240164 APPLIQUE - 12.812
(1) 10240165 APPLIQUE - 12.812
03-08-98-001A
INSTALLED NEW PANEL, PAINTED.
This was on the invoice for the repair, 2002 SS.








