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Bubbling Sail Panel Issue for Dummies
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,632
Likes: 2,558
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Panel replacement is the ONLY option if you want the problem solved for good.
Only way to get a panel is used or through 6LE.
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 203
Likes: 0
From: Chesterfield, VA
Well, we'll find out if that was a waste of money or not. I'll tell u what, though. I just got my car back from the body shop a couple days ago. That damn roof looks like a MIRROR. Perfect. Hopefully it stays that way! The body shop mngr said they baked the car in the paint booth 4 different times to sweat the glue out. So between that and the gel coat, only time will tell if this did the trick or not.
I have all the old glue off the car and the new panel, both will get fresh coats of primer, sail panel will get epoxy primed on both sides then painted black before it goes on the car.
Last edited by 96lt4c4; May 1, 2012 at 01:50 PM.
Well, we'll find out if that was a waste of money or not. I'll tell u what, though. I just got my car back from the body shop a couple days ago. That damn roof looks like a MIRROR. Perfect. Hopefully it stays that way! The body shop mngr said they baked the car in the paint booth 4 different times to sweat the glue out. So between that and the gel coat, only time will tell if this did the trick or not.
bubbling sail panel well it was pretty bad when I got the car,so I strip it,prime it seal it,and within 36hrs its back,not as bad but is visible after the work,been told,not to strip it again,put it out in the sun as much as possible,and when seems to get done doing it's thing,just wet sand the clear until smooth and re-clear,anybody else had success with this?,gonna wait and see how much it comes back before I do anything else
well it was pretty bad when I got the car,so I strip it,prime it seal it,and within 36hrs its back,not as bad but is visible after the work,been told,not to strip it again,put it out in the sun as much as possible,and when seems to get done doing it's thing,just wet sand the clear until smooth and re-clear,anybody else had success with this?,gonna wait and see how much it comes back before I do anything else
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,632
Likes: 2,558
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
I've given up on even mentioning that any more. There is so much research, information and experience in this thread that if people choose to ignore it then they can learn the hard way.
Someone above mentioned trying a gel coat, I highly doubt that will work either...but time will tell.
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Now this is only my opinion, but if this stuff is causing a chemical reaction that causes the gases to bubble to the surface then eventually it will have to run out. Unless, our cars have miraculously found out how to have a perpetual chemical reaction!
mine did it just as of a couple of months ago, doesnt matter what you do. I realized after i painted it, it was the bubbling due to the vapors i thought it was a bad paint job by the prior owner. I left it alone knowing you have to cut the top off and use different adhesive and buy a panel to do it right, too expensive and not worth it for a 2001 atleast thats the way i thought of it. GM didnt want to hear it at all past 8 years and your on your own.
You're right, it will stop, eventually.... But so far we're looking at 10+ years and they are still doing it, and no one has had theirs stop yet. Considering the amount of glue that holds these panels on and how little it really takes to bubble I'd say you'd be waiting a whole lot longer for it to quit.
Mine is done, followed the TSB. My panel was striped, epoxy primed, painted then put back on the car. I also had my 2 quarter panels repainted due to a few door dings. The sail panel is like glass, I also had him paint the 2 triangle pieces behind the windows.
Launching!
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 213
Likes: 0
From: Back to Newport News
So yeah, there will be people "trying it out" because there IS a sealant of some kind on this planet that can keep those damn glue-gases from escaping. It's out there, but we just haven't located it or thought of using it. It's 2012, not 1912. We have the technology to fix this without replacing the whole panel. Just a matter of finding out which product that already exists will do the job, that's all.
Just FYI, the fix for mine with a brand new GM panel was around $1,000, not the $1,500-$2,000 you are expecting. Not that it helps, but at some point, the price of trying new sealants until you find one that does work could end up costing more than doing it right the first time.
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,632
Likes: 2,558
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Whats with the attitude there bud? Most of us dont have piles of cash lying around just to spend on our weekend toy. And that certainly doesn't include the roof being replaced, which would be about $1500 - $2000 when it's said and done. It's not like that money is for go-fast parts, it's for a ******* ROOF that shouldn't be doing this BS in the first place. Kinda hard to justify spending that kind of money on something that isn't caused by my negligence.
So yeah, there will be people "trying it out" because there IS a sealant of some kind on this planet that can keep those damn glue-gases from escaping. It's out there, but we just haven't located it or thought of using it. It's 2012, not 1912. We have the technology to fix this without replacing the whole panel. Just a matter of finding out which product that already exists will do the job, that's all.
So yeah, there will be people "trying it out" because there IS a sealant of some kind on this planet that can keep those damn glue-gases from escaping. It's out there, but we just haven't located it or thought of using it. It's 2012, not 1912. We have the technology to fix this without replacing the whole panel. Just a matter of finding out which product that already exists will do the job, that's all.
There is no sealant that is going to solve this issue. For the panel to be bubbling means that the glue has already eaten it's way into the material of the panel, and so the panel itself is damaged. No amount of sealing is going to change the fact that underneath all that sealant is glue that will continue to eat through the panel any time it's exposed to heat/sunlight. You'd have to be able to block the heat/sunlight to actually stop the process that's happening under the surface.
Think of this like a rusted body panel; you can prep and paint the visable rust on the outside of a panel, but if there is rot on the backside and water is able to get to it, then the rust will just come back through on the face no matter how much surface prep you've done. In this case, it's not rust, but there is a substance that is eating through the material from the backside, and it's activated by heat/sun, so no matter what you do on the topside that issue is still going to be happening under the surface unless you only drive the car at night.
When the proper epoxy barrier was used on the underside (from '93 thru most of '98), the glue was never allowed to work it's way into the panel in the first place. People have tried using epoxy primers on the top side of panels that already have the issue, and it doesn't last this way.
don't know if I posted in this thread yet, I paid $50 for the roof off of a wrecked car, $15 for glue, and $7 for spray paint:
Sadly the roof was off of a 99' car so it will probably bubble again down the road, but I couldn't look at it anymore
Sadly the roof was off of a 99' car so it will probably bubble again down the road, but I couldn't look at it anymore
don't know if I posted in this thread yet, I paid $50 for the roof off of a wrecked car, $15 for glue, and $7 for spray paint:
More then likely it wont bubble, somee 99's did it and some did not. If it has made it this long you may be OK.
As far as cost my used panel was $17.00, paint work and install including having my quarters repainted cost me $450.00.