rear window is torn :(

[fatmike]

Well...it happens to all of them. You're lucky your plastic window lasted as long as it did.



I am very happy with the GAHH top. The glass is a huge improvement. I like the acoustic material as well.



I didn't think the effort and chances of success warranted replacing just the plastic when I did mine.



Good luck.

[Overdrive]

Hey all, been away for a time and wanted to throw an update on here. So here's the situation I'm looking at right now:

My plan is to let a co-worker of mine (completely by chance an upholsterer by trade) take a stab at stitching in a new window. I'm thinking I'll unbolt the frame from the car if he decides he wants to try and do it without full top removal. I'll be buying some 40 gauge, or thicker if I can find it, vinyl and let him go to work. He's quite the perfectionist and very anal retentive about things, especially when it comes to cars, which I'll consider a good thing in this case.

Now, the way I see it, if he gives this a shot and it does not go well, then I'll be getting a new acoustic top with glass, so since this is the route I was palnning on taking anyways, I figure what have I got to lose by letting him potentially save me about $1500 until I can comfortably afford a glassed top?

[wawa]

The difference in price between GAHH top and autotopdirect has been told in this post but no one has comment on why there is that big of a difference between them? Any comments or user story? They both seem to have good quality material and good warranty.

thanks
wawa

[Overdrive]

I'm not sure that there's a difference other than the fact that you're buying directly from the supplier...? Someone else with more knowledge would have to enlighten us.

I know that the exact same GAHH top was quoted to me as being $1080 from the shop I went to, with about $700-800 in labor, so I'd be looking at a good $1800 to buy from them and have them install it.

Now on GAHH's site, the same top is under $1000 before shipping, and on autotopsdirect, altogether with shipping it comes out to about $630. I did notice that there's a 5 year warranty for the bonding on the window, so I don't know if that's the difference versus the supposed lifetime warranty on the top from GAHH, but I honestly can't see a difference between the two and their design, so I really think it is the same part.

[jdiba]

Overdrive letting your insurance pay for replacing your plastic window with another
one is a definite option. I had the same thing happen to me and the installer billed
my insurance company no problem. Think of it like this: What if it were your
winshield ? Its really no different.

[Overdrive]

jdiba, I did kind of abandon the idea of having the insurance cover it, thanks for the reminder. I guess it wouldn't hurt to see if they will, though I wonder if they would simply go with replacing the top over replacing the plastic. The gent at the shop I went to said it'd cost the same in labor to have them restitch the window as it would to get another top, so I might as well replace the top, and I was inclined to agree if that's the case. I'll give a call on Monday to my insurance and see what they say.

[jdiba]

just tell them its cracked along one side

[tawheed]

Originally Posted by jdiba

Overdrive letting your insurance pay for replacing your plastic window with another
one is a definite option. I had the same thing happen to me and the installer billed
my insurance company no problem. Think of it like this: What if it were your
winshield ? Its really no different.

Would insurance cover a wear item?

[Overdrive]

Hey, folks, didn't want to put up an update until things were done, but jdiba, you were right. I called the insurance company and explained what happened, and they did indeed replace it. Initially I was being told that if it was wear and tear then it would not be covered. I guess it kind of falls into a limbo area, because the back window, vinyl or not, should fall under glass repair, and yet it doesn't because the top as a whole, being canvas, is considered upholstery. I really couldn't tell you how it got to the point that it did...I got tossed around between three or four different people in the span of about an hour, finally talked to someone who knew what needed to be done, and it was covered for my deductible.

I did explain to them that it literally was fine one day and then torn the next time I saw it, and there wasn't any sort of indication telling me it was about to happen.

I went to a local shop that is certified by my insurance to make body repairs. Since they don't do upholstery work, they farmed the work out to a local auto upholstery shop who purchased a Robbins glass window top, for which I paid the cost difference between it and a vinyl windowed Robbins replacement. Gladly, totally worth it.

I was told to expect the job to take about a week , but I got a call the very next day saying it was done, and picked it up today during lunch. I guess they wanted to give themselves some wiggle room.

Looks great, fits great, still haven't cycled it a few times yet to be sure all's well, but very happy with the turnout. Highway noise is much less, and now I don't have to worry about my back window getting foggy or moisture covered inside. The view out the back really isn't that diminished by the glass size, I am just happy to be able to see out the back clearly when the top is up.

Looks like I owe you a beer, jdiba.