I was washing the Envoy and noticed some small cracks in the paint running lengthwise where the roof panel meets the body of the vehicle. They are about an inch long and flex a little when you push on them. Looking down on them from the top...They are on both the left and right sides by the rear cover from the roof rack mounts. Anyone else notice these on their Envoy or Trailblazer?
slight hairline cracks in roof panel paint at the rear hatch
- Thread starter c good
- Start date
Nothing put on the roof rack since I've owned it. I was involved in a rear end accident, someone hit me....but it did only bumper damage. I can't believe that it might have been hard enough to create these cracks.....
hockeyman
Member
- Aug 26, 2012
- 726
Could have just flexed the body enough just to cause the damage up there where the base of the rack is bolted. Not really much you can do. Any type of surface repair you do will eventually flex again and re-cause the same issue(s), especially with bumps on the road and the temperature changes with the seasons.
Me? I'd mix some 2-part automotive clearcoat up and try to lightly fill in the cracks of the paint. Then again, I know I'd be facing the same problem later on. Just me though...
Me? I'd mix some 2-part automotive clearcoat up and try to lightly fill in the cracks of the paint. Then again, I know I'd be facing the same problem later on. Just me though...
HARDTRAILZ
Moderator
- Nov 18, 2011
- 49,665
Are you talking about the painted plastic panel that is between the roof and the hatch? If so, I just did a major reconstruction of that panel. I saw the crack when washing the roof. When I checked it I found pieces of black plastic falling from there and landing in the cargo area. After removing the panel there were three cracked mounting flanges so the end of the panel was just flapping around. The brass inserts are pressed in with such force so that the plastic eventually cracks as it ages. I epoxied numerous reinforcing splices underneath the cracked areas and even fabricated a new mounting flanges to replace the disintegrated ones. I also wire wrapped all of the plastic pieces that the brass inserts fit into to keep them from cracking.
And the plastic flanges for attaching the 3rd brake light had cracked too - the sides ones I could glue and reinforce, but the center flange was gone and another had to be made. The flanges are joined to the panel with less than 1mm thick plastic - no wonder it all cracked and fell apart.
We should get together and take turns smacking a GM engineer with a billy club to beat some common sense into them
