[TRobinson6]

i don't have them yet but i was reading about how uv causes it. in is really uv or could it just be the heat then you get inside and turn the a/c on full blast?

if it is the uv them what about Rejex (i guess that's the best uv blocker on the market) or is there any wax with a higher uv index.

and then if the cracks get unsightly what about either painting the roof or having a wrap made for it. again i have no idea how well a wrap holds up (does anyone have an idea which is cheaper?)

the previous owner tinted the roof and i installed a sunshade to block the radiant heat so i can't see if i have cracks or not

i am just thinking and planning ahead

 

[jwight]

They aren't inevitable but the longer the car spends in the sun the more likely they are. No known way to prevent them, although a car cover might slow them down.

PS - they aren't really cracks, more like internal pits in the polycarbonate.

 

[MikeB1]

I had my panoramic roof replaced, was told that they had improved the product and changed the part number. I hope that's true, since my car is an '09 and only has 34,000 miles on it, and I plan to keep it a long, long time.

Before doing that, I took it to a wrap place, thinking that having a see-through wrap, like the advertising on bus windows. The guy told me he wouldn't recommend it, as the wrap comes with white dots on it, and they would print black dots over them and I wouldn't be able to see much sky through it. The old roof was starting to look like a car whose clear coat was failing, and it might have shown through the wrap from the outside.

My plan is to keep the car covered more often when parked outdoors, and garage it 99% of the time. Before it had always been parked outside. The new roof makes me feel as though I have a new car again!

 

[Miss Mercedes]

My 2012's roof survived 60,000 miles before crazing. But once it started crazing? Oh boy it spread extremely quickly.

Unfortunately, no cause or prevention were found. Through some research, many of us were able to pull spec sheets for the Makrolon and they were pretty pathetic. Here are a few of my favourites (those links are dead nowadays):

- The roof's protective coatings start getting damaged at and above 150 degrees and are accelerated when moisture is introduced at the same time.

150 degrees is scary. If you park your car outside on an average summer day the interior can reach temperatures of 180 degrees. And all closing the shade does is focus the heat harder onto the roof.

One of the more popular mods in 2008-2009 was cutting one of those shiny reflective windscreen sun shields to fit into the roof to reduce interior heat. Well, a couple years down the road quite a few of those cars ended up being the worst examples of crazing. All the heat of the beating sun getting reflected into the weak roof.

- You cannot clean the roof with ammonia and spot free rinses are also bad.

- There was an entire list of good and bad chemicals, somehow Bayer expected you to know exactly what chemicals your local car wash uses.

Many of us complained, tried calling Bayer, just about every trick in the book (that you can see repeated in the 453 fuel tank thread), ultimately the answer was effectively "after warranty you're on your own". They never admitted to fitting smarts with a product unfit to be on a car.

Indeed, smart claimed to have fixed the issue in the 2013 Model Year. Eventually reports of crazing began tapering off, and then we collectively as a forum began looking at new interests like the ED and the 453 concepts. Did they actually fix the issue in 2013? I guess so, but that's only because I haven't seen any reports of a 2013 crazing yet.

I believe my car made it so long without crazing because I never closed the sun shade and was careful to avoid spot free rinses whenever possible.

 

[TRobinson6]

to MikeB1....what was the cost of the wrap?

I put a thin layer of sytrofoam between the roof and sunshade. besides that the previous owner put tint on the inside so I have a triple layer of protection....i hope.

 

[MikeB1]

Hey, TRobinson6 - we didn't get as far as a quote, the guy didn't recommend it and didn't seem interested in doing the wrap since he felt it wouldn't address my issue with the panel. The cost of the new panoramic roof and installation was in the neighborhood of $1,200.00. I don't have the receipt handy. I know that's spendy for a car that would only sell for $5-6 K, but it has such low miles and I've added so many special bits to it, I'm just going to keep it as long as I can.

 

[stevenjb]

The cost if a new pano roof (just the part) is around $800 - you could replace it yourself with some tools and an adhesive kit.

Sent from Tapatalk on Android

 

[Niteshooter]

to MikeB1....what was the cost of the wrap?

I put a thin layer of sytrofoam between the roof and sunshade. besides that the previous owner put tint on the inside so I have a triple layer of protection....i hope.

You might want to rethink doing that, read Neon's post above yours as it sounds like doing this will put more heat onto the panel and actually accelerate the issue. Personally I would try and cover the car though that means having to keep it clean so as not to have dirt scratch it.

With Jeeps you can get partial covers that only cover the top to the bottom of the windows but have never seen something like this for a smart, might actually be a handy thing.

 

[jsenka]

There is a cover as you described;
smart car Cover - smartDOME Online Store - smart car Parts and Accessories

or,

California PopTop.
Size C18 is tailored for the smart.
$74.99 on their website. Maybe less elsewhere.
or,

 

[Niteshooter]

There is a cover as you described;
smart car Cover - smartDOME Online Store - smart car Parts and Accessories

or,

California PopTop.
Size C18 is tailored for the smart.
$74.99 on their website. Maybe less elsewhere.
or,

Thanks! I might pick one up for my smart cabrio. Gets extremely hot inside with the windows up in the sun. I have a cover which cost a bit less then the California PopTop but that would mean I didn't have to wash the car every time I wanted to cover it. We have a lot of dust and right now pollen up here.

 

[valvestem]

There is a cover as you described;
smart car Cover - smartDOME Online Store - smart car Parts and Accessories

or,

California PopTop.
Size C18 is tailored for the smart.
$74.99 on their website. Maybe less elsewhere.
or,

I have one of the smartDomes I bought last summer to keep the sun out, it has started flaking off the silver coating, and the edge trim has worn away as well. That said, they are good for about one Maine summer (three months at the most), as my Smart was stored in a garage for this past winter.

 

[MikeB1]

I have a California Pop Top, that I didn't use regularly. With the new replaced roof panel, I will make the effort to use it more often, during hot weather especially. Also, after all these years, I will finally be able to park in the garage, which should slow the crackification significantly.

I chose to have the roof replaced professionally because that's not in my skill set, and I expect a professional looking job. Many on this forum do have amazing skills and could replace it themselves. I have replaced several body panels on my smart, that's easy-peasy.