Wow, was this a freak accident or what!

Somehow mom managed to hit the button for the garage door opener while backing the Mini out; she didn't hear the door opener over the radio, and it was just starting to come down through the blind spot above the window...

End result: the garage door was somewhat damaged (thankfully it's wood and not metal!) and the roof looks like this:




It's not as dirty as the picture makes it look - though you can imagine we're a bit less than eager to spray water on it right now. What can we do? I'm hoping we can do something less radical than an entire new top, considering the damaged area is only about the size of my thumbnail, and that mechanically it works fine. Is there a way to patch it, without the repair being totally unsightly?

Thanks in advance!

 

Well, the only way to make it look perfect again is with a new one. You can take it to a professional upholstery shop and they should give you an opinion and price for a repair. It almost looks like the top is still intact and that is does not leak. Is this true? Only judging by the picture it looks like you might be able to smooth out the bunched up material and make it look halfway decent. Maybe apply some all weather contact cement or clear silicone in order to hold the bunched up fabric in place. If you were considering replacement of the top then I would try the simple fix first and see how it looks. Then you can decide to live with it or replace the top.

 

I would see if there is any extra material anywhere on the top and then sew a patch over it like you would have done with a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee. Peter

 

We haven't tested that yet. There is indeed material still inside (so your idea of applying some silicone to "glue" down the damaged piece would probably work well) although I can see light through it in a few areas - so not positive that it's watertight as it stands. The silicone would probably take care of that, though.

This is an '07 car that wasn't driven in winter and only has about 6000 miles, so a new top would otherwise be in the distant future. We'll try fixing this one - thanks for the suggestions!

 

Would insurance cover that sort of thing?

 

I think I would consult someone that makes outdoor awning about some sort of exterior fabric Glue, smooth it out best I could and then put me a nice Smillie Face patch on there!

 

Yep, Comp Claim.

Reason #1,583 to carry a low Comprehensive deductible.

 

Me thinks I have heard that somewhere before......

 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Somebody has been paying attention.

 

I am sure cr&pw&jb knows more about insurance than I do. But I would check homeowners insurance also, because this was damage caused within the home.

 

Damage to your auto is excluded from homeowners coverage. But your suggestion was logical.

 

Your best bet is to contact a local upholstery shop that also does convertible tops. They can repair it for you for a small fraction of the cost to get it replaced.

 

i woudl try this first..keep us posted

 

Yep - if the same person owns the car and the house, homeowner's insurance won't pay for it. I was able to file a homeowner's claim when I accidentally damaged a friend's car in my driveway, but only because it wasn't *my* car.

 

If my comprehensive covered it, I would ABSOLUTELY make a claim and get a new top if I were you - and NOT worry about trying to replace it. That's what comp coverage is for... even if the deductible were several hundred bucks... because you'll lose more than that in resale value later with a patched roof... And because I'm OCD, and having a top that wasn't perfect would drive me NUTS-er than I already am.

If you MUST repair it - from the looks of it, I think you could glue it and make it look almost good. I would NOT sew a patch over it...

 

... assuming they are titled and tagged and on road vehicles. I had to deal with several non titled tagged vehicles I owned and how to insure them on my homeowners until they had finished being "projects" and could finally be titled. Simply had to list them and add them as specific property on the Homeowners Policy is all. Because they fell in that gap between the two things and had significant value even as parts and pieces even though they were vehicles. They were simply old antique vehicles that needed restoration and had long ago not been titled or tagged (if they even had been). Motorcycles really but really old ones before this type had ever required tags or titles. They would eventually be titled and tagged and then the Motorcycle insurance would then take over but they were uncovered stored in my Shop until I added them to the Homeowners. The two Motorcycles in there that were title and tagged were insured as road vehicles and covered that way. The two project bikes and parts were not.