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Looking for Vinyl replacement for "half vinyl roof" for 1999 Deville

7K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  brougham 
#1 ·
Hello, wondering if you know of any company that stocks vinyl roof replacements for Cadillac devilles 96-99 models?

Also I have the biarritz chrome package on my 99 deville and was wondering if anyone would know where to find replacement biarritz chrome parts.

Was hoping to find a pre made roof kit as opposed to taking my car to a expensive upholstery place.

Thanks so much for your suggestions.:yup:
 
#2 ·
Ask your local Cadillac dealer or do some Google/eBay work.

An "expensive upholstery shop" will do a good job (they did it to your car in the first place - dealerships market the jobs out), while if you DIY it may look like the surface of the Atlantic Ocean in a hurricane.

Chromed plastic and aluminum trim and sticky stuff - look in the eBay Store for BiggDaddyCaddy in NJ.
 
#3 ·
Yeah. The only option, if you want it repaired correctly, is to have the vinyl replaced a GOOD upholstery shop, that knows what they're doing, and have been doing for some time. Buying a "kit" would cost well over $1,500/$2,000 dollars, and would come with a new shell, which you don't need unless you want a different style rood treatment. You would still have to have a GOOD upholstery shop install it.

No such thing as a '99 Biarritz. It's just one of many "packages" made up by dealers, which include some combination of trim, roof treatment, rims, grille..... Post a picture if the trim and we may be able to tell you where to get it or how to repair it.
 
#4 ·
saw a VERY INTERESTING "solution" for this just the other day -

the car was an old Ford Thunderbird -
the vinyl top was torn off - still had rough edges under the chrome trim -
then the roof was sprayed with black rubberized undercoating -

the guy actually did a descent job of masking off the areas -

didn't look too bad - from 15 feet away -

probably cost him $15 to $20 for the entire job -
 
#8 ·
Upholstery shop, glass shop, it is probably cheaper to get the vinyl replaced then doing the whole thing. Just make sure you goto a place that actually knows how to deal with vinyl roofs. They might price that higher tho knowing that it's aftermarket and harder to find trim and other parts if it is needed. If you want to get the whole thing changed try some body shops or a few dealers. It was a dealer add on to begin with and one who had those roofs installed to begin with should still have contacts. The same contacts would also know where to get the Biarritz trim.
 
#10 ·
I'll keep saying this. Glass shops are perfectly fine to go to. Just because you went to one that didn't know what they were doing doesn't meant they are all bad. There is just as much of a chance of an upholstery shop messing up a job like this. Just because someone knows how to stuff seats doesn't mean they have any business touching the outside of a car. If they don't do the job right or use the wrong material it can wreck a car in no time. Traditionally glass shops have always done vinyl roof work.

Like I said this time, and last time, and the time before that the most important thing is to go to a shop that knows how to deal with vinyl roofs. If they don't, if their price is crazy high or low or they say they have to bring someone in walk out the door and move on. Above all else don't go to a shop that is part of a chain, find an independent shop that's been around for a while.
 
#11 ·
brougham said:
I'll keep saying this. Glass shops are perfectly fine to go to. Just because you went to one that didn't know what they were doing doesn't meant they are all bad.
As explained to me by a supervisor from commerce insurance, and the insurance commissioner, insurance companies only allow a very small amount of money for roof removal/install when rear glass is replaced. The glass shops tend to use cheap/low end shops for the work. What the OP needs is a full 1 - 1.5 day job (not including time for the adhesives to dry). A glass shop who's usually willing to do it, or have "their guy" do it for less than $500, is not the place to go, and there is no way I would personally recommend doing so, regardless of my experience. Hence the reason I argued with the insurance company for weeks that I didn't want my roof touched by a glass shop, before finally agreeing to go to one..... who promptly tried to complete the job in less than 5 hours and totally butchered my roof.

Beyond that, the OP is replacing the material, not just having it removed and reinstalled. The shop will need access to the correct material, the correct patterns to cut it for that particular shell (or if it's an unknown shell, the ability to take proper measurements and make their own patterns), and the heavy duty sewing equipment to piece it all together.

There is just as much of a chance of an upholstery shop messing up a job like this. Just because someone knows how to stuff seats doesn't mean they have any business touching the outside of a car. If they don't do the job right or use the wrong material it can wreck a car in no time.
I agree completely, which is why I said a GOOD shop who has done it before.

find an independent shop that's been around for a while.
The independent shop that replaced my rear glass, works ONLY WITH UPHOLSTERY SHOPS for roof work. And he doesn't work with insurance companies when a car requires roof work, because they don't allow enough coverage for a quality job, which is why most glass shops use cheap/sub par shops for roof work.

Yes, I'm sure you could find a cheap shop through a glass ship that does good work, just as I'm sure you could find someone to do a proper HG job for $750. But I would t do or recommend either.
 
#12 ·
As explained to me by a supervisor from commerce insurance, and the insurance commissioner, insurance companies only allow a very small amount of money for roof removal/install when rear glass is replaced. The glass shops tend to use cheap/low end shops for the work. What the OP needs is a full 1 - 1.5 day job (not including time for the adhesives to dry). A glass shop who's usually willing to do it, or have "their guy" do it for less than $500, is not the place to go, and there is no way I would personally recommend doing so, regardless of my experience. Hence the reason I argued with the insurance company for weeks that I didn't want my roof touched by a glass shop, before finally agreeing to go to one..... who promptly tried to complete the job in less than 5 hours and totally butchered my roof.

Beyond that, the OP is replacing the material, not just having it removed and reinstalled. The shop will need access to the correct material, the correct patterns to cut it for that particular shell (or if it's an unknown shell, the ability to take proper measurements and make their own patterns), and the heavy duty sewing equipment to piece it all together.

I agree completely, which is why I said a GOOD shop who has done it before.

The independent shop that replaced my rear glass, works ONLY WITH UPHOLSTERY SHOPS for roof work. And he doesn't work with insurance companies when a car requires roof work, because they don't allow enough coverage for a quality job, which is why most glass shops use cheap/sub par shops for roof work.

Yes, I'm sure you could find a cheap shop through a glass ship that does good work, just as I'm sure you could find someone to do a proper HG job for $750. But I would t do or recommend either.
If a glass shop doesn't do that kind of work in-house it's not the place to go to. There are lots of glass shops out there that have people on staff and equipment to deal with it. It would take an upholstery shop the same amount of time to do the work and for the amount of work involved withe vinyl/cloth roof replacement I would be very leary of any shop that would do it for $500 too, glass or upholstery.

Upholstery is very easy to do. Anyone who knows how to work with fabric and a sewing machine can do it if they have the right equipment. Just because someone can make a seat skin or stitch up some vinyl for a door panel and glue it on doesn't mean they can put together a vinyl roof and install it properly. Upholstery work is nothing compared to doing a roof covering. Getting the material is the easy part, it's knowing what to do with it from there that's not and if it's not done right it can destroy a car. No, not all glass shops can do it but the very same thing can be said about upholstery shops. Many out there have no business touching the outside of a car, a lot of them shouldn't even be doing the inside.
 
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