Problem with roof peeling

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vipergts

Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2021
Messages
10
Has anyone seen this before? What are my options to fix this?

https://ibb.co/KKD6NFH
https://ibb.co/pPX2kWS
https://ibb.co/vcSYGvZ
 
Wow, that's bad. It looks like it's literally cooked, either that or the roof has been repaired before?

The roof is carbon fibre with what I assume is a clear coat lacquer. I think the only way to fix that would be to sand the whole roof and apply a 2k clear coat again to seal.
 
Thank you for the reply. I'm baffled about it too. I does not appear to be the clear coat peeling, it appears the carbon fiber is a type of "wrap" that is bubbling. The way it looks, it looks like I need to peel all that crap off, not sand it. But I'm not sure what is under it so I don't want to open a can of worms. I have to worry about the roof leaking too. Hoping someone that is familiar with these roofs will see this post.
 
The clear resin layer pealing off of a CFRP roof has been reported by several i3 owners. It's apparently also happening to some BMW M cars that have CFRP roofs. However, photos I've seen of other peeling roofs don't look like yours. Bubbling seems to be common but no large wrinkles like yours. This makes me wonder whether a previous owner had a clear protective film installed on your roof. Do the wrinkles seem to be a flexible, thin film?
 
Yes the wrinkles seem to be a film on the roof. I don't know whats under it or what the proper procedure for repair is.
 
Definitely looks like a protective film or wrap, like what gets put on bumpers/hoods to protect against rock chips. There are some YouTube videos on removing it - though you might want to take it to a shop that does that stuff to get an opinion. Hopefully the prev owner that did it didn't use some stick-on plastic that wasn't designed for this kind of application.
 
Can someone post close up pictures of what their roof looks like? I always thought this was the oem roof but poorly designed and it could not handle the heat. The car is parked outdoors.
 
If that is a protective film, and it looks suspiciously glossy, where as the OEM carbon fibre is more of a satin finish. Check the roof near the front windshield and see if there's an edge. You can probably use a hairdryer or hot air gun (obviously taking care not to work the area too long) to remove it. If it leaves any residue, then rubbing alcohol or methylated spirits will help lift it off. I'm still struggling to work out why it would have been applied.
 
There is no edge, if it is a wrap then they must have taken the roof apart to do it right. My car was a lemon law buy back but I'm not sure the reason, I wonder if the roof has something to do with it. Does anyone know what number I can call to find out with my vin number?
 
Does anyone know what number I can call to find out with my vin number?

What State? Each State has its own lemon law.

Might show on a CarFax report.
 
For Florida, there is a list of vehicles posted here - and a phone number and email address for more info on a particular vehicle.

https://myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/Main/4CD6D6C699E4816785256CC90059E5CB

Do a search for 'BMW i3' brings up a list of them.

http://www.myfloridalegal.com/resale.nsf/Web+Search+Simple?OpenForm
 
I found my vin and this is all it had:

Liable Manufacturer:
BMW of North America, LLC

Jointly Liable:
No

Name Plate:
BMW of North America, LLC

Make:
BMW

Model:
i3 (EV)

Year:
2014

Claim filed with:
Fla. New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Bd.
 
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