Interesting that the upper part of your rear window failed. The upper part of mine is still good from the factory after almost 10 years. It was the bottom and about 3 inches on each side that separated on mine. The 3M adhesive didn't last, but my Rhino Glue repair is still OK.

 

Jim,
Don't you just love predictive text? Renault's instead of results. That's Artificial Intelligence for you!
Stuart

 

Stuart,
I did not catch that. My first new car was a Renault "Le Car" in '78. Had a big top that just pulled back. Great up in Marquette Michigan. "Northern Michigan University"
Jim

 

Here are a few pictures of the GAHH top installed on my 2008XK
. Well that didn’t work

 

Excellent job!

 

I used Windshield urethane. Removed the entire glass, cleaned up and reset it. Solid as a rock and no leaks

 

Kudos! I was told mine couldn't be re glued due to shrinkage. Who knows. Got a GAHH

 

LstFord - hows the top holding so far? Curious..

 

Stuart S - Best posting / replying/ explaining posts ever.
Crazy yours unglued after being garaged. I was told part of the reason mine came undone was Fl sun and being outside. The water sits in the lower window edge after rain etc and the combo sun and water deteriorates the glue. Apparently false in your case. I rarely lower my top so it isn't that. The dealer told me all convertibles have this problem of having to replace tops.

 

I hope that adhesive lasts. Although it's a different 3M product # than what I first used, I'm concerned that repeated lowering and raising your top will cause that bond to fail since the instructions for that adhesive say it's for stationary surfaces. If it fails, redo it with Rhino Glue since that's still holding the glass on my top.

 

My XKR has rarely been in the rain, as I drive it only on nice days. And I wash and dry it by hand, so the top never gets soaked. Nevertheless, the glass separated. I think it's a crappy OEM adhesive and just a matter of time, just like the leather dashboard shrinking issue.

Jaguar dealers are in business to sell parts and maximize profits, and farm out upholstery repairs to local trim shops. My under $100 easy DIY repair is worth trying if your canvas is still in good shape before spending big bucks for a new top.

 

^^X2

 

I must have jinxed myself. If I didn't say that the upper part was still good, it wouldn't have separated this morning!

I expected the glass to be separated from the fabric, just like what happened before. I was surprised that the glass was still firmly bonded to the fabric and that the fabric of the window separated from the fabric of the top.

After masking the glass, I applied Rhino Glue to the loose lower section of fabric and clamped that section down tight with the Suck-N-Clamps. I'll let it sit overnight and keep you posted.

 

All's good - for now.

 

[QUOTE=Stuart S;1915192]I must have jinxed myself. If I didn't say that the upper part was still good, it wouldn't have separated this morning!

I expected the glass to be separated from the fabric, just like what happened before. I was surprised that the glass was still firmly bonded to the fabric and that the fabric of the window separated from the fabric of the top.

After masking the glass, I applied Rhino Glue to the loose lower section of fabric and clamped that section down tight with the Suck-N-Clamps. I'll let it sit overnight and keep you posted.

Stuart,
Wow, this morning I read your post after fixing my top. I had about 10"s separate after a couple hundred mile ride Sunday. This is part of what I used the Rhino glue on, so I cleaned and re-glued. Lets hope.
Jim

 

It's interesting that our cars are 2008 and 2009 models. That appears to support my belief that the separation is caused by the adhesive drying out over time.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, too.

 

Hopefully I don't get crucified for this. I bought my car when I was in the middle of a move with no tools and Living out of an air bnb. my top window started to fall, and the car was my only mode of transportation, so I bought a bottle of Gorilla glue gel (tried another adhesive first, but the gel was important). used a razor to clean up the window, ran a thin bead of the gorilla glue, jammed a 70s Polaroid Amigo camera under the glass on the interior side (It was weirdly the perfect fit) and duck taped the outside. left it over night. A month and a half later the window is still sturdy.

 

Great MacGyver move. Good luck and keep us posted on it's status.

 

Looking at my car today and the top of the window is separated again Damn!
I'm off to Amazon to try Stuarts Rhino glue and suck clamps
I think its my fault tho, I had just decided to look for something else and told my wife and I think the car heard me
There are too many 'little' things breaking/going wrong and its way too expensive to fix
For example, the small plastic cover that sits at the front edge of the top, its really there to give a finished look when the top is down , broke
My mechanic says its a $1000 part ( it could have been @$800 , i dont remember -- and thats before labor !!
The power antennae is $680 but at least I can get a replacement on ebay for $20 that lasts a few months tho
Thanks Stuart for all your work/experiments and posts/pictures

Jerry

 

If you have all the pieces of that small plastic cover, try gluing them together with the Rhino Glue.

Good luck with the top repair. Be sure to wear rubber gloves because Rhino Glue is like super glue and will bond your fingers together instantly if it accidentally gets on you. Let us know how my instructions and the repair work out for you.