SL/R231: Wind deflector removal?
#51
Member
I think there are two types of failures happening on these:
One is the rivets popping out/fabric ripping in corners, which I believe may be due to speed with the wind deflector in the up position. That's the easier one to fix as long as the material isn't ripped, which would require a replacement screen.
The other is the little plastic spring loaded brackets in the end pieces failing due to stress of lowering and raising the deflector mechanism. So far, I've repaired three of these failures....
The bracket always breaks on the thinner, non-reinforced side, in the identical spot with an almost identical style of the fracture. That is a design/materials issue for sure.
I use double sided 3M VHB tape to mount these down when I do the repair. But not sure that will help long term, as there's really very little material for the 3M VHB to "bite" on that thin side of the bracket. Ultimately, I think they should be made out of aluminum or a different polymer/plastic compound.
I rarely use my screen
One is the rivets popping out/fabric ripping in corners, which I believe may be due to speed with the wind deflector in the up position. That's the easier one to fix as long as the material isn't ripped, which would require a replacement screen.
The other is the little plastic spring loaded brackets in the end pieces failing due to stress of lowering and raising the deflector mechanism. So far, I've repaired three of these failures....
The bracket always breaks on the thinner, non-reinforced side, in the identical spot with an almost identical style of the fracture. That is a design/materials issue for sure.
I use double sided 3M VHB tape to mount these down when I do the repair. But not sure that will help long term, as there's really very little material for the 3M VHB to "bite" on that thin side of the bracket. Ultimately, I think they should be made out of aluminum or a different polymer/plastic compound.
I rarely use my screen