Back glass on car broken......
01-14-2005, 12:17 PM
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Back glass on car broken......
Left the a6 at the folks house for a bit while i borrowed their suv. Came back to pick her up this morning and found the back glass totally shattered in the rear. No object in the car or anything just a million little bits of glass all over the rear and interior. Major pita to clean up so I sealed up the car with some trashbags and called the insurance company. They hooked me up with a mobile winshield service that warranty install on glass for life time of the car. They said they had aftermarket glass readily availible for the car but I insisted that OEM glass be used. Its gonna take a few days for that OEM piece to be ordered and come in so I guess I won't enjoying a nice sunny weekend in my a6. Oh well could be worst, their was no body damage, i have insurance coverage etc... Any one have any experiences with these mobile winshield/glass installers? The dealer quoted me 800, my indi mechanic quoted me 659 but since my deductible is only 100 it makes sense to have them do it. Hopefully they will do a good job of cleaning up all of those tiny pieces of glass and glass fibers. I hope the bastard that did this dies!
:-)
:-)
01-14-2005, 12:35 PM
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Re: Back glass on car broken......
Dealers don't do their own glass work, they sub it out to the mobile guys.
You're better off finding a good independent glass guy and have him do the work with OEM glass. That way you know the work is done right.
I've been working with a guy for about 5 years who's done 4 or 5 windshields for me. He does the work in my garage, and I usually help.
He doesn't charge me extra for the help.
A *good* glass guy won't scratch your sheetmetal when he removes the glass. Mine also lays done some additional protective stuff, quick drying paint or something, to ensure that the caulking gets a good seat. Watching him take out the old glass and laying down the bead of caulk is a treat.
The windshield and back glass are structural members of the car, so while a glass guy might tell you that you can drive the car within an hour, I always wait 2 days to let the caulk properly set up. That's why my glass guy does the work in my garage. After he's done, the car doesn't move.
Be sure to leave your windows open after the job too...otherwise the first time you open and close your door you may weaken the bond from the air pressure pushing on the glass.
If you're in Boston, check out the Village Glass Smith in Wellesley. Drop me a note for his #.
Thanks,
Lee
You're better off finding a good independent glass guy and have him do the work with OEM glass. That way you know the work is done right.
I've been working with a guy for about 5 years who's done 4 or 5 windshields for me. He does the work in my garage, and I usually help.
He doesn't charge me extra for the help.
A *good* glass guy won't scratch your sheetmetal when he removes the glass. Mine also lays done some additional protective stuff, quick drying paint or something, to ensure that the caulking gets a good seat. Watching him take out the old glass and laying down the bead of caulk is a treat.
The windshield and back glass are structural members of the car, so while a glass guy might tell you that you can drive the car within an hour, I always wait 2 days to let the caulk properly set up. That's why my glass guy does the work in my garage. After he's done, the car doesn't move.
Be sure to leave your windows open after the job too...otherwise the first time you open and close your door you may weaken the bond from the air pressure pushing on the glass.
If you're in Boston, check out the Village Glass Smith in Wellesley. Drop me a note for his #.
Thanks,
Lee
01-14-2005, 01:00 PM
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wouldn't be the first time that a temp./pressure change blew out a window...
not that it truly matters - just a thought. as for the rest - anything that i could say urs6_ma already covered - all good advice. especially the part about the dealers subletting the install - which in fact makes you a step removed from the service provider. if there IS a problem after the work is done you'll be glad that you DON'T have that degree of separation. good luck and keep us posted.
01-14-2005, 02:41 PM
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ditto but my two cents.
I don't think it is necessary to insist on OEM glass. And given the quotes you were given, you are probably paying a fortune more than you have to to. There are lot very competent mobile installation companies out there. I don't know if SAFELITE Auto Glass is in your area, but their tel number is 800-800-2727. They manufacture their own glass, using jigs that are supplied by most of the vehicle manufacturers. I would call them for a quote-we have used their service a few times over the years (thanks to trucks on the NJ highways). Prices are very reasonable, product quality good, and installers very sensitive to not causing any cosmetic damage to your car.
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01-14-2005, 03:54 PM
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You have a $100 deductable?
Mines $1000.
The rear glasson my old 2.8 was shattered as well, paid for by another insurance co's fault, old story, long story.....somewhere in the archives.
Long story short, always hold out for OEM, you did the right thing.
Good luck.
The rear glasson my old 2.8 was shattered as well, paid for by another insurance co's fault, old story, long story.....somewhere in the archives.
Long story short, always hold out for OEM, you did the right thing.
Good luck.
01-14-2005, 04:01 PM
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OK - My family has owned a glass business for many years - here's the "real" scoop.
What everyone says here is somewhat right. It is possible for thermal expansion to cause the breakage, but not likely. More likely there was:
1. A fault in the glass - it is tempered (it explodes like all the glass on most cars but the windshield which is laminated). It is possible (not probable) that there was a flaw in the glass that upon the right circumstances (say direct sunlight on a specific area, etc...) that it broke.
2. It is more probable that a small pebble would break it and bounce off at impact. Tempered is very very hard, and that is why it has such good tensile strength, but a small point on just about anything (have you ever seen those little escape hammers), even something not heavy is enough to break the surface of the glass - and Tempered glass will not pit like the windshield, if it is a hit it will explode.
3. It is also possible that someone could have done it on purpose or accident. With the right piecse of equipment it is easy to break tempered glass. It is funny, but if you try to punch it the glass will rarely break, but if you have a ring on with a fine point just tapping the glass with it can sometimes cause breakage.
4. The most likely culprit if you have a glass person who is new or does not care is that there was a small piece of glass embedded into the sealant from the last replacement. I have seen this many times - and under the right conditions (say direct sunlight on a warm day, or the interior is warm too) it will expand and the glass will "*****" the new window, and that is enough to cause a fault - and as described before, tempered glass explodes - forcefully. It is very hard to get all the glass out of the interior too - it breaks into chunks and little shards. Just note vacuuming persistence is the only way to get it all out, and frankly, with tempered it is nearly impossible to "totally" remove it all unless you had a bedsheet down before it exploded. Be careful with children, as the tiny shards entangle in the carpet fibers and if you have cloth interior it will embed itself there too. The small shards can easily come off in a hand and they are like splinters normally - small and they hurt a lot.
As to the windows attachment. The windshield and rear window and quarter windows are all done the same, but the door glass is totally different as it does not normally use glue or epoxy, but attaches to the window arm. Most decent glass shops now use Epoxy as the sealant. It is a multi-step adhesive. There is a "caulk" and sometimes a "tape" involved (or sometimes one of them depending on the need), and depending on the epoxy used there is also a "curing solution" that goes on clear and smells like it is alcohol based, and causes the epoxy to harden quicker.
As to the car sitting - it used to be true - especially when Silicone's were used that you would want to leave the car sit for several days. However, the epoxies today, 4 hours is the most you would "need" to let it sit. You are welcome to do more, and if you let it sit the smell will dissipate more, but it will not harden up beyond a certain point.
If an installer ever gets sealant on your car body and does not see it STOP. Use DENATURED ALCOHOL ONLY - this will eat the adhesive and not harm the finish. Use a soft cloth or papertowl and do not "Wipe", use more of a "Sopping" motion allowing the alcohol to break the adhesive down. Do not use rubbing alcohol as it is not really going to break up adhesive. Goo gone is OK, but it is a little stronger than alcohol, and if not supervised well it can etch the clearcoat.
1. A fault in the glass - it is tempered (it explodes like all the glass on most cars but the windshield which is laminated). It is possible (not probable) that there was a flaw in the glass that upon the right circumstances (say direct sunlight on a specific area, etc...) that it broke.
2. It is more probable that a small pebble would break it and bounce off at impact. Tempered is very very hard, and that is why it has such good tensile strength, but a small point on just about anything (have you ever seen those little escape hammers), even something not heavy is enough to break the surface of the glass - and Tempered glass will not pit like the windshield, if it is a hit it will explode.
3. It is also possible that someone could have done it on purpose or accident. With the right piecse of equipment it is easy to break tempered glass. It is funny, but if you try to punch it the glass will rarely break, but if you have a ring on with a fine point just tapping the glass with it can sometimes cause breakage.
4. The most likely culprit if you have a glass person who is new or does not care is that there was a small piece of glass embedded into the sealant from the last replacement. I have seen this many times - and under the right conditions (say direct sunlight on a warm day, or the interior is warm too) it will expand and the glass will "*****" the new window, and that is enough to cause a fault - and as described before, tempered glass explodes - forcefully. It is very hard to get all the glass out of the interior too - it breaks into chunks and little shards. Just note vacuuming persistence is the only way to get it all out, and frankly, with tempered it is nearly impossible to "totally" remove it all unless you had a bedsheet down before it exploded. Be careful with children, as the tiny shards entangle in the carpet fibers and if you have cloth interior it will embed itself there too. The small shards can easily come off in a hand and they are like splinters normally - small and they hurt a lot.
As to the windows attachment. The windshield and rear window and quarter windows are all done the same, but the door glass is totally different as it does not normally use glue or epoxy, but attaches to the window arm. Most decent glass shops now use Epoxy as the sealant. It is a multi-step adhesive. There is a "caulk" and sometimes a "tape" involved (or sometimes one of them depending on the need), and depending on the epoxy used there is also a "curing solution" that goes on clear and smells like it is alcohol based, and causes the epoxy to harden quicker.
As to the car sitting - it used to be true - especially when Silicone's were used that you would want to leave the car sit for several days. However, the epoxies today, 4 hours is the most you would "need" to let it sit. You are welcome to do more, and if you let it sit the smell will dissipate more, but it will not harden up beyond a certain point.
If an installer ever gets sealant on your car body and does not see it STOP. Use DENATURED ALCOHOL ONLY - this will eat the adhesive and not harm the finish. Use a soft cloth or papertowl and do not "Wipe", use more of a "Sopping" motion allowing the alcohol to break the adhesive down. Do not use rubbing alcohol as it is not really going to break up adhesive. Goo gone is OK, but it is a little stronger than alcohol, and if not supervised well it can etch the clearcoat.
