Returned to my 2017 Cross 4x4 tonight, parked in my work car park, to find the drivers door glass shattered and the car filled with glass. The Amore red suffered a few scores too. Hottest day yet here (32degrees+) The airport police kindly loaned me a giant vac to clean up.and get me on my way and I am awaiting a repair. Anyone else had this happen on a hot day?

I've actually watched this happen once, and had it happen to my own car.
Your car may have been parked where there was a shadow across the glass, meaning that part of it is significantly cooler than the rest.
We all know that when washing up we have to be careful putting glassware into hot water as the sudden temperature change cracks it. Same can affect the windows of the car.

Many years ago, An Austin Maxi (Google it) was parked at the side of the showroom. It had been a cool night, but the sun came up strong early in the day. The edge of the building caused a diagonal shadow across the windscreen, (toughened glass, like the side windows). As the sun heated the air inside the car, and half the windscreen, it crazed across, as toughened glass does. The air pressure inside the car, caused by the heating process, expanded the screen, like blowing up a balloon. We had time to throw a blanket across the bonnet before it burst, so saving the paintwork.

Same thing happened to my own car, a Fiat Mirafiori, just before Christmas 1988. Had parked across the road from my in-law's house. As the sun rose, there was a shadow across the screen, and it crazed and popped.

Are you implying that the heat shattered the glass?


I've been around the middle east peninsula and sub Saharan areas, with temps of up to 50+ Celsius and I've never seen car glass break from heat.


Maybe someone was looking for valuables in the car?

VeneziaBlue500x said:

Are you implying that the heat shattered the glass?


I've been around the middle east peninsula and sub Saharan areas, with temps of up to 50+ Celsius and I've never seen car glass break from heat.


Maybe someone was looking for valuables in the car?

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It is the heat difference across the glass that shatters it. Differential expansion.
If there is a shadow across the glass, part is in direct sunlight, the shadowed bit is cooler. Can also happen to laminated glass, but that is less likely as the glass seems to cope better.

I doubt this is anything malicious - I'd go with the thermal heating theory.

I once had the inside pane of a toughened double glazing panel shatter on a hot day.

There were tiny pebbles of glass everywhere.

At first, I thought someone had broken into the house - then I saw that the outer pane was still intact.

For some reason, toughened glass seems to be the most susceptible to this kind of behaviour.

Ferienflieger said:

and I am awaiting a repair.

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You probably know this already, but the 'windscreen cover' you get with most comprehensive insurance policies usually covers all the glass in the car (though increasingly glass roofs are being excluded). So you should be able to get this fixed for the glass excess, without affecting any NCB you may have.

jrkitching said:

I doubt this is anything malicious - I'd go with the thermal heating theory.

<SNIP>
For some reason, toughened glass seems to be the most susceptible to this kind of behaviour.


SNIP

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Toughened glass has high internal stresses by design. Basically the heat treatment puts compressive stress in the outer layer balanced by tensile in the inner. Damage or additional stress releases the stored energy with a bang. Edges are very vunerable. I had a summer job when still at school that included repairing pintables The glass over the table was toughend and would withstand heavy attack, but some times they would burst when you were just holding them havng slid them out of the machine.


If nothing was stolen and there was no stone (or spark plug) in the car, thermal stress is most likely cause.


Robert G8RPI.

Nothing in the car to imply the window was 'put through'. The airport Police had had 3 similar things happen in as many days. I had the window repaired today, cost me a £50 excess, so not too bad. Trouble is, after leaving the car all afternoon today, got in and had a flat battery. Called roadside assistance, and got a booster charge, after which the car will start but is stuck in park with multiple error messages!! Fiat assistance now on the case, as the car is immobilised and blocking someone elses car in? Interesting replies above, thankyou. I definitely think heat was the cause. Secure car park, no passing traffic/grasscutting etc.

Ferienflieger said:

Nothing in the car to imply the window was 'put through'. The airport Police had had 3 similar things happen in as many days. I had the window repaired today, cost me a £50 excess, so not too bad. Trouble is, after leaving the car all afternoon today, got in and had a flat battery. Called roadside assistance, and got a booster charge, after which the car will start but is stuck in park with multiple error messages!! Fiat assistance now on the case, as the car is immobilised and blocking someone elses car in[emoji53] Interesting replies above, thankyou. I definitely think heat was the cause. Secure car park, no passing traffic/grasscutting etc.

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Personally (and I have absolutely no proof) I think the ECU is vulnerable to high temps. I had a long fast drive last summer at 80+ mph over 200-300 miles on French Autoroute in 35 deg external temperature. When I stopped for diesel The car was stuck in park, with just about every fault message possible coming up on the dash, and a total non-starter. When it cooled down a bit it started, over the next few hours the warning messages went away one by one and by the time the dealer checked it there were no faults recorded at all.

Alanw47 said:

Personally (and I have absolutely no proof) I think the ECU is vulnerable to high temps. I had a long fast drive last summer at 80+ mph over 200-300 miles on French Autoroute in 35 deg external temperature. When I stopped for diesel The car was stuck in park, with just about every fault message possible coming up on the dash, and a total non-starter. When it cooled down a bit it started, over the next few hours the warning messages went away one by one and by the time the dealer checked it there were no faults recorded at all.

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Thanks for that, may well be the case. The dealer will have the car first thing and all will be revealed. When the car was recovered, in my absence, the guy was able to get it out of park but could see it still needed looking at. Cheers. Robin

Ferienflieger said:

Thanks for that, may well be the case. The dealer will have the car first thing and all will be revealed. When the car was recovered, in my absence, the guy was able to get it out of park but could see it still needed looking at. Cheers. Robin

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I drove mine for about 100 miles more with no Mode Selector, Check Engine and another one showing, but when the car cooled down they went away completely

Car played up intermittently again this week,jamming in Park with the 'check transmission' and 'check parking brake' messages illuminated. Finally became immobilised again last night at home, and had the car recovered for the second time. The car has covered just 4900 miles, which is sickening!

Ferienflieger said:

Car played up intermittently again this week,jamming in Park with the 'check transmission' and 'check parking brake' messages illuminated. Finally became immobilised again last night at home, and had the car recovered for the second time. The car has covered just 4900 miles, which is sickening!

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Has it had the battery replaced under warranty yet? Some 500X's seem to have iffy batteries, which might be causing the error messages & other faults. I'd suggest the garage start with battery & see if that cures it. Failing that perhaps it's a handbrake sensor - I think auto's can stay locked in park if the handbrake is on, so it might be thinking the handbrake is on when it's not.

Thans for that, I will definitely mention that tomorrow at the stealer. The car was a pre reg'd model, almost a year old, with delivery mileage. Could have been flat at various times whilst in storage.

Ferienflieger said:

Thans for that, I will definitely mention that tomorrow at the stealer. The car was a pre reg'd model, almost a year old, with delivery mileage. Could have been flat at various times whilst in storage.

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With that information, I'd expect the battery to have been flat at least once in that time. That will have killed it.
When I was managing the new car stock at a Rover dealer, (early eighties), we had a routine to check battery voltages monthly. Any falling below 12.5v were recharged. Any falling below 12.3 were effectively dead.

Thank you for your advice, and definitely now a point I will raise.

Car returned yesterday after nearly 3 weeks off the road, new ECU fitted,so hoping for a fresh start this time☺ Dealer left the car valeted nicely too, so things are looking up!