rjlinney

I was driving Northbound on the M6 today in my MY05 WRX when the rear window exploded!

Not sure what caused it, but I was going under a bridge immediately before J21a, so could possibly have been a stone dropped from the bridge.

There was a huge bang - and a big hole where the window once was!
Has anyone any other ideas what might have caused it? It was very cold and had just been snowing/hailing. My car was full (we were going camping in the Lakes!!), and I was only doing 65/70 as we'd just got out of a massive queue.
I can't think of any other sort of stress which could cause this...

Anyway - rang Subaru Assist and they sent a recovery vehicle straight out (arrived within an hour) which took us back home to nr Stafford.

Other good thing was that my tracking (Tracker) system worked - the control centre rang me under 10 minutes after the recovery vehicle started moving.
I was impressed!

All in all, an eventful day!
I've now got to wait for Autowindscreens to replace the window and clean up the glass, and then sort out getting my paintwork and spoiler fixed!

Anyone had a similar experience?

jonjo

My rear window went on my 95 wrx a few years back and it was in my garage!! dont know what caused it but just sourced a 2nd hand one from a breakers


Joe.....

Big Den

My Subaru dealer told me that he's had to have a few rear windows on MY05 cars rebonded because they start rattling - perhaps your's was loose & then gave up?

Den

rjlinney

Mine was rattling immediately after I picked it up new.
I took it back, and apparently IM know all about it and have a fix.

They did whatever they had to do and it has been ok since - although I think I've noticed a few noises from it again recently.

Do you know what the problem was?

Hopefully my new Autoglass replacement (when it arrives on Tuesday!) will be ok.

All I can say is, I'm glad that there wasn't anyone sitting in the back.
Can't imagaine what it would have been like if there was 'cus everything was covered in glass of varying sizes.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Could be a fault in the glass so it was internally stressed.

Just a bit of bodyflex accompanied by extreme temperature differences (i.e wram inside, cold outside) or popping on the heated screen and repeat it all a number of times, can be enough to make the screen go "pop" in quite a spectacular way.

Big Den

Sorry m8, all I know is what the dealer was telling me. I was out for a drive in an MY05 STI and he said that the rear windscreen was rattling & was due to be removed & rebonded - he told me that this has had to be done on a few MY05 cars.

Maybe worth checking exactly what they did when they were supposed to have fixed your original rattle.

briforbes

There was a problem with SMART cars whereby the rear window did not have enough room for expansion when the rear de-mister was switched on. The rear window would expand to fill the available gap as it heated up, then explode as yours did when the pressure became too much. Possibly the same problem?

billythekid

Could it have been ice off the bridge?

Tripple'O G

It was the two 15" sub-wooooooofers in the boot turned up too loud wasn't it......come on, own up

I had a simliar problem with my previous car and I'd put money on some little ****** dropping a stone....

rjlinney

My money's on someone dropping a stone or something (or possibly just falling from the bridge) - although no evidence of anything.

I'm still suspicious of this window bonding problem - as I say, the dealer did do something to it at the 1,000 mile service as it had been rattling a bit.
I'm confident that I'd heard it a few times again recently.

It was cold, and quite warm in the car, but rear de-mister was off.

BTW - Autoglass have done a great job. New window straight from Holdcroft Subaru in Stoke - can't complain! (although I did have to remind them to get the one with the built in radio aerial (MY05) - they'd originally ordered the wrong one!)

Can't complain though - looks immaculate to the untrained eye!
Now need to get the scratches and spoiler fixed from the original blow out.

Any more info on the bonding issue would be most appreciated.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Glass can suffer from fatigue though, so if it was messed with being removed and rebonded it could have been put under stress from that point onwards, so it could be just a matter if time.

Very much doubt you'd get anyone to own up for that...."it's just one of those things", as they say


How many times have you seen or heard of someone who has shut the boot or door on their car, like they've done 1000 times before and then be shocked when the window shatters and disappears is millions of tiny fragments?

ben44

It would have been caused by either a fault in the glass when it was produced, or it was damaged if it has been removed and rebonded. Most glass gets shelled when you try to remove it. If this part was touching any metal then it was just a matter of time before it happened.

Also, the chances of something big enough (Or heavy enough) failing from a bridge, whilst your passing at 65mph, hitting your back windscreen must be billions to 1

Tornado633

My rear window exploded on my 2007 WRX twice now, once last year I found her on the drive the rear window had just shattered after a heavy fog. A year later last night, I came home parked the car on the drive and an hour later there was an explosion the rear window just shattered setting the alarm off.......This is weird never seen anything like this, not vandals as no stones or bricks I was outsidfe as soon as the alarm went off

my06 ppp silver

iTrader: (2)

junction 21a goes under the m62 so very unlikely to have been dropped from that bridge, the next 2 bridges on from that are pretty much in the middle of nowhere too so i would think also unlikely to be kids, although anything is possible. hope it does not cost too much as i am sure insurance usually only covers the windscreen? could be wrong though.

lazadude

iTrader: (1)

Dont you insure the WHOLE CAR...? lol, hate to think if you had an accident with a ladder on the back of a pick up truck that reversed into your car and punctured the window (unlikely, as it is!) you'd be covered? plus spontaenous exploding glasss.... doubt you could make it up haha

my06 ppp silver

iTrader: (2)

yes, i meant without affecting your policy though

Tornado633

It is going to cost me £80.00 to replace my rear screen that exploded last night, on my window insurance excess.......that's twice she has blown within a year

Tornado633

When I phoned Subaru and told them what had happened they asked if a bird had dropped a stone on the window........what at 1.00 a.m in the morning. The laminate must be too thin to happen twice now