Has any one ever seen this. I’ve owed a carwash for 30 years and wash hundreds of thousands of cars and never seen this happen. As he was rinsing his back glass it shattered. Of course he never contacts me and the next day he puts it on a local Facebook group called rants and raves. You can see what he said about it on the picture. He wasn’t really that mad about it, but I was kind of upset that he didn’t contact me first. I tested my hot water coming out of the bay that he was using and it registered at 111°. He went on like it was super hot water and then really cold water hit it. I explained to him that my hot water was normal at 111°, and my rinse water is just normal temperature ground water. I told him he must’ve had a flaw in the glass and it was under some sort of stress or had tiny stress cracks, or something. Because normally that wouldn’t do that. He’s never ask me to pay for it.
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Rear glass shattered while washing in self serv
- Thread starter Don B.
- Start date
edredtop
Well-known member
We had a hot spell last summer and I happened to have my IR temp gun in my hand when a buddy pulled in.
He wanted to check his car before he vacuumed and asked to use it. He went on to wash without incident like many others that week. Our water that day was probably 65 to 70°
He wanted to check his car before he vacuumed and asked to use it. He went on to wash without incident like many others that week. Our water that day was probably 65 to 70°
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It had to have had a flaw in the glass. Probably stress cracks that were very small or the glass was under some sort of stress in the frame or something like that. Normally that wouldn’t do that. Unfortunately washing it was the trigger.
Just that slight temperature change. Yes, I tested the hot water in the bay that he was using and it was 111°, which is about normal compared to what I run. I didn’t check the rinse water. But it’s just ground water temperature, probably 70 or so.
I think most rear glass is tempered glass. Tempered glass will shatter if it’s under stress.
He probably did not contact you first and didn't ask you to pay for it because he knows his glass was flawed before the wash. He just went and cried on FB like all the little girls do nowadays. There no way in hell that happened because of switching from hot to cold water if the glass was intact.
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Earl Weiss
Well-known member
Some vehicles have known issues. Find out Year, make and model and Google it. If you have a vin, you could also run a car fax to see if it was perhaps a replacement glass o their were any reported impacts that caused stress.
Earl Weiss
Well-known member
Find out year model and make. Some have known issues - do a Google search for issues. If yo have a Vin or Plate # you can do a car fax to see if it was replaced or nay known impacts that could have caused stress.
washnshine
Well-known member
I think glass failure (with or without a pre existing problem) occurs more when the internal temperature of the car gets excessively hot - like on a hot and sunny summer day where the inside of the car becomes like an oven. There is increased pressure on the glass with the expanded hot air - it’s more than just a surface temperature shock. I have seen cars that have cracked and shattered or broken windows spontaneously under these conditions. Definitely not a water temp swing of 30°
