Truck Mirrors Melting

[AugieTN]

I recently bought a new truck and joined a truck forum. A member with a new truck posted pictures of his melted mirrors. It was concluded that parking by reflective windows will cause this, due to heat.

Does this sound normal? Should this be covered by new truck warranty? or is it the owners fault?

There were a few other pictures of melted mirrors posted. I'll upload them.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I read a story about this quite a few years ago.

Vehicle's parked close to a high rise building were damaged by the intense heat when the sun reflected off the mirrored windows.

Not sure if this would be covered by insurance.

 

[Buzzzer]

You would think it would be covered. For crying out loud don't they test vehicles in everyday situations? Seems like piss poor quality control to me. With what trucks cost nowadays I'd be seriously pissed...

 

[SMSgt]

The sun is bright. It produces heat. We should all be thankful for that or else we'd freeze. Park your vehicles in the shade and stop whining about reflective windows.

 

[Kanewpadle]

The sun is bright. It produces heat. We should all be thankful for that or else we'd freeze. Park your vehicles in the shade and stop whining about reflective windows.

Jeez sarge. Grumpy much?

 

[sophie]

Bottom line is the mirrors are inferior quality. Should be warranty.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

If you have collision insurance only/state minimum they won't be covered no matter what!

If you cave comprehensive insurance, you are probably covered except for the deductible. Often $500 or $1000!

Ivan

 

[lihpster]

Google London's Walkie Talkie building.

 

[soFlaNative]

How hot is hot enough to melt plastic? 212F?
I know asphalt can hit 180 in direct heat but reflective? I flat don't know.

 

[WR Moore]

When I first saw the title I was wondering if the mirrors are/can be heated and there was a malfunction. Back when there used to be issues with this on big truck mirrors. Cheap plastic?

 

[glowe]

Those are three different vehicles and I doubt that all parked in front of the same glass wall. It appears that they are not the same model and may not be not the same make??

Mirror housings are normally made from either heat-resisting ABS, PC, or ABS/PC alloy. The melting point (degrees C) of these materials are:

ABS – acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene 190-270
ABS/PC Alloy 245-265
Polycarbonate 280-320

250 degrees C equals 482 degrees F

 

[fordson]

Google London's Walkie Talkie building.

Wife and I were in London several years go during the hight of the Summer. The "Walkie Scorchie", with its concave mirrored windows, melted the front bummer of a Jag parked across the street in just the right spot. It was reported that the owner was quite upset……..

 

[CH4]

Happens to Dodge hemis during reentry.

 

[Jon651]

The last photo is the most telling - the melt line crosses and involves three separate pieces of plastic and is in a straight line. I can easily see this being caused by reflected and refracted sunlight off of a building as the sun slowly moves across the sky.

I very much doubt that this is covered by the warranty as this is not a typical everyday occurrence and the heat involved is way beyond what would be considered normal usage or exposure. It's like burning ants with a magnifying glass and then blaming the ants for not being fireproof!

 

[mmaher94087]

I'm with Gary, Post #11. Has anyone played with the flame from a Butane lighter? My guess: vandalism.

 

[prairieviper]

IF the damage to those mirrors was actually caused by the sun reflecting off a window in a building, I would be upset as well. It's not as if the owner's manual contains a warning to avoid parking near large building with big windows. Realistically, what normal person would anticipate that might be a problem?

 

[AugieTN]

Remember when cars were made of steel?

 

[03hemi]

Same thing happened on some of the trim on my son's Mini Cooper too.

 

[glenwolde]

They were made out of inappropriate material IMHO. Nothing else surrounding them was damaged. I think I'd remove them and test them in an oven and see just exactly how hot it has to get.

But the dealers will deny coverage, because they likely don't have a replacement that's any better. They'll just keep melting over and over.