[wildsdi5530]

I had started a thread on 26.06.2017 which was merged here.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post4223596

Now short story - Windshield developed a crack from the top spontaneously with no impact. It was replaced under insurance after the crack was enlarged by the service center guys. Replaced windshield cracked again in 2 days this time from the bottom. Again was told this is due to impact (though there was none and no visible evidence either) But after raising a hue and cry, this was replaced under goodwill.

Now 2 months later this morning when the car was parked at M. G. Road, again a new crack has developed. This is similar to the first crack except it trails to the left instead of right.

There has been no impact, car was parked at a safe spot, no sun, nothing to explain the crack.

My family has started believing the car is haunted. What do I do? I'm sure the problem is something to do with the seating of the glass. How do I replace it this time? Mobilio RS glass is different from regular mobilio and is expensive. Do I claim insurance again? Or make honda pay?

How do I escalate this to Honda? I really want someone competent from honda to check out the problem. Windshield cracking 3 times in 2 months is not a joke.

[Skyline_GT]

In my opinion it's the direct sunlight and the resultant heat that's causing the cracks.
I am not completely sure about this but I have often heard that intense heat and parking the car in an open space all day at times causes the glass to expand due to heat and eventually crack.
Here's a much detailed explanation-
https://glass4usa.wordpress.com/2012...my-windshield/

[wildsdi5530]

Originally Posted by Skyline_GT

In my opinion it's the direct sunlight and the resultant heat that's causing the cracks.

That's what I thought the first 2 times, But this time it was a cloudy day. And the car was in the shade.

[Skyline_GT]

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

That's what I thought the first 2 times, But this time it was a cloudy day. And the car was in the shade.

Extreme temperature changes causes the windshield glass to crack. Considering our weather in India it's a rare occurrence.
Since you mentioned it was in a closed parking you should look into the possibility of a miscreant upto a mischief.

[audioholic]

Hello after a long time Dr.

Its quite bizarre that you have faced this incident three times. From the picture, it is clearly a crack that has priginated from the edge of the glass and not from anywhere in the middle due to an impact. I have seen the earlier crack too and it was the same, ie originated from the edge itself. I suggest you to carefully examine the edge for any deformities or extrusions. IMO, there could be different angles to this incident:
1. The surface on the frame where the glass is pasted is not homogenous, ie it might have some contaminants which could be unevenly expanding in the sun/weather causing the crack to start. During installation, the process provided by the manufacturer involves the use of different cleaning agents and primers along with the glue. This might be overlooked at when the installation is done.

Speaking of contaminants, corrosion is another important factor. If there is water seepage into the area between the glass and the paint and the water has stayed there, there is chance that the metal surface would have got corroded and swollen up to cause this crack. I am facing this issue in my SX4 whose rear glass was replaced the day after taking delivery. Eight years later, I see rust on the edges and recently put some time and effort to scrape out the rusted area and apply anti rust primer. This rust originated from a small place which had got damaged while the old glass was removed. It had spread to a strip of around 5cm length and the area had swollen up by a good 4-5mm above the surface. However in my case, it was visible to the eye and not hidden.

Hence, when the glass is removed this time, please personally take a look at the entire frame and ensure that the surface is clean and free of any rust, dings and so.

2. There could be some stress from the roof or pillars onto the glass which would be initiating the crack over a period of time and use.

3. As you say that the Mobilio uses heat resistant glass, the glass itself could have some defect right out of the factory.

Hence since replacement is inevitable, do ensure you bring this to light of the dealer and not push it off as just another incident and demand a proper root cause analysis before they simply fix a new windshield and return the car to you. Since it has already happened repeatedly, I dont think this can be hushed off as some external factor like damage, vandalism etc.

[sagarpadaki]

Try a different brand of glass , maybe from Windshield experts or the likes. But ensure that the brand is different.

Also, you can try leaving a centimeter gap at the top of Driver and passenger windows when parking. This will act as a heat escape passage when it becomes hot inside.

[GTO]

Something fishy here; it's either the poor installation by the dealer (my first guess) or the quality of the glass (but other Mobilio / Amaze owners aren't complaining).

I second Sagar's suggestion. Go to Windshield Experts. They're top notch & in many cases do a better job than the dealer. Pick a different brand of glass.

[wildsdi5530]

Originally Posted by GTO

SGo to Windshield Experts. They're top notch & in many cases do a better job than the dealer. Pick a different brand of glass.

I've already replaced the glass under insurance once this year. It was about Rs. 17k/-. I blamed faulty installation when the first replacement cracked in 2 days. The Service station tried to pass it on as a stone falling on the plastic cowl and transmitting the force, but replaced it under goodwill. If I go to an outside agency, won't the service center wash their hands off?

@Skyline_GT; Not closed parking, but open shady area. and very crowded (In Church on Sunday) so unlikely to be vandalism.

@Audioholic: Hi again. Hope to be a customer of your company soon. I think it must be the first point. Probably the sealant used to seat the glass is not spread properly. I've written to Honda. Hope they send an expert to rectify the issue.

[SmartCat]

In most top end variants of Honda cars (including Mobilio RS), the front windscreen has 'heat absorbing' glass that absorbs 40% to 50% of sunlight.



Because of this feature, perhaps the glass is heating up and cracking?

Install windscreen of lower Mobilio variant or source it from outside (Eg: windshield experts).

[amit_purohit20]

Can the flexing of the car body structure cause cracking? If the base where the windshield sits flexes it might cause a resulting crack isn't it?

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

Windshield developed a crack from the top spontaneously with no impact. It was replaced under insurance after the crack was enlarged by the service center guys. Replaced windshield cracked again in 2 days this time from the bottom. Again was told this is due to impact (though there was none and no visible evidence either) But after raising a hue and cry, this was replaced under goodwill.

Now 2 months later this morning when the car was parked at M. G. Road, again a new crack has developed.

Hello wildsdi5530,

Felt sorry after reading about your problem.

The crack seen in your photograph appears to be a tensile crack, developed because the glass could not sustain the tensile force (left to right stretch) imposed on itself.

This can happen if there is some defect in the glass or the installation or the body shell. Since this happened with 3 glasses and 3 installations (one in the factory + twice during the ownership), contact the company officials claiming it to be a fault with body shell, asking for replacement! They have to replace or they have to genuinely investigate.

Other cars in your area have not suffered from this. So the dealer shall not squarely blame it on the wheather.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Hello wildsdi5530,

The crack seen in your photograph appears to be a tensile crack, developed because the glass could not sustain the tensile force (left to right stretch) imposed on itself.

This can happen if there is some defect in the glass or the installation or the body shell. Since this happened with 3 glasses and 3 installations (one in the factory + twice during the ownership), contact the company officials claiming it to be a fault with body shell, asking for replacement! They have to replace or they have to genuinely investigate.

The Front windshield sit clean on the slot left by the body shell. There is more than a millimeter gap between the edge of the glass and the metal frame.
Had there been a problem with the frame, the replacement glass would not fitted at all (we cant bend the glass, right?).

Looks like Heat is the culprit here, as Smartcat pointed out.

[Shreyans_Jain]

I am not buying the heat argument. Half of us here have to keep our cars out under the baking hot summer sun. Windshields don't crack just like that. Also, since this the third time the glass has cracked, I'll hazard ruling out faulty installation. Yes, fitting does go wrong sometimes. But for that to happen thrice in 60 days, how incompetent can the dealer possibly be?

This might be pointing to something more serious. I suspect the alignment of the chassis might be off. That can cause stress to build and make the glass crack the way it is happening in your case. Going by Honda's quality control (the lack of it) it is possible that a weld has failed somewhere and is causing play/flex in the monocoque. The shape of the crack also looks like a stress fracture, and certainly not something caused by impact.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Because of this feature, perhaps the glass is heating up and cracking?

Install windscreen of lower Mobilio variant or source it from outside (Eg: windshield experts).

Major portion of the heat is actually reflected in the name of absorbent glass. Only a portion of the heat is actually absorbed by the intermediate layer. The current laminated safety glasses are all multi layered and do get heated up. But they shouldnt crack. Even if the problem is with the glass, why should the owner of a car swap it with the glass of the base variants? It is the responsibility of the company to ensure that the glass is tested and does not suffer from such defects. And if this was the case, the issue would have been with multiple cars. At least on the internet the first result that comes when we search for Mobilio glass crack is this one.

Honda should investigate and come out with a concrete analysis on why this is happening repeatedly, be it a problem with the glass or the frame.

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

The crack seen in your photograph appears to be a tensile crack, developed because the glass could not sustain the tensile force (left to right stretch) imposed on itself.

This can happen if there is some defect in the glass or the installation or the body shell. Since this happened with 3 glasses and 3 installations (one in the factory + twice during the ownership), contact the company officials claiming it to be a fault with body shell, asking for replacement! They have to replace or they have to genuinely investigate.

Exactly what I feel too. Either the frame of the glass is stretching due to heat and cold cycles, or due to some driving dynamics like a rough road, uneven level parking or so.

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Had there been a problem with the frame, the replacement glass would not fitted at all (we cant bend the glass, right?).

.

Well, fitting the glass to the frame is a different thing. If there is any permanent defect in the structure, then the glass wont fit. Here, it will fit well, but some force is exerted which will crack the glass. Hence, it is a dynamic defect which shows up on a certain trigger. It could be uneven expansion of the frame when heated, sealant used to bond the glass to the frame or a similar reason. The cracking due to heat generally occurs at a random point, and not necessarily from the border. That is because in the border where glass is bonded to the frame, the heat energy will be shared with the frame. In the center area, if a hot glass suddenly is splashed with cold water, there will be a crack originating where the temperature difference crosses a threshold.

Does the mobilio have a rubber gasket for the windshield on the top border?

[saket77]

That sounds pretty strange. Get the A pillars and its joints/ welding checked properly. I have a feeling that this is happening due to some structural problem and absolutely nothing to do with heat. The A pillars may have been flexing for some reason and resulting in this crack. Apart from welds and joints, also get both the A pillars checked for any bends or alignment issues.

Keep us updated.
Regards,
Saket.