[CentreOfGravity]

I found this news online:

https://www.news18.com/auto/tata-har...l-7622089.html

I wonder who is at fault here - Tata's QC team or rising temperatures

[Shreyans_Jain]

Seems like a prank or a deliberate publicity stunt. Bangalore is nowhere close to the hotter places of the country. It is holiday season now, and many Harriers and Safaris will be heading to Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer, places where it actually hits 50 degrees. They did so the year before, and the one before, and will continue to do so for years to come. Nobody has ever heard of any bumpers and grills melting in Rajasthan in peak summer heat, and it surely is not happening in Bangalore.

There are tens of thousands of Harriers and Safaris here in Delhi NCR, and we also experience 47-48 degrees, with it being 45+ for pretty much a months and a half straight. I don’t see any bumpers and grilles melting here, in any car.

[Reinhard]

IIRC there was an incident of a Jaguar's panels (or lamps) melting (or something like that) in London due to reflections from the glasses of the then under construction Shard or Walkie-Talkie building (dont remember exactly which one). Some sort of concentrated reflection on one point or so. So - it seems it is realistically possible.

However - I feel this particular news is more of a publicity stunt or click-bait. The plastics involved, will not melt at temperatures just under the Sun, even with global warming in full force . Someone knowingly or unknown to the owner - has done something to melt the parts and its now being publicized. Maybe malicious intent to recover the damages by blaming product quality or threatening bad PR even. In today's world - anything is possible.

[samyakmodi]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

IIRC there was an incident of a Jaguar's panels (or lamps) melting (or something like that) in London due to reflections from the glasses of the then under construction Shard or Walkie-Talkie building (dont remember exactly which one). Some sort of concentrated reflection on one point or so. So - it seems it is realistically possible.

However - I feel this particular news is more of a publicity stunt or click-bait. The plastics involved, will not melt at temperatures just under the Sun, even with global warming in full force . Someone knowingly or unknown to the owner - has done something to melt the parts and its now being publicized. Maybe malicious intent to recover the damages by blaming product quality or threatening bad PR even. In today's world - anything is possible.

You have hit the nail on the head. The only plausible explanations are either some glass/mirror's concentrated reflection on the vehicle or some one making an extra effort to melt the parts. there is absolutely no other explanation for the parts of a car melting in a place like Bangalore which barely sees temperatures more than 35 degrees even during peek summers.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by CentreOfGravity

I found this news online:
I wonder who is at fault here - Tata's QC team or rising temperatures

I guess none of the above.

Some questions looking at the images :
- The "meltdown" seems to be in a linear pattern concentrated more on the DRL and going towards the center Tata badge decreasing in severity. The DRL cover seems to have "melted" as well. There is also some minor "melting" in the bottom most row though in a small area and the 2-3 rows in the center are unscathed ?
- There is also a bump/impact mark near the DRL and some paint cracking/peeling too which might/might not be related ?
- The images shared are only from one side, so the other side is fine ? In which case I repeat my question, what sort of sunlight is this ?
- The wavy pattern of the "meltdown" indicates that heat source went from the DRL side to the center, towards the Tata badge. My first guess would be a blowtorch, those handheld can types popularly used by AC technicians to weld copper pipes.
- The owner states that he can provide CCTV videos if the company wishes, I hope he has personally gone through the entire 10-12 hour footage to verify nothing came close to the car.


From what I can see in the images made available, the "melting" seems to be from a concentrated heat source not the sun. It is quite possible and as stated by other members that it could be a case of mischief unknown to the owner.
It could just be an accidental misdirection of a blowtorch or any overheating equipment if any repairs where happening in the vicinity.
But that is something not clear now and going by the history of such issues we'll never know.
I hope the OP will update the thread with future developments

To the OP, I would also suggest to share the images on the thread too for the benefit of other members, I have done it for now.
Credits to Providers : Twitter : Saurav Nahata

[vigneshkumar31]

And thus, the click has been baited and got the traction he desired ��

The Chennai lad in me should have flagged it as bait when I saw these three words in the same line :- Bangalore.scorching.heat

I don’t think we have that kind of amplified ambient heat which selectively melts a moulded plastic bumper ! Miscreant for sure.

[anujmishra]

The reflection from nearby glass building could be the reason, I had discussion with original owner and told the probable reason. He had parked car in the open office parking.

On that particular day how sun reflected over glass building and resultant reflection on vehicle need to be studied as suspect.

Below are some references:

https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/...w/52999606.cms

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/h...hysics-science

[GTO]

Mod Note: Closing thread as the news article appears to be unreliable / fake.