A funny thing happened...

[johnalison]

... on the way to the boat. Actually two. The first was finding that a boat two away had installed some light plastic flappy things on his halyards to discourage birds. This made a rustling noise that was noticeable but not excessively irritating. I then found that the owner had left a note in my cockpit apologising for the installation and asking me to let him know if it was annoying us. Knowing that it is at least a purposeful noise, I am sure I can live with it.

The second thing was returning to my car and finding that the car next-door appeared to have been broken into, with the passenger window in shards. On talking to a marina chap nearby I learned that there had been no break-in but the Mini's window had spontaneously exploded in the heat and that someone saw it happen. I think the owner is going to get a bit of a shock.

 

[Rappey]

Over the years I've heard of many cases of car windows shattering for no apparent reason and not yet heard a reason as to why other than speculation.
I would have thought if heat was the cause then many more windows in very hot places would shatter ?

 

[johnalison]

Over the years I've heard of many cases of car windows shattering for no apparent reason and not yet heard a reason as to why other than speculation.
I would have thought if heat was the cause then many more windows in very hot places would shatter ?

It was on the side facing the sun. The lad I spoke to thought there must have been a scratch or defect to initiate it. I was cleaning some stuff off my windscreen yesterday and inadvertently touched the windscreen and nearly burned my hand in the process, even though the glass was angled a bit away from the sun.

 

[LittleSister]

I then found that the owner had left a note in my cockpit apologising for the installation and asking me to let him know if it was annoying us.

How thoughtful of him.

(I used to be driven to distraction by a boat moored near mine with that stretchy cord that hums continually but inconsistently.)

I was cleaning some stuff off my windscreen yesterday and inadvertently touched the windscreen and nearly burned my hand in the process

Thank goodness it's cloudy most of the year in these parts.

 

[pyrojames]

Car window is odd. Never heard of it happening in Oz, apart from hailstones!

 

[alandalus11]

Tempered glass in car windows expands and contracts with changes in temperature — just like any other glass does. When the glass is whole and intact, this expansion and contraction is completely harmless and unnoticeable. But when there’s a chip or crack in it, the glass gets continuously more damaged with every expansion and contraction caused by thermal stress. This chip could be minute and could be a manufacturing flaw or even a damage on the edging of the glass when it was installed. Eventually, this causes it to shatter as though it had just been struck by something large.

 

[IAmCharlieC]

We left the Mini in Levington carpark while on a week's sailing trip, and came back and found the numberplate was missing.

I reported it to the police - was worried someone had nicked it and used it to traverse speed cameras etc (not uncommon according to google).

went to visit the marina office - and they had the plate - it had fallen off in the sun.

(called police to cancel report...)

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Perhaps related! MANY moons ago, when my brother and I were teenagers and dinosaurs roamed the earth, we have a Metzler Inka inflatable (remember them?). For various reasons, we had a caravan near the boat, and the dinghy was next to it. One very hot day, we were startled to hear a loud bang, went out and found that one tube of the dinghy had exploded, with one tube ripped all along its length. What is even more amazing is that Metzler agreed to replace the dinghy!

 

[jimi]

Funnily enough I'm getting my windscreen replaced on Monday. Had the dogs out for a long walk yesterday and when I came back noticed a long crack up the passenger side. When I looked there was a small chip (didn't look too recent) at the bottom of the windscreen and several large cracks going from it.

 

[Max Gland]

Tempered glass in car windows expands and contracts with changes in temperature — just like any other glass does. When the glass is whole and intact, this expansion and contraction is completely harmless and unnoticeable. But when there’s a chip or crack in it, the glass gets continuously more damaged with every expansion and contraction caused by thermal stress. This chip could be minute and could be a manufacturing flaw or even a damage on the edging of the glass when it was installed. Eventually, this causes it to shatter as though it had just been struck by something large.

Every day is a school day?

 

[Gargleblaster]

Every day is a school day?

Or as one of my favourite politically incorrect comedians, Benny Hill used to say: ' learning all the time.'