Sunroof explosion.....WTF??

[FrankRizzo]

I was at the V-Club/HOD track day last Sunday at Buttonwillow, CA having a great time. HOD requires that you run with all your windows down (like most open track events). On my Third session, first lap I'm coming into the final sweeper and something goes BOOM!!! - like a sonic boom and I see glass shards. I'm looking around the cockpit but don't see anything...pull back the sunshade to the sunroof and see the glass has exploded. WTF?!?!?!!?????

I pull into the pit and the nice folks at the V-club had some duct tape to seal the hole so I could make the almost 2hr trek back to LA. I was DNF for the rest of the day and only got in a half day of track time.

I go to the local dealer yesterday wanting a warranty ('22 4BW with 8k mi.) and the service guy tells me there is no warranty for glass and something probably hit it. I show him the sunshade is undamaged and for something to break the glass it would most likely had enough velocity to punch thru the shade. He says his hands are tied and that I have to call Cadillac customer service and work it out with them.

Sounds like all BS to me. Google says there is not a rash of Caddy sunroof failures, but coming from the commercial building industry I know all too well how heat strengthened or tempered glass can get a nickel sulfide stone inclusion and break for no reason. Good news is that the glass was $190 and probably 3 or 4 hours of labor when it comes in. I dont know if it is worth the years off my life calling GM. There were plenty of other 4's and 5's with sunroofs - so it feels like it was just me.

 

[1Evil55]

You're supposed to drive the wheels off of it, not the glass.

ETA: also, holy shit

 

[Matt27]

That's insane and seems like brutal luck more than anything else; I'm sorry.

It seemed like most of the cars at Spring Mountain had sunroofs from what I saw, no issues out in LV that I saw or heard of others having on here.

 

[Sphinx]

There has been a few reported cases related to glass roofs on early Tesla Model 3s that cracked under certain conditions. This explosion seems different.

My best guess is that there are sufficient chassis flex and the glass expanded ever so slightly with the heat that it was a bad combo on that day. So, should absolutely be covered by the manufacturer IMO. Unless you were on someone's bumper that kicked up debris, that theory seems weak to me.

 

[rubberduck]

Unless you were on someone's bumper that kicked up debris, that theory seems weak to me.

It’s a weak theory, but undoubtably one that the dealer will use first. They may also claim that since it happened on a track it’s not covered. Keep us posted on how it turns out and best of luck.

 

[FrankRizzo]

I might leave the "track" part out....just on a drive with some friends outside of Bakersfield....
.

 

[FLYARMY]

Just another reason why I never buy a car with a sunroof. I do have a new Telluride that came with a sunroof. All of them come with one and sometimes 2. Tellurides have a history of new vehicles having the glass shatter. Its a $4000 replacement and they are backordered.

 

[Throat Yogurt]

I never buy a car with a sunroof. I do have a new Telluride that came with a sunroof.

 

[BlueBird]

We've had Escalade sunroofs detonate without warning. Super rare, but not unheard of. That dealership sounds lame for not taking care of it.

 

[FrankRizzo]

It’s a weak theory, but undoubtably one that the dealer will use first. They may also claim that since it happened on a track it’s not covered. Keep us posted on how it turns out and best of luck.

Thanks

Just another reason why I never buy a car with a sunroof. I do have a new Telluride that came with a sunroof. All of them come with one and sometimes 2. Tellurides have a history of new vehicles having the glass shatter. Its a $4000 replacement and they are backordered.

Glass half empty much? Jeez.
Your first two sentences are mutually exclusive and I already said the glass is only $190. With tax. Shipped.

 

[travysh]

Hey man, it was good "going for a brisk drive" with you. Crappy way to end the day. Great to hear the replacement cost isn't too high even if they don't warranty it, there's much more expensive things that could have happened

 

[FLYARMY]

I digress. I would never "intentionally" order a new car with a sun roof. You cannot get a Telluride without one. The Telluride is a fantastic car.....so far. When I got the Telluride, they were nearly impossible to find and I happened to take the last one on the showroom floor. People who ordered a new Telluride had to wait almost as long as Blackwing orders and pay up to 10k over sticker.

 

[Finally-a-V]

Never, ever say the word "track" to a dealer. I'm surprised the cars at SM have sunroofs. I know EVERY car at the V Performance Academy at COTA did not have sunroofs. Also, the V2's they used at Monticello did not have roofs either.

 

[rubberduck]

My 5BW at SM didn't have a sunroof and neither does my 5BW. I generally like sunroofs, but the way GM implemented the design on the Blackwings ruined the aesthetics of the roof line.

 

[PrimeTime]

Glad your ok. This is a first that I've heard in a BW 4 or 5?

CTS-V's have had this take place before in daily and track conditions. Guess the glass is not "tempered" like it should be. That makes it a manufacturing issue IMO. The fact they try and kick the can down the road to avoid accountability, should not surprise anyone...

 

[sethsquire]

I might leave the "track" part out....just on a drive with some friends outside of Bakersfield....
.

"I was just rolling through town at 6mph as a participant in a local float parade , when suddenly..."

 

[strohw]

"I was just rolling through town at 6mph as a participant in a local float parade , when suddenly..."

A feral child jumped on top of the car and punched a hole through the glass trying to get to the candy I was throwing out.

 

[1Evil55]

A feral child jumped on top of the car and punched a hole through the glass trying to get to the candy I was throwing out.

AKA rioters. Hope you have the correct insurance for that.

 

[PrimeTime]

"Wind Uplift Pressure".

 

[sethsquire]

A feral child jumped on top of the car and punched a hole through the glass trying to get to the candy I was throwing out.

I hate when that happens!