Juggernaut23

Anyone care to tell me how to approach the dealer right now while I am stuck in the rain with a 2010 premium with glass roof that decided to spontaenously shattered outwards on its own?All I can say is I was driving and heard a very loud boom and I was covered in glass.Probably has no revelance but I did turn on all the defrosters 1 minute prior til the grenade went off. outside conditions were 45 degrees and rainy.Inside temps were nice and toasty.I am not a happy camper!

Please tell me exactly how to handle this with my dealer.My dealer does not offer a loaner car.And the weather isnt fair enough to drive the race car to and from work.My dealer is Pine Belt Nissan in Keyport NJ.Please discuss and please provide me with ample ammunition to have this taken care of ASAP.Thank you all in advance!

phatboislim

iTrader: (27)

take it to them, they better give you some sort of loaner car and offer to fix it for free along with any other damages incurred, or just call Nissan period

SMG

DAMN!!! Even if the dealer doesn't typically offer loaner cars, I would say this is a pretty extreme case that warrants an exception. That's the only thing you can really get upset with the dealer about. The glass exploding will be a Nissan problem. I'm sure they'll have to send a rep. or someone like that out to look at the car while it's at the dealership since that is a very serious and atypical problem.

proy1458

Sucks man! I just did a search for this, and it seems that you aren't the first person that this has happened to. Also, other cars with a tempered glass roof (Caddy, Minis, Altimas, etc) have had similar experiences. From what I read its going to come down to your relationship with your dealer, and if that doesn't work out to well, you will have to get your insurance involved.

Here is one forum I found with the same issue (http://x.nissanhelp.com/forums/x-tra...f-problem.html), but also try a google search.

Now you have me all worried to look at my max when I get back to my parking lot today. sheesh

Keep us updated.

Juggernaut23

I wasnt able to find any 2009 and up Maxs affected by this. only 2004 and under.I am so ready to hear every excuse they have not to cover it.You can see so clearly that the glass exploded outwards and looks like a shape of a volcano. You would swear i was just fist pumping to hard while driving and punched the glass out!Needless to say I got wet with glass,Rain while driving to shelter.I am so sad on this friday.Maybe I can get somebody to post the pix for me here in this thread.I am way behind now at work and have to just suck it up til I find some answers.So please feel free to discuss,any and all information will help.Thanks.

mrodenberg0124

Wow sorry to hear that man. Honestly if your dealership is hesitant to fix it or give you a loaner call corporate. Once they're involved the local dealership basically gets their rear ridden until it's fixed and a follow up with you from corporate is done. The only downside to that is when i called to find out why a brake booster was backordered for over 5 weeks it seemed like they had moved the corporate call center overseas so it can become..... trying depending on what rep answers your call.

On the bright side you're not injured. I'm thinking if i heard that out of nowhere while driving i'd run into a pole or something.

proy1458

Posted for Juggernaut

MadMax07SL

What's to coach, tell them what you just told us. driving along, and just liek that bamb...

Juggernaut23

Anyone got any corporate numbers to call to ensure to get a loaner? Or to ensure this doesnt take weeks to fix?

bk2k3max

Wow, man I'm sorry for you and your car. Do you have AAA? If so, they can come tow your car for you and they can provide you with a Loaner if you have this setup in your contract with them.
I'd definitely call Nissan first to explain what happened, then I'd contact Nissan Consumer Affairs if I didn't like what I heard.

Nissan Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box 685003
Franklin TN 37068-5003
(800) NISSAN-1 (or 800-647-7261)
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.,
Eastern / Central Time / Pacific Time
Monday through Friday


Let them know how much you love your car and that you've been a loyal Nissan customer for X amount of years and that you'd still like to continue being with them but if you don't get what you want out of this that you will be happy to drive a Cadillac CTS or an Audi A4 or something other than a Nissan.

Good luck.

STARR

iTrader: (1)

Unless a TSB for randomly shattering glass pops up, call the dealer and see what they say but your better off calling your insurance agent, most glass coverage is no deductible full coverage.

It's very easy to break glass, a pebble at the right angle probably did it, if you had a normal roof you would have a mark to touch up

hamzer11

iTrader: (2)

If manufacturers are going to put in glass roofs, which have passed the safety standard, they better be able to handle normal elements of driving like pebbles. A hot to cold issue is more likely if the glass is defective somehow. Or some pressure related shattering. I refuse to accept that a pebble cause his whole roof to shatter.

I will follow this very closely. Please post the outcome of this whole thing. If it gets investigated by Nissan corporate I would be curious to see what they find. Also I hate to ask but I would like to see the pics (not sure if they are posted already - sometimes they get blocked at work)

Sorry to hear.

Juggernaut23

Initial call to my friend who is the sales manger spoke to 1 of the service writters there since the service manger is not in and he said it doesnt look good for getting it replaced under warranty.My buddy di say to do some homework and see if any other dealers have warranted this type before and that could help out.Anyone care to chip in and help me find some info or help?

shdwonthsun

iTrader: (1)

Ninja Rocks


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWOqcR1m1dc



not that it would make it shatter outward

MaxLoverAz

iTrader: (1)

I have a friend of mind who works at safelite and you'd be surprised at how easy it is to break glass, yes a pebble can do it.

steevo

Interesting comments. I cant imagine any dealer would replace that for free under any scenario. Its Glass.
Hopefully you have full glass coverage with no deductible! I think I am going to call my insurance company tomorrow and make sure moon-roof is covered and its not just side windows...

hamzer11

iTrader: (2)

Design wise I would think it's different than a windshield, no? It's just so hard for me to accept it I guess.

What I have been thinking about is that it shattered outwards. Seems like pressure built up inside. Or maybe it had cracked and went unnoticed until the pressure broke through it.

Just crazy stuff really.

sg1214

Pine Belt is my dealer that I go to for service. Idk this looks like a design flaw to me, try them out and let them know that a bunch of people who own Maximas on this forum are going to be aware of this problem, and dont wanna have to worry about their roof caving in. Honestly if they arent willing to help you I will stop going there for service. They need to know that owners talk and look out for each other.

kaczus00

Forget the spare tire Im gonna start driving with an umbrella handy.

Juggernaut23

This is a bit old but here is a case where 32,k maximas were having this issue.
http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/fi...l_2004_Max.pdf

I am off to the dealer now to see what can and will be done.If the dealer wont honor it should I just make an insurance claim?

steevo

That was a fixed glass skylight on a 2004. Where is the similarity? That document is for a recall to inspect and replace, if necessary, the glass due to manufacturer defect.
The problem for you is that there is no tsb, no recall, and no evidence that yours isnt an isolated incident. Unless this starts happening in huge numbers you have no case.
Besides, if you have Full glass coverage it usually has no deductible anyway. So the dealer will fix it, but you insurance will pay.
It really does suck that this happened to you, but I don't think you have cause to fight with your dealer. Never hurts to ask, but that's about it.

Juggernaut23

UPDATE: I dropped the car off and of course the first thing anyone and everyone says: What hit it?This dealer was very nice and gave me a loaner under the condition if under warranty they pay for loaner and if not I pay the loaner bill.There were 3 key people who made this a very pleasant visit SO FAR. The GM,Sales manager,and my sales man Tommy G which I knew from purchasing the car originally.They say its not up to the dealer but Nissan themselves to determine what the cause was.So we shall see in 3 days time.I figured why its there I needed to get a wheel alignment for the Eibachs in it and some 15k mile maintience.I asked them to apply the TCM TSB for the CVT.

steevo

Good luck! Hope this works out for you.

lightonthehill

Juggernaut23 - I think you are handling this the best way available. And you are getting other things taken care of while the car is at the dealer. We will all be interested in your opinion of how the CVT TSB affects performance.

With the roof glass missing in the area where any impact star might have been, don't be surprised if Nissan refuses to admit the glass was bad. That may not be fair, but then much of life isn't fair. I imagine this glass is more expensive than a windshield, and a replacement roof may be harder to find than a windshield would be.

We have our fingers crossed that Nissan will accept that the your roof glass was defective.

gtmassive75

iTrader: (1)

Juggernaut, sorry to see that happen, hope Nissan take care of it. G/L bro.

bk2k3max

That is something I wanted to address earlier but it kinda slipped my mind (Pressure).

Has anyone of you ever noticed that when you're driving with you Sunroof titled upwards but not fully opened and your windows are all raised that as soon as you close it there is a burst of pressure inside the cabin that literally pops your eardrums as if you are on an airplane and can feel your ears popping?

My family notices it when I'm riding with them, my wife always asks me to warn her when I before I close it so she can let the passenger side window down before I close it so her ears won't pop.

It could be that if your (Jugger) sunroof was closed and your windows was already up (it was cold outside) that when you closed the door all the pressure from the wind looking to escape from the car pushed up on the glass and since it was already cold and the slightly warmer air pushing upwards on the glass made it crack open due to the pressure and the mixture of hot and warm air.

Notice how your hole is near the center which is where the greatest mass of air pushing upwards would hit before it spreads over the surface but with no place to go the pressure could've caused it to pop.

I know it sounds illogical and it probably does not make sense to any of you who do not have this problem or never noticed how your ears pop like that with all the windows closed and the sunroof tilted open and then closing it.

What are you guys thoughts on this theory? (not just the guys who'd call me crazy either, lol).

Juggernaut23

Here is food for much thought people.:
#1: my trunk is totally sealed off due to the monster sub box I built that ports all energy through the rear armest hole.So I sealed the deck and back of seat.This means the flaps that are hidden under the rear bumper that allows the cabin to not be pressurized are not working.But I am sure this does not affect anything as nothing is air tight in any automobile and wont affect anything.

#2: This is the most important thing to analize! Since i have a huge hole in the glass i used your standard large black hefty bag and clear box tape to cover/seal the roof.Now the inside sunroof curtain is thin and must allow air flow right?Here is the kicker.I drove to the stealership,I mean the dealership and when I got out I looked at the bag on roof and it was swollen outward like the glass broke.Looked like a hot air ballon.The doors were open so there is no pressure but cabin heat must have risen and pressure pushes upwards naturally?I wish I took a pic of it to show you guys as it was very odd.You would swear i had the cabin sealed and had the air on super high to make it rise like a cake.I think this is somewhat of what happened to glass and with the moist high heat in the interior and the pouring rain and cold outside temps the weak tempered glass bursted up and outwards?

#3: If nissan(not the dealer) cant prove a stone or object or my own doing wont they have to honor the repair if the cant come up with a reason for this?Then it would be considered a valid repair?Kinda like a transmission failing.They look to see if there wa abuse and if no sign of abuse its considered a defect?I have had things like too much nitrous in a week old car and melting the block down and since they couldnt find evidence they just put in a new long block and send it on its way even though they are sure I have juice in it but just couldnt prove it.The dealer said I did teh right thing by calling missan corparate first as thats what they have to do to in this situation.
Any and all comments are welcome. Please discuss more .And thank you for all who have posted and wished me luck.

Juggernaut23

UPDATE: After lots of polite haggling with the dealer,nissan affairs,my insurance,glass insurance, the outcome will be the dealer will be fixing it at no charge. Nissan affairs said this is a 1 time out of good faith deal.They will fix it out of good faith due to the lack of knowing what could have caused this.So they are admitting no fault nor that a recall should be done but will still make the repairs.My poor Maxine will be ready thursday.My friend the sales manager said the service manager mentioned "how dod you know this guy?He has so many items on this car that void his warranty".My buddy told him please look the other way and focus on this glass issue.LOL.Also the service writter I was dealing with"LARRY" was fired after my last conversation with him with the TSB's and warranty stuff I wanted done. Apparently I wasnt the only customer who has not been happy with him.Nissan wasnt happy with his performance and let him go.They still wont apply the CVT TSB even though I had the complaints like the TSB mentioned which shouldve pushed it through.They insisted saying the TSB only gets applied to a batch of VIN# affected by the issue.

phatboislim

iTrader: (27)

glad you got it fixed..but nissan needs to do some research on this and make sure it doesnt happen with other people. there are families (children) that travel in these cars and can be dangerous for them had this happened with a child in the car

Max_Sleeper

There is a major issue with the cabin pressure in these cars and I am trying to figure it out. After reading this thread I drove my car for only 10 minutes with the heat on while it was cold out and opened my moonroof, non glass roof just a normal moonroof, and it sounded like a big pop and release of pressure then after leaving it open for 5 minutes and closing it I felt the pressure on my ears. I wonder why this is happening. Maybe they aremore sealed up then most cars which most would think is a good thing but it is working against us. I remember my 08 Altima after getting dynomatted sounded had a loud whistle sound on the outside when i would turn the Heat on.

DraKhen99

I've heard of this issue on the last 3 cars I've owned - my 2010 Max (dual panel), 2009 Lincoln MKS (dual panel), and my 2008 Honda Civic (regular sunroof).

Here's what I think I've figured out: The issue is definitely pressure, and it has to do with driving at speed when opening and closing the moonroof. The windows aren't affected nearly as much by the pressure because of the difference in the air pressures - the sunroof affects a lot more surface area of the car.

The best way to avoid this issue is to have at least one regular window open (at least a 1/2 inch) when closing the moonroof.

Juggernaut23

I have yet to pick up my max but I bet all they did is replce the glass and not fix the damage to the trunk and the moonroof curtain.Not sure how to handle it just yet.I will wait til I see what they did to be sure.

gtmassive75

iTrader: (1)

Glad the did it 4free man...I drive all the time with the tilted sunroof, guess i got to be careful when closing.
Don't forget to post pics of the end result.

Juggernaut23

I picked up the car and the glass was repaired under warranty.They did a ok job with it all so I guess I can say I am happy.I would def say this dealer is a good choice for service needs. A+++

sg1214

Looks like Im gonna keep going there for service.

So0 SiKh

wow that sucks, sorry to hear

steevo

Nice!

bk2k3max

Check out my post on this, I guess you and I are the only ones who noticed this pressure/pop when you have all the windows closed and the sunroof tilted open and as soon as you close it you feel a popping in your ears as if you're in an airplane.

I think this is what collapsed Jugger's sunroof glass with the combo of hot and cold air mixing to boot.

sg1214

I felt the pressure as I was driving with the roof tilted and opened my window. I tried closing the roof with windows closed, did nothing.

aceNOLO

There are a few different reasons why this is happening to cars in the past few years. Im pretty sure I have it all figured out. I drive a 2003 Nissan Maxima. I have been reading about this happening to cars all across the country. The first thing I noticed was this is not happening to cars that are as old as mine. This started happening to cars in 2005-06. Manufacturers are constantly finding ways to make a vehicle more efficient. Eventually the roof glass got thinner and lighter, but not necessarily stronger. Vehicle cabins are also being sealed better than they ever have been before. Picture this: Hot day, your 2012 Max is sitting pretty, in a lot, you get in, close the door and the roof explodes. (happened to my next door neighbor) Thinner lighter glass under extreme pressure. VENT YOUR VEHICLE WHEN YOU LEAVE IT IN THE SUN. Crack a window, and tilt the roof, excess heat will rise right out. I don't have to worry about this at all because my roof glass is heavier and more dense than a later model max, and my cabin isn't sealed as thoroughly. I STILL vent my vehicle every time i leave it, unless i know rain is coming.