hi all,

my dealer says they've had some sunroofs explode because of the tinted roof "trapping the heat"

they will tint all the windows for me, but not the roof.

i'm in TN and it does get in the 90's here.

so my question is, is the tinted roof definitely a "not under warranty" situation if it explodes ?

i sure would like to have it

thanks for any advice

ss

 

Where are you located in TN? I bought my Clubman in Nashville and my MA told me he would get the roof tinted as soon as it got here. I told him bald folks don't need to be ridn' around with only a perforated screen for protection!

 

medic,

pm sent

 

Exploding sunroofs?
Sounds like the beginnings of a bad Urban Legend.

 

Tires can float in extreme heat too. I always tie my MINI down.

 

i DID read about it on this site before the MA even told me, which gives it a little weight, i suppose...

 

It does really happen. Though it does not seem to be caused by tint but rather a defect in the glass... https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=134328

 

Well, to add to the battle of dueling hearsay from MA's, mine told me that indeed the tint could cause the sunroof to crack in earlier model years, but the nature of the glass has been changed in later models and tinting will not cause that problem; however, the dealership will not tint the roofs because it had the earlier problem. He did not claim that made any sense.

 

The girl that tinted my sunroof has heard of it and has seen it happen on houses. She researched it with the manufacturer of the tint before she did mine. The manufacturer said it happens when reflective tint is used on an already tinted window or a 'low E' window. It reflects back at the glass, the heat gets trapped and it blows the glass. Several tints have metal in them too, those cannot be used on windows that are already tinted either. Good luck!!

 

I have researched the "tinted sunroof will explode myth" thoroughly. I have not found one single verifiable instance where this has actually happened. As with all such legends, it's always someone who knows someone; never the "victim" his/herself. It is just completely illogical. Side and rear windows can get just as hot as the sunroof. The theory of the exploding sunroof requires that the sun would somehow shine only on the roof, all day long AND that only the sunroof will absorb sufficiently high ambient temperatures from the car interior.

 

Somone ought to send it into mythbusters to set the record straight.

If the problem is sunlight causing the sunroof to explode then presumably it is not raining. Therefore you can crack the windows to prevent the issue. If it's raining it doesn't get hot enough.

 

I have put reflective sunscreen material between the sunshade and the glass sunroof (also to protect my "follicly challenged" head, outlawmedic. ) The same stuff as a regular reflective sunshade for the windshield. I have noticed that on a recent very sunny and hot Florida day the sunroof would not tilt up. The glass, I guess expanded. After I opened the windows and let it cool some it worked fine. I HOPE it does not explode -

 

seems like it would be more of an issue by putting a block of reflective material up there like a shade.

 

It's not your sunshades. The not-tilting-up issue has been reported by a lot of people, and it sounds like the majority are not using sunshades. Check out this thread:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=137737

 

mine would not open fully on a hot day either! it started to open and closed. Once the car cooled off, it was ok!

 

Yeah, that is the same issue that is being described in the other thread. It does seem to be heat-related in most cases. If you can, please report it to your dealer so they are aware how many are having the problem.

 

I think the proper answer to this 'exploding sunroof' subject is:
It just happenes!
Any window on a car can suddenly blow out/up.
The sun's heat causes expansion as well as any tiny imperfection can make glass go boom.

 

wow...lots of discussion here...thanks!

but the heart of my question....

the mini warranty

if the dealer won't do it, and i go to another tint place, and it explodes later,
will my mini warranty cover the repair ? is it up to each dealership, or is there some corperate policy ?

thanks again,

ss

 

I've tinted several sunroofs & lots of T-tops. Never happened. Can anyone produce someone that this actually happened to? Tint doesn't trap heat. There is just as much sun shining on the side windows as the sunroof. URBAN LEGEND.

 

I've tinted several sunroofs & lots of T-tops. Never happened. Can anyone produce someone that this actually happened to? Tint doesn't trap heat. There is just as much sun shining on the side windows as the sunroof. URBAN LEGEND.
BTW when I used to tint windows we sometimes used a heat gun on compound curves to stretch the film. We would get the glass hotter than anything mother nature could do.

 

I have been told by several diffrent tinters in several states, that tinting a sunfoor is not good, and it will shatter. This is not new, I have heard this for many years. I live in South Florida, and I put a windshield up in both sunroofs. It does help alot. All my side and rear glass is tinted. Remember, is not the darkness of the tint, but the UV protection.
Good luck,

Larry

 

A local tint shop that does all the MINI tints for South Motors told me that they have a black decal that goes ON the sunroof and blackens it out totally... Same material like those wraps that people use to advertise their businesses or the bonnet stripes... They said that they have had great success with it down here.... Any heard of this?

 

While sunroofs may have some issues, and possibly even related to tinting, "trapping the heat" sounds pretty ridiculous to me.

If a tinted sunroof trapped heat, why does half of the state of Florida drive around with blacked-out tint on their windows? A tinted sunroof would tend to keep the car from getting too hot; it'd block out, not trap the heat.

 

I had my sunroof tinted dark on top of the stock tint on it when the car was new. I just took it to Phoenix 2 weeks ago (110+ degrees) and I can tell you the tint made a HUGE difference. I had the screens pulled too (which I don't think do much) and I never felt the heat in the car at all. Pretty impressive!

 

I was told that sunroofs use tempered glass, not the sandwich-style safety glass that is used in the windshields and doors. If you use tint that reflects light, like mirrored tint or tint with metals in the formula, it will superheat the glass and it will "explode". When I suggested that home windows are tempered glass and they didn't explode after the were tinted with mirror film, I was abruptly brushed off. I think the premise is weak but to err on the side of caution, I had my sunroof tinted today using dark standard film, no metals. The rest of the car was tinted with LLumar ATR20 material and the car looks fantastic since it has a black roof. I'll post some pics tomorrow if anyone is interested.

No doubt, the tinted sunroof will make a big difference.

Regards,
Terry