[bc-chris]

from Dion's post...

Russ Corsi, who worked nearly 32 years for Pittsburgh-based PPG, a global supplier of auto glass, says larger sunroofs are also more prone to weakening over time as the pane absorbs impacts from bumps in the road, twists and turns of the car’s frame, and “thermal shock”—the expanding and contracting from sudden temperature changes.

If sunroofs are “just breaking [on their own],” Corsi says, “it’s likely to be a manufacturing flaw,” noting “the larger the piece of glass, the smaller the margin of error.”

For example, Corsi says one quality-control issue involves the beveled edge that surrounds the perimeter of roof glass. A chip at that edge can make the glass vulnerable to failure, which, with tempered glass, means an explosion.

Corsi says one way to prevent exploding sunroofs might be to use a hybrid glass that has characteristics of both tempered and laminated glass.

Further complicating the safety equation are the pressures every automaker feels to reduce costs and to keep vehicles lighter for better gas mileage. Automakers generally use the thinnest glass they can—about half a centimeter thick.

Instead of calling for a specific type of glass, regulators could add performance requirements that windshields already must withstand.

i wonder if this Corsi guy has some stats to back up what he is saying??? and they don't even have to be advanced stats?



sorry to hear about your sun roofs kevman - that would suck