Part of My Roof Shattered / Cracked

[Sobeer]

I heard from Ford today. They are going to cover the cost of the repair of the roof, and all I have to pay is the $100 deductible. Now I wait for them to get the new roof delivered.

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[generaltso]

I heard from Ford today. They are going to cover the cost of the repair of the roof, and all I have to pay is the $100 deductible. Now I wait for them to get the new roof delivered.

If they‘re covering it under warranty, why would there be a deductible?

 

[Sobeer]

If they‘re covering it under warranty, why would there be a deductible?

I do not believe that it is covered by warranty, and that is what I would pay for an insurance glass claim. So I am okay with that.

 

[generaltso]

I do not believe that it is covered by warranty, and that is what I would pay for an insurance glass claim. So I am okay with that.

Ford is covering it but not under warranty? Even if they‘re just covering it as a “customer satisfaction” thing, I don’t see where the deductible comes in. I know you’re fine with it, but I‘m just trying to understand what type of repair would incur a deductible.

 

[SteveJo]

... I‘m just trying to understand what type of repair would incur a deductible.

Perhaps a Ford face-saving repair?

 

[generaltso]

Perhaps a Ford face-saving repair?

Sure, I could see that. But then why would they invent a deductible?

 

[SteveJo]

Sure, I could see that. But then why would they invent a deductible?

Perhaps to avoid setting a pano-precedent?

 

[malba2366]

If they‘re covering it under warranty, why would there be a deductible?

Sounds like they are going through the insurance, and there is a $100 glass deductible.

 

[generaltso]

Sounds like they are going through the insurance, and there is a $100 glass deductible.

Whose insurance?

 

[Keithl]

The front center part of my roof shattered starting at the front edge above the Ford symbol and going back in a fan about 15" or so and about 20" wide in different directions. It hasn't broken through into the stuff around the rear view mirror yet, but it's real weird. Not sure how my dealer will even begin to replace this. If it was hit by something it's news to me. I didn't hear anything hit it, but who knows. Starting to think glass roofs are a bad idea. Sad though.

Yeah not a fan of all this glass in the roof, I never open the roof or the sun shade on my sun roofs.

 

[TheVirtualTim]

Whether or not glass is covered by warranty depends on if the damage was a manufacturing defect vs. damage caused by some other force ... such as impact.

I had an incident years ago with an Audi A6. It was in a parking lot (undamaged) and when I came back out there was a long crack going from the right edge of the glass (passenger side A-pillar) about 3/4 of the way across the windshield.

Audi did NOT want to cover it as warranty ... but the car wasn't being driven. It wasn't hit by a stone (no chips, etc.)

I have a friend who used to be a plant manager for an automotive glass encapsulation plant. I asked him about it. He asked "were you, by chance, parked near a tree so the glass was in part-sun & part-shade?" I told him it was. He said "Yep ... vent crack". Not knowing what that meant he explained that when the glass is made it can sometimes get a chip in the edge from handling. But the chip is minor. When the glass is encapsulated with the rubber seal going around it, the chip isn't visible. But automotive glass isn't flat ... and that curvature means the glass is always under stress. The chip creates a point where the glass can give in to the stress. Paring in part-sun/part-shade means NOW the glass is getting dissimilar heating ... increasing the stress ... until the the thing goes. He told me they can last 2-3 years before you even find out you had the problem. But it is a manufacturing defect.

So I go back to Audi ... they have the guy remove the window trim, then peel back the rubber molding ... then run a ballpoint pen across the edge of the glass and he feels the "chip" under the molding. (Thus proving it was there before the glass was encapsulated).

To my ASTONISHMENT Audi then refused to replace the glass claiming that since there was a chip, it was "obviously" from a stone. When I asked HOW said stone managed to (a) remove the window trim (which was flawless - no dents, scratches, etc.), and (b) peel back the rubber molding, then (c) chip the glass, then (d) replace the molding, then (e) re-install the window trim (again, without any dings, scratches, etc.) and do all this while the car was parked... they were silent.

 

[agoldman]

They went right to my insurance without really investigating the crack, other than a couple pictures. The general manager looked at it and said it looked odd enough to contact Ford about it, but I don't expect any offer from Ford or the dealer to cover any of it. $250 deductible and move on. For now I am waiting for a parts, estimate approval, and removal technique to be sent to the dealers body shop. They expect a slow wait for the glass part.

 

[DBC]

Bummer. Sorry you folks have to deal with the problem. There are plenty of small rocks thrown up on the Freeway where I am that, if I had a choice, I'd probably go with the metal roof. I can't say that I notice the panoramic roof all that much.

I do not believe that it is covered by warranty, and that is what I would pay for an insurance glass claim. So I am okay with that.

Seems reasonable. I think Ford covering the roof is one of those "customer satisfaction" events. Unclear what happened so Ford takes care of it but has the customer, in this case you, pay something. I've had GM handle it this way for a couple of things where the problem was in a somewhat grey area. I think a good dealer is more likely to trigger a "customer satisfaction" event than a bad dealer. A bad dealer just says "not covered".

 

[FCCinAZ]

I hope this doesn’t become a “Ford Thing” like we’ve had with Jeep front windshields forever. On Jeeps, it’s so common to have a cracked windshield that we don’t replace them until it obscures the view. This glass is way bigger and more expensive though. Gorilla glass makes a Jeep windshield but it is expensive. Counterintuitively, the coating is on the inside.

 

[machefan]

I hope this doesn’t become a “Ford Thing” like we’ve had with Jeep front windshields forever. On Jeeps, it’s so common to have a cracked windshield that we don’t replace them until it obscures the view. This glass is way bigger and more expensive though. Gorilla glass makes a Jeep windshield but it is expensive. Counterintuitively, the coating is on the inside.

If I should ever have to replace my Jeep Wrangler glass I am going with the Gorilla.

I am lost if the dealer covered it for $100 with Ford paying or is the dealer using the OP's insurance policy?

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