Sunroof Explosion

mkvigli · 03-13-2011, 09:17 PM

Of course this would happen to me--came as a total shock. Typical day: just driving along, windows closed around 72mph, no cars around, when I hear a loud "bang" and glass is everywhere inside the car. So glad that I didn't wreck, as the noise really shook me up.

Immediately called the dealership--they said they had a loaner ready but wouldn't be able to determine whether the warranty would cover repairs until they got the car in to take a look at it. I'm just glad that I know that this isn't an isolated issue, as I've seen it once or twice, but am still kind of worried they'll try to throw the blame on me and get my insurance to cover it. They did take that stance initially, saying that it was an insurance issue, and not a warranty issue.

I've searched the forums a bit, and this isn't a very common issue, though it has happened before. At this point I'm just anxious to hear back from the dealership... but it's only been two days. Anyone have any advice for if they try to throw the blame on me?

Wakka · 03-13-2011, 09:24 PM

uhh.... what happened? I've never heard of anything like this happening before.

Black Sheep · 03-13-2011, 09:30 PM

wow

mkvigli · 03-13-2011, 09:39 PM

I've seen it once or twice on e90post so I kind of had an idea that it has something to do with pressure--but literally nothing out of the ordinary was occurring. No excessive speed, no loud music, nothing. Just cruising along on the interstate and it spontaneously exploded. Kind of upsets me that the dealership treated it so normally--it's like they've seen it before. I was expecting them to be a bit more apologetic, to say the least.

Sylon · 03-13-2011, 09:40 PM

Wow WTF? Thats crazy, glad you are ok though. Definitely want to follow this thread.

Greenkirby21 · 03-13-2011, 10:09 PM

holy moly that is scarey!! was your sunroof opening/closing while this happened or anything? Anything hit it?

Diver · 03-13-2011, 10:25 PM

In a 2000 3 series I had, one day I opened the sunroof and something went wrong and the tracks or linkage got crushed. Never can tell...

mkvigli · 03-13-2011, 10:53 PM

no, wasn't opening or closing--just closed. don't think anything hit it, i think it's just stress on the glass or something like maxnix suggested.

thanks for the advice.

EINSER M · 03-13-2011, 10:55 PM

seen it once or twice before too but most def not common. hope it all works out buddy.

x5mad · 03-13-2011, 11:00 PM

I've seen this happen before on an e70 X5 with panoramic sunroof. Can't remember the reason though, scary when it happens though!

thez99 · 03-13-2011, 11:03 PM

W T F...

Never seen or heard anything like this before...

Better ever not happen to me or BMW's ass is grass, lil shards of glass all in the interior, so possible for an accident to have happened..fuck

Lester · 03-13-2011, 11:04 PM

This same thing was reported by another member a couple of years ago.

Dackelone · 03-14-2011, 04:16 AM

^^Yup, I seem to remember a few posts about this happening before. Glad your safe.

GO135i007 · 03-14-2011, 07:06 AM

That's crazy. I've never heard of such a thing before. Glad nothing major happened and it'll be fixed soon.

shemeld_135 · 03-14-2011, 08:53 AM

thats crazy!! let us know if they cover that!

AW128i · 03-14-2011, 09:22 AM

This can happen with any of the glass in the car. I've seen it on other makes/models. You're driving along and boom, a window blows out for no apparent reason. I'm not familiar with the conditions that cause this to happen, but my basic understanding is that it's the right combination of temperature and pressure that causes it.

mrleisure · 03-14-2011, 09:59 AM

Glad you are okay. Best wishes for working it out under warranty. If not, BMW NA should be your next call.

LeifW · 03-14-2011, 10:14 AM

OP. Just search the 3-series forum for exploding sunroof. You'll find several examples. If I were you, I would print out several of the photos that were posted along with some of the posts. Bring this information to the dealership with you when you talk to them. This way you can show that it has happened to other BMWs. Hopefully, this will help in getting the warranty to cover the failure. See the below link for several examples.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...loding+sunroof

Leif W

doublevanosrc · 03-14-2011, 10:15 AM

Whoa that is crazy, I have owned several cars with moon roofs over the years and never experienced anything like this. Good luck with warranty claim.

TMR013 · 03-14-2011, 11:24 AM

Wow! That is crazy.
Any chance it could have been a rock or something thrown up by another car around you?

RYomtov · 03-16-2011, 02:08 PM

A similar situation happened to me a few weeks ago. It was a pretty cold day and I was getting into my car after work. I started the engine and shut the door and heard a loud boom like a piece of ice fell. I got out of my car and saw that the entire roof was exploded upwards as if pressure caused it. Was your visor shut? Our belief was that the pressure build up between the visor and glass caused it to push outwards. I'll post some pictures soon as I'm going to be away the next few days. Let me know how your endeavors went or feel free to PM me.

Rob

Wakka · 03-16-2011, 03:52 PM

thats insane!

OP- what was the temperature outside when this happened, and what was your interior temp set to? Just curious

03-13-2011, 09:17 PM	#1
mkvigli Add1ct 5 Rep 40 Posts Drives: E85 Z4 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: SE Michigan iTrader: (0)	Sunroof Explosion Of course this would happen to me--came as a total shock. Typical day: just driving along, windows closed around 72mph, no cars around, when I hear a loud "bang" and glass is everywhere inside the car. So glad that I didn't wreck, as the noise really shook me up. Immediately called the dealership--they said they had a loaner ready but wouldn't be able to determine whether the warranty would cover repairs until they got the car in to take a look at it. I'm just glad that I know that this isn't an isolated issue, as I've seen it once or twice, but am still kind of worried they'll try to throw the blame on me and get my insurance to cover it. They did take that stance initially, saying that it was an insurance issue, and not a warranty issue. I've searched the forums a bit, and this isn't a very common issue, though it has happened before. At this point I'm just anxious to hear back from the dealership... but it's only been two days. Anyone have any advice for if they try to throw the blame on me? Last edited by mkvigli; 03-13-2011 at 09:48 PM..
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03-13-2011, 09:30 PM	#3
Black Sheep A Zip an a Double Cup 80 Rep 4,462 Posts Drives: 2009 BMW 135i Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: McHenry, IL iTrader: (5)	wow __________________ PTF Tuned \| RB's \| AMS FMIC \| AR DP's \| HPF Exhaust \| CP-E DCI \| Apex Arc 8's \| 235/275 Star Specs \|
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03-13-2011, 09:39 PM	#4
mkvigli Add1ct 5 Rep 40 Posts Drives: E85 Z4 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: SE Michigan iTrader: (0)	I've seen it once or twice on e90post so I kind of had an idea that it has something to do with pressure--but literally nothing out of the ordinary was occurring. No excessive speed, no loud music, nothing. Just cruising along on the interstate and it spontaneously exploded. Kind of upsets me that the dealership treated it so normally--it's like they've seen it before. I was expecting them to be a bit more apologetic, to say the least.
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03-13-2011, 09:40 PM	#5
Sylon Brigadier General 189 Rep 3,435 Posts Drives: 2011 135i, SG/CR, 6MT, M-Sport Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Michigan / Ohio iTrader: (0) Garage List 2011 135i [9.20]	Wow WTF? Thats crazy, glad you are ok though. Definitely want to follow this thread. __________________ 2011 BMW 135i \| Space Gray \| ///M-Sport \| BMW CCA #450291 Facebook / Instagram / YouTube / Twitter
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03-13-2011, 10:09 PM	#6
Greenkirby21 Vrooom :) 314 Rep 2,602 Posts Drives: C7 Stringray Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Dream Land iTrader: (1)	holy moly that is scarey!! was your sunroof opening/closing while this happened or anything? Anything hit it? __________________ 2014 C7 Corvette Stringray - Laguna Blue - NPP Exhaust - Competition Seats
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03-13-2011, 10:25 PM	#7
Diver Brigadier General 504 Rep 3,446 Posts Drives: Black '12 135i - Sold Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Texas iTrader: (0)	In a 2000 3 series I had, one day I opened the sunroof and something went wrong and the tracks or linkage got crushed. Never can tell... __________________ See my photography at http://ronscubadiver.wordpress.com
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03-13-2011, 10:53 PM	#8
mkvigli Add1ct 5 Rep 40 Posts Drives: E85 Z4 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: SE Michigan iTrader: (0)	no, wasn't opening or closing--just closed. don't think anything hit it, i think it's just stress on the glass or something like maxnix suggested. thanks for the advice.
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03-13-2011, 10:55 PM	#9
EINSER M Major General 377 Rep 5,730 Posts Drives: BMW i3 rex Join Date: May 2006 Location: SoCal iTrader: (44) Garage List 2018 I01 i3s \| CURRENT [0.00] 2018 G01 X3 \| CURRENT [0.00] 2017 I01 i3 \| SOLD [0.00] 2017 F48 X1 \| SOLD ... [0.00] 2016 I01 i3 \| SOLD [0.00] 2017 F22 M240 \| SOLD [8.00] 2016 F25 X3 diesel ... [0.00] 2006 E60 550 \| SOLD [6.00] 2011 E90 335 \| SOLD [8.66] 2012 E82 135 \| SOLD [5.50] 2011 E82 1M \| SOLD [7.94] 2007 E85 Z4M\| SOLD [4.50] 2003 E53 X5 4.6is S ... [9.00] 2008 E92 328 \| SOLD [0.00] 2008 E82 135 \| SOLD [0.00] 2008 E90 335 \| SOLD [0.00] 2003 E46 M3 \| SOLD [7.50] 2006 E90 330 \| SOLD [10.00] 2003 E46 330ZHP \| SOLD [0.00]	seen it once or twice before too but most def not common. hope it all works out buddy.
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03-13-2011, 11:00 PM	#10
x5mad Lieutenant Colonel 352 Rep 1,772 Posts Drives: iX 40 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Australia iTrader: (0) Garage List bmw [0.00]	I've seen this happen before on an e70 X5 with panoramic sunroof. Can't remember the reason though, scary when it happens though!
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03-13-2011, 11:03 PM	#11
thez99 Colonel 152 Rep 2,757 Posts Drives: 2017 Audi A4 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Arden, NC iTrader: (5) Garage List 2013 BMW 135i [0.00]	W T F... Never seen or heard anything like this before... Better ever not happen to me or BMW's ass is grass, lil shards of glass all in the interior, so possible for an accident to have happened..fuck
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03-13-2011, 11:04 PM	#12
Lester Brigadier General 295 Rep 3,350 Posts Drives: Join Date: Oct 2007 iTrader: (0)	This same thing was reported by another member a couple of years ago.
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03-14-2011, 04:16 AM	#13
Dackelone European Editor 10539 Rep 22,992 Posts Drives: N54 e82 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bayern, Germany iTrader: (1)	^^Yup, I seem to remember a few posts about this happening before. Glad your safe.
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03-14-2011, 07:06 AM	#14
GO135i007 First Lieutenant 8 Rep 322 Posts Drives: 09 135i Alpine/Coral Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Richmond VA iTrader: (1)	That's crazy. I've never heard of such a thing before. Glad nothing major happened and it'll be fixed soon. __________________ 09 BMW 135i Alpine/Coral 6MT ///M ZSP - cdv delete, fmic, RR down pipes, JB3, BMS dual intake
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03-14-2011, 08:53 AM	#15
shemeld_135 Major 652 Rep 1,406 Posts Drives: 2020 SO - M2C Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: KOP, PA iTrader: (13) Garage List 2020 BMW M2C [0.00] 2016 BMW M2 [10.00]	thats crazy!! let us know if they cover that!
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03-14-2011, 09:22 AM	#16
AW128i Major 44 Rep 1,003 Posts Drives: E82 N51 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Southeastern, PA iTrader: (1)	This can happen with any of the glass in the car. I've seen it on other makes/models. You're driving along and boom, a window blows out for no apparent reason. I'm not familiar with the conditions that cause this to happen, but my basic understanding is that it's the right combination of temperature and pressure that causes it.
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03-14-2011, 09:59 AM	#17
mrleisure Master 11 Rep 169 Posts Drives: Macan Turbo Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: West Coast iTrader: (0)	Glad you are okay. Best wishes for working it out under warranty. If not, BMW NA should be your next call.
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03-14-2011, 10:14 AM	#18
LeifW Captain 47 Rep 691 Posts Drives: 1M AW Join Date: May 2007 Location: CT, USA iTrader: (0)	OP. Just search the 3-series forum for exploding sunroof. You'll find several examples. If I were you, I would print out several of the photos that were posted along with some of the posts. Bring this information to the dealership with you when you talk to them. This way you can show that it has happened to other BMWs. Hopefully, this will help in getting the warranty to cover the failure. See the below link for several examples. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...loding+sunroof Leif W Last edited by LeifW; 03-14-2011 at 01:58 PM..
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03-14-2011, 10:15 AM	#19
doublevanosrc Loves his G20 265 Rep 2,507 Posts Drives: 2020 330ix M sport Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Austin. Tx iTrader: (1) Garage List 2013 BMW [0.00]	Whoa that is crazy, I have owned several cars with moon roofs over the years and never experienced anything like this. Good luck with warranty claim. __________________ 2020 330ix-Msport Past- 2013 135i 2011 135i
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03-14-2011, 11:24 AM	#20
TMR013 Opus Angelus 425 Rep 1,267 Posts Drives: 2018 LBB M2 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Chandler, AZ iTrader: (0)	Wow! That is crazy. Any chance it could have been a rock or something thrown up by another car around you?
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03-16-2011, 02:08 PM	#21
RYomtov New Member 0 Rep 10 Posts Drives: 2008 135i SGM Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Boston iTrader: (0)	A similar situation happened to me a few weeks ago. It was a pretty cold day and I was getting into my car after work. I started the engine and shut the door and heard a loud boom like a piece of ice fell. I got out of my car and saw that the entire roof was exploded upwards as if pressure caused it. Was your visor shut? Our belief was that the pressure build up between the visor and glass caused it to push outwards. I'll post some pictures soon as I'm going to be away the next few days. Let me know how your endeavors went or feel free to PM me. Rob
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