Panoramic roof... Good idea??

[Rashman]

I was with dad in his E-Class coupe on the motorway earlier and heard a loud bang/ pop.
Nothing seemed to have hit the windscreen. It was strange.
When we got to our destination, I had a look over the car and noticed this!!
Front section of the roof seemed to have shattered!
Not sure if a pot hole caused it or whether something did actually hit the roof while driving.
Completely shattered from left to right!!

....

Had another look at it, to try and find a point of impact.

There's is a spot right in the centre of this front pane that looks like it might be a point of impact?...

Really surprised at how vulnerable these roof sections are.

I know they're glass, but still!!

 

[Rashman]

Couple of pics...

 

[Rashman]

...

 

[LTD]

Ouch...

 

[Rashman]

Another picture from across the drivers side..

 

[developer]

Bummer.

I recall a thread where the insurance co didn't class it as windscreen and replacement costs were not good .

 

[Rashman]

Close up.

It completely shattered!

This picture shows what I believe could be the point of impact.

 

[Rashman]

Hey guys,

Thanks for your responses.

Yes, quite a shock to see how vulnerable these panels are.

As you say John, I think I recall a thread too, about a panoramic roof damage incident.

Again as you say, I suspect the repair/ replacement cost will be pretty substantial.

Dad's seems rather un-phased by it, saying "doesn't matter. Insurance can deal with it".

.... Am I really his son????

Lol

 

[LTD]

"doesn't matter. Insurance can deal with it"

Correct attitude !!!

The glass panel failed as it should have done meaning that there were no shards that could have caused injury.

Nobody was hurt and the car can be sorted.

Dad's right

 

[lxi]

Bummer.

I recall a thread where the insurance co didn't class it as windscreen and replacement costs were not good .

I thought the insurance covered all windows, albeit the windscreen doesn't count as a claim, in which case this could be quite logically argued as being a window (he says, rushing off to check his own policy!)

 

[Deleted member 55947]

That's rotten lunch Rashman, it would be interesting to know what caused that

 

[Rashman]

Correct attitude !!!

The glass panel failed as it should have done meaning that there were no shards that could have caused injury.

Nobody was hurt and the car can be sorted.

Dad's right

Lol!

Forgive me if I don't pass on your thoughts to my dad! Lol

I hear you though bud.

 

[Rashman]

That's rotten lunch Rashman, it would be interesting to know what caused that

Hey bud

Yes, bad luck indeed.

I'll take a careful look at it later on and see if I can find a likely explanation.

 

[Rashman]

I thought the insurance covered all windows, albeit the windscreen doesn't count as a claim, in which case this could be quite logically argued as being a window (he says, rushing off to check his own policy!)

This is new to me too. I'll certainly let you know what the insurance company says.

 

[AndyPCD]

Same thing happened to one of my customers s class. He was driving along heard a pop and the front of his roof had popped.

No sign of impact point visible. Dont think his insurance would pay unless it affected his no claims bonus n

 

[markjay]

Yes, it has been raised before on other threads.

Pano roof is treated by most insurers as 'body panel' rather than 'windscreen'.

However there are exceptions apparently and some insurers do include pano roof in the windscreen cover, so you will need to see what your insurer says.

But even if it is not included in your windscreen cover it is still covered by your insurance policy albeit without the additional benefits of windscreen cover (i.e. low excess and no effect on the NCD).

On the bright side, unlike metal panels, once the swap is done the roof will be like new - no need to file, brush, remove rust, paint, polish etc etc... no issues with future rust, fading paint, or orange peel effect... setting cost aside I would always prefer to have glass replaced to metal beating and welding etc.

The cost however is likely to be quite high, my understanding is that these are original-manufacturer-only items and that the entire roof needs to be replaced, not just the affected bit? So again an insurance jobie either way.

Sorry to hear about the damage and best of luck getting it fixed.

 

[artyman]

It happened to my Hyundai a few years back when it was parked outside the house. A neighbour just said it went pop, fixed under the windscreen insurance.

 

[Terry_]

Something must have hit it

 

[Rashman]

Thanks for your responses guys.

I'll certainly let you know what the outcome is as I think this is still a relatively new topic and could become a common occurance with new cars with pano roofs.

 

[donshl]

Hey dude, really sorry to hear what happened. Hope you get it sorted without too much hassle..