Crack on the glass roof - not repairable

[pers785]

We were driving on the highway and never saw anything but heard a loud thump and noticed two decent sized cracks on my tinted glass roof.

Not covered under my Progressive windshield insurance coverage (from my understanding at least), and only place that apparently carries these glass roofs in stock around here is Tesla apparently. Unfortunately they don't have an available appointment for almost 3 weeks.

I'm sure the safest answer here is to leave it unused, but given the appointment isn't right around the corner, any thoughts on driving it in it's current state?

The cracks happened 2 days ago, and they have not spread as of now. I'm sure that might change with weather/temp

Anything special about the roof glass? Any chance it's like two separate layers of glass and this exterior crack isn't/won't affect an interior layer? Or is this just a bad idea and just be patient car-less for a few weeks?

Thanks!

 

[DerbyDave]

If you have comprehensive insurance coverage, that will cover the impact of an unknown object hitting the glass roof which you heard and immediately observed the cracks. Objects get thrown up from the road all the time.

 

[ucmndd]

There’s no reason to not drive the car until you can get it fixed. It’s not like it’s going to explode or something.

 

[pers785]

If you have comprehensive insurance coverage, that will cover the impact of an unknown object hitting the glass roof which you heard and immediately observed the cracks. Objects get thrown up from the road all the time.

My deductible for comprehensive is $999

The quote from Tesla is $1250 for parts and labor

Not worth the $250 difference to have a claim in my mind

 

[pers785]

There’s no reason to not drive the car until you can get it fixed. It’s not like it’s going to explode or something.

I suppose my concern is two fold

1) could it worsen/expand to the point that it would EVER leak through? Maybe that's silly but I also don't know how the glass roof is structured, and not thrilled about the idea of water damage during a rain storm (it's currently in a garage)

2) is there a structural safety concern? Have I already compromised the strength of the roof to a degree that in an accident, there would be a safety concern?

 

[ucmndd]

The glass roof is laminated glass just like the windshield.

Would you drive you car with a windshield like that for a few weeks if you had to?

Could it possibly leak slightly at the impact point? Yes, although I doubt it would. If that’s a concern a bit of packing tape would do the trick until you can get in to the shop.

Structural safety concern? None at all that I can imagine. It’s a piece of glass - it has no significant safety role in an accident.

 

[Leftlane22]

I have Progressive and I have added zero deductible glass coverage for a few extra bucks a month. It comes in real handy for stuff like this, so it would be worthwhile to look into it for next time. I’m surprised it’s only $1250 through Tesla.

 

[pers785]

I have Progressive and I have added zero deductible glass coverage for a few extra bucks a month. It comes in real handy for stuff like this, so it would be worthwhile to look into it for next time. I’m surprised it’s only $1250 through Tesla.

I also have zero dollar glass deductible

My understanding is it wouldn't cover roof glass

 

[Leftlane22]

I’d push back on that - it should cover all glass, not just the windshield. Unless it is stated somewhere that the glass roof is not covered - I specifically asked about it as I was considering a Lucid Air with the glass canopy in addition to my S with the panoramic roof.

 

[pers785]

Really my biggest concern is water damage as it's an outdoor car at work and at home (currently in the garage)

If that risk is incredibly low, I feel a bit assured to continue using it daily

Thanks!

 

[jay1122]

Really my biggest concern is water damage as it's an outdoor car at work and at home (currently in the garage)

If that risk is incredibly low, I feel a bit assured to continue using it daily

Thanks!

The crack may spread under heavy wind pressure. You should use the windshield repair kit. You can easily buy it off Walmart nearby. Apply the kit to prevent the crack from spreading further.

 

[pers785]

The crack may spread under heavy wind pressure. You should use the windshield repair kit. You can easily buy it off Walmart nearby. Apply the kit to prevent the crack from spreading further.

I've seen those but these are huge cracks. Re attaching the photos below

 

[jay1122]

I've seen those but these are huge cracks. Re attaching the photos below

It was not meant to be a permanent fix in this case. Your crack has already spread. Those kits are resins that act like glues. You still need to replace the glass, but it will help hold the glass together since you are so far out from your replacement appointment. You could drive it as is, the crack may spread much further. It is laminated glass, there should not be any danger of the glass shattering.

 

[DerbyDave]

Structural safety concern? None at all that I can imagine. It’s a piece of glass - it has no significant safety role in an accident.

The glass roof is actually more structurally rigid that a metal roof and it is a structural element. The glass is less likely to flex in a rollover when compared to the thin sheet metal used in a roof. More:

 

[ucmndd]

The glass roof is actually more structurally rigid that a metal roof and it is a structural element. The glass is less likely to flex in a rollover when compared to the thin sheet metal used in a roof.

Is it really your opinion that the cracks shown in the first post are going to have any fundamental effect on a major collision?

If so, then I guess be safe and park your car for 3 weeks.

 

[DerbyDave]

Is it really your opinion that the cracks shown in the first post are going to have any fundamental effect on a major collision?

If so, then I guess be safe and park your car for 3 weeks.

No I would drive the car, but the glass roof does add to the structural integrity.

 

[Excaliber]

 

[lencap]

I had a similar, but smaller, crack on my roof. I called a windshield repair service (not sure which) and they injected a resin in the area to stabilize it. From there they let it cure, polished it and it looked fine. I was concerned, but the repair seemed professional and I had similar work done on my wife's ICE windshield from the same company.

The repair held with no further damage until I sold my car nearly two years later. The key was that the resin filled in the cracks as well as the initial impact areas. When it cured it hardened in place, was fully transparent, and not very noticeable.