Rear Window Breakage
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2011 glk 350
Rear Window Breakage
Strange thing happened today, I parked the car outside a store and went inside for about an hour. When I came out the rear window had cracks all over it, there was no glass inside, just on the bumper. When I opened the hatch to check inside most of the remaining glass fell into the back. I can't imagine what would cause the window to break like that, temps were only about 90, car was in the sun. Any ideas on what could cause something like this?
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Junior Member
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2011 glk 350
Rear Window Breakage.
There was no sign of damage from the outside, other than the left and right sides of the rear window were laying on the bumper in small pieces. The rest of the window was covered with cracks and fell apart when I opened the hatch. I would have expected a dent from a rock or something in the middle, but it wasn't there. The other strange thing is that the bigger fragments fall apart when you handle them.
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Joined: Jan 2009
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From: Savannah, GA
2021 G63
sounds like a vandal? porcelain will spiderweb glass without making a sound. or somebody hit it with something. My glk parks outside at work all day, and it has been 100 degrees almost everyday for the past week. So i don't think heat would do it.
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Junior Member
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2011 glk 350
Rear Window Breakage
Anything is possible, I just have never seen the whole window spiderweb from a hit from a rock or baseball bat. That coupled with the fact that the only glass knocked out of place fell outside the car added to my confusion.
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Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Tromsø, 69° 41' N
2010 GLK 220CDI 4M BlueEFFICIENCY
In case the window was exposed (facing directly) to the sun, the culprit could be the manufacture of this particular window. There is always tension involved as a function of the production, more or less evenly distributed over the window. With the curvature of the window in mind, and the fact you found the pieces outside, I would say it is not unlikely that this window was subject to a failure based on bad workmanship.
In case you have had no incidents like hitting it with sharp objects etc, I would bring this theory (hypothesis?) to the dealer, ask for their opinion and possibly indicate a due warranty claim.
In case you have had no incidents like hitting it with sharp objects etc, I would bring this theory (hypothesis?) to the dealer, ask for their opinion and possibly indicate a due warranty claim.
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From: Northern New Jersey
2010 GLK Black, Premium 1, Lighting, Multimedia, Appearance and Media Pkg, 2012 Corvette Grand Sport
Have you ever seen one of these. It is an amazing tool in case of emergency or in cases of vandalism. It has a pointed spring loaded head that when applied to a window and the trigger is pulled will smash a window into tiny pieces. Fire fighters and EMT's usually carry them. It doesn't leave much of a trace if any at all. This may very well have been the culprit.
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Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Tromsø, 69° 41' N
2010 GLK 220CDI 4M BlueEFFICIENCY
I, for my part, do even have one easily at hand in the the car. It's certainly an useful tool in an emergency situation (either ones own or others), to cut safety belts or break windows when (electromechanically operated) door locks doesn't disengage.
However, in the case of CA Bob, I would expect finding fragments of the window inside if such a tool had been used from the outside, not at least bearing in mind the tilting (angle) of the rear window.
However, in the case of CA Bob, I would expect finding fragments of the window inside if such a tool had been used from the outside, not at least bearing in mind the tilting (angle) of the rear window.
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Joined: Jan 2009
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From: Northern NJ
GLK 350 / Porsche 993
That's how car windows break, except for the windshied. That's for safety, glass breaks into small pieces so it doesn't slice you. In 2nd grade we used to go to car junk yard and break remaining glass on cars, once you break it the whole thing spidewebs.
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From: S.F. Bay Area
E320 CDi 2k SLK230 Designo 04 SLK 320 Final Edition 2010 GLK350 06 VW Beetle TDi 2012 Plug In Prius
Have you ever seen one of these. It is an amazing tool in case of emergency or in cases of vandalism. It has a pointed spring loaded head that when applied to a window and the trigger is pulled will smash a window into tiny pieces. Fire fighters and EMT's usually carry them. It doesn't leave much of a trace if any at all. This may very well have been the culprit.
I have destroyed hundreds of windows that way when I used to part time at a salvage yard.
The simplest explanation is often the closest to the truth. Your window was broken because somebody wanted it broken. With the bad economy there are a lot of Mercedes haters out there.
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2011 glk 350
Rear Window Breakage.
I've been out of town, but finally got my GLK back from the dealer today. The rear window was replaced under warranty with the write up saying that it was "stress cracking".
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From: Tromsø, 69° 41' N
2010 GLK 220CDI 4M BlueEFFICIENCY
