Shattered Window on 97 Sport

[knightmoves1]

Strangest thing happened tonite as I was driving Rt 95 North in Maryland. There was pooling water on the roadway, 2 cars to my left , all of a sudden I see a splash of water on my drivers side and hear what sounds like a shattering of glass. I looked in the rear view and to each side. Finally found that the back seat vent window on drivers side had completely shattered, almost like it was shot with a bullet from the left side. There is nothing inside the back seat except broken glass, and the frame of the window is intact.

Some questions:

Could the glass have suddenly shattered because it wasn't closed completely, or for some other reason related to pressure buildup ?

Replacing it ASAP on Monday - should I get it done from a cheap auto glass shop, or bother to check with the dealer for Ford Authorized glass ? It's rainy and cold in NJ, so I want to get it replaced ASAP. The plastic and duct tape doesn't look too sturdy.

Any suggestions will be appreciated. Many thanks in advance.

 

[jimbo74]

well, get it done right it is going to cost more $... but the cheapo places sometimes use substandard quality glass and it may leak.......

 

[stretch]

You said that you saw a splash of water. There possibly could have been a rock in with the water that broke the window but didn't enter the vehicle. And I know what you mean about the plastic and duct tape not looking too sturdy, I have the same set up on a front vent window of my van. It doesn't last very long in the cold and wet.

 

[MONMIX]

Believe it or not the glass is extremly strong. Pressure will not shatter it.
There most likely was some thing in the water or some thing.

An independant glass shop will do just fine. If you are overly ****, go with the Ford but it will cost more, Other wise Diamond Auto Glass or a simular auto glass supplier will suite fine

 

[tbomb]

actually, most independant glass shops can get ford (carlite) glass, i think, and you wont have to pay extreme labor rates at ford for generally terrible work.

it sucks this happened to you now, and its gonna start getting cold again on tuesday.

 

[knightmoves1]

thanks for the feedback, guys. The opposite vent window has some Ford Safety Glass codes on it. Hopefully, I can get someone to respond quickly when I get on the phone tomorrow morning. I noticed that the glass has a dark shaded strip on the bottom, so I wonder if have to get a Ford part to match it. My first call will be to my service consultant at the local Ford dealer to advise me, but I'll bet that this is not a stock item for dealers.

I hope we have a dry week in NJ !