Rock Peck in the Pano Sunroof Glass - What Should I do?

[HandyCruiser]

My sweetie came home from work yesterday evening and told me that while on the freeway, a rock flew up and hit the pano sunroof in her 2021 Laramie and left a crack.

On closer inspection this morning, it appears that the "crack" is actually a small rock peck in the glass with what appears to be a single 3/16" spider web. It took me a while to get a decent photo with my cell phone, but here it is. The phone camera kept trying to focus on the tree limbs visible through the sunroof, but I placed a computer mouse pad beside the peck for the camera to focus on and that worked.



What should I do? Should I have it drilled and sealed? Should I wait to see if it cracks more. Should I call my insurance agent to see if my road hazard will cover a new glass panel if it cracks more? Your opinion is greatly appreciated.

 

[TNRamGuy]

I would definitely not just "wait to see" it will not improve and likely get worse. Check with your insurance, many times they have $0 deductible for glass, if not I have had good experiences with the repair kits in the past. I have used them about a dozen times and they worked every time. Good luck

 

[jmt8706]

Get one of those glass chip repair kits. It will at least keep it from spreading.

 

[mikeru82]

What should I do? Should I have it drilled and sealed? Should I wait to see if it cracks more. Should I call my insurance agent to see if my road hazard will cover a new glass panel if it cracks more? Your opinion is greatly appreciated.

I'm pretty sure the sunroof glass is tempered. You don't want to try to drill into tempered glass. I'm wondering how long it might take your dealership to get in a replacement. You might want to check on that in case you need to replace it in the near future. There have been a few threads here where people have had them shatter while just sitting in their garage.

How to Drill a Hole in Tempered Glass. Actually, Can You?

If the glass is truly tempered, you can't drill a hole in it. It may look fine at first, but at some point it will completely shatter.

diytroop.com

 

[HandyCruiser]

I would definitely not just "wait to see" it will not improve and likely get worse. Check with your insurance, many times they have $0 deductible for glass, if not I have had good experiences with the repair kits in the past. I have used them about a dozen times and they worked every time. Good luck

What kit did you use?

I checked with my insurance agent and it looks like I am covered with a $500 deductible. Since the place is current so small, I'd like to try some kind of repair kit first. And then if the place grows, I'll likely opt for the replacement.

Right now, it's so small that if my wife hadn't seen the rock hit her, we likely won't even notice it. I've had sunroofs and/or t-tops in cars since I was 18 years old. This is the first time I've had one take a rock hit like this as far as I know.

PS: It looks like the front glass panel is only around $250. That sounds too cheap. Part Number is 68357666AB if I'm reading this right. If they are as easy to change out as the older ones like in my Charger Daytona, I may just grab one online and install it myself. Who knew?

 

[TNRamGuy]

What kit did you use?

I checked with my insurance agent and it looks like I am covered with a $500 deductible. Since the place is current so small, I'd like to try some kind of repair kit first. And then if the place grows, I'll likely opt for the replacement.

Right now, it's so small that if my wife hadn't seen the rock hit her, we likely won't even notice it. I've had sunroofs and/or t-tops in cars since I was 18 years old. This is the first time I've had one take a rock hit like this as far as I know.

PS: It looks like the front glass panel is only around $250. That sounds too cheap. Part Number is 68357666AB if I'm reading this right. If they are as easy to change out as the older ones like in my Charger Daytona, I may just grab one online and install it myself. Who knew?

View attachment 107556

No idea what brand it was, think it came from advanced auto, I have used quite a few and they all do the same thing

 

[bigdodge]

safelite repair

safelite.com

 

[HandyCruiser]

safelite repair

safelite.com

I contacted Safelite as my first choice. They said they would not repair a sunroof, but might be able to replace it. I suspect the dealership would be similar in cost if I went that way. And if I use the dealership, my warranty would still be good on the rest of the sunroof.

No idea what brand it was, think it came from advanced auto, I have used quite a few and they all do the same thing

Thanks. I will check out Advance to see what they have.

I checked how the front sunroof panel was attached and it appears pretty simple to replace. So if the crack spreads after my own repair, I may just opt to get the replacement glass and do it myself. My cost would only around $250 and my warranty would still be intact since I will spend time assuring the bolts are detailed to remain looking untouched since the factory.

My thanks for all the advice so far. I would have never thought about the sunroof being tempered glass and not drillable.

 

[Idahoktm]

What kit did you use?

I checked with my insurance agent and it looks like I am covered with a $500 deductible. Since the place is current so small, I'd like to try some kind of repair kit first. And then if the place grows, I'll likely opt for the replacement.

Place?

 

[HandyCruiser]

Place?

Definitions from Oxford Languages

1. a particular position or point in space.

 

[Neurobit]

My sweetie came home from work yesterday evening and told me that while on the freeway, a rock flew up and hit the pano sunroof in her 2021 Laramie and left a crack.

On closer inspection this morning, it appears that the "crack" is actually a small rock peck in the glass with what appears to be a single 3/16" spider web. It took me a while to get a decent photo with my cell phone, but here it is. The phone camera kept trying to focus on the tree limbs visible through the sunroof, but I placed a computer mouse pad beside the peck for the camera to focus on and that worked.

View attachment 107513

What should I do? Should I have it drilled and sealed? Should I wait to see if it cracks more. Should I call my insurance agent to see if my road hazard will cover a new glass panel if it cracks more? Your opinion is greatly appreciated.

View attachment 107524

That could be a safety hazard if the thing explodes on top of someone when driving. I'd not chance it.
My suggestion is to contact your insurance company and explain this to them and take it from there.

Cheers,

 

[Idahoktm]

I checked with my insurance agent and it looks like I am covered with a $500 deductible. Since the crack is currently so small, I'd like to try some kind of repair kit first. And then if the crack grows, I'll likely opt for the replacement.

Fixed it for you.

 

[KWKSLVR]

I would replace it. Is it possible to tint over a repaired chip/crack in glass? It seems like something like tint film would provide a little extra support/integrity.

 

[mikeru82]

I would replace it. Is it possible to tint over a repaired chip/crack in glass? It seems like something like tint film would provide a little extra support/integrity.

Yes, tint does add some support. But more importantly, it keeps the glass pieces from going all over the place if it should shatter at some point. My only concern in this case is applying the tint may actually cause the glass to shatter from the pressure when installing it.

 

[NorthStar]

Until you make a decision, I was taught by a glass installer years ago to cover any star, small crack or chip with some clear fingernail polish. His instructions were to apply two coats (a second coat after the first coat drys) and it being 1” larger in diameter than the chip or Star.

He said it seals out moisture to keep it from expanding/contracting thus making it crack further, and can easily be drilled out if taken in for glass repair.

 

[Pertzbro]

Yes, tint does add some support. But more importantly, it keeps the glass pieces from going all over the place if it should shatter at some point. My only concern in this case is applying the tint may actually cause the glass to shatter from the pressure when installing it.

There is no pressure when tinting. Not anymore than cleaning the glass...

 

[mikeru82]

There is no pressure when tinting. Not anymore than cleaning the glass...

I've never tinted glass. I've seen it installed, and a squeegee was used to get the air bubbles out. That required applying more pressure than what is needed to clean glass. If there are other techniques then I apologize for my ignorance on how else that would be accomplished.

 

[KWKSLVR]

I've never tinted glass. I've seen it installed, and a squeegee was used to get the air bubbles out. That required applying more pressure than what is needed to clean glass. If there are other techniques then I apologize for my ignorance on how else that would be accomplished.

I don't know how tint is, but I used to install vinyl. We had a spray we'd throw down first and then squeegee it out, it didn't take much pressure. to get that liquid out.

 

[HandyCruiser]

I would replace it. Is it possible to tint over a repaired chip/crack in glass? It seems like something like tint film would provide a little extra support/integrity.

If the sunroof panel was made out of safety glass, it might be possible to drill out the peck (very small star-shaped crack). The rounded edged of the drill hole would then help evenly disperse the natural stress on the glass and help prevent further cracking. Sealing would then prevent water intrusion, ice formation/expansion in the crack and generally keep it sealed. The sealant might also bond to the glass and provide a limited amount of strength to help prevent further cracking. But since the sunroof panel is tempered glass, attempting to drill a hole in it will likely prove difficult and may cause the panel to shatter.

I could possibly seal the peck without drilling it. I will likely do this because it's easy, and I will get the benefits mentioned. But without the stress dispersion provided by a drilled round hole, It is questionable that sealing alone will prevent further cracking.

Adding a clear or tinted film would not likely reduce the probability of the sunroof panel further cracking. However, the biggest risk of having a damaged sunroof panel is that the tempered glass might shatter into thousands of pieces without warning while the truck is being driven. This actually happens enough that I know people it has happened too. Adding the film may help hold most of the thousands of glass pieces together if the glass fails. The film will not stop it from failing, but having the sunroof glass fail with much of it stuck together on the film may be preferable to having thousands of pieces of sharp glass rain down on the driver while on the freeway. So while using the sealant without drilling may only reduce probability a little, adding the film will likely reduce severity a substantial amount.

My current plan short-term is to seal the peck and then watch the "place" (location on the sunroof with the peck and 3/8 inch crack) to see if the place spreads. Since a replacement sunroof panel is so inexpensive, the long-term plan is to replace the panel myself. The six bolts that hold it on the rails appear to be easy to reach when the roof is raised but before moving back. I've removed these sunroof panels on two other Mopars in order to repair the rails. It looks like this one attaches and aligns in a similar way. I should be able to get the glass panel delivered for under $250. But I will check how much the dealership wants to do it. I might be pleasantly surprised. I don't expect the cost to warrant a $500 insurance deductible. But we will see.

 

[KWKSLVR]

If the sunroof panel was made out of safety glass, it might be possible to drill out the peck (very small star-shaped crack). The rounded edged of the drill hole would then help evenly disperse the natural stress on the glass and help prevent further cracking. Sealing would then prevent water intrusion, ice formation/expansion in the crack and generally keep it sealed. The sealant might also bond to the glass and provide a limited amount of strength to help prevent further cracking. But since the sunroof panel is tempered glass, attempting to drill a hole in it will likely prove difficult and may cause the panel to shatter.

I could possibly seal the peck without drilling it. I will likely do this because it's easy, and I will get the benefits mentioned. But without the stress dispersion provided by a drilled round hole, It is questionable that sealing alone will prevent further cracking.

Adding a clear or tinted film would not likely reduce the probability of the sunroof panel further cracking. However, the biggest risk of having a damaged sunroof panel is that the tempered glass might shatter into thousands of pieces without warning while the truck is being driven. This actually happens enough that I know people it has happened too. Adding the film may help hold most of the thousands of glass pieces together if the glass fails. The film will not stop it from failing, but having the sunroof glass and fall with much of it stuck together on the film may be preferable to have thousands of pieces of sharp glass rain down on the driver while on the freeway. So while using the sealant without drilling may only reduce probability a little, adding the film will likely reduce severity a substantial amount.

My current plan short-term (two-weeks or less) is to seal the peck and then watch the "place" (location on the sunroof with the peck and 3/8 inch crack) to see if the place spreads. Long-term plan is to replace the panel myself. The six bolts that hold it on the rails appear to be easy to reach when the roof is raised but before moving back. I've removed these sunroof panels on two other Mopars in order to repair the rails. It looks like this one attaches and aligns in a similar way.

Yeah man, I know the spontaneous shattering thing is pretty rare, but it was enough to keep me from opting for the sunroof on my order.