"I have had better days..."

First the "vent" session...

-- I enjoy this car, I enjoy the looks, the power, the performance, the unique'ness of it... It all brings a SMILE to my face.... I understand, as my buddy who owns a 911 Turbo x50, and another who owns a few Exotics say; you wanna play with the big boys, your gonna have to pay to be with the big boys....

I brought the car in to my dealership today; which is enjoyable to kick tires, and window shop any day of the week.

--Synthetic Oil Change
--NYS Inspection
--Battery is original; and needs to be replaced as the Viper is a 2008 (About 4 years+ for the Battery)
Question #1: The Mechanic Recommended this battery From
Optima RedTop® Sealed Car Battery Group Size 34/78DT
Part # RED34/78 SKU: 9083547

Opinions?? The dealership does not sell this; like I said I have had GREAT experiences with this dealership for years; the mechanic was just recommending what he would do if it was his car....

--I asked them to check my E Brake; as it did not always "HOLD" the car one cable would grab, while the other was not? Nevertheless; part is on order...

Was going to bring back the battery (after I gathered some information from the forum), when the E Brake parts were in stock....

Tucked the car away nicely... went out for a few hours; and came home to this shattered window spider web looking design on my drivers window No idea how this happened? Anybody else ever have this happen all of the sudden?????

Like I said... Routine Check Up-- Turning into pure effin-headache.

Thanks for all advice.
Jay

Was it inside a garage when it shattered? Shame to hear it was that bad of a day.

I put optima batteries into everything I own that has one available.

Yes; in the garage. -- That's why I feel so confused on how this happened.

Optima- Red top? Yellow??
Is this a good one:
Optima RedTop® Sealed Car Battery Group Size 34/78DT
Part # RED34/78

I had this happen some years back on my truck I had at the time and it turned out some punk teenagers were going around with a BB gun. Hit a few other houses. I thought it was frost at first, as it was on the passenger side until I got in and shut the drivers door and it imploded all over the place.

A number of years ago there was a thread that discussed this phenomenon. Have you had any window regulator issues that cause the window to sometimes close improperly and torque the glass a bit? As for the battery, I buy mine at Advanced Auto Parts. It is their Autocraft Gold brand. The warranty is great and the store is nearby. There are a number of threads on batteries. If you use the car weekly, the battery will stay charged and last. If you do not, you will need a trickle charger.

Hey Bobpantax;

I never had any regulator issues before; I'm concerned now as I have to replace/re-tints the drivers side--- Will this be an eventual reoccurrence in the passenger side next? ugh.

I use the Optima red top in everything I have.

What's up with the glass......

It was a very rare occurrence. If you have not had any window regulator issues before, that is probably not a factor. You mention tint. When was that done?

BigSexyJ said:

Hey Bobpantax;

I never had any regulator issues before; I'm concerned now as I have to replace/re-tints the drivers side--- Will this be an eventual reoccurrence in the passenger side next? ugh.

Click to expand...

There have been other exploding window events and if I remember right. There was one that did that at highway speeds, but most while parked. Search the forums

Hey Bobpantax,

Tint was done approx. 45 weeks ago (Just checked the invoice). Besides asking for OEM Glass replacement; is there anything else I should want/ask for (besides for this not to happen again)

Jay

Where in NY are you? What dealer? I'd be careful letting any NY dealer touch your car.

If you do some searching around on here, you'll find that others have had this happen on their cars. Seems there might have been a bad batch of glass in 2008 that made them prone to shattering like this. No way to tell if it's going to happen until it does happen.

As for batteries, I'd always recommend the DieHard Platinum 34/78.

Oh, and here's the thread for your reference:

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/619481-Imploding-Windows-!-!?

Third vote here for the Diehard.

Steve M said:

As for batteries, I'd always recommend the DieHard Platinum 34/78.

Click to expand...

Yep, this is the battery you want.

As others said, make sure that you use a tech that knows what he is doing when the window is replaced and adjusted.

Let's try one last remote possibility. Do you have an unusually robust stereo system in the car? If so, do you put the sound up high with the window's closed? It would be an unsual sound event, but it is possible for sound, at certain frequencies and volume, to break glass.

BigSexyJ said:

Hey Bobpantax,

Tint was done approx. 45 weeks ago (Just checked the invoice). Besides asking for OEM Glass replacement; is there anything else I should want/ask for (besides for this not to happen again)

Jay

Click to expand...

Another vote for Die Hard Platinum batteries here.

Sorry to see what happened to your window.

This could've happened if you powered the window all the way down hard. I once broke my regulator by doing that. Now I'm careful when the window gets down close to the bottom.

I have always bought Optima Red Top AGM batteries when I wanted a battery without liquid acid. I always had good service from them but there are lots of negative reviews. I have also read a couple of forum posts by a former worker there that outlines why the quality went way down; but, may have been "fixed." For that reason, I would buy Diehard Platinum AGM battery now instead. It is made by a different company that makes the Odyssey AGM battery and it is made in the USA. Odyssey batteries have virtually no bad rep on the net.

If I just want a regular battery, I buy Autozone's Duralast Gold which has a good rep.

I have a stock audio system; so the "additional" noise is not a factor. I am willing to chalk it up to defective glass, and bad luck
Here is my next concern...

If insurance is to pay (and damn it they will) most likely they will only replace ONE window; as they don't consider this a defect until after the issue occurs (how charming).
So; most likely the passenger window will need to be replaced at some time...

Do I argue and bicker about OEM Glass Replacement; or should I be content with after market glass in as much as the OEM is the initial defective one, and most likely locating a 2008 Glass will be another task in itself...

Jay

Just got word from the glass company.... ONLY OEM is available as a replacement. Solves that issue.

BigSexyJ said:

If insurance is to pay (and damn it they will) most likely they will only replace ONE window; as they don't consider this a defect until after the issue occurs (how charming).

Click to expand...

Someone must have accidentally hit something on that window and chipped it, and then it broke after some appropriate temperature cycling. That should be covered under comprehensive.

AZTVR,




Yes... I think that's how it happened

BigSexyJ said:

Yes... I think that's how it happened

Click to expand...

Damned kids these days just are not careful around cars !