Blew out the clutch on the 4runner this morning. Left it on the side of the road, removed from traffic. Got home and made arrangements with my mechanic neighbour to have it picked up and to have the clutch replaced. Very $pendy! Went back down the highway in my other car to pick up a few needed items...all's well. Truck starts but no go.
Mechanic comes to my house two hours later, tells me to come down to the shop to see...
http://www.montypics.com/pic.php?url...01_lowresA.jpg

http://www.montypics.com/pic.php?url...07_lowresB.jpg

Now, I KNOW it's not safe to leave a vehicle unattended, and I understand that sometimes the feebleminded WILL throw rocks at car windows. However, the break appears to have occured from INSIDE the vehicle. The white shape seen at the right side of the frame points from the inside to the outside and all styrations in the glass radiate from that point. Almost like someone took a spring loaded glass punch to it from the inside.

My question is: Could this damage have occured either when the tow hooked up or moved off? The tow driver claims it was like that on his arrival, but it never occured to him to call anyone about it.

Any latent glass dynamics engineers out there??

I don't mind eatting the cost of a clutch, but I don't really want to have to go through insurance for the window.

PS: Any idea on cost of that glass???

Thanks,

 

Did you find any BBs or pellets inside the truck. I see what you mean. I highly doubt it happened from the tow truck driver.

It looks like it got shot, if you ask me. Sorry to hear the bad news.

Good luck getting it fixed.

 

I considered that, but the impact point outward and the majority of glass is missing, like on the side of the road missing. So, somebody would have climbed into the back, from the front, and plugged the window from there.

I'm suspecting torsional side-load, from when the driver hoisted it up, which I was not there to see. The tow truck owner says he 'can tell' when his driver is lying and when he isn't so I really doubt I'm getting anything out of him. Looks like a comprehensive insurance claim

 

Do you all have a deductiable on glass up there?? Here in Mass. it is $0 for glass (but only glass, trust me)

 

Its entirely possible that it was caused by a lose stone that fell off of a passing gravel truck that bounced the wrong way or a stone that was kicked up as your busted junk sat on the roadside.

Hopefully this you will teach you to maintain your junk better so you don't have to leave it in harm's way on the roadside. Join AAA. You get free towing with membership.

 

In Ontario it's $300.00 At least it is on my policy. I'm wondering if my mech. neighbour also does windows?!?!

 

I think the only way you'll know for sure is if you call Gil Grisom and his team...

 

Is there any broken glass on the inside of the vehicle?

 

It'll come down to he said/he said. Unless you can prove it, and I mean really prove it, then move on. Take the hit, no pun intended, say thank you, and just get it over with.

Sorry dude.

 

Very little glass inside.
A lot less than I'd imagine, if the object came from outside.

 

You're so right! Add the ins. deductible to the cost of the clutch and Drive On
Of course there's no way to "prove" the damage was anything other than MY responsibility. It just sucks to have to eat the cost of some clown taking potshots from a moving vehicle (we're talking like a freeway) or because of a error made by the tow driver on the hook up that he'e afraid to confess to

 

Look at it like this, it is unlikely the driver crawled in through the front to break it. It is possible while it was rear end to rear end with the tow truck an item swung lose from the tow truck as in an item such as the tow bar. Or what about the magnetic lights they mount to the top of a vehicle while in tow. If he hit a bump and it fell off it may have struck the window. I doubt it was intentional but accidental is what it looks like. If someone driving down the highway threw an object oyu would have the object in your cargo area or the tow truck would have saw a rock or whatever could break the window. It sounds fishy he hooked up the truck without noticing THAT. That is noticable! Look into this and I think you may find possibilitys of a cause.

 

Man Blair, you sure do have some bad luck. :pat:

 

I'm by no means an expert, but I've seen my share of broken glass and we'll just leave it at that. That looks like it came from the outside. At the impact point, the outside of the glass is fairly intact. On the inside of the same spot, it looks like glass has been blown away. Very typical of an impact from the outside. Now, why most of the rest of the window is missing is a mystery. Since you say it was lying on the side of the road, I think it may have been shattered by the impact, but remained intact. When the tow truck picked up the vehicle it may have flexed the frame and body enough to blow out a portion of the glass. Another possiblity is that something hit the rear-mounted spare. Any indication that it made contact with the tailgate? Also, what type of tow truck was used? If only two wheels were picked up, were they the front or back?

 

I think you've come closest to the way things went...
Did a little research on glass and projectiles FWIW, and it seems that the crater will be on the opposing side of impact. Your suggestion re: Something bounced off the rear tire is also valid...I just can't figure out what made the 'mud spray' on the black trim around the rear window...looks like something wet hit and spread, because the frame was pretty clean when I left it.

The tow driver claims it was like that when he got there...he hooked from the front for the short 5 miles to the shop.

Anyway, it's a minor mystery...I'm on the hook for the deductible, anyway, plus the cost of a clutch.

Thanks to all for your input...I'll just go pay the man!

 

I see glass and tailgates on ebay all the time. For less than your deductable. Shopsome more - also visit some glass shops and ask what the price is without using your insurance deductable. A lot of shops jack up the price knowing they get more due to the insurance deductable. As soon as they know you won't use your insurance they drop the price dramatically. I can get a windshield for around $100 at most glass places so it seems reasonable the back window should be less although it does have the defroster.