Ghosts?
Author
Discussion

leadfootlydon

Original Poster:

329 posts

259 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
quotequote all
4:30pm today, sitting in my front room, working on my PC, I heard the sound of glass breaking close by.

Fearing for my Peugeot parked out on the street, I leapt up, ran out to the pavement and looked around. Standing in the gloomy drizzle for a while, I was somewhat surprised to see no sign of life up or down the street. There was simply no one around and no sign of damage on the Pug and no sign of a broken bottle either. Puzzled, I came back in and put it out of my mind.

Just now, on a whim, I went out to look at my poor Chim, parked in the driveway unused to being left out in the rain, and, horror, saw the headlight broken. I had obviously run straight passed it earlier. The car is facing towards the house, with the headlight only a couple of feet from the front door.

So there are two possibilities:

1. Someone broke the headlight and managed to make themselves scarce pretty darn quick.

2. The headlight spontaneously shattered.

Two other snippets of info. I drove the car home in torrential rain with the lights on and noticed before I got home that that light was not working. I know it was working yesterday because I checked it for the MOT.

That wing was repaired during the summer (new fibre-glass front section) and this is the first time the car has been out in the rain.

So, anyone, what is the chance that the headlight just broke?


gorvid

22,371 posts

255 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
quotequote all
Bird flew in to it?

jagdpanther

19,633 posts

249 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
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Im grapsing here, but could it be the rapidly changing temperature causing the new material to expand and contract rapidly that maybe put some undue stress on the headlight lens??

or am I just talking crap now??? hehe

leadfootlydon

Original Poster:

329 posts

259 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
quotequote all
gorvid said:
Bird flew in to it?


Good idea, but no chance; too close to the house. I had not considered wildlife. A rabid squirrel maybe. Maybe not.

jagdpanther

19,633 posts

249 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
quotequote all
leadfootlydon said:
gorvid said:
Bird flew in to it?


Good idea, but no chance; too close to the house. I had not considered wildlife. A rabid squirrel maybe. Maybe not.



Maybe she was upset at the recent goings on and needed to vent?

Wacky Racer

41,353 posts

277 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
quotequote all

leadfootlydon

Original Poster:

329 posts

259 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
quotequote all
jagdpanther said:
Im grapsing here, but could it be the rapidly changing temperature causing the new material to expand and contract rapidly that maybe put some undue stress on the headlight lens??

or am I just talking crap now??? hehe


Well I was thinking along those lines, but it seemed a bit far fetched.

The breakage happened about 90 mins after I got home. Unless somehow the headlight was already under some incredible pressure (hmmmm) and somehow it got warmed by the engine (which does get very hot) and then cooled again (in the drizzle). silly




leadfootlydon

Original Poster:

329 posts

259 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
quotequote all
jagdpanther said:
leadfootlydon said:
gorvid said:
Bird flew in to it?


Good idea, but no chance; too close to the house. I had not considered wildlife. A rabid squirrel maybe. Maybe not.



Maybe she was upset at the recent goings on and needed to vent?




jagdpanther

19,633 posts

249 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
quotequote all
leadfootlydon said:
jagdpanther said:
Im grapsing here, but could it be the rapidly changing temperature causing the new material to expand and contract rapidly that maybe put some undue stress on the headlight lens??

or am I just talking crap now??? hehe


Well I was thinking along those lines, but it seemed a bit far fetched.

The breakage happened about 90 mins after I got home. Unless somehow the headlight was already under some incredible pressure (hmmmm) and somehow it got warmed by the engine (which does get very hot) and then cooled again (in the drizzle). silly






Thats pretty much the only thing I can think of!

This case belongs in the X-file along with my missing headlight washer jet and dented bonnet!

rich 36

13,739 posts

296 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
quotequote all
any broken shards of glass
if so
where, in unit, or on floor

leadfootlydon

Original Poster:

329 posts

259 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
quotequote all
rich 36 said:
any broken shards of glass
if so
where, in unit, or on floor


Yes, the shards are mostly in the unit with some on the ground. I can't tell if that means it was bashed in with some shards scattering outwards or if it shattered in-situ but without enough exposive force to blow all the shards out.

Maybe there was a crack that suddenly 'let go' and this whole glass fell to bits.

jollygreengriff

1,499 posts

241 months

Monday 23rd October 2006
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Not just had a paper delivered by any chance?

What type of bulb was fitted - possibly gas discharge of some sort?

Glass inwards would possibly suggest an external impact.

It's a puzzler.

fredf

267 posts

263 months

Monday 23rd October 2006
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Strangly this once happened to me.
I had driven the car to work first thing with the dips on, (early feb, slightly raining).
Went to go home and one of the lights had just shattered, few bit of glass lying on the ground infront of the car.
It didn't look like impact damage - no bits had fallen into the light and there wasn't an impact point when it was pieced back together.

I had replaced the reflectors about a week previously, so I blamed it on this.

V8 Archie

4,703 posts

278 months

Monday 23rd October 2006
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The impression I get is that the UK has got quite a lot cooler recently, so last night could have been coldest the car had been for a while (especially if it's usually in the garage overnight). So what about this.

The seal on the lamp was made too well during mending over the summer. The cold air and rain cooled the air inside the lens. The pressure drops that little bit too far and pop goes the lens. You might have had a hairline crack to help it.

leadfootlydon

Original Poster:

329 posts

259 months

Tuesday 24th October 2006
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V8 Archie said:
So what about this.

The seal on the lamp was made too well during mending over the summer. The cold air and rain cooled the air inside the lens. The pressure drops that little bit too far and pop goes the lens. You might have had a hairline crack to help it.


I like that theory; heating and cooling, water vapour, pressure differential and a latent weakness. Most of the glass did not go far. It was like the lens disintegrated rather than exploded.

I would rather believe that than one of the neighbours flipped out over the 100dB rumble on a Sunday morning. angel


shpub

8,507 posts

302 months

Tuesday 24th October 2006
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Errr the headlamp unit is not sealed...

leadfootlydon

Original Poster:

329 posts

259 months

Tuesday 24th October 2006
quotequote all
shpub said:
Errr the headlamp unit is not sealed...


Doh!

We have some similarities or co-incidences between the cases;

light not working prior to breakage,
damp/wet conditions,
moderate/cool air temperature,
body recently worked on,
glass breaks while car is not moving.

Any ideas?

shpub

8,507 posts

302 months

Tuesday 24th October 2006
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Bulb going bang.... Does happen but not that often.

Al 450

1,390 posts

251 months

Tuesday 24th October 2006
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Some little scumbag messing about with an air rifle?

Hairline crack getting worse very very slowly then spontaneously letting go is most likely i'd imagine.

leadfootlydon

Original Poster:

329 posts

259 months

Tuesday 24th October 2006
quotequote all
I've got the new glass (£22.56inc), so lets see what happens when I try to fit it.

Steve, I have your book and, typical TVR fashion, I see the first thing I need to do is jack the car up and remove the front wheel.

Here goes....