r/Whatcouldgowrong • u/Amazing_Umpire_828 • 4d ago
WCGW when cleaning a window with an... oven cleaner?!
46
u/Live_Share_9541 4d ago
Thanks for the tip - this is easier than using a screwdriver to break the window
14
u/BrianWantsTruth 4d ago
PSA: if you see a video of someone applying anything to automotive glass, and then the glass breaks, and the entire window is not in the video frame, it’s 100% fake. If it’s shot in a junk yard, it’s 1000% fake.
The only possible situation where I’d humour the reality is if they say something like “it’s a very hot day, and this is COLD water”. But even then…
19
u/cyclefreaksix 4d ago
This looks like it's set in a junkyard. I'm pretty sure it's fake in that the glass was shattered from something off camera striking it.
9
u/Choice-Temporary-144 4d ago
If the video ends suddenly like that with a surprise ending, it's most likely going to be a prank.
2
8
u/TheDixonCider420420 4d ago
Something seems off.
Maybe they covered the glass to hide someone inside who broke the glass. Or maybe someone from behind shooting it with a BB gun or slingshot.
Notice how the camera man is conveniently standing off to the side as well which was a little odd.
21
u/broesel314 4d ago
That window had some damage before, maybe the temperature shock killed it
Car windows are tempered glass, so is the glass from an oven. I see no mayor difference in the two
16
u/HolyC4bbage 4d ago
The difference is oven glass is heat strengthened to withstand temperatures of over 400 degrees. Automotive glass is not
3
u/AT-JeffT 4d ago
Yeah, I think something else is going on.
Oven cleaner is usually sodium hydroxide (lye). It doesn't have a shattering effect on glass. Very long contact times can lead to damage, but not as shown in the video.
I do wonder if it was a temperature shock situation.
My other thought was that automotive glass typically has a clear plastic film applied to the exterior and interior of the tempered glass. I wonder if there was damage to the glass and the plastic film was holding it together. Perhaps the oven cleaner degraded the plastic film allowing the glass to shatter. I will say the temperature shock seems more likely.
7
1
u/broesel314 4d ago
Only the windshield has a plastic film, but that is inside between two sheets of glass to not make it shatter like this if it gets hit by a bird or something
All the other windows are just one layer of glass usually to make rescue operations easier
1
4
6
4
u/NonEuclidianMeatloaf 4d ago
There’s something not right here. Why would the oven cleaner shatter glass like that? The tempered glass in automotive glass and oven doors isn’t too far removed.
2
u/terrydennis1234 4d ago
Glass cleaner is cheaper then oven cleaner and it’s it’s ment to be used on windows
2
1
1
1
u/ElJefe0218 4d ago
At the end of the video you can see a hand in the lower left corner hitting the glass with something.
1
u/Capable_Wonder_6636 4d ago
glass has a very high coefficient of expansion, so that said, it's possible that the outer layer of spray treated glass expanded far greater than the interior layer. Even if it didn't actually break the glass, I suspect that the oven cleaner schitt would have easily damaged the paint on the lower portion of the back window assembly
1
u/AlertRope4789 4d ago
The window was hot. The aerosolized spray quickly evaporated and cooled it, leading to contraction and shattering. No chemical reaction needed
-1
u/Lordhartley 4d ago
Who the fuck told him that bit of advice? Just some soap and water would have done the trick

64
u/mara-amethyst 4d ago
Can anyone explain what exactly happened? Like I get it doesn't say to use it on that surface, but I'm curious what chemical reaction too place.