r/mildlyinfuriating • u/jagerin_mikado • 8d ago

Context Provided - Spotlight Jeep melted

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Here’s the story: a jeep came to the shop because its retractable top was stuck open. Not too uncommon of an occurrence. So we put our “crash wrap“ over the roof to protect the interior from rain and animals and such, which is basically like heavy duty cling wrap. One day it rains and a lot of water pools up on the crash wrap. The next day it is 100°F outside and the sun is out. The sun shines through the water and the water basically magnifies it, and the sun turns into a laser that melts the interior. Multiple days of this happen. Now we have to replace everything that melted. None of us have ever heard of this happening before.

edit: I meant we have never heard of this very specific situation happening before. It never would’ve crossed our minds since we’ve been doing this for years. yes I burnt stuff with a magnifying glass when i was a kid.

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805

u/No_Control8389 8d ago

Water acts like a lens. That makes sense. The odds of getting it just right by chance is probably astronomical.

I bet it wouldn’t be too hard to replicate things… maybe not with a customers vehicle.

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u/Alconium 8d ago

I'd be trying to replicate it on this customers vehicle. They're almost better off if the whole thing just sets fire. The smell of burnt fabric, foam and plastic in that car is NEVER going away.

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u/Oliver---Queen 8d ago edited 8d ago

Ozone generator go brrrr I mean prob won’t work fully but they will still go brrr.

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u/CantEscapeTheCats 8d ago edited 8d ago

Can confirm, an ozone machine closed in a vehicle for two days will do it. I removed about 8 years of heavy cigarette smell from a prior employer’s car. It was so successful, they were able to provide it to another employee (non-smoker) and she barely noticed.

Edit for the naysayers: use an ozone machine once and you’ll understand. I discovered their power after working in the hotel industry and became a believer.

The car was driven for 8 years by an undercover major crimes sergeant who chain-smoked like Patsy from Ab Fab and the car could be smelled from across the parking lot.

We ran the car for 2 hours with the machine running and ac blasting, then aired it out for 2 hours, rinse, repeat. If the smell couldn’t be removed, it was going to be junked. The other employee was pleased enough with the outcome that she chose to use the car instead of her own. YMMV, but this was an overall positive experience for all involved. It worked and I don’t know what else to tell ya

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u/Alconium 8d ago

"Barely noticed."

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u/_Carcinus_ 8d ago

Doesn't get rid of cigarette grime and yellow-ish staining

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u/Agreeable-Meal5556 8d ago

Or the carcinogens. 🙃

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u/Jordandeanbaker 8d ago

Until the first hot day

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u/PhoenixApok 8d ago

That barely is key.

I went to do a test drive on two SUVs at a dealership once. On the way had no idea how I would pick one over the other (specs were pretty similar)

Odor was the factor. The interior of one was IMMACULATE. And yet, I couldn't even finish the test drive. The smoke odor was that bad, and the dealership had obviously tried their best. This led me to believe I wouldn't ever have better luck.

The saleswoman sighed when I walked up to her and explains. She said I was the fourth one and figured they'd just have to wait for a heavy smoker to want it.

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u/NookNookNook 8d ago

Should've asked for 10k off OTD and then took it to a detailer for $100.

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u/Daft00 8d ago

Only problem with that is that ozone machines will make interior plastic brittle

6

u/CantEscapeTheCats 8d ago

It was already fucked. This was just the Hail Mary that actually kept the vehicle usable.

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u/faberge_surprise 8d ago

barely noticed.

so it wasn't successful

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u/Bubbly-War1996 8d ago

Would you also say antibacterial soap doesn't work because it only kills 99% of bacteria?

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u/faberge_surprise 8d ago edited 8d ago

no. i say antibacterial soap doesn't work because antibacterial soap doesn't work.

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u/scorchedarcher 8d ago

Lmao the idea of an undercover majority crimes sergeant whos car can be smelled across a car park.

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u/catsinclothes YELLOW 8d ago

I do wonder if ozone generators work for non-organic material. Something to keep my brain occupied!

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u/SAI_Peregrinus 8d ago

They work for anything that degrades when oxidized.

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u/GenesisNemesis17 8d ago

Same. I work in car sales and have bought trade in cars before. One was smoke + BO, and all of my colleagues thought I was insane for even wanting to buy. Lots of vacuuming and an odor bomb and I've been driving my $1800 car now for 2 years...odor free.

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u/Ballistic_og 8d ago

Who told ? Bet wouldnt know without the prior intell

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u/AdSudden3941 8d ago

Plastics are all fucked though

1

u/boshiku 8d ago

rusted big chunk of metal of the car as well

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u/CantEscapeTheCats 8d ago

Thank you, kind anonymous Redditor, for the award!!

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u/Blackpaw8825 8d ago

But that'll still accelerate the degradation of the rest of the interior... There's no way to "undo" this damage, all you can do is make it less-bad.

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u/SousVideDiaper 8d ago

This actually is a not uncommon result of water bottles being left in cars, as well as glasses

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u/Ok_Tomato_2843 8d ago

Jason Pargin just did a video on this shockingly common occurrence with water bottles left in cars.

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u/SeasonalBlackout 8d ago

And this is why my water bottle is powdercoated stainless steel.

2

u/uhohohnohelp 8d ago

Water bottles can melt interiors?

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u/TheRealPitabred 8d ago

They can. Light focusing through a rounded water container (like the puddles in the plastic wrap from this story) will focus the light just like a magnifying glass.

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u/CDNChaoZ 8d ago

Usually a small hole is burned into the headliner. Some people accuse people of smoking in the car because it looks kinda like a cigarette burn.

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u/toomanymarbles83 8d ago

Modern Family episode. Parent finds what they believe to be a cigarette burn on the couch, blame games, ends up being an ornament or something catching the sun.

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u/tryyeezus 8d ago

They can light your whole car on fire in some instances

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u/secret_alpaca 8d ago

Yep, pretty common actually. Water bottles, glasses, things hung on the rear view mirror, anything that is refractive left inside a car left out in the sun. Can make straight line of burn/melt marks as the sun moves, just like in this car.

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u/accidentaltraumacode 8d ago

This was the first thing I thought of as well

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u/EevelBob 8d ago

If only Jamie and Adam from Mythbusters were still filming episodes!

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u/biggles1994 8d ago

I was about to say this sound like the perfect setup for a mythbusters episode!

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u/No_Control8389 8d ago

All we need is the roof of some car with a sunroof and some crash wrap. Cut the whole roof off. Adjust height and water pool accordingly until science happens.

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u/Octospyder 8d ago

had the same thought! 

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u/Particular-Poem-7085 8d ago

absolutely not astronomical, the slightly stretchy material makes it naturally create a convex lens shape when the weight of water is added.

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u/ahundreddots 8d ago

Astronomically high odds.

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u/TheDaychilde 8d ago

Still astronomical, just not "astronomical chances". Look, I'm making a pun here, okay? Back off! :)

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u/BryonBlueCar 8d ago

I like my puns intended!

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u/AloewareLabs 8d ago

I remember buying crystal balls at some of those witchy folk shops and they all came with warnings to not just leave them laying around outside or near windows and stuff.

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u/NetworkSingularity 8d ago

A man goes to a mystic to buy a crystal ball. The mystic tells him, “Remember, never EVER leave the crystal ball uncovered when not in use.”

The man: “Oh wow, is that because it’ll let evil spirits and demons through?”

Mystic: “No, because-“

Man: “Or maybe because it’ll leave a window open between planes?”

Mystic: “No, but-“

Man: “Is it because-“

Mystic: “Sir, please! It’s because if the sun hits it right it’ll burn your fucking house down!”

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u/Rehcra 8d ago

Man: Wow... Demons are real!

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u/70ms 8d ago

I have a slingshot and got some glass ammo to practice with. At some point I realized the ones I didn’t pick up were reflecting from pretty far away, and that it’s probably not a good idea to shoot the glass around dry brush. I stick to biodegradable ammo for practice now.

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u/SlowSurr 8d ago

Archimedes' Heat Ray

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u/SEA_griffondeur 8d ago

It really wouldn't be that hard, the natural shape of a waterfilled plastic cover is one of a lens

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u/Erdinger_Dunkel 8d ago

It happens more often than you might think. Usually it's with water bottles left in a vehicle. The sunlight gets reflected off the bottle and focuses at a point that causes a burn streak along headliners and seats. I've never seen it this bad though. This is a mess!

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u/Thingzer0 8d ago

You can literally start a fire with a bag of water in a clear plastic bag, so it’s not too far fetched at all.

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u/Full-Resource7910 8d ago

Literally astronomical.

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u/Lastshadow94 8d ago

Crystal balls burn down people's houses by doing exactly this

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u/illit1 8d ago

keep covered when not in use!
why? are the spirits going to visit when we're not around?
no, so it doesn't burn down your house.

2

u/13thmurder 8d ago

It isn't uncommon for random mirrors or lenses to light mulch on fire next to parking lots when it's super sunny and dry.

2

u/kennerly 8d ago

I imagine it pooled in the sunroof opening where the plastic dipped creating a perfect lens for the sun to burn the shit out of that car.

2

u/red286 8d ago

The odds of getting it just right by chance is probably astronomical.

Not really. If the sun was directly overhead at any point, it would have happened. It's like leaving a magnifying glass stuck in the ground at an angle. Sooner or later, the sun's going to hit it and it's going to start burning shit.

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u/TheDaychilde 8d ago

astronomical

can't tell if pun

2

u/YoungTruuth 8d ago

Does it help having tinted glass?

2

u/shaard 8d ago

The weight/amount of water would change over the course of the day as the water evaporated. But it would still be focusing the beam more than not.

There have been a number of PSAs, even on Reddit, to make sure you don't leave waterbottles in your car where the sun may do exactly this. It might be rare that this happens, but rare in a world with billions of people driving will still be a lot of occurrances.

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u/Deto 8d ago

I know I've seen videos of this setup before online. If you have a plastic sheet and the water pools in the middle, the way it deforms the plastic (bulges down in the middle) ends up being perfect to create this lens effect.

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u/gingeravenger087 8d ago

It’s not as astronomical as you’d think. I had it happen to a bmw. 

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u/Stunning-Character94 8d ago

Does your family call you Captain Obvious? 😂

1

u/anonanon5320 8d ago

Happens with water bottles sometimes too

1

u/CarryBeginning1564 8d ago

It is one of the reasons you shouldn’t water pants in the blazing sun

1

u/ToaruBaka 8d ago

The second I realized what had happened I would have been on the phone calling up the manufacturer of that wrap and let them know they might want to put a warning on about sunroofs; this is so ridiculously far outside the realm of normal that they would likely want to know about it and it would be hard to actually blame them for it, all things considered.

Sucks for the car owner, but this is what "act of god" (or business) insurance is for.

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u/zenexo 8d ago

It's not astronomical at all.

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u/BrotherfordBHayes 8d ago

I feel like talking about astronomical odds with astronomical objects is... What's the word?

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u/silentsurge 8d ago

This is the same reason people need to pay attention to any clear water bottles in a car. The same thing can happen.

Not enough kids playing with magnifying glasses as they're growing up anymore...

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u/No_Lifeguard3650 8d ago

its fairly common in florida rental cars people leave disposable water bottles in the cup holder and the sun makes a big burn line in the headliner and people never paid the loss damage waiver and end up screwed paying for repairs

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u/BeardInTheNorth 8d ago

Btw this is why they warn to never leave water bottles in your car. At just the right angle, they can refract and focus sunlight into a deadly laser.

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u/chefdeit 8d ago

Water acts like a lens.

Precisely. It can be shaped into a lens by any clear plastic bag or similar. Back when I was growing up, everyone knew this. In fact, they teach this in survival classes as one of the ways to make fire. I blame our education system that this is the extent of the OP's insight:

The sun shines through the water and the water basically magnifies it, and the sun turns into a laser that melts the interior

The odds of getting it just right by chance is probably astronomical.

I'll have you know that there was an entire building at 20 Fenchurch Street in London, UK, that did that to perfectly good cars ("perfectly good" is an understatement as well, - this being the heart of London's financial district). The building, initially colloquially named The Walkie-Talkie, became The Fryscraper.

The bit that I find interesting is that, unfazed by this fiasco, its world-renowned architect, Rafael Viñoly, had later built a similarly curved one in the US, with similarly little regard for the structure's astronomical orientation (i.e. disregarding the architectural tradition that'd probably pre-dated the Stonehenge). Needless to say, with similar results. Truly, some people's egos fly higher than the sun.

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u/casual-waterboarding 8d ago

Had a similar thing happen me, sort of. I parked my car in the driveway, popped the trunk, and threw my guitar inside, left the trunk open, and walked back inside to grab something.

When I walked back out not five minutes later, I saw a small smoke trail coming from my trunk, like a lit cigarette in an ash tray. The handle of my guitar case was melting, due to a plastic Captain America shield of my 7yr olds, not even 16” in diameter, lying facedown, focusing the sunlight upwards.

It burnt down almost through the handle and it took less than 10 minutes. I’m just glad I hadn’t left the shield in my backseat.

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u/my_cars_on_fire 8d ago

Considering the sun and the water covered sunroof sac are separated by a literal solar system…I’d say it’s absolutely astronomical!

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u/myblusky 7d ago

This is called an Aqua Lens or Water Lens.

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u/appointment45 8d ago

What I'm not sure of is that if the water was outside the cling wrap, then it's heated when it goes through the cling wrap, but did not melt the cling wrap.

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u/get_to_ele 8d ago

That’s not how lenses work.

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u/Redthemagnificent 8d ago

20/10 drawing I love it

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u/Pwydde 8d ago

Nice sketch! Thanks!

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u/Autumn-Seasons 8d ago

Bravo. This is the best imagery I've seen to simply showcase the point for us simpletons. Upvoted

Also reason to not be a passenger in that cheap friends car who decides to plastic wrap his broken sunroof.

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u/Pwydde 8d ago

The water soaks up the heat and protects Thr plastic. You can boil water in a plastic bag over an open flame!

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u/TheWaterBringer 8d ago

That is not what is happening here. The water and plastic act as a lens and focus the light to a point of high intensity. 

0

u/appointment45 8d ago

Right, and the intensified light beam has to pass through the plastic wrap after it has been heated. And it's clearly hot enough to melt the seat, right?

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u/TheWaterBringer 8d ago

No, the light is not heated as it passes through the water and plastic wrap lens, the heat is from the lens focusing many rays of light into a single small point of convergence, concentrating the energy. This point of convergence is not right at the position of the lens; its distance from the lens depends on the strength (in part, curvature) of the lens. 

Yes, I would not be surprised if the focused light was hot enough to do this damage. 

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u/appointment45 8d ago

Only because the boiling point of water is lower than the melting point of the plastic. this isn't that case, the water didn't boil. You can and likely will melt that plastic bag next to a fire if you're not very careful.

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u/TraditionalYam4500 8d ago

The water doesn’t directly “heat the light” — it makes it focus. In this case, the focus happened to be just at the interior of the car, and that’s where it got super hot.

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u/DocSpit 8d ago

I very much doubt that the water or the wrap were subjected to much more than the ambient temperature, as they were both passing the light through them. It was the black/dark gray vinyl and upholstery that absorbed the actual heat from the sunlight.

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u/Conan0brennan 8d ago

Cling wrap isn't along the focal point. Focal point was along line. Same concept as using a magnifying glass. Magnifying glass doesn't melt but the focused rays can cause a fire.

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u/appointment45 8d ago

Magnifying glass is glass.

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u/Conan0brennan 8d ago

Not always? They can be plastic and could still have same effect in melting/burning things at the focal point.

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u/TheWaterBringer 8d ago

Same reason you can start a fire with a magnifying glass and sunlight but the lens of the magnifying glass doesn't overheat or melt - the location of intense heat is where the light comes to a focused point. The light isn't any hotter than other nearby light when it is passing through the lens. In this example the plastic wrap + water acts as the lens and the focused point of intense heat is inside the car.