I know the C5 has it's share of faults, but....

[Baz]

....Has anybody else experienced "EXPLODING TAILGATE GLASS SYNDROME" ????

 

 

Still walking like an old man, so I decided to drive down into the village today to vote, and for a doctors appointment (Another 5 weeks off work....Yay!)....Imagine my surprise as I returned to the car, to see that it appeared to have grown a "Fast And Furious" style roof spoiler!

 

Closer inspection revealed that the tailgate glass was shattered all over the place....It was plainly not a break-in, as they'd have had to get past the dog-guard, and indeed, my phone and wallet were still present in the glovebox....The fact that most of the glass was on the floor OUTSIDE the car, suggests that it just kind've....Exploded....In the way that apparently affected early Smartcars (Although mine never did it!)....Do we know if this is a common occurrence, or am I just "blessed"?

[kinkersaab]

Never had it on a C5, but have had it twice on a renault laguna 2. Good old french shite.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Holy Fuck! This looks serious! At least you [presumably] were fortunate (if you can call it that) enough for it to cause no damage to nearby cars or, worse still, passers-by.

[Baz]

Holy Fuck! This looks serious! At least you [presumably] were fortunate (if you can call it that) enough for it to cause no damage to nearby cars or, worse still, passers-by.

 

Yeah....There seems to be a lot of tension in those top tailgate hinges, so I'd imagine it went with quite a bang....The glass was spread over quite an area anyway....Fortunately no people or property were damaged!

[flat4alfa]

One of the common reported faults is the separate window glass not opening (e.g. on me Dad's one)

 

Thankfully, your C5 does not have have to suffer that problem any more. You have excellent access to the boot deck area. Bonus!

[Baz]

One of the common reported faults is the separate window glass not opening (e.g. on me Dad's one)

 

Thankfully, your C5 does not have have to suffer that problem any more. You have excellent access to the boot deck area. Bonus!

 

But not terribly secure if I have to leave the dogs in the car!

 

Mine DID have that problem too....Maybe the actuator? Looks like the "New" glass I've ordered is complete with all the gubbins, so maybe I'll get an opening window out of it!

[Shep Shepherd]

 

Never heard of that happening to a C5 Break before, but I recall reading in the early 1990s about a couple of mark 1 Sierra hatchbacks whose rear windows shattered on a frosty day when their HRWs were turned on.

[peter9000uk]

Common fault according to my tame Citroen mechanic

[flat4alfa]

C5 Break

Geddit ?!

 

 

I'll go now.

[messerschmitt owner]

My smart city coupe Cdi did that one day when the roof shattered.

[Joey spud]

My Dads Aixam did the same thing back in the Summer,its well common on these...

[makum101]

Happened to my Seat Ibiza. Got in, started it and BANG! Thought id been shot.

[triumph1300]

Same thing happened* in my Granada cosworth on the m25 when the bonnet came up at 75 and embedded shards of glass into my face giving me zero vision to get to the hard shoulder.

It's not the same at all. Apart from broken glass

[Mr Lobster]

Seen it happen on a Ford C-Max a couple of times around 2004. Summat to do with the tinted rear privacy glass affecting the temperature inside the car.

[ruffgeezer]

My escort gti's sunroof shattered like that after I was a stupid twat and locked the keys in the boot, I did have to hit it with a big hammer first though.

 

I always thought that was a craply designed central locking system. That car sounded like the seaside on every corner after that.

[ashmicro]

Had it happen on a '90 RS Turbo. I'd just taken it through a drive thru car wash. Someone told me that fatarse Scenics do it with their sunroofs too.

[Cavcraft]

...

[Baz]

Well it's good to know I'm not alone in having exploding automotive glass, at inopportune times, anyway!

 

"New" glass should be here this afternoon, and the car was going in for its many and various faults to be sorted on Monday anyway....I'm trying so hard to like this car....I WILL get it right if it kills/bankrupts me!

 

Meantime, it's a temporary cardboard rear window held on by gaffer tape, a big blue tarp, and praying that the weather doesn't get too shit over the weekend!

[Cheggers]

Was it parked where someone could have given the bumper a nudge?

[Baz]

Was it parked where someone could have given the bumper a nudge?

 

Well it was....But there's a towbar to get past first, and no sign of damage.

 

I think it was just a spontaneous explosion!

[Rocket88]

spam bump

[Baz]

Well....My C5 has returned from my favourite Citroen Specialist (P&S Hall in Stanton, Suffolk....Between Diss and Bury St.Edmunds) with a new secondhand tailgate glass fitted, a lovely quiet engine (The rattle was the alternator clutch/pulley, not the crank pulley bearing as originally suspected....Went for a new alternator), the oil leak fixed (A hydraulic pipe just needed tightening), and serviced ready for the winter....My bank account is £420 lighter, but I think that's pretty good, given the work they did, and the car feels/sounds SO much nicer than it did! Really do recommend Peter & Richard Hall to any Citroen owners in the Norfolk/Suffolk area

 

Now....Let's see how far we get before it goes wrong again....Bless!

[Partridge]

Imagine if you borrowed the car. “It just exploded...honest!â€Â.

[Waderider]

I had a Renault Fuego rear screen blow out on a sunny day while the car was parked. Also a CB whip aerial managed to smash the rear screen on my MkII Cavalier SRI130 coming over the Glenshane pass on the way back from the Donegal Rally.....about 1994?

[Morgan84]

I had a unexplained rear quarter glass go on my Daimler when parked in the garage overnight,and also had a rear glass go on a Fiesta which was parked in someones driveway. Maybe at sometime something had hit the glass,and set of a stress within the glass

[Rocket88]

I know it's not what happened here, but I've heard of this being caused by an unseen rust bubble lurking somewhere in the window surround ...............

[Volksy]

One night it happened to the rear side windows on my Passat GL5, I had towed a somewhat over weight trailer over from Stockport the day before, so I assume that the rear end was stretched a little then in the cold night shrunk somewhere back to it's original size..

[trigger]

Is it possible that a stone has flicked up from a passing car or from someone cutting/strimming the grass near by?, The glass shatters, the tailgate lifts up and all the remaining glass falls out on to the road?.

[blackburied]

309's do that when parked on a kerb whilst shutting the boot, leaving the owner with a handful of rear boot and rubber.

[r.welfare]

My mate's dad has a C5 estate, 06 plate. Apparently this smashed it's own rear window (like this) when parked outside my mate's house. My mate (and his dad) theorised that it was because the car was parked half on the kerb, and the suspension levelling went mental, or something.

 

Not sure I understand that (and don't shoot me, I'm just repeating verbatim), but it does appear to be another example of the same model of car doing the same thing.