Exploding Topper glass

Hey folks, this afternoon I had the unpleasant surprise of my topper back window exploding while I was in Home Depot. Who’s got the best link for me to find a replacement? I live in Asheville, NC. Do I have to go to a dealership? I don’t see a brand anywhere in the topper. I suspect it’s a Leer, but honestly not sure. Any help is greatly appreciated !

 

You’ll have to call whoever made the topper, or find a new topper. Parts for those can be pretty hard to source.

 

Sorry this happened to you.

From the topper manufacturer it will be expensive.
If it is flat you can replace it with tinted Lexan/Plexiglass.
Try a local auto glass shop, they will have solved this problem before.

 

looks like a SnugTop

 

is this really a thing? Spontaneous shatters? Wondering how many people this has happened to. Plexiglass is most cost effective route, although it will scratch easy, and tough to keep from not splintering at drill points. The topper industry is a ripoff too

 

Probably that rack's poor installation deflecting the topper and bam, broken glass.

 

My SnugTop did exactly the same thing this past August. Went thru insurance because we couldn't exclude vandalism. Had to wait like 3 months for the replacement glass/tailgate to arrive. They went thru a distributer in the midwest and they sent 1 wrong item and it had to be sent back, etc...big hassle! Oh, the glass and lower gate are built together and the replacement came as the shocks along with new hinges and latches along with the lower panel already attached. Expensive too.
Chuck

 

I think mine was the result of shocks that were pushing unequally on the glass or rust building up on the bolts on the upper hinge attachment points. Mine just exploded like yours on a hot August day.
Chuck

 

I have a shell aswell, how did it just “explode” ?

 

The tailgate on a lot of the Snug Top toppers use almost complete glass for the rear lid/window. The hinges are bolted thru the glass and the bottom has a fiberglass or composite section that the lock and latches attach to. Makes them look cool however they're prone to shattering when something is compromised and you're left with the aftermath scratching your head wondering what the hell happened. I almost thought it was my across the street neighbor and his kids bb gun or something. I think lots of them have bolts that go through at the upper hinges that rust and expand and...wham, big mess.

 

Look for a plate on the interior of your topper.
Should have manuf, model, serial etc.
On my ARE it was on the ceiling, drivers' side about 8 inches in from the tailgate.

 

Do you know what the price ended up being?

 

Let you know right after I get home from work this morning. I'll let you know who the distributer for Snug Top parts is as well.

 

You can make one out of Lexan if you can repurpose the other parts

 

Tempered glass sometimes just explodes spontaneously too, it's an odd thing, but I've seen oven doors and tables just shatter out of nowhere.

 

Was sitting in a jumpseat in the back of a ford ranger when i was a kid. Sitting in the driveway of my grandparents, as my parents talked to them out of a rolled down window. BOOM, the entire rear window shattered, the safety glass all in one piece. Soon as dad decided to try backing up it all started falling lol. Went everywhere. Was freakin' loud when it popped, but come on, my ear was like 4 inches from it hahaha.

 

My neighbor's Chrysler Sebring blew a rear windshield while sitting parked in a carport with no extreme temperatures. Yep.

 

The back glass on my topper broke in fall 2005 (that is over 16 years ago), as you can see from the picture it was a rock, probably flew from lawn mower at one of my neighbors.



At first I asked around (including original local supplier of this topper), and I got quoted radicicolous prices - something like over 500 dollars. So I made a cardboard template and went to Tap Plastics. They cut me the shape from tinted lexan for less than 100 dollars, and that fit perfectly.

Now, 16 years after the rear window looks almost like the day I put it in:



the rear window has been abused many times, when I loaded long pieces of wood, that was sticking out over the gate and held it down by the window pulled down by bungee cords. Lexan is flexing without cracking. As for scratches the key is not to wash the rear glass with rag or paper. Use microfiber cloth and Plexus plastic cleaner:



We used this stuff to clean windscreens on airplanes, and it cleans and polishes lexan at the same time. Important thing is to not wipe the plastic in a circle motion but either horizontally or vertically. Yes, learned that from flying Cessna too.

 

That must be good stuff if it has Lexus in the name

 

Sorry for the delay. The cost for the whole tailgate with all the goodies, struts,hinges, hardware and new latch hoops(the old style had been updated and rust too) was ballpark 800 bucks. My insurance covered it, along with me paying my deductible of course. They couldn't figure out the cause, along with the Sheriff who I had come look at it to appease insurance and make them know I'm not making a claim for the hell of it.
I really like my snug top which I have a bed rug and the back of my truck is more plush than my bedroom so it was worth it to me! It's carpeted inside the shell portion and has a camper light and really has nice glass, etc. It is kinda weird that the hinges just bolt thru the glass with four bolts and the rubber gasket on each side holding the whole thing in. Mine was perfect since I bought the truck it came on back in 2005, pretty good track record!
The supplier was Atomic Custom Truck, 10809 N Garnett, Oklahoma City, OK 73114 (405) 608-8878
Hope this helps!