Mysterious Console Damage

+1, the lines even go down the sides (vertical) of the console if you look close enough.

 

Crack.

 

Possibility....?

http://www.lifeaspire.com/7381/why-you-shouldnt-leave-plastic-water-bottles-in-your-car/?src=wimp

 

I'm going with this as the most likely culprit.

 

I have not read through all the posts but if you park your truck outside you can chalk this up to someone with a modified laser pointer having fun. A bad kind of fun but it happens. Google it and you will see for yourself. This could happen anywhere you park for long periods of time. This is very unfortunate.

 

do you usually run your curling iron in the tuck?

 

I will chime in on the reflected light theory.

I think it is very possible, if you or a neighbor has low-e glass. It may not even have to reflect directly into the cab. The A/C vents have chrome rings as well as a few other reflective surfaces. With the magnification from a larger reflective surface, like a window, that hits chrome trim on the wife's taco and gets reflected into the cab of hubby's taco. each reflection has the opportunity to focus or distort the light, much like reflective telescopes a small degree of variation can make a HUGE impact. It may be quite difficult to track down where it began the reflective cycle. Remember with the chrome in our trucks depending on angle of original entry it could reflect across interior of the truck more than once before landing in the "right" spot and with a sufficient focus to cause the damage.

If hubby parks in the same place daily he may hit the same spot/angle 1 of 20 times, additionally it would only have a reflection issue at x time of day and x time of year (due to angle of sun to reflective surfaces) thus it does not happen frequently or regularly. Try watching the area where is truck normally gets parked for light patches on the drive or even on the vehicle parked beside it. Remember this may be a time of year issue so the alignment may not happen again for another year-ish.

I would suggest use of a windshield shade to block one possible point of entry. If you see light hittin the driver's window shade that one too.

 

Please post pic of the glass/crystal ornament that you hang on your rear-view mirror.

 

Please read the whole thread , nothing hanging from mirror.

 

Since it clearly only happens while in park, set up a camera to take time lapse photos and see if you catch something.

 

I don't know about you guys, but if I had a laser pointer that was badass enough to make marks on plastic I wouldn't draw straight lines on somebody's console.

Nope. Think like a 12 year old.

If a 12 year old went to all the trouble to stand there and deface a console, he would draw some rude pictures or maybe write a poem.

At the bare minimum, a single cuss word.

Straight lines? No Way!

It's not a kid with a pointer.

 

there is no way in hell it is a boosted blue laser pointer....or anything handheld with a pointy hot end...lines are too precise
a robot would have had to do it.

I call shenanigans on this whole affair. we must nuke North Korea now. and then get back to the melted console some other time.

 

Apparently you guys have not seen some of the things some of these nerds are doing with these modified laser pointers. The problem with these lines is that they are all over the place so it is hard to tell. I'm not sure what it is but it could be someone messing with a modified laser pointer. You can burn almost anything with them. Then again, absent 24/7 camera surveillance we will never know.

 

That would be a ridiculous laser pointer...highly unlikely that someone with the skills to modify that much would do something stupid like this.

 

A 12 year old kid could do it. Google it. We have neighborhood kids flying drones outside our windows looking inside homes on 3 acre lots full of trees. Then again, no one really knows what is causing this particular issue.

 

you are grossly overestimating what someone can do with a pocket sized laser pointer...even so, it'd have to be very close to the console AND make it through the window without the beam being distorted. furthermore, the lines on the console are straight and don't look to be done maliciously or on purpose.

 

In the end, no one knows. Absent 24/7 observation we may never figure this out. I would hope it is not vandalism but you don't have to draw something that makes sense for it to be vandalism. To me there is no rhyme or reason to these lines but they obviously are burns of some sort. As an FYI, see the link below warning people not to point laser pointers at airplanes. If they are so limited in range why would they warn not to point at airplanes? This one has a 12 mile range.
http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html

 

Can we get a picture of the console from the passenger side? Just curious if the marks also wrap around down the side like they do on the driver side.

 

range does not equal burning ability. I have the strongest green laser pointer that's available to consumers...no way it could cause the damage in this thread, but it will also reach a few miles...most it can do is light a match if you hold it an inch in front of the laser head for a few minutes and its supposed to be able to pop a balloon but I haven't tried it. you don't point at aircraft because it can blind or distract the pilots.

 

I made the aircraft point because of the range. Maybe you don't mod your pointer like some others do and that is great. However, I have seen people burn into thick plastic with them and it looked an awfully lot like these burns. That is the only reason I mentioned it. Then again, it would take a really sick puppy to take the time to do something like this so I'm banking on it being some weird anomaly that will shock us yet make perfect sense at the same time. Take care.