Warping of Window Pillars

[fmichelson]

New to forum but urgently need help; During my 3yr lease on a 2019 Ram 1500 Bighorn the plastic window pillars AND casing of side view mirror warped 2-3 times during that period, then traded vehicle in for a 2021 (same type vehicle) and just happened again towards end of summer. Dealer Service Dept continues to state 1) NEVER heard of this problem, 2) I must be contributing towards problem, 3) Will no longer do repair/replacement for free meaning cost on me. This is a huge issue to me considering if happens again (which assume yes), that I will be riding around with a crummy look on truck and at end of lease Chrysler will back charge me. So in short, has ANYONE experienced this under normal environmental conditions (live in CT and park on pavement in front garage) and what recourse do I have against Dealership and/or Chrysler.....help as I am totally frustrated with truck, mfgr, dealership, and how service-sales-chrysler act as independent parties!

 

[rule18]

@fmichelson Welcome to RamForum. I'm going to move this thread to the 5th Gen section (unless your '21 is a Classic?), you'll get more views and responses.

 

[fireflymedic]

Would love to see a pic.

 

[KeithP]

We have a 2017, 2019 and 2022 in the family. All in Texas. All purchased new. No issues with the coating on the B pillars or mirrors. You must have something where your parking or driving causing it.

 

[tron67j]

2018 2500, and also no warping. I would look around where you park. Building shapes, water, even white structures can create problems with reflecting light in funny ways so it could be at certain times your truck is exposed enough to intense light that it superheats your truck. Meanwhile you would be oblivious to it. You would need to figure out where your truck might be getting the impacts of whatever is causing that. Maybe park differently at the places you regularly go.

Is it both sides or just one?

 

[fmichelson]

Warping occurs on side facing east exposure of sun but we live in CT as opposed to extreme heat states, the townhouses that surround the parking area are beige vinyl siding, pavement is asphalt, none of this seems drastic meaning normal environment. I can’t think of anything else….thoughts?

 

[18CrewDually]

For different surfaces to warp or melt it would be from the environment. My in-laws neighbor who lives in NJ had the side of their house vinyl siding distort and melt as if it experienced a fire. Turned out the neighbors house next to him had large reflective windows and supposedly was the cause.
I'd take a good look at where you park at home or work.

 

[tron67j]

Like above, it is often a man-made phenomena that impacts us in ways not actually seen. With my uneducated guess that it is some type of focused energy bring your problem this is going to take some investigation on your part. Perhaps the houses are in a circle and the windows of different houses all reflect energy back to a specific set of points throughout the day. Or other vehicles nearby do the same thing. Below is an article that talks more about the issue. Not sure what you can do to fix things, best idea I have is close a white sheet in doors draped over outside to reflect energy back. Remember, it isn't the heat so much but the energy that gets focused and results in cooking your panels.

Turning Up The Heat: Building Glare That's More Than A Nuisance

Some reflective buildings have designs that reflect enough sunlight to melt cars and damage other buildings. An architecture expert explains why — and how it can be avoided.

www.wbur.org

 

[BNeal]

A picture would really help. Having a hard time envisioning what you're talking about.

 

[18CrewDually]

This guy had same issue sounds like.
Thread 'Help me I’m melting!!! ' https://www.ram-trx.com/threads/help-me-i’m-melting-☀️🌡🦖.5533/

 

[fmichelson]

This guy had same issue sounds like.
Thread 'Help me I’m melting!!! ' https://www.ram-trx.com/threads/help-me-i’m-melting-.5533/

Holy Cow....yes, same issue....very disappointing as I don't have too many options as cant use garage (that's for my Sweetie), cant use townhouse parking (that's for Visitors), pain to drape sides with sheet (rain and wind), and there are 2 other trucks in townhouse development that park same (no issues)...I understand focused energy as an engineer but still very surprised there are NOT a ton of other complaints on this issue and how the dealer service and sales respond that never heard of this problem

 

[fmichelson]

Holy Cow....yes, same issue....very disappointing as I don't have too many options as cant use garage (that's for my Sweetie), cant use townhouse parking (that's for Visitors), pain to drape sides with sheet (rain and wind), and there are 2 other trucks in townhouse development that park same (no issues)...I understand focused energy as an engineer but still very surprised there are NOT a ton of other complaints on this issue and how the dealer service and sales respond that never heard of this problem

below is pic of the ram-trx person's truck which are same as mine but terminology NOT melting...really warping

 

[fmichelson]

Would love to see a pic.

sent pic, need to navigate thru this forum

 

[pacofortacos]

If you mean the black tape between the 2 door windows, that's an easy fix.
Remove the tape and polish the paint underneath - problem solved.
Mirror try folding them in and see if that does anything.

Mine between the door windows is bad and I need to remove it.

 

[14 Lonestar]

If you mean the black tape between the 2 door windows, that's an easy fix.
Remove the tape and polish the paint underneath - problem solved.
Mirror try folding them in and see if that does anything.

Mine between the door windows is bad and I need to remove it.

The 5th gen does not have the vinyl on the doors like the 4th gen, it is actually plastic.

 

[tron67j]

Sounds like same problem, but misunderstanding that it is not the temperature around the plastic but the conversion of the solar energy to thermal energy at the focal point. Think of an attic in the summer: the air temperature may be 90 degrees, but the roof heats up to 140 degrees due to absorbed energy from direct sunlight. This surface temperature would then be significantly higher if you then add a object that constantly reflects sunlight onto that surface as well. That is when the plastic melting point is breached.

I can't say what today's plastics on cars are designed to withstand but it has to be pretty high. However, exploring the circumstances of each plastic failure should find either a defect in the entire batch, or if not then it is arguably the individual owner's unexpected environment (meaning natural and man-made parts combined) causing the failure.

 

[pacofortacos]

The 5th gen does not have the vinyl on the doors like the 4th gen, it is actually plastic.

Ahh, well that isn't an upgrade

 

[GTyankee]

I have thin Plastic mirror sheeting, it comes in rolls.

I'm curious about what would happen if you took some of this type of mirror & stretched it out on something like plywood.
then put that mirror right where your truck is deforming, i wonder if it would shine on one of your neighbors windows or a prism

 

[blackbetty14]

On my 4th gen the rear bed rails (plastic caps that run the length of the beds on the sides) have melted and distorted due to summer heat and sun here in CT. You can see every anchor point as they all look like divots. What I would recommend is getting some mirror covers and paint matching them or doing whatever you want with them. I used those to cover my chrome stockers and I paint matched them. They look great and you could never tell they are covers. The plastic is thick and uses 3M tape which I added some but if you have a light color truck you could paint match and that would help. Plus the dealer would never see the warped underside. I bought them years ago but memory says $60 or so for the pair. Just have to match up the year and type of mirror you have.

 

[DrStevil]

As previous replies noted, it isn’t about the ambient air temperature so much as it is about the reflected light heating up the surfaces.
For an interesting example, Google “London building melting cars”. In this case, a skyscraper was reflecting light back down to the street level and causing problems. It was resolved by putting exterior shades on the building.
To the OP - Try to determine the source of the reflection. As the seasons change, the light will reflect from different angles - even within the space of a few days. Think about the handful of days in Spring and Fall when the light comes through a window just right to get into your eyes while you’re on the sofa - but not for the rest of the year. One possible solution - apply an opaque film on the exterior of a window (or set of windows). You want to cancel out the ability for light to be reflected from the offending surface (interior film will not have an effect on reflections).
The goal is to break the reflection, or block the reflected light path (even partially will cut down on the amount of heat energy hitting your truck).
Let us know what you find out!