How much can plastic take?

dnsey · Post by **dnsey** » 13 Oct 2006, 14:30

I've experienced partial windscreen delamination like that on two BXs before. Rather surprisingly, both passed MOTs without any trouble, as the problem was near the corners, but I suspect that the glass might have been quite dangerous in an accident.

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 13 Oct 2006, 17:53

my screen's going milky at the corners too, but it doesn't affect the safety aspect as the vinyl laminating film is still there. It's normally caused by damp rather than heat though.

The only other cars I've had where this has occured were Maestros.

James.UK · Post by **James.UK** » 14 Oct 2006, 13:22

My ZX spends all day, almost every day, parked in the sun, it is parked facing North, maybe that helps as there are no signs of problems of any sort with the plastic interior at all..

The bottom corners of the screen has gotten about an inch of milkyness but nothing that would be anywhere near the drivers sight line..

But.. The plastic roof of my lil rear (house) porch is forever needing replacing, the last stuff I got was double thickness with square honeycombed interior, but even that is falling to bits and started blowing away in the wind now!!! grrrr...

I long ago discovered that the 3 inch corrogated plastic sheets available here, only last 2-3 years outside in the sun before becoming as brittle as superthin glass!!

I think the only cure would be some sort of oily rubber based paint put on top of the plastic asap!

.

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 14 Oct 2006, 13:53

Of course corrugated iron wouldn't suffer on your porch!

I was at a 20 year old industrial unit yesterday having a puncture mended - and the plastic coated galvanised sheet roof was peeling - and the galvanising showing some signs of damage. Seems that even the palstic used on these isn't immune from problems.

Interestingly it seems that ZX dashboards are more prone to the lifting/shrinkage problems than BX. Our ZX (94) has been lifting slowly at the junction between the instruments and the shelf ver since we've had it - about 4 years - whereas my 17 year old BX isn't suffering from this problem.

mezuk04 · Post by **mezuk04** » 14 Oct 2006, 19:24

Wont be long till I'm able to join in on 'house' conversations

Hopefully the side of the house will be wide enough to fit a zx and xantia down for service times

If it is wide enough, then life will be good!

alan s · Post by **alan s** » 14 Oct 2006, 23:52

The plastic sheeting you talk about is possibly the stuff they used to sell (may still do) called "Alsynite" but it was found that it didn't repel the UV as it should and once saw a back patio style thing that had it over it and it turned it into an oven. After the first summer, it had gone brown on top from scorching and was quite brittle.
We've been talking about how we overcome this number of cars versus number of carport/garages and are now thinking along the lines of a treated timber frame covered in shadecloth.
Won't keep the rain out, but then again, we're in the worst drought in over 100 years so it's a case of crossing that bridge when we come to it. (No pun intended)

This is the kind of thing we're thinking.

http://www.shadeaustralia.com.au/storm.php

Alan S