Driving with a roof box and cracked roof?

[inr100]

Hi - tightening my roof bars onto my Tesa3 and one corner cracked in a semi circle around the bar. We attached the roof box and all was fine. However at the opposite corner bar a another crack appeared. This time on the rear glass panel, a diagonal line going toward the boot. We got to our destination but are now concerned about driving back home (150 miles) on the motorway. BUt we have not a lot of other options as we are on holiday and cannot leave the roof box or the car here to get home!

The crack is on the outside glass panel, not the inside (it is double-glazed).

Any experience of this and whether the roof would be strong enough for the return journey?

 

[Adopado]

Hi - tightening my roof bars onto my Tesa3 and one corner cracked in a semi circle around the bar. We attached the roof box and all was fine. However at the opposite corner bar a another crack appeared. This time on the rear glass panel, a diagonal line going toward the boot. We got to our destination but are now concerned about driving back home (150 miles) on the motorway. BUt we have not a lot of other options as we are on holiday and cannot leave the roof box or the car here to get home!

The crack is on the outside glass panel, not the inside (it is double-glazed).

Any experience of this and whether the roof would be strong enough for the return journey?

I was under the impression that the Tesla roof bars don't put any pressure on the glass but latch into the metal of the roof side rails? I don't have roof bars so have no experience of their use but clearly your fitting has put pressure on the glass itself. It it is indeed the case that your roof bars are not directly supported by the glass then you should be OK to use them (but personally I would find another way of getting the roof box home). I am guessing that it was sideways edge pressure on the glass that has caused the cracks. Obviously take lots of close up photos for evidence.

 

[Zigway]

How old is your car? I’ve read somewhere that some Fremont-built cars had poorly aligned roof glass which could give issues with roof bars, where glass was either fractionally proud of metal roof sides or could have sideways pressure applied on it. My rails installed fine, and the roof bar leg pads rested on the metal with no direct pressure on the glass, is it possible to see alignment issues with your car?

I’d say as long as the rails are secure with the lugs correctly inserted into the metal loops under the rubber seal then you’ll probably be fine. Are you near a Tesla service centre where you could take it for them to check, and ascertain if they are going to replace the roof for you?1?