Yes, the Sun can melt your car

Theoretically, the 2022 Honda Civic shouldn’t have melted. After all, it’s a relatively new model in good shape aside from a few dings on the doors. The owner, a young woman from Atlanta, returned home from college for the Christmas holidays and parked her car in the driveway. The next morning she was surprised to see paint bubbles on some parts of her Honda.

Her father, Charles Goldberg, later told the WSB-TV station in Atlanta that the damage went beyond a few paint bubbles. Various components of the bodywork, including the exterior mirrors and the front bumper, had become deformed. “It’s as if someone shot a ray gun at our car. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Goldberg, “It was also warped and started melting and disintegrating.”

The magnifying glass effect

Considering it’s a 2022 model, the Goldbergs went to the Honda dealership for a solution. They were informed that the body and paint damages were caused by the magnifying glass effect created by the windows of their home. When sunlight reflects off the glass, the focused energy and heat is amplified. In extreme situations, it can cause a fire if it touches flammable materials.

Honda won’t cover the damages

According to The Drive, Honda told Goldberg that in rare cases, this effect can cause exterior plastics and paint to overheat and melt slightly. But that sort of damage isn’t covered by Honda’s limited warranty, leaving the Goldbergs or their insurance company to pay for the repairs.

WSB-TV did some research and found several forums where Honda owners discussed similar problems. According to Honda, “It is a long established fact that focused sunlight can heat surfaces and cause damage, depending on the intensity and time of exposure. This sort of damage is not isolated to automobiles, or to Honda in particular.”

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