A Michigan woman has gone viral for believing her Toyota RAV4 is ‘melting’ in the Michigan sun.
In a TikTok that’s generated over 750,000 views as of this writing, Kaitie (@kaitiemarielsg) shares how her car’s paint is bubbling and deteriorating over time.
Kaitie has done a series of updates with her melting car since 2021. In her first post, Kaitie says the window of her home is causing the damage. “This window is melting my car,” Kaitie claims.
Two years later, she made another post showing more visible damage on the car. She continues to complain how this is getting worse over time.
“Let’s do a checkup on my melting car,” Kaitie begins in her latest update.
Kaitie reveals that her Toyota is damaged on the bumper, side mirrors, windshield wipers, and emblem. The deteriorated parts appear to be bumpy, bubbly, and cracked in areas of the car.
“All this damage is from the sun hitting the front window of my house,” she claims.
Additionally, Kaitie believes this is just a Toyota issue. “My fiance used to have a Charger, parked in the same spot and it didn’t melt. Seems like a Toyota issue only so why don’t they care,” she captions her latest video.
Kaitie thinks Toyota needs to address this matter. However, not all the commenters are convinced it’s Toyota’s fault.
“I really don’t believe it’s a Toyota problem. There’s hundreds of thousands of Toyota RAV4’s here in Australia and we have pretty decent UV and heat none of them have melted,” one said.
“Really not understanding how this is a Toyota issue when you state your one window is a warped double pane,” another commenter noticed.
Kaitie replied to this comment, “Because even if it’s the window reflecting the sunlight, the only car it happens to is my Toyota. It didn’t happen to my fiance’s Dodge Charger or my mom’s Jeep (she house sits a lot) so obviously it’s Toyota plastics.”
Is It Possible For Cars To Melt In The Heat?
While Kaitie believes it’s possible for her Toyota’s external parts to melt, it’s unlikely.
“Modern vehicles are tested in all extremes to make sure they’re able to cope with climate variations and freak weather, so it’s very unlikely that bits of plastic or metal will start melting on your car anytime soon,” per Prestone.
Although rare, melting can happen with solar convergence.
“This happens from solar convergence. Solar radiation gets reflected and focused onto a specific spot and amplifies the temperature. It can cause fires and melt plastics on cars and houses,” one person said.
“Not a Toyota problem. It’s solar convergence from the windows. It would happen to any car,” another replied.
The effects of solar convergence have also impacted other Toyota drivers.
A woman in San Antonio was shocked to discover her Toyota ‘melting’ as well. Drivers have also taken complaints about solar convergence to forums including CarEdge, Reddit, and Toyota Nation Forum,
What Is Solar Convergence?
Solar convergence takes place when multiple reflective glass panels simultaneously reflect the sun to one direct point, becoming stronger than direct sunlight, Pager Power reports. This leads to surfacing concave horizontally, vertically, or both.
This concentrated heat can damage the paint and vinyl wrap of the exterior vehicle causing a bubble texture to form, Anti Reflective Window Film shares.
According to the National Association of Home Builders, standard clear glass will reflect 10% of the sunlight’s energy, while Low-E (low-emissivity) windows reflect 30-50%. This reflection will direct the heat away from the house. In rare cases, the heat of the reflected sunlight can concentrate like a magnifying glass.
Low-E windows collect concentrated light and can create patches of heat measuring up and above 200 degrees Fahrenheit, InterNACHI Forum reports.
How To Avoid Your Car Melting
Window Film For Turf suggests doing the following below to avoid window reflections melting your car.
- Park In The Shade: Finding a spot covered by shade or under a tree is a simple solution.
- Wax Your Car: Car wax has ingredients that protect car paint from sunlight and UV rays. The wax will act as a barrier between the sun and the paint, keeping the sunlight from touching the surface of the car directly.
- Film your car: Another level of paint protection is film. This will cover the paint while still letting the color shine through.
- Use Window Sun Protector: This coating layer can be applied to glass windows of your home that eliminates its reflectivity factor.
Motor1 has contacted Kaitie via TikTok direct message. This story will be updated if she replies.